Reverend String Tree Spanning E, B, G Strings

BillDL

I realise that this question would normally be in the "making and modding" topic area, but I wanted more people to see it than might be the case if it was there.

Does anybody have a Reverend electric guitar or as anybody fitted a Reverend string tree (widely available as a spare part) to another guitar?

https://store.reverendguitars.com/shop-2/parts/triple-tree/

I have a guitar that could benefit from a tree/retainer that spans the G string as well as the B and high E strings, but I can't find any diagrams that show the height from the headstock face to the underside of the rounded rod.

If anybody has one of these string trees, fitted or unfitted, would you be kind enough to measure the height for me.

Thanks.

Lewy

8mm give or take (measured on my Gristlemaster)

CountryDave

Agreed, 8-9 mm to the string. Total height is around 11mm.

I’ve put one on one of my telecasters. Does a job.

BillDL

Thank you very much for those quick responses guys.  That has allowed me to assess that it will work on that particular guitar (fender type headstock) and it's well worth trying out for £14.  I've just ordered one.  Cheers.

Bigsby

I realise you've already ordered it, and I'm not sure where from, but as your link was to the Reverend site I just wanted to share this link for anyone else in the UK who might be interested:

https://www.guitar.co.uk/reverend-triple-tree-guitar-string-tree

Merchant City in Glasgow stock quite a few Reverend parts (and complete guitars!)

BillDL

Thanks @Bigsby  ; That's where I ordered it from - Merchant City Music, Glasgow.  It would cost me more than the £2.50 postage driving into the city centre and parking, even though I'm only 10 miles away, so I just ordered it online along with a couple of other things.  I saw links to other sellers on Amazon and eBay, but they were for around £17 and probably "free" postage.

Greatape

Put one on my Tele. Works well enough. 

BillDL

Cheers @Greatape I have to say that I haven't really paid much attention to Reverend guitars in the past and it was a pleasant surprise when I happened on their triple string tree recently.  Back in the late 80s I made an experimental roller nut and roller string retainer for a strat copy using ball ends from old strings as the rollers.  I made a partial wire string retainer/tensioner based on the wire ones found on the cheapo Taiwanese Kay guitars from the 70s and early 80s like this:

but I made it so that it only spanned the 4 high strings and put my ball-end improvised rollers onto it.  A very clunky home-made looking affair that necessitated drilling holes through the headstock, but it worked well.

I know that StewMac sell a triple string tree for the high 3 strings, but it's based on a pressed metal butterfly tree found on traditional strats with an extra "wave" for the G string, but I don't like the look of it.  The Reverend one looks good in my opinion.

Greatape

BillDL said:

Cheers @Greatape I have to say that I haven't really paid much attention to Reverend guitars in the past and it was a pleasant surprise when I happened on their triple string tree recently.  Back in the late 80s I made an experimental roller nut and roller string retainer for a strat copy using ball ends from old strings as the rollers.  I made a partial wire string retainer/tensioner based on the wire ones found on the cheapo Taiwanese Kay guitars from the 70s and early 80s like this:

but I made it so that it only spanned the 4 high strings and put my ball-end improvised rollers onto it.  A very clunky home-made looking affair that necessitated drilling holes through the headstock, but it worked well.

I know that StewMac sell a triple string tree for the high 3 strings, but it's based on a pressed metal butterfly tree found on traditional strats with an extra "wave" for the G string, but I don't like the look of it.  The Reverend one looks good in my opinion.

One thing: the screw needs to be tight in the hole, else tension can lift it. 

I've had a Reverend since 2004. Also one of their overdrive pedals. My guitar is the old phenolic top type. I don't have much experience with the imported ones. 

BillDL

Noted about the screw tightness @Greatape  ; This was something I considered while looking at the single-screw design.

noisepolluter

@BillDL how did you get on? Any disadvantages or problems fitting it? 

Anyone else fitted one in the meantime?

Funkfingers

I have a Wilkinson USA string guide for the three plain strings. It was part of a roller nut kit (pre the designs employed by Fender). The countersunk fastening screw aligns with the E/B hole in a typical Fender headstock.

BillDL

noisepolluter said:

@BillDL how did you get on? Any disadvantages or problems fitting it? 

Anyone else fitted one in the meantime?

I now have 3 guitars fitted with the Reverend Triple Tree.  The screw they came with was perfectly adequate to hold them snug, but I decided to use slightly longer screws that go almost all the way through the headstock and the trees are very firmly in place.

noisepolluter

BillDL said:

noisepolluter said:

@BillDL how did you get on? Any disadvantages or problems fitting it? 

Anyone else fitted one in the meantime?

I now have 3 guitars fitted with the Reverend Triple Tree.  The screw they came with was perfectly adequate to hold them snug, but I decided to use slightly longer screws that go almost all the way through the headstock and the trees are very firmly in place.

Good to hear! Does the Triple Tree use the same screw diameter and thread as the stock string trees it replaced? 

And did it alter the break angle on the E and B strings compared to the stock one?

Sarge

Interesting!
Is the rod fixed in place or can it shift from side to side? I notice there is no grub screw holding it in place. 

BillDL

noisepolluter said:

Does the Triple Tree use the same screw diameter and thread as the stock string trees it replaced? 

And did it alter the break angle on the E and B strings compared to the stock one?

Sarge said:

Interesting!
Is the rod fixed in place or can it shift from side to side? I notice there is no grub screw holding it in place. 

I relocated it on two of the guitars and left it in the same place on the other.  The vast majority of stock string trees are set too low for my liking anyway.  I prefer to roughly match the break angle of the E, B and G strings with the D on most guitars, and if possible also the A string.  On most 6-a-side non-locking tuners the low E string usually has an unavoidably sharper break angle with a couple of downward winds on it.  I've just reminded myself while typing that on one of the guitars I filed the base of the string tree down on the High E side so that it sits on the face of the headstock at a very slight angle rising from lowest on the High E up in height to the G string side so that it aligned the strings the way I wanted (trem guitar).

I'm pretty sure the screw was the same thread as the one used for the stock string tree (2 x modern Tele copies and 1 x Cort G300 Pro), but it may have been a tiny bit larger in diameter or longer.  I stuck them in my bag of old string trees in a tote box with all my other parts after I used slightly longer screws.

The "rod" is captive and doesn't slide from side to side (although I didn't try to tap or lever it), and neither does it rotate like a roller.  It's very smooth and works as well as any roller tree.

noisepolluter

Thanks @BillDL , I’ve ordered one.

Sarge

Thanks @BillDL ;

Philly_Q

Just because I happened to see this the other day, as an alternative:

https://musiccitybridge.com/products/three-string-tree-string-retainer

jasonbone75

Sarge said:

Interesting!
Is the rod fixed in place or can it shift from side to side? I notice there is no grub screw holding it in place. 

This post pre-dates me but in case anyone wants to make their own that is an off the shelf hardened steel needle roller (commonly used as the axle for miniature housed ball bearings) with a very tight interference fit pushed through the base part. If your hole is too loose you can also glue them with high strength metal adhesive loctite. I don't need string trees on any of my weapons but have several hundred of these rollers in my cupboard! They are a critical part of our radial displacement transducer design. (geek mode off).

(Edit: found an old photo of some in jigs)

noisepolluter

It’s arrived but unfortunately it’s way too tall for my Strat - none of the strings even touch it. Oh well, worth a try. Just have to put some extra winds on the G I suppose.