Installing Wilkinson Trem...

[tylereot]

Is there a thread somewhere that describes how to install the Wilkinson Trem?  Warmoth installed the bushings, so it should be pretty simple.  But that assumption has gotten me into  trouble before...
I've searched on the web without much luck, either. 
Thanks, all!

Edit: Well, this helps a little.  NEVER would have figured this out.

 

[Cagey]

There really isn't that much to it. Install the studs as shown above, and you're halfway there.

There will be two holes toward the neck pocket end of the trem cavity on the back - those are to install the spring claw. Run the two mounting screws (they're like #10 x 1 1/2" or so wood screws) in until there's about 1" to 3/4" or so between the claw flange the screws are going through and the front wall of the cavity.

Set the bridge in place, and attach at least 3 springs between the claw and the bridge's "sustain" block.

You're done. Open a beer and pat yourself on the back. Show off. Include pics. Try to use a camera instead of a phone if you have one.

Note that the bridge may want to fall out when you turn the body face down until you put strings on and get some counterbalancing force against the bridge, so you may want to wait until you're just about ready to string it up before you put the bridge on. Otherwise, you're just going to fight with it the whole time you're doing anything else.

Once the bridge is in and you have some strings on it, you're going to do some back-and-forth bringing the strings up to tension and tightening the claw to counterbalance that pull. At some point, they'll equalize and you can sorta tune it. That's when you'll start adjusting height.

It's a cakewalk. You can do it. When you get that far, come back and someone will take you through fine-tuning the whole thing. That's also easy, but one step at a time here. We gotta drag this thread out so there's plenty of opportunity to make smartass remarks.

 

[bagman67]

We gotta drag this thread out so there's plenty of opportunity to make smartass remarks.

QFT.


For my part, when faced with the choice between making a smartass remark and making a dumbass remark, I go with smartass every time.

 

[tylereot]

Thanks again, Cagey.  I figured you (or another of the gurus here) would cover my newbie butt.  :icon_thumright:
This is actually too early in the build for me to do all this, but I did think about mounting the neck, bridge and a couple of strings, to see how the whole mess lines up.
I'm waiting on a StewMac order of the rest of my finishing supplies, and just can't leave it alone.
Nevertheless, I thought since I couldn't find a "How-to" thread on it, we should have one here, somewhere.
Looking forward to the smartass banter.

 

[Updown]

NEVER would have figured this out.

Yes ...  you would have at some stage  :icon_biggrin:

If you haven't the manual  :dontknow:  here it is. (the 1st one)
The bit you thought you could never had figured out, is written at the bottom  :icon_biggrin:

2nd attachment / pdf is from a carvin site using a wilkinson trem.
Just has some extra pic's / angles etc.

 

[Cagey]

That first link to the Engrish instructions is hilarious.

I've often wondered why somebody didn't make a business out of correcting Japanese -> English translations after they've done it. Seems like it would be a desirable thing for those businesses that didn't want to look retarded mentally challenged.

 

[tylereot]

Thanks, Updown, I guess that's why they call you "hero member"... or... is it?  :icon_jokercolor:

I had the first one, it came with the bridge parts.
The one from Carvin is pretty funny too: "Tip: don't rest your palm on tremolo arm when tuning"

 

[tylereot]

So, in putting the neck on the guitar, dropping the Wilkie in and stringing it up, the only thing that wasn't intuitive is that you need to leave the screws for the spring attachment WAY out, not screwed down.
Then, when you string the guitar up, you can level it by screwing that bar in further, until the base of the trem unit is parallel with the top of the guitar.
Couldn't have been easier, and the result was a very precise tunable bridge.