How-To: Understanding Your Wilkinson Tremolo
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- Tim goes in detail about the subtleties of the Wilkinson Tremolo system, how it works and common issues you may have and how to fix them.
Intro: 00:00
Parts: 00:35
Action & Intonation Parts: 02:29
Changing Strings: 05:11
Setting the Arm: 06:53
Guitar Set-up: 08:10
Cleaning: 15:10
Outro: 16:30
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![The Perfect Stratocaster Trem / Vibrato Setup [Floating, Flat Or Blocked?]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PjVXWyUGpwc/mqdefault.jpg)
3:51 Intonation Adjustment - Big caveat here, everyone pay attention !! Best video for Wilkinson trem on UA-cam! Thanks much 😍
Thank's a lot Sir, "you saved my life", I was struggling with this thing for days after receiveing a second hand guitar.
At last a good video on this amazing trem system !!! Thanks Reverend. And by the way, I still love my 12 years old Gil Parris Signature. You guys make some of the best guitars around, especially for the price. Happy Holidays to all the team.
One of the best vids in all capacities, thank you
A big thank you for this. I could not find any other info online. Great Trem system by the way. Happy Holidays!!
Thank you SO much for explaining the intonation screws on the Wilkinson trem.
I gotta call 'em on one issue with their sequence of adjustments. You have to adjust your intonation (individual string lengths / tuning the bridge) very last after you have made all other adjustments such as string height and pickup height first, as the
further you loosen a truss rod the more the strings will pull the neck adding more bow, or"relief" which will cause a string that was intonated to now go sharp, especially in the 12th fret area of your neck. The opposite will occur if you tighten the truss rod. The neck will flatten out reducing the distance the strings must be pushed down to contact the frets, causing a once intonated string to sound flat. Also, you need your pickups set where you want them before setting your intonation because any adjustment made after intonating the guitar will cause the pickup's magnetic properties to misalign a previously intonated string, throwing it out of tune at various points along the length of the fretboard. Intonation has to be set only when you are satisfied with all other adjustments.
You are 100% CORRECT!
Awesome video. Thank you for sharing.
Really appreciate this, finally got one on my start, hopefully this will get me set up properly. Thank you.
Very informative! Thank you!
Thank you. This was very helpful. Just picked up a used airsonic w. It’s literally the best guitar I’ve ever played. My first Reverend and it has exceeded all expectations.
Seriously thank you thank you thank you!! Have 2 guitars with this Wilkinson 2 point trem- an IYV and a Firefly Jazzmaster. Was confused on adjusting intonation and setting correct action. Once intonated, this trem works very, very well,
Wow- I got a Strat that a friend gave me a while back that had a Wilkinson. I’m really not a big whammy bar guy so didn’t realize it was a floating trem. Also was working on it last night to adjust the intonation. Didn’t realize you could just move them closer without a tool. No wonder I felt like I was going nowhere. Thanks for this!
Couple things guys. When changing strings, I take the cardboard from the string pack and fold it under the saddle to keep tension appropriate. That way you can remove all strings. Second, intonation should be the very last thing you do in the order of operations. With that being said I just ordered a guitar with a wilkinson and I'm excited to play with it.
Tim's the best there is in customer relations
Ty for this. Just bought a used 07 laguna guitar on a whim without doing any research on the tremolo. I was thinking it was typical strat style. Way excited to get it cleaned, restrung, lower action, install new tone pot + nut, and intonate
Thanks for this video! Reviving an old Charvel with this trem on it.
I just bought an RG, and this is really helpful, because I use really light gauged strings that I'll be changing to. Love the guitar!
One thing the video does not mention: Take care when tightening the lockdown screws. If you tighten a lockdown screw too much, you can actually break the saddle in half. I found this out the hard way. You want to tighten them down just enough so that the back of the saddle comes just firmly enough in contact with the base plate to hold it down. When the screw is loose, the back of the saddle will have a tendency to float up off the base plate due to the string pulling on it. Another thing that helps is to always loosen the string first before making any adjustment. Yeah, it's a pain but if you don't do it, you can end up putting too much strain on the saddles. They are not unbreakable.
Slight intonation issues on my pacifica 612 were driving me nuts but ive never worked on a wilkinson trem before so thank you for covering this. I've put it off for weeks since getting the guitar because every time I look at the VS50 with all those screws, I wondered how to tackle it.. Wish me luck lads.
How did it go? My B string needs some intonation.
Thank you Sir.
very informative, thank you
Thanks, really helpful
Thanks for the instructional, Tim...Wilkinson is the best. I have a Double Agent W, and I started with 10's. A few years ago, I dropped down one notch to 9's, and didn't really think anything about the trem...it bugged me though. Very simple fix...thank you for that.
Thanks for the video! I have one question though. Trem plate should be parallel with guitar top but what is the proper hight between trem plate and guitar top?
I love everything I've seen/heard on the Pete Anderson Eastsider, but this has definitely convinced me I *don't* want the WB50 trem. Intonating just looks like a seriously tedious hassle. :/
If your bridge is floating, put something that doesn't scratch under the bridge plate before removing any strings. This will keep the springs from pulling the bridge back, or even off the posts. This is mandatory for any bridge that is recessed.
Thanks!
Very good, detailed video!
I have one question. I can't see the screw well enough to tell what kind of screw is at the bottom of the bridge for adjusting intonation? Is it an Allen screw? A Phillips head or a flat head screw? Thanks.
This is an awesome video, I've had my Jetstream 390 since 2016 and never knew a lot of this. One thing I still don't understand though is the risk of taking off all the strings with the trem system. I have ALWAYS done this, and I change my strings typically at least once a month, and I don't think I've ever noticed a problem. You just have to push the tremolo arm down in order to feed the strings through the body if there's no tension on it. What exactly do I need to be looking out for while I do this to avoid messing things up?
Great instructional vid, Tim!! But, not everyone likes trems(vibratos). I would own at least 2 more Reverends (added to my current 4) if they had hard-tails/TOMs. In my 55+ years of playing I’ve always played with my palm on the bridge. Can this trem be “decked”, ala S-types??
an important issue I have encountered with this trem. I swapped this with my factory trem on a Fender American pro, 2020 model. The thrreaded posts that came with the trem kit did not swap with the factory posts. The thread on the factory posts is a finer machine screw thread then the posts in the kit. Do NOT try to screw the aftermarket threaded posts into the factory bushings. This will result in damage to the threads on the guitar body, and eventually seize if forced. Keeping this in mind, I decided to leave the factory posts installed. I followed all instructions for installation, including having a parallel fit from trem to body. All tension adjusted correctly. The problem I am now confronted with is across the bridge detuning after using the trem bar. It never seems to return to the same position. I can manually adjust, but that is not the desired result. I have adjusted hight, and action with different post settings with no avail. I'm Stumped. I am wondering if the Fender factory posts are not compatible with the bridge blade angles.. Are the post indentations causing the problem? The product quality and build seems very good. THANKS.
It's very important to use the posts that come with the NEW trem assembly, otherwise it will bind. The reason for this is because the original posts probably have a slightly different radius or groove depth than the posts that come with the new trem assembly and/or the center to center distance of the posts is slightly different than the new trem assembly's required center to center distance.. What you need to do is remove the original post bushings from the body and install the post bushings that come with the new trem. This may or may not entail filling in the original post bushing holes with hard wood dowels (depending on the bushings comparitive outside diameter and/or the required center to center distance for the new trem's posts vs the original trem's) and then drilling them out to the proper size for the post bushings that come with the new trem. I STRONGLY advise you to use high quality measuring tools and a quality drill press and bits to do this since as little as .002" can affect the functionality. Take A LOT of measurementss from various fixed points on the guitar body BEFORE you fill in the holes and be extremely accurate when drilling the new post holes. Measure every thing TWICE, drill ONCE, just like in carpentry. Otherwise I suggest you take it to a top notch luthier. This pertains to ALL guitars, not just Fenders, and ALL 2 point floating tremolo bridges (including Floyd Rose). Probably not what you wanted to hear, but that is what you need to do to make this new trem assembly work properly.
@@garysevin8126 Hello Again. The problem is that the new posts that are provided with the kit have an incompatible thread pattern that is more course that the factory installed posts. The new posts can not be properly installed as a result. .In view of this, the only option is to remove the inserts in the guitar and replace them with the new inserts. This has a much greater potential to cause damage to the guitar itself. I was eventually successful in installing the trem system with the original posts. After careful inspection, I had found a small interference condition between the arm insert, and the routing of the guitar, a very small amount of careful trimming alleviated the problem, and I am happy with the results. Thank you for your response.
PS. I am employed with the Boeing aerospace company, and have been working in flight test for 35 years, I understand the importance of proper measurements, and the advice that you forwarded is correct and accurate if replacing the inserts. I found that this was not necessary in my particular case.
Thanks for the video. On the 2 trem post, is there an specific height, i.e., how far do you screw them to the body? I totally forgot to keep two strings and the trem got loose. 😞
Is there a reason I cant tighten the trem posts to lower my action? If there's room obviously.
As opposed to adjusting 12 tiny screws.
Thank you very much for this. I just bought a Warhawk DAW and want to put 9s on it and I found this video. This is useful information, but holy cow, what a pain in the ass this system is. What are the plusses that made this Reverend's trem of choice?
You can set any six screw vibrato to float. Floating is a setup action it isn’t a part of the design. Your choice if you float it or not, it is not a limitation of the actual bridge. You can also set a two point trem flat on the body, many guitarist do that with Floyd Rose, I think it’s silly but they like it.
Absolutely true, but that doesn't solve the friction/binding that occurs with a six point vs a 2 point. The same friction that causes much of the tuning instabilities in the first place. Right?
@@L.A.W.Studios speculation. More friction , yes, impact, negligible. Tuning wise on six and two bolts is the same for me. I know how to setup and they both feel different but perform the same. What people don’t realize is the root cause, it isn’t the nut like most claim if it was everyone would be able to fix their issues. The biggest issue is movement of the string in the string block. Having locking saddles like Wilkinson will improve the most but it won’t be perfect as it is a system but a Floyd Rose isn’t perfect either. We are easily brainwashed you listen to all the dopes talking about lubing their nuts like this is some kind of porn yet it never fixes their issue.
You ever try to turn those hex screws without unlocking the locking screw first, you will strip out the whole and you're in big trouble.
If I get a Reverend guitar via Reverb and it has the Wilkinson Trem, and I've never set up the action/intonation on *any* guitar before, am I buying the wrong guitar? Am I better off this way, because the difficulty will just seem normal to me?
I was thinking of installing a wd50 on my Baretta special with the existing trem being a 6 hole fender style trem, is there any major routing that would need to be done like i did to put a floyd on my older strat?
You would need to drill holes for the trem posts (preferably with a drill press) and mount them appropriately. Be sure that string spacing matches with whatever model bridge you're looking to purchase.
Perfect tutorial. Maybe anyone knows where to find trem arm for wilkinson vk50 k
store.reverendguitars.com/shop-2/parts/wilkinson-wv50-arm/
Mine goes out of tune on the g string when i use the bar..using 9s on 20s it stays..i have locking tunerd. It a harley benton
How do you set this up for the first time? it keeps popping out before I can flip it over and put strings in
You can hold it in place with some quality "Blue" painter's masking tape ( and ONLY "Blue" to prevent damaging the guitars finish) after you've positioned it in place against the posts. Then put the low E and high E strings on and slighty tighten them but not so much as to "lift" the masking tape off the guitar body or bridge assembly. Place your hand firmly on the bridge until you feel it move ever so slighty as you tighten the 2 E strings. As soon as you feel the slightest movement stop tightening the 2 E strings. Then you can turn it over and install the springs and finish the setup.
Can you give us a tutorial on how to block it off so it's not floating?
We will add it to the list, great recommendation!
No. The intonation adjustment screws _are_ important and are what should be used to set the intonation *not* the top screws. String tension pulls the saddle to whereever the intonation screws are set. The top screws are just there to keep the saddles flat and firm to the base, they should only be tightened to _snug_ and should not be tightened too hard as this is not only unnecessary but can cause their screw sockets to snap loose from the base, to break.
It's a bit of a finicky beast though.. took me quite a bit longer to set my VS100 up and let's be honest, intonation is a pain with this design. It does however, allow you to lock it down so there is that. I'm not sure I will be installing another Wilkie on my next guitar. Might try something different.
wow, really wish I saw this when I swapped out my stock fixed trem to a floating Wilkinson 2 point system..... mistakes were made, strings have died, numerous "WTF"s have been uttered, and my strat and floor are now forever stained with my tears of self loathing ..... all of this could have been avoided.... smh
....lol
Can the string height be lowered a little by lowering the pivot posts a little without causing issue with how everything is already setup? There is not a lot of adjustment remaining at the front of the saddles and top of the bridge plate.
Please email sales@reverendguitars.com and they should be able to help you.
@@ReverendguitarsDetroit I went ahead and adjusted it and it worked out great. I had to address a little buzz of the 3rd string at the first two frets but a little bit more relief with the truss rod took care of it and now it seems to be just right for me. Thanks
Can the trem posts be raised and lowered, or is it fixed?
They can be raised and lowered to taste.
What size hex keys are they.
4:46 VITAL information! I just got a Harley Benton guitar with one of these bridges and could not find anywhere on the internet the necessary information to operate this Wilkinson model. I've seen YT videos where people purport to demonstrate moving the saddles backwards and forwards - even though the screw, as you say, can only move the saddle backwards!
I just got a H.Benton too and I find this tremolo system very stiff compared to other tremolos. I have to really press down the trem bar to get it to dive... Thoman says that it's likely because the springs are new but I may take 1 off...
Do you have the same problem?
@@NUCCIOMARK Yes I did. I've almost finished a video review of the HB Fusion T 25th Anniversary, where I go into a lot of the mysteries. I'll post here in a few days with a link. "Springs are new" 😂😂😂😂 That's plain daft! I took the middle one (of three) off and it solved the problem, and string bending became a lot easier as well. BTW, I don't float my tremolos where I have them on my guitars; I like to just depress the arm now and then. In my boxes of bits I found a few springs and none of them are as stiff as those HB ones, so I may even experiment swapping those in for the remaining two.
Are the two posts locking
There is only one socket for the screw to go.the other side there no lip
The camera operator needs to watch this video and take notes about what not to do in future videos. Great info, though!
First video shot with the gimbal, there certainly is a learning curve!
I barely use it cause every time i do it goes out of tune ...but I guess thats common with these wilkinson tremola from what I've read and saw on youtube. Only fix i know is to lock it
Heh. Please get a tech to set it up. Sans my high end ESP's these hold stable better than most things I own - and thats more guitars than I care to disclose. The design has its flaws sure but for the price point these are solid. Haven't had issues live.
@@ErraticFaith I have remedied...the post hole in the guitar failed letting the bridge move forward...after epoxy the post hole ...redrilling for post another setup and that guitar is happy happy!...ty for the response I agree on price point...👍
Thanks for information. Won't be buying one. No springs, the lock down screw. Not very practical 😢
They don't fit Mexican Strat
56 mil centre to centre Mexican Strat 52.5. The whole don't line up so becareful buying these bridges and from china they won't refund
Yeah I know, it’s controversial, and I’ll probably get bombed out of the park with this one
… but can we please start calling the mechanism a “vibrato system” and not a “Tremelo”?
I'm with you, but that battle was lost a long time ago.
Bombed no. But the discourse is old. Plenty of cases were made and it doesn't matter enough to anyone. We all know what we mean. Thats enough. Really not worth rocking the boat when success rate vs start rate has become so low.