Simple Trem Suggestion?

[OperatorAce]

If someone asked you what simple, non-bulky (Think Fender/Wilkinson sized) trem to put on their strat, what would you suggest?

 

[AutoBat]

Gotoh Wilkinson VS100 2 point trem.

 

[stratamania]

Is this to retrofit onto an existing Strat or a new build ?

Six hole or two pivot ?

 

[OperatorAce]

Either/or

 

[stratamania]

Two pivot, Gotoh Wilkinson as already mentioned.

Gotoh 510 SF1 or 2 depending on six screw or two pivot.  I have the  Gotoh 510TS-FE1 (Steel block) trem in chrome on my Warmoth. You need to specify the rout for this, or get a rout for an American standard and widen part of it slightly. You can see it here and this is my preferred tremolo of choice.

http://unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=22445.60


Callaham are also worth a look for a more vintage approach.

Supervee Bladerunner is not a bad tremelo either. A lot of its down to personal preference.

 

[Tony Raven]

Gotoh Wilkinson VS100 2 point trem.

Seconded!

It's a "sorta drop-in" for USA Fender, or so I've heard. Necessary rout-out for other guitars is minimal, though.

I've got a couple of guitars with stock VS-50 (MIK), & am impressed with the control & stability. The VS-100 is higher grade & MIJ.

 

[stubhead]

I don't like the bulky appearance of them big 'ol saddles on Wikinsons. I know it's pissy - but when I'm dropping a grand or so and a week of my fabulously exciting time on a guitar, I sure don't want to be sneakin' sidelong glances at it, thinking "if I only had it to do again" ad nauseum*. And even knowing there are brilliant musicians all ready to crawl out from under their rock and amaze me and prove me wrong, I feel there have been surprisingly few guitarists who really USED it in a creative, musical fashion. I mean hitting specific notes with it that add to their melodic lines, not just auto-drop quarter tones in a Hammond organ, "gutting" note style. Because it "sounds" sort-of Indian?!? Sorry Mr. McLaughlin, you're my BTF** but you're gonna have to do better than that. That goes for you too, Shawn Lane - being dead is no excuse for treating it as a toy.

Obviously, I'm thinking of Mahavishnu's friend Jeff Beck - he's absolutely pioneered the whammy-as-instrument movement. AND - for that reason alone you can't dismiss the straight Fender two-pointer with the chunky saddles. Fender's now installing the bottom plate but with the little bent-metal saddles. And that also looks "wrong" to me. I'm not a fanboy down to the right year's guitar, same brand of underpants etc., but short of buying one of EVERYTHING*** I think deciding some equipment issues on the basis of what kicks ass in other's hands is the next obvious way to fly. And Callaham, Rutter & Glendale can hyperbolize all they want, but they're basically still making Fender copy guitar parts.

Why does this sound like it does?

http://tela.sugarmegs.org/_asxtela/JeffBeck2000-11-01JapanTourRehearsal.asx

Because it's Jeff Beck, playing a Fender whammy.

*(I think it's like a museum, only about puke?)
**(Best-Teacher-Forever :toothy12
***("Honey, we're going to need a bigger warehouse"...)

 

[stratamania]

^^ I have to second that, Jeff Beck, ultimate in musical use of a tremelo.

And I don't like how those Wilkinson saddles look either. But I didn't want to say it  :icon_smile:

 

[Kostas]

Gotoh two point tremolos: 510-BS1, 510-FE1, 510-SF1.
You choose the type of saddles & block you want.

 

[Tony Raven]

Back toward the OP. If you want fast-&-easy, you cannot beat a Bigsby with a Vibramate plate:
http://www.vibramate.com/index.php
Figure on 10-20 minutes more than a full restring.

If you want something cleaner-looking & are willing to carve a hole 1" into your guitar:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/WILKINSON-WIGSBY-VIBRATO-TAILPIECE-BLACK-NICKEL-ADJUSTABLE-TENSION-SOLID-UNIT-/370711532662

About a decade ago, some Eastwood models had a Burns-type vibrato, which was superseded by the original Jaguar style. You don't see many of the former:
http://reverb.com/item/20910-eastwood-sidejack-2009-black?utm_medium=GPLA&utm_source=SEM&gclid=CNjCzrLHvbwCFedAMgodsGEA0w
I've only seen that style on the Eastwoods, classic Burnses, & a rare old Gretsch.

 

[stratamania]

A Bigsby would not fit non bulky that the OP asked about. 

 

[Surf n Music n Ski n Bike]

Well I am building my first electric guitar. I ended up buying a Gotoh Wilkinson Tremolo VS100. Being rather late to the game in playing guitars I don't really have a bias as to looks based on who played what. I do like well engineered equipment and to me the wilkinson looks it. Also I like that it is not shinny chrome but instead a polished look. Also everything I have read says a 2 point system is better but to be honest I don't have experience with either. I just wanted to try my hand on some songs that require tremolo and  liked the look of the gotoh.  Ha but really all this is cosmetic and personal opinion so there in my little opinion  :toothy11:

 

[Tony Raven]

A Bigsby would not fit non bulky that the OP asked about.

What was the thread's headline again? :icon_biggrin: I was uncertain as to what was meant by "simple" -- easy to install? minimal parts? requires no maintenance?

Although something like a Kahler is truly non-simple, a basic floating trem still has dozens of parts, from springs to teensy Allen screws. By comparison, a B5 Bigsby, stripped down, has like 13... including the mounting screws.

As for "bulky," that could be weight, or footprint, or exposure above the guitar's face. (My main gripe with Bigsbys is that a good case is almost impossible to find.

 

[Cagey]

I ended up buying a Gotoh Wilkinson Tremolo VS100.

You won't be sorry. It's one of the best designs out there at the moment. My other choice would be a Schaller part...

...but it's not a "drop-in" replacement for a Fender route. The mounting posts are spaced like a Floyd. Plus, they're not easy to get.

 

[Surf n Music n Ski n Bike]

You won't be sorry. It's one of the best designs out there at the moment. My other choice would be a Schaller part...

Wow Cagey the finish and craftsmanship on that Schaller is beautiful! Gets a person to thinking one build might not be enough  :laughing3: How do you put the photos in the text section as opposed to attachments?

 

[Cagey]

One is too many, and a hundred is not enough. Once you head down the building trail...

Adding photos isn't difficult. The group of icons above the edit area in the message editing screen includes one in the second row, second button in. It creates an "image" tag pair at the cursor location in your message, and leaves the cursor in the middle of those tags. Paste in the address of an image, and you're good to go. The seventh icon in on the top row is a "centering" format tag pair. You highlight the entire image tag set, click on that, and it'll surround it with centering tags.

Note that photos have to be publicly available on a server somewhere; you can't link to your HDD.

Edit: Also, when you want to quote somebody in a reply, there's a "quote" link in the top line of a post that'll automatically put the original post in quote format in your reply, so it doesn't look like you're saying something you didn't say.

 

[Surf n Music n Ski n Bike]

One is too many, and a hundred is not enough. Once you head down the building trail...

Adding photos isn't difficult. The group of icons above the edit area in the message editing screen includes one in the second row, second button in. It creates an "image" tag pair at the cursor location in your message, and leaves the cursor in the middle of those tags. Paste in the address of an image, and you're good to go. The seventh icon in on the top row is a "centering" format tag pair. You highlight the entire image tag set, click on that, and it'll surround it with centering tags.

Note that photos have to be publicly available on a server somewhere; you can't link to your HDD.

Edit: Also, when you want to quote somebody in a reply, there's a "quote" link in the top line of a post that'll automatically put the original post in quote format in your reply, so it doesn't look like you're saying something you didn't say.

Haha allright I got the quote thing. And a little test, here is a pic of the Wilkison.

 

[Cagey]

There you go!

 

[Surf n Music n Ski n Bike]

There you go!

Hahah I just fixed it. You got to pay attention to the size I found!! :tard:

 

[Cagey]

I did see it, and responded to it, but I always "preview" my posts before I commit, and noticed that the size had changed. Figure you'd seen what you'd done and corrected for it, so I edited my post to approval  :laughing7: