Meanwhile, at Warmoth...the Gotoh 510 tremolo is now available!

[aarontunes]

The Gotoh 510 tremolo is now available from Warmoth! We've added the rout to our online menu, and the bridge itself is available in our hardware section! Check it out here: http://www.warmoth.com/Gotoh-510-Series-Tremolo-C882.aspx?mobile=no

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Huzzaaaahhhhh!!!!!

 

[spe111]

What are the pros/cons to this one? It looks pretty similar to a fender american standard, which I think is a fine bridge.

 

[aarontunes]

What are the pros/cons to this one? It looks pretty similar to a fender american standard, which I think is a fine bridge.

Advantages of the 510 over the American Standard are:

• Locking stud posts - rock solid posts and good vibration transfer
• Nylon insert for the bar - so much better than screw-in, with no slop
• More substantial block - better sustain, etc.
• And on a personal note: The intonation screws are centered on the saddle blocks, instead of located off to one side...which makes my OCD itch.

No cons that I can think of. It's a beautifully engineered bridge.

 

[spe111]

Thanks, sounds pretty good. The only problem is all of the effort it will take flipping it over to put the strings in, vs floyd rose, eh?

 

[aarontunes]

Thanks, sounds pretty good. The only problem is all of the effort it will take flipping it over to put the strings in, vs floyd rose, eh?

It's a nightmare!  :icon_biggrin:

 

[bagman67]

What are the pros/cons to this one? It looks pretty similar to a fender american standard, which I think is a fine bridge.

Advantages of the 510 over the American Standard are:

• Locking stud posts - rock solid posts and good vibration transfer
• Nylon insert for the bar - so much better than screw-in, with no slop
• More substantial block - better sustain, etc.
• And on a personal note: The intonation screws are centered on the saddle blocks, instead of located off to one side...which makes my OCD itch.

No cons that I can think of. It's a beautifully engineered bridge.

Huh.  I, too, am generally afflicted with a strong preference for symmetry; and yet I never noticed that the intonation-adjustment screws on the AmStd Strat bridge were off-center.  Now that I can see it, though...

 

[spe111]

I noticed they were off center and never cared. So is this bridge also better than a wilkinson? I have heard people complain about their arms wobbling but I have not had that problem on the two that I've owned.

 

[aarontunes]

Another advantage, for some: the Gotoh is available in the Gold and Black, not just Chrome.


The Wilkinson trem competes more directly with the Gotoh. More of a personal preference there, I would say. Do you want the unique look of the Wilky, or do you prefer the more traditional look of the Gotoh? The Wilky is about $50 cheaper.

 

[Logrinn]

And since the Wilkinson bridges are made by Gotoh you're basically asking, "Is this Gotoh better than that Gotoh?" :icon_jokercolor:

 

[Wolfie351]

Ugh, I just hand routed for one!  Not that it was a huge deal, just a few mm off the treble end.  Anyone have a request for a new bridge route?  I'll just hand route one and Warmoth will offer it a couple weeks later!  :icon_jokercolor:

Functionally, I prefer the Wilkinson design.  Aesthetically, the Gotoh gets the nod

 

[Rick]

Never used one ... but it sure looks good.

 

[stratamania]

Excellent news.

The Gotoh 510 is an excellent tremolo. I have one on a Warmoth body and there are no problems at all with it or its arm. There is a reason Suhr uses these tremolos and I think he knows what he is doing.

Not sure what anyone means by it being off centre.

 

[aarontunes]

Not sure what anyone means by it being off centre.

We are talking about the intonation screws on Fender American Standard bridges.

 

[exaN]

I wish I waited until this was announced to make my latest build! :sad1:

 

[stratamania]

Not sure what anyone means by it being off centre.

We are talking about the intonation screws on Fender American Standard bridges.

OK, got it for some reason when I read the post I thought someone had said the Gotoh was off center.

 

[Unwound G]

So it's possible to retrofit the Gotoh 510 trem onto a body previously using Am Std trem or even the Wilkinson noticing that the stud spacing are the same at 2.2" (55.9mm) ?  Only issue I envisage is the hole for the trem block may be slightly wider for the Gotoh 510.  If dive bombing is not part of one's style, it may just work ? 

 

[MikeW]

... Functionally, I prefer the Wilkinson design.  Aesthetically, the Gotoh gets the nod

This. I've been using the Wilkinson for a while now and am a real convert, but where a classic look is required, I'm going with the 510.

 

[stratamania]

So it's possible to retrofit the Gotoh 510 trem onto a body previously using Am Std trem or even the Wilkinson noticing that the stud spacing are the same at 2.2" (55.9mm) ?  Only issue I envisage is the hole for the trem block may be slightly wider for the Gotoh 510.  If dive bombing is not part of one's style, it may just work ?

A little bit of wood needs to be removed from the treble side of an Am Std trem rout to accommodate the tremolo bushing of the Gotoh 510 trems. If you fit it to a Wilkinson rout it will have a visible gap.

 

[Belch]

My wilkinson vs-100 does have that patented wilky wobble going on. I'm not really sure what's going on with that, but does this gotoh with its nylon actually get rid of that?

That said, I'm not really seeing the extra 50 bucks difference. What wilkinson-gotoh really need to do is get rid of that wobble and throw a hefty chunk of brass in for the block. If they did that, I'd shell out for a new bridge.