Prestige 227

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172441656675?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Don't see these for sale very often...

Or at all...here.
Beauty!

Beautiful guitar,  but that string retainer.... Ewww. A Friday afternoon job in the Mats design office methinks,  just doesn't look right at all.

A bit inappropriate on a tremolo equipped guitar for sure. Gotta be after market add on?

Barry wrote:A bit inappropriate on a tremolo equipped guitar for sure. Gotta be after market add on?

https://i2.wp.com/www.westoneguitars.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/033.jpg

Does look pretty naf...but thats how it comes. 
Same with the Thunder III version 3.
A bad design!

Best thing to do is slacken it right off as far as you can, it works fine then. 
If screwed down it doesn't work at all just drags on the strings via the nut and goes out of tune.
I know I've two of these models blue and red.

Personally I'd fill the holes and respray. It's not needed but I'll keep mine stock for now...

So it does. Somebody thought it looked kewl I guess.
Rare lapse in design judgement there

As I understand it, the string trees or retainer bars are there to prevent the strings jumping out of the nut, yes? So there doesn't need to be much pressure on the string pack at all, does there? Hence Damians suggestion of lifting the bar up a bit.
From a design POV, you'd think that they'd see that the bar is far too close to the nut and, as it stands because it is quite low mounted, exerts far too much pressure on the string pack. 
Is the bar needed there at all? There's probably enough tiltback on the headstock to exert a little pressure on the strings anyway...

But gee; that's a nice instrument! There's an elegance of line in the shape of these has always appealed to me; I've never seen one "in the flesh". The 227 has MMK53s, does it?

I'd grab it with both arthritic hands, tree or no flippin' tree.

Very nice, but a bit out of my price range at the moment, especially as I have just bought a Vox Standard 25 to keep my Vox Custom 24 company!

corsair wrote:
But gee; that's a nice instrument! There's an elegance of line in the shape of these has always appealed to me; I've never seen one "in the flesh". The 227 has MMK53s, does it?

Seen them with both 53's and 45's

Adey wrote:Very nice, but a bit out of my price range at the moment, especially as I have just bought a Vox Standard 25 to keep my Vox Custom 24 company!

Heavy old beasts those....     25 has Dimazio singles, sound good. Rosewood fingerboard??

This one has had them switched out for Kent Armstrong units and the bridge with a Kent Armstrong humbucker. It's in the middle of a re-fret and tidy at the moment.
Singles say Kent Armstrong SUR-OR and humbucker HPAC-1

Judging by the frets, somebody loved to play it. They are well worn and been dressed so many times that they are almost flat!

And a well worn rosewood fingerboard. Rather than the usual black, this one is a dark trans red, which I quite like! 😊

And plenty of fretboard jam to clean up. 😞

corsair wrote:
Is the bar needed there at all? There's probably enough tiltback on the headstock to exert a little pressure on the strings anyway...

Exactly no, it's not really needed.

When setting these up it's 'juuuust' sitting on the strings.

I love the color.  Shame it has that terrible trem and no locking nut.   

My Electra Talon was modeled after these 227's.  They did it right, with an actual Floyd and a locking nut!

Those trems on the 227's work fine when set up correctly.

Which other colours do the Talon come in?

Only black and "phantom quilt" like I have.  I'd like to see other colors.