Strat Tremolos: Views Please

dean2371

My one proper Fender has the stock tremolo, whilst my partscasters all have Wilkinsons. Does anyone have views (preferably based on experience) of some of the "better" systems such as the Blade Runner (if thats the right name), the Wudtone one etc etc.

Are they distinctly better and if so how? Which would you recommend and why? Do they simply drop in or would the body need modifying?

Or is it a load of old hokum and all you need is a properly set up standard tremolo?

ThePrettyDamned

Is it a 6 point or a two post one?

But I will be fitting a Wudtone plate and block with callaham saddles to my upcoming build and it looks infinitely better built than most, if not all, others I've tried.  

The Bladerunner gets excellent reviews, too.  

Reasons why they may be better are: better materials (Wudtone plate is made from very very hard steel where a cheap one might be pot metal), better engineering means better tuning stability (see Bladerunner and Wudtone).  The Wudtone vibrato doesn't necessarily fix problems (a well set up 6 point will work great) so much as make it much, much easier to set up because of the way it's been engineered.  A normal 6 point can be a bit of a pain to set up. 

Also, they look different (looks are important!) and they feel different - if you palm mute a lot, you'll want something comfy.  I may actually replace my callaham saddles with modern ones because I palm mute all the time, and the callaham saddles can have screws pointing out of them.  

impmann

It depends what you want the trem to do - dive bombs or gentle shimmers?

The Wudtone one looks interesting - and I really want to try one.

I have first hand experience of fitting a few Callaham units - these are a significant upgrade on the standard 6 screw US trems, let alone the lesser ones. The arm is located with a nylon collar so that all the input from the arm gets transmitted to the bridge - this eliminates slop/clonks and gives far better control for gentle shimmers. Not sure it helps for divebombing, though. The return to pitch is superb on these too, if used for gentle shimmers etc (ie how it was designed in the first place). Its pretty good for wilder stuff too.

The bladrunner looks like a complicated version of the Burns trem fitted to the original Marquee models. These were OK, but suffered knife-edge issues - so it depends on how well engineered the knife edge is on these. Also I'd say that I've yet to play a knife edge trem I actually like - they all seem to suffer tonally, to my ears and suffer from 'flutter' when you dig in. But this is personal preference - there is no wrong or right in this...

The standard trem can be set up to work well enough - as long as you are using for what it was designed for. Start using it outside of its operating window, and you can't expect it to perform 100%.

stickyfiddle

I'm a big Callaham fan. Just a brilliantly engineered version of the original design. Made a huge difference to my Strat sound after trying all the cheap options over the years.

Bladerunners are excellent as a more modern option, but I don't like the way they look and they're a good bit stiffer under the hand. (It's not actually a knife-edge, it's actually a flat spring that flexes as you move the trem. Very neat design.)

ThePrettyDamned

@impmann, I'll let you know how I get on with mine.  

Like I said, I'll likely sell the callaham saddles on and get modern ones, but I'll give a good ballpark idea as to whether it's good or not.  I suspect it'll be great - I chose it over a callaham purely because I like to support UK business.

Wudtone one also has the nylon collar, so your arm is locked in nicely.  

impmann

I sit corrected @stickyfiddle ! Sorry, pardon... 

menamestom

I've had a Callaham and now have a Bladerunner.  They are both great, the latter just needs less setting up and maintenance and is stiffer as sticky said.  If the guitar needs to be vintage correct, go with Callaham, if not possibly a Bladerunner.

The Gotoh vintage with steel block is good too.

dean2371

thanks guys, very interesting. Any more views?

andypwudtone

dean2371 said:

thanks guys, very interesting. Any more views?

Hi There, @drbob has hands on experience with the Wudtone CP plate, comments here, http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/141702/#Comment_141702 ;

Main difference between the Wudtone CP bridge and Callaham is simply the design / machining at the front which eliminates any tuning issues. The machining underneath is also different to maximise area of contact. The bridge is supplied with a .5mm stainless steel shim it sits on.   Same block material, same nylon bush in block to eliminate slack.   Both offer vintage / narrow string spacing options 

Main difference between the Wudtone CP bridge and Bladerunner is string spacing options, tone, sensitivity and feel, NO vintage string spacing with Bladerunner. It feels very different in use as you have to counteract the torsional force past the stable point ( so some report it feeling stiffer etc) .  It may also have more limited range of movement due to the pivot position being further back and the different arc the block takes. 

At same price (around £137-140 ish) , Wudtone supplies you a 1018 cold steel block and top drawer Steel Nickel saddles trem system, all in all weighing in at asubstantial 440 grams. This is a completely different beast to Bladerunner ( which at same cost gets you alloy block and saddles and weighing in at only 240grams) . These material differences deliver completely different dynamic, tone and sustain.

We have both here ( Monmouthshire ) on same ash maple Strats ,  if anyone wants to see , feel, hear for themselves the differences. Alternatively Wudtone offers a full refund if not completely delighted. They are so very different and the only way to really know which is best for you is buy try both and send back the one you don't wanna keep.

kind regards

 

guitargeek62

Another +1 for the BladeRunner here - I've had a couple now on different strats and really appreciate the tonal improvement they made. Both guitars sounded fuller & clearer after installation, with a quite noticeable increase in sustain. They're almost too good to be true, but Stickyfiddle is right in that the feel is a little stiffer. I don't like having to use a proprietary trem-arm either, it makes sourcing trem arms tricky if you ever lose one - and also makes it hard to buy customised lengths/angles if you're into that sort of thing.

There's a new "revised" version about to launch btw, so might be worth hanging on a bit. From what I've heard, it's due to correct the feel to one more in line with a vintage 6-screw.

*edit* As Andy says above - no vintage string spacing with the BladeRunner either, which I do miss

dean2371

Thanks for all the input, very helpful. Now it's decision time!

Jez6345789

Hi 

I just want to give a thumbs up for the Wilkinson, I want to think there is a big difference but in some ways the original fender design was pretty primitive and it effected the sound because of that. The engineering on stuff like Wudtone and Callaham is obviously superior in terms of material, design etc and it gives a different tonality (improved or different?) which may better for certain players. I have put Wilkinson on several parts casters in recent years with the steel block and did a comparison with an old 60's bridge from a friend and in essence Wilkinson gets you in that ball park of classic Strat. 

I will get to play with something more exotic at some point and that might make me a convert but for old school strat tones cheap and cheerful Wilkinson does the job IMHO

andypwudtone

Change in design has some impact on tone ( eg increased area of body contact , use of shim) but the majority of impact on actual setup operation.

 

The bridge demoed 1st in this video just happens to be a Wilkinson ( it came in for replacement and so was to hand).

 

It was a bridge like many that had particularly thick plating and it exhibited the usual arm slack, up down slide on the bearing screw, friction, wear and consequent set up / tuning issues. All copy vintage plates including Callaham, more or less exhibit the same characteristics.  The video tries hard not to criticise, it simply highlights the effect of the design differences with a real example. These design differences affect set up challenge, scope of trem action available and operation without the worry, experience of tuning problems. Hence the statement "tighter screws = less sliding, less probability of tuning problems but less trem action."  

I would say though we have two pretty identical Telecasters here, one with a high cost Callaham and one with a low cost Wilkinson ash tray bridge . The guitar with the Wilkinson has a lot more , classic Tele dynamic.

andypwudtone

We have a couple of cosmetic 2nds anyone on here (  @impmann ) is still keen to try ,  40% discount , return for refund if not blown away!, PM me if interested , kind regards

impmann said:

The Wudtone one looks interesting - and I really want to try one.

impmann

PM incoming, Andy. :-)

ThePrettyDamned

I got a cosmetic second.  

It looked fine to me, just a couple of small blemishes on the plating.  SUPER BARGAIN.

impmann

Well... I've taken the plunge.

Will report back. :-)

dean2371

PMd you Andy