Killer Guitar Components Full Brass Upgrade with Mega-Stop,...(Review)

Reviewed By: Jac Harrison

Purchased from: Manufacturer
Total Street Price: $179.85 + Tax & Shipping 

Wilkinson/Gotoh® VS100 Series Brass Tremolo Block: $99.95

Killer Brass Claw: $44.95

Mega-Stop Trem Stopper: $34.95 

About: 

Killer Guitar Components is a father/son team based out of Gloucester, MA that specializes in custom guitar component designs made specifically to enhance your guitar's sound, function and playing experience. This review is on the Wilkinson/Gotoh® VS100 Series Brass Tremolo Block, Killer Brass Claw and Mega-Stop Trem Stopper. 

Installation: 

Upgrading the tremolo components on your guitar is not only a must do in my opinion, but is one of easiest and most dramatically noticeable modifications you can do on this side of $200. The total installation took about an hour and five beers. If you can setup your guitar, you can do this upgrade. If you cannot setup your guitar, learn! Your tone SUCKS when your guitar is not properly set up and is the leading cause of "sh*t-tone". Sh*t-tone is when your guitar's tone is weak and makes you compensate for your "small-tone" by wearing makeup while playing. Many scholars attribute "sh*t-tone" to the birth of goth music. To the review ...

Sound

Guitar used:
Custom Shop Reverend Six Gun 

Amp used:

Indigo McD 20

Cables used:

Mogami

Pick used:
Swiss Picks Polly Sharp Cheddar 1.3 Mini Jazz 

Strings used: 
Dark Horse 10-46

Impression: 

Reverend with KGC Brass upgrade in use with my band Krown Point.

Going into this review I had a complete understanding of what to expect from the block and claw upgrade since it is the very first upgrade I do to all my block bearing tremolo guitars. Most stock blocks and claws are made from a zinc alloy and/or other inexpensive materials that allow the tremolo to function, but do absolutely nothing to promote healthy tone. When using a brass block and claw you are amplifying the "delicious goodness" that we refer to as "tone" instead of dampening the strings natural vibration with zinc making your tone muddy -- like if it was covered in turds giving you "sh*t-tone". The block and claw that KGC (Killer Guitar Components) offers is of the best quality and allowed my guitar to breath as expected. She has more sustain with a deeper richer lush tone making her sound fat and happy. 

The part of this review that I was really looking forward to was the Mega-Stop Trem Stopper. I have always had a problem with using any of my tremolo equipped guitars on stage do to the fear of tuning stability from bends, and if you should break a string, you might as well be playing a different song entirely... so, I was super stoked to put it to the test. After doing the full install I cut the low E string (46g) off to see if she would stay in tune like my fixed bridge guitars -- and she did. I used this guitar in studio for a rehearsal and at a gig latter that week with zero tuning stability problems. During a 13 song set I tuned 4 times with only slight tweaking.

My advice:

If you own a tremolo equipped guitar and you have not done a brass upgrade, you are losing tone by the bucket loads! My advice is to buy one today and get a Mega-Stop Trem Stopper so your guitar stays in tune once you have her singing. 

Contact:
Killer Guitar Components

40 Englewood Rd.

Gloucester, MA 01930

(978) 290-0384

rick@killerguitarcomponents.com

www.killerguitarcomponents.com

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Posted 08/2015

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