Recommend a replacement tremolo for my Strat

They are great. Best version of this idea out there by far, I'm not a fan of the writing on the newer ones sold separately but that's not important when they work as well as they do . My Suhr Modern is pretty much as stable as a Floyd but it does have a graphite nut and Hipshot locking tuners to help at the other end.
 
Andy Eagle said:
They are great. Best version of this idea out there by far, I'm not a fan of the writing on the newer ones sold separately but that's not important when they work as well as they do . My Suhr Modern is pretty much as stable as a Floyd but it does have a graphite nut and Hipshot locking tuners to help at the other end.
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Seems like they are made of unobtanium lately, though. I may have received the last unpurchased set in the world. Hopefully they will make some more....
 
Yeah I would like to try those locking saddles but I am not super impressed with the Wilkinson tremolo I do have, it keeps fraying strings in the saddle.
 
marc0810 said:
Yeah I would like to try those locking saddles but I am not super impressed with the Wilkinson tremolo I do have, it keeps fraying strings in the saddle.
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Post a Pic. Something is not right there, Wilkinson stuff even the cheep ( none Gotoh ) is pretty reliable.
 
@Andy Eagle sorry don’t have a pic available but basically where the string angles up out of the block and saddle, they keep fraying at the windings by the ball end, mainly happens on the low e and a string. Mine is the Wilkinson that was installed on Carvins and I have heard there were issues with those. I have taken it to two different techs and a luthier and no one has been able to find a permanent solution short of replacing the bridge
 
That's the same one finally chosen by the OP.
Two ways of fixing it;
1. Smooth out and round over the exit from the hole through the baseplate at the point of contact with the string.
2. And the SRV fix of some little pieces of teflon tubing one the string at the point of contact.
This is a difference between this version and the Gotoh .
 
1598371072577.png
You can see in this image that the baseplate has a smooth curved groove for the string.
Ignore the VERY poorly made replacement brass block that doesn't fit and has created a new sharp edge of it's own.
You can cut this with a dremol tool or a good quality needle file.
 
When Gotoh make a zinc block it sounds good because it is a liquid casting not a sintered powder casting. This makes the metal sonically quite different to a sintered (string damper) block that is the case on many other brands using zinc.
 
marc0810 said:
@Andy Eagle I am thinking about dropping in a 510 as a replacement I just keep hearing different reports about the stud distance.
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If the stud spacing is standard Fender two post (actually the two outside screws of a vintage six screw spacing,) it will fit the Wilkinson and the 510. BUT because the Wilkinson VS mount has one open knife edge it can mean the high E side stud can be positioned slightly differently and the 510 won't fit. Warmoth do this if you ask for a VS100 mount. IF you post a close up picture straight down on top of the guitar over the bridge I can tell you if it will fit.
 
Thank you all for the suggestions. I am glad that the OP found his choice.

I am in a similar situation, but I am replacing a 6 screw trem on a MIM Strat with EMG DG-20

I've come down to the Gotoh 510, but I have to decide between these options:

Modern saddle 510T-FE2 / 510TS-FE2
510TS-FE2-C-768x768-300x300.jpg


Vintage Saddle 510T-SF2 / 510TS-SF2
510T-SF2-C-300x300.jpg


Brass saddle 510T-BS2 / 510TS-BS2
510T-BS2-C-300x300.jpg


Is there really going to be a noticeable sonic difference between these types of saddle? What would be the difference?

edit: I discard the Brass Saddle. It is not available in Thailand. My choice is between the SF and FE
 
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Piing said:
Thank you all for the suggestions. I am glad that the OP found his choice.

I am in a similar situation, but I am replacing a 6 screw trem on a MIM Strat with EMG DG-20

I've come down to the Gotoh 510, but I have to decide between these options:

Modern saddle 510T-FE2 / 510TS-FE2
510TS-FE2-C-768x768-300x300.jpg


Vintage Saddle 510T-SF2 / 510TS-SF2
510T-SF2-C-300x300.jpg


Brass saddle 510T-BS2 / 510TS-BS2
510T-BS2-C-300x300.jpg


Is there really going to be a noticeable sonic difference between these types of saddle? What would be the difference?

edit: I discard the Brass Saddle. It is not available in Thailand. My choice is between the SF and FE
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Saddles make a big difference in tone. I noticed quite a difference between the original saddles and the WLS130s with the PRS SE Standard 24 last week. The new ones are steel, and a bit more even and punchier than whatever the original ones were.

Brass is a little easier on the high end and low end than steel, if memory serves. Some will call brass 'a bit darker'. Others will call steel 'ice-picky'. Depends on your unique perspective. The Rutters Tele "half-bridge" I got for my Gecko Tele had one steel saddle for the E and A strings, and brass for the rest. It's incredibly well balanced, and the low strings twang like nobody's business while the other 4 are nice and rich and not ice-picky.

Every piece that touches the string has the potential to affect the resulting tone - sometimes rather dramatically. Same with pickup materials, wire gauge, magnet type, etc. Even the pickup cover can affect tone - Tele neck pickups are famous for making the neck pickup sound a little dark. Makes a great solo tone with a cranked tube amp, though. :)
 
I'm going to disagree on the basis of trying all those salddles on a 510 as well as Hipshot and Raw Vintage brand.
If you want bright and reduced mids; Gotoh bent steel.
Fuller mids but still fender vintage; Raw Vintage .
Softer treble and scooped mids; Brass.
Smooth flat response; Steel .

It's a myth that brass is warm. This is not the same as the effect those would be on a tele bridge, there are different things going on.
 
Andy Eagle said:
I'm going to disagree on the basis of trying all those salddles on a 510 as well as Hipshot and Raw Vintage brand.
If you want bright and reduced mids; Gotoh bent steel.
Fuller mids but still fender vintage; Raw Vintage .
Softer treble and scooped mids; Brass.
Smooth flat response; Steel .

It's a myth that brass is warm. This is not the same as the effect those would be on a tele bridge, there are different things going on.
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Softer treble = warm? What am I missing here?
 
yeky83 said:
Softer treble = warm? What am I missing here?
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Sorry I was not clear , Yes warmer in the highs but still brighter than a good solid steel saddle ( the scooped mids don't help them sound warmer either. You can also hear a cast saddle as different from a milled one too.
 
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