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I've got three Strats with vintage trems, and they all work equally
well, without special strings and special setups, and certainly with
no "nursemaiding" (I rarely give it a second's thought). And I
believe I've made some good music with the use of this "cantankerous
hunks of junk". Just what the hell do you do with your tremolos??
--- In , "red_thundr" <red_thundr@y...>
wrote:
>
> We can simply agree to disagree.
>
> Hendrix was notorious for being out of tune (I can hardly stomach
his
> live performances merely on that fact.) Jeff Beck and others need
> massive adjustments and tweeks to make their stock Fender units
> livable. Van Halen simply gave up on the stock Fender unit and
found
> something better, and in doing so rewrote the book on what you could
> do with a tremolo.
>
> My Stratocaster is not a one-trick-pony, and I demand that it have
> flexibility, versatility, and reliability. The Wilkinson tremolo
> plays a big part in that equation, and if I can spread the good word
> on something I found, I'm gonna do it. You won't be able to
convince
> me that the stock Fender tremolos are anything more than
cantankerous
> hunks of junk that are better left unused. My time is better spent
> making good music than nursemaiding a device that has been vastly
> surpassed by far more elegant and usable solutions.
>
> Consider yourself extremely fortunate to have a workable stock
Fender
> trem; for it's only due to luck and not by design. My case is the
> opposite: I have a great trem that's usable by design, not by luck.
> The stock Fender trem will never shed its quirky reputation for
> needing special setups, special strings, and a wing and a prayer
when
> you really need to count on it.
>
>
> --- In , "ipongrac" <ipongrac@g...>
> wrote:
> >
> > --- In , "red_thundr"
> <red_thundr@y...>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > I'd only have to add that you need to try a Wilkinson first.
> >
> > I will, if I get a chance.
> >
> > > The
> > > general consensus is that the "vintage" Strat trem needs special
> > > supporting setup mods and inordinate care applied in order for
it
> to
> > > be somewhat stable and usable; it doesn't just "work" out of
the
> > box.
> > > Tuning problems are a well-documented and universally accepted
> > > idiosyncrasy of the stock Fender unit. All that friction on
the 6
> > > pivot screws doesn't bode well for tuning stability, and the
> > > side-to-side shifting of the spring-loaded saddles doesn't give
> the
> > > strings a consistent zero return point.
> >
> > Cause people use thin strings and don't set it up right. Oh, and
> > they dive-bomb with it and pretend they're EVH or Brad Gillis,
> which
> > is not what it was designed to do. Again, I said that it works
> really
> > well for SURF MUSIC, meaning adding true vibrato, whether gentle
or
> > heavy-handed, rather than making airplane and Ferrari noises
with.
> > Incidentally, Hendrix, Van Halen, and Jeff Beck did much if not
all
> > of their whammy abuse on vintage style units... I even read an
> > interview with EVH where he said he prefers the tone of the
vintage
> > Strat unit, but obviously a Floyd Rose stays in tune better for
> what
> > he does.
> >
> > > If the vintage Fender trem was half as good as you say,
> >
> > I'm telling you what my experience with it is - why would I
> > exaggerate?
> >
> > > Floyd Rose would have been out of business > 25 years ago.
> >
> > Well, Kahler is. And how many new guitars do you see with real
> Floyd
> > Rose units? Maybe Jackson and ESP, but not many more. I don't
> think
> > that Fender has one standard model with a real Floyd Rose on it
> > anymore (they have a Mexican or Korean model with a Floyd Rose
> copy),
> > while the vintage unit is still found on the great majority of
> their
> > (and many other manufacturers') guitars. Floyd Rose trems are a
> pain
> > in the ass. They're hard to adjust for intonation, changing
> strings
> > is a pain in the ass, and locking and unlocking the nut and
having
> > the right wrench is just really inconvenient.
> >
> > > Most elements of the original Strat design are timeless;
> > > unfortunately, the trem isn't one of them.
> >
> > I couldn't disagree more. I believe it's one of Leo Fender's
major
> > claims to fame.
> >
> > > I've played a gazillion Strats, from Mexis all the way to
Custom
> > Shop
> > > beauties, and 95% of them with the stock trem have gone out of
> tune
> > > with mild use. And frankly, I've yet to pick up a Strat right
> off
> > the
> > > dealer's wall that didn't have a major problem with the tuning
> after
> > > testing the trem.
> >
> > Cause most of them leave the factory with 9-gauge strings and
poor
> > setups.
> >
> > > Bang for the buck, I believe the Wilkinson upgrade mod wins
hands
> > > down. It's an inexpensive drop-in mod that a competent luthier
> can
> > > setup with ease. It's not finicky, it's rugged, nice-looking,
and
> > > actually benefits the sustain. My recommendation is for people
to
> > > simply try it.
> >
> > No problem. All Strat players should go ahead and try it. If I
> > lived close any kind of a guitar store (the nearest - crappy - one
> is
> > 45 miles away, a good one is some 70 miles away, and I rarely get
> to
> > go there), I would. But my opinion is that the vintage Strat
> tremolo
> > rules.
> >
> > Ivan
