Gotoh Vs Hipshot

[benferrari]

Hi guys,

I'm building a new strat style guitar and I want to do a 2 post bridge, looking at either a Gotoh (like  Shur) or the Hipsot trem equivalent. Anyone tried both or got any thoughts on the best option?

Thanks,
Ben

 

[stratamania]

Hi Ben,

Both Hipshot and Gotoh, make good products.

I have not tried the Hipshot product but you might want to take a look at my thread where the Gotoh is used and there is lots of information there.

http://unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=22445.0

In addition, if you don't fancy putting the bridge inserts in yourself for the Gotoh, if you get a pair of studs from Warmoth they will put them in for you for a small charge. A pillar drill is the best thing to use to press in the studs, but in the thread linked I used what I had available at that time.


These are the same studs the two-post Gotoh 510 tremolos use. Although Warmoth sells them for the Wilkinson bridge they are the same. (Also Gold or black are options)

http://www.warmoth.com/Gotoh-Wilkinson-Studs-Pair-Chrome-P1754C702.aspx

If you use a 510 don't however go for the Wilkinson rout, it is the wrong size for the 510. You need to either go for the two post American Standard rout and adjust that with a file slightly or ask them to do a rout for "Gotoh 510 TS-RS1 2-Hole Tremolo" which they do for $45 extra.

There are a number of Gotoh 510 tremolo variants but the dimensions for the tremolo rout are equivalent.

Cheers,

 

[benferrari]

Thanks stratamania! Lots of great info. How do you find the string spacing on the gotoh what with it being a little narrower?

Thanks,
Ben

 

[stratamania]

Thanks stratamania! Lots of great info. How do you find the string spacing on the gotoh what with it being a little narrower?

Thanks,
Ben

The string spacing is very good I find. Unless you prefer to have a six screw vintage spaced tremolo spacing on the board where the strings are barely on the board you should find it works well.

 

[benferrari]

Great - sound like what I want, that stings falling off thing is rubbish.

 

[stratamania]

Great - sound like what I want, that stings falling off thing is rubbish.

Indeed...

 

[BigSteve22]

I have no experience with the Gotoh bridge, but have the HipShot  in my Strat. I keep it decked because I don't use a trem in my playing, but I wanted the look of it and the option to use it if the need arises. I bought the American Flat Plate version. It's a very well made bridge.

If you do go this way, go with the Hipshot bridge route option, see here: http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Bodies/Options/BridgeRoutingOptions.aspx at the bottom of the page. Although Hipshot says it's a direct replacement for the American Standard trem, the Warmoth route is a little too tight to allow proper functioning. I needed to enlarge the opening in the top of the body because the the sustain block was almost up against it in the neutral position.

 

[aarontunes]

My two favorite non-locking trems of all time are the Mann Trem that PRS uses, followed by the Gotoh 510 variant that Suhr uses (and which Warmoth plans to offer soon).

 

[stratamania]

Gotoh 510 variant that Suhr uses (and which Warmoth plans to offer soon).

Great news...

What about Gotoh Floyds also? 
Seems they would also be popular.

 

[aarontunes]

Gotoh 510 variant that Suhr uses (and which Warmoth plans to offer soon).

Great news...

What about Gotoh Floyds also? 
Seems they would also be popular.

No plans to offer Gotoh Floyds. The originals that we already offer do quite well.


The Gotoh 510 trems are already in stock. We are just going through the process of getting them inventoried, photographed, and all the other stuff that has to happen for them to be available on the website. Hopefully soon.....


By the way...the new Gotoh "In Tune" Vintage Tele bridge that we just added to our offering, and these Gotoh 510 trems which are upcoming, were both added on my recommendation. I don't want to look like a fool...so you guys need to order a bunch. Two each ought to be enough.


C'mon guys...make me look like a hero!

 

[stratamania]

I am sure hero status will be bestowed upon you  :icon_thumright:

Which I assume also means when the 510 tremolo becomes available a rout option for them also will be...

The OP of this thread may be of course a potential customer for this.

 

[Cagey]

The Gotoh vintage Tele bridge is a Good Thing - I recently installed an almost identical unit from another supplier - but I still don't know about the vibrato. Gotoh labels nearly everything they make as a "510 [something-or-other]", so I don't know what anybody's talking about.

 

[aarontunes]

The Gotoh vintage Tele bridge is a Good Thing - I recently installed an almost identical unit from another supplier - but I still don't know about the vibrato. Gotoh labels nearly everything they make as a "510 [something-or-other]", so I don't know what anybody's talking about.

I totally agree with you on Gotoh's nomenclature. Worst ever, except for maybe Ibanez.

I think the way they think it works is they have a line of bridges called the "510 series", which includes several kinds of hardtails, and several kinds of trems. Then, each bridge in the line is given a suffix that indicates the model, e.g. 510-CTS5, or whatever.

Unfortunately, in the real world people have taken to referring to one particular model of trem (the one that Suhr uses, and the one that most people prefer) as the "Gotoh 510". From that point on, chaos and confusion with other models ensues.

Sometimes, no matter how well-thought-out or good-intentioned your original idea was, you just have to adapt your marketing to what the masses dictate, you know? Sort of like "FedEx".

 

[Cagey]

It would be bad enough if it was just the bridges, but they also have 510 tuners, 510 football jackplates, 510 control plates...wtf? Is it some kind of magic number? Should I be playing it in the daily lottery?

 

[aarontunes]

Wait...

5 + 10 = 15
5 + 1 + 0 = 6
5 x 10 = 50
5 x 1 x 0 = 0

Add them together:

15 + 6 + 50 + 0 = 71

Then subtract the number of Gotoh products named "510", which is 29. So...

71 - 29 = 42

So the answer is 42.


Of course. It all makes sense now!

 

[Cagey]

Holy guacamole, Batman! It's the proof we've been looking for!

See? This is why you get the big bucks.

 

[Logrinn]

Finally! The answer we've all been looking for!

 

[Cagey]

In retrospect, it should have been obvious. It's the ASCII code for the asterisk (*), which is often used as a "wild card" in computerized searches, acting as a placeholder for "any character". It's a stroke of genius on the part of Gotoh's resident marketing weenies. No matter what you're searching for, it turns up one of their products. It's Microsoft-level deviltry.

 

[BigSteve22]

In retrospect, it should have been obvious. It's the ASCII code for the asterisk (*), which is often used as a "wild card" in computerized searches, acting as a placeholder for "any character". It's a stroke of genius on the part of Gotoh's resident marketing weenies. No matter what you're searching for, it turns up one of their products. It's Microsoft-level deviltry.

Right you are Bro. In fact, "*"= Any Number of Any Characters, so the answer is always "Anything Gotoh!" Pure genius!  :evil4:

 

[rgand]

Ah-ha! And all this time I though the CEO was 5' 10" tall or weighed 510 lbs.