Engl Hardtailer Trem Block System

A great product in concept but poorly executed.
The brass fine tuning screw is very loose and constantly moves as you play, so when the time comes to engage the hardtailer it will no longer be in the correct position and your guitar will go out of tune. I also do not recommend using the tremolo at all while the hardtailer is engaged, as this also causes the screw to move a lot and make the guitar go out of tune as you're playing. On the contrary, the sliding mechanism is extremely stiff and unpleasant to use. The pull mechanism to engage the hardtailer is uncomfrotable and will hurt your fingers with the amount of force required to move the stiff sliding mechanism.
The hardtailer is advertised to have "no rattling noises" however there is a lot of loud rattling noise between the brass screw and the tremolo block whenever you pick hard, there is also an annoying clunking noise of the tremolo banging against the screw when bending strings or using the tremolo (which again, I don't recommend as the guitar will go out of tune).
The only good experience I've had with the hardtailer is using it to completely block the tremolo under high spring tension so the brass screw can't move and the tremolo can't move to create the loud rattling noises caused by the hardtailer, but this isn't what the product was designed for.
I recommend seeking alternate solutions for temporarily blocking your tremolo.

That product is great.
I had some doubts before ordering.

I thought It could negatively impact the sound in a blocked position.
As it turns out, the only slight problem is that if you bend too hard, there will be a noticeable sound (tremolo will clash against the blocker when you release a bend, when you bend, tension will increase and Floyd will elevate against the blocker).
However, you can solve this problem by slightly readjusting the blocker once in a while. I have noticed this problem ONLY when changing the tuning of my guitar without readjusting the blocker.

The benefit of blocking tremolo and dropping my guitar with a d-tuna-like product outweighs my cons.

Hardtailer can sit in the way of springs, so be aware of that too.

Install was a bit nerve wrecking, but worth it.

The screw does not move on my unit, maybe Engl has added thread locker such as Loctite 222. I have not checked.

It fits under the trem springs in my case. However, this is going to depend on the thickness of your sustain block. You can try sliding a 3mm hex wrench, under the springs of your guitar, to check.

Overall I am very happy with this product, but I wish 2 things were better.
1. It is stiff to lock and unlock
2. The provided screws are magnetic, which is acceptable, but not desirable or necessary in this application.

Compared to a Tremol-no, this is the better product. More dependable, does not unlock itself.

Oui, ce petit appareil ressemble à un verrou de porte, et oui je l'ai trouvé cher... Mais il fait exactement ce qui est attendu.

Je l'ai installé sur une guitare munie d'un VegaTrem VT1 Ultra (tremolo flottant). L'installation est facile pour qui bricole un peu. Mais il n'y a pas de notice, il faut aller voir sur le site d'ENGL, un peu dommage. Attention il faut être assez précis sur la prise de repères pour le pré-perçage des 4 trous de fixation afin que la tête du Hardtailer ne soit pas de biais et qu'elle touche le vibrato sur toute sa surface. Les petites 4 vis suffisent à ancrer solidement le Hardtailer au corps de la guitare.

Une fois le réglage fait, ça fait ce pour quoi je l'ai acheté : empêcher le désacordage des autres cordes quand je passe la guitare en Drop D, et donc accélérer ces réaccordages Drop D / Std E ! Ça permet même d'aller plus loin, par exemple Drop B (!), puisqu'en effet... le vibrato est calé.

Le mécanisme de mise en position est efficace, une fois clipsé ça ne bouge plus. J'entrevois peut-être la nécessité de lubrifier les inserts disons une à deux fois par an selon utilisation.

Seul petit défaut à l'utilisation, lorsqu'on utilise le vibrato et qu'on le remet à sa position initiale, un bruit résonnant peut s'entendre car la tête du Hardtailer vient taper contre le cordier du vibrato. N'ayant pas de fine feutrine sous la main, j'ai posé sur la tête du Hardtailer un patch maison fait en papier cache pour atténuer cet effet.

Au global je suis content de m'en être équipé, c'est un système simple à installer, simple à régler, juste un peu cher pour ce que c'est. (Avec le rachat par ENGL à l'inventeur originel on aurait pu attendre une baisse de prix vu la montée en volumes.) Mais comme ça fonctionne très bien, j'ai gardé une note 5 étoiles.