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Trem Issues: What's Going on Here? Solutions?


Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame

Question

Got a new guitar in, and the strings were a touch too high.  Also, it looked like this was not the original trem, based on that circle pressure damage where a trem ring would be, and the cut-out space being bigger than the Wilkinson by Gotoh VS-100.

I went to lower the trem, and found:

- treble side post seems bent. Can't screw it in any further.

- bass side post head missing half. Luckily, a full turn put the strings at the right height, and no buzzing or fret-outs.

 

The Wilkinson VS-100N seems to be built to be a somewhat universal trem, with the treble side having a flat/wide knife edge that can accommodate slightly different post width differences.  True?

So could I replace the trem with the black VS-100N I have handy/  It comes with new posts.  I shouldn't have to remove the post sockets, though...just use the existing ones, right?

Or should I measure the post width and buy a different trem body?

 

The guitar has some tuning issues, mainly on the G-string, slightly less on the D string, they stay a little sharp after bending the trem down. This is after removing the strings from the string tree.  Is the trem possibly the cause, or is it more likely the nut?  Or is it the locking tuners?  Someone built it with banjo tuners, which are weird.  


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8 answers to this question

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I agree w/Rob.  I also think the treble post being bent isn't doing any favors and isn't letting it return where it should.   Look also at the contact points for the trem and posts to see if they're worn or chewed up a bit.  I'm also going to hazard a guess that the Wilkinson isn't the original bridge? 

 

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16 hours ago, scottcald said:

I agree w/Rob.  I also think the treble post being bent isn't doing any favors and isn't letting it return where it should.   Look also at the contact points for the trem and posts to see if they're worn or chewed up a bit.  I'm also going to hazard a guess that the Wilkinson isn't the original bridge? 

 

i'm thinking it isn't original, either.

 

However, despite the trem issues, this is one of my most favorite guitars ever. Beautiful blue flame, stainless steel frets, scalloped fretboard, and it sounds like heaven.

Who knows when I'm going to see one like this again, and it would cost me $1200 or more to order one like it from Warmoth or Carvin.

The trem not matching perfectly is okay with me.

It actually has black tuners, chrome trem, and gold knobs.  I've got some new posts on order for $10, if that fixes the issue, then it was worth it.  If it doesn't, I'll try the black Wilkinson VS100N I show in the last picture, and if that solves the problem then I'll switch out the knobs.  Until then, I'm actually enjoying the mismatched look of different colored hardware. Makes it seem more Frankensteinish.

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18 hours ago, RobB said:

Send it back. Why should you have to put in all the extra work on a guitar that wasn't 100% to begin with?

I like it except for these minor issues, and figuring out these issues is teaching me more about guitars.

 

...I should tell you the story of what I went through with my attempt to build a guitar from parts!  Whoo!

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2 hours ago, Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame said:

I should tell you the story of what I went through with my attempt to build a guitar from parts!  Whoo!

I'd like to hear that one. I'm sure many of us have done that one before. 

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28 minutes ago, scottcald said:

I'd like to hear that one. I'm sure many of us have done that one before. 

Eh, why not? I'll post it on the main page.

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1 hour ago, wendell7 said:

Couldn't you order a new trem post from Wilkinson to replace the bent one?

I found a set on Reverb for really cheap, so I'm going with that.

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