First build: Wrong bridge routing

[JonatanOTG]

I think you misunderstood me (sorry if it's I who misunderstand you!), this time I meant on a body without trem cavity. Here's the right pics by the way:

Can I put...

... on...

...?

It looks ok to me but perhaps there's something I've forgotten, I always do...  :doh:

 

[Cagey]

No, I understood. That's the exact situation I'm describing, and that I have here. A Hipshot 41100 and a Strat drilled out for a vintage flat hardtail.

 

[JonatanOTG]

- Would a Hipshot Hardtail fit on a Warmoth strat drilled for Vintage Strat Flat Mount bridge?

If we're talking about the Hipshot 41100 style bridge, the mounting holes line up nicely but the string-thru holes are slightly off. I have that situation with a Strat here. The body is drilled for Vintage Strat Hardtail, but I have the Hipshot bridge. The Hipshot seems to have Vintage mounting holes, but AmStd string holes.

I'm gonna use it anyway, because that's the way I roll <grin>

The strings holes aren't that far off; I'm just going to open 'em up a tad and it'll work out fine.

Hey Cagey that's great, exactly what I was hoping for!

So from what I understand, mounting the bridge (I guess it's the 41100 on the pic above then) would be a piece of cake, but as you say the string holes has to be opened up a tiny bit (which perhaps even an amateur like me would be able to do ).

 

[JonatanOTG]

My bad... I meant Dmraco in the misunderstand post.

But nevermind that I get it now. This might have solved a great problem for me, thanks a lot!  :icon_thumright:

 

[Cagey]

So from what I understand, mounting the bridge (I guess it's the 41100 on the pic above then) would be a piece of cake, but as you say the string holes has to be opened up a tiny bit (which perhaps even an amateur like me would be able to do ).

Right. What will happen is when you go to string it, the string will sometimes hit the back of the bridge plate rather than the stringhole, but you just keep poking and it'll eventually line up. Slight hardship, but not insurmountable. I'm gonna live with it.

One thing I would caution about, though, is height. You may want to review this thread. You might not have that problem, but I did.

 

[JonatanOTG]

Right. What will happen is when you go to string it, the string will sometimes hit the back of the bridge plate rather than the stringhole, but you just keep poking and it'll eventually line up. Slight hardship, but not insurmountable. I'm gonna live with it.

One thing I would caution about, though, is height. You may want to review this thread. You might not have that problem, but I did.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll check that out!

 

[Cagey]

I also forgot to mention that if you haven't ordered the body yet, Warmoth will actually drill for that bridge. But, it's a custom off-line procedure that they charge you $45 extra for. It's listed here using the AllParts part number SB 5105-010.

 

[JonatanOTG]

I also forgot to mention that if you haven't ordered the body yet, Warmoth will actually drill for that bridge. But, it's a custom off-line procedure that they charge you $45 extra for. It's listed here using the AllParts part number SB 5105-010.

It keeps getting better! Thanks a lot for the info!

 

[dmraco]

sorry...i thought you were still talking about the original guitar...

 

[VinceClortho]

I've actually been exploring the same thing so this post is quite serendipitous.  Thanks!

So from what I understand, mounting the bridge (I guess it's the 41100 on the pic above then) would be a piece of cake, but as you say the string holes has to be opened up a tiny bit

From looking at the different mounts, wouldn't the "Narrow Spaced Strat" be the easiest/cheapest option:
"The mounting holes are identical to the vintage flat mount bridge, but the string through holes are drilled larger."

 

[sully]

I have a question along these lines.

If I see a strat body in the showcase, there is an option for the type of trem I want.

Is the issue here that there aren't many strat bodies that don't have the trem cavity already routed, therefore hard to affix a hardtail?

Just wanting to clarify - if I see a body, maybe a rear route one, with a trem cavity already cut, and they give me the option of say a floyd rose or a wilkinson, that warmoth will "finish" whatever routing/drilling needs to be done for my chosen trem type?

 

[Cagey]

The thread topic here has to do with mounting a hardtail bridge on a trem-routed body, as the vast majority of them (in the showcase) are already at least partially routed.

That partial route is just the back cavities, though. The spring and sustain block openings, which are the same for just about all trems. When you select a body that gives you "your choice trem routing", they're talking about the last bit on top, where the opening and mounting arrangements are cut/drilled. That's where it gets particular depending on which bridge you select. There's no extra charge for that, as it's built into the body price.

 

[JonatanOTG]

Just days away from ordering now, I decided to ask the guys at Warmoth. Just to be totally sure, that the Hipshot Hardtail would fit on a body routed for a Vintage Strat Flatmount. So I mailed them and got an answer within minutes ( :icon_thumright: ).

But the answer I got was that they cannot over-rout the Vintage Strat Flatmount; they can only rout for the Hipshot on a custom body. So according to them the Hipshot will not fit at all? I'm getting a bit confused...  ???

 

[Cagey]

I suspect what they're concerned about is how close the drill pattern is for those two bridges. It means drilling overlapping holes, which is poor practice. It's not anything you'd see in the end result once the bridge is mounted, but as I think I mentioned earlier you might end up poking the base plate of the bridge with the string a few times before hitting the through-hole. It's the same thing that happens when you do have the holes lined up, but the string hits the saddle rather than go through.

 

[JonatanOTG]

Ok, that seems reasonable.

I think I might end up using the Vintage Flatmount (or Narrow Flatmount perhaps) bridge just to be sure the routing matches the bridge. I mean, being my first build and all.

 

[stubhead]

I still have about 2/3 of a can of casting epoxy & it's hardener. I gotta tell you, I have been sorely tempted. Just fill up the whole damn thing... it's quite heavy and not at all "rubbery" when it's full cured, so it's hard for this non-Koolaid drinker* to think it would ruinous toward tone.

I have a five-string bass that I specified the wide neck on, and then I put on FIVE of the nice heavy Schaller elephant ear tuners. Uh-oh! Neck-heavy.... so I first glued a big ol' gear in the back, then I topped it off with the epoxy. So it's no longer neck-heavy, just really heavy! Win-win scenario, fer sure.

*(or is it Koolaid non-drinker?) :icon_scratch: