You can actually still use the trem, but only for dives, not for ups. It is pretty stiff then, so not as comfortable, but the Strat sounds significantly better. Decked trems are being used by John Mayer or Stevie Ray Vaughan. By contrast, Clapton BLOCKS his trem with a piece of wood behind the trem block. That gives you a different sound again. If you ever played a Clapton Strat you will notice that it has a very different acoustic sound to a non-blocked Strat. Decked Strats sounds similar in character but better (more depth, volume) than floating trem Strats.