NSTSD

[AndyR]

New "Strat Tremelo Springs Day".

Anyone else come across these "Raw Vintage" people?

http://www.rawvintage.com/eng/item_springs.php

I found a thread praising these springs on tdpri the other lunchtime. I was sceptical, but the posters sounded happy, and I needed some more springs anyway.

I found you can get them online in the UK from Sounds Great, £14.99 a set....

Er... £3 a spring?  :o

What the hell, I ordered two sets... :lol:

I'm stunned - both my Roadworn strats have them now, I definitely recommend them for folks after that "vintage" sound from their strats. More bottom, louder accoustically, "softer" action, much more responsive trem (I was a 4 spring man, 5 of these feels more like 3 or maybe 2 "modern" ones), and better tuning stability...

I'm now tempted to try the saddles as well (and I always swore to myself I wasn't going to dick about with all this "change the saddles, etc" lark! :lol:)

[dave_mc]

:lol:

regardless of the tone, if they're a lot more responsive that might be awesome. a lot of springs are very tight, i find. I'm guessing they'd also work on non-vintage trems?

[Philly Q]

I was going to say is it April 1st, but I suppose there's no reason springs shouldn't have their effect on tone, just like everything else.

[AndyR]

:lol: that's exactly what I'd say, Philly, if someone else had posted it...

I was playing one of them unplugged in front of the telly late last night. It is hugely louder accoustically - the springs are acting like a resonator. There is definitely more spring "jangle" when you thump the guitar, but that "extra noise" has never worried me. What did used to worry me was how the springs would resonate with certain notes... these springs seem to resonate with ALL notes, so it seems a more uniform effect.

Dave - they look like a direct replacement for standard strat springs, so I guess the answer's yes. And yeah, the feel is really something, if I'd known how much I was going to like it, I would have bought them for that alone.

However, I have wondered about Wilkinson's springs since (not sure how much they are in comparison), someone on here (might even be you Philly) commented a while back that they seem softer and less strong than most - that seems to fit with how my Brian May guitar feels (that's a Wilkinson trem).

[Philly Q]

However, I have wondered about Wilkinson's springs since (not sure how much they are in comparison), someone on here (might even be you Philly) commented a while back that they seem softer and less strong than most - that seems to fit with how my Brian May guitar feels (that's a Wilkinson trem).

I think I did comment on the Gotoh/Wilkinson VSVG versus the cheaper Korean Wilkinson WV6 (as used on Vintage guitars), I had both for a while.  I would guess the trem on the Brian May is a Gotoh/Wilkinson unit?

Both units seemed just as well-designed (apart from the seemingly random heights of the saddle height grubscrews on the WV6.... :? ).  The most noticeable - hidden - cost-cutting difference was that the springs, claw and screws on the Korean unit looked really cheap.  They were that yellowish colour with "rainbows" in it, if that makes any sense, like cheap fittings from a DIY store (almost like BKP's burnt chrome, in fact).

I never actually fitted the WV6, so I don't know how the springs felt in use.  I did use the VSVG for a while, with 3 springs, but I don't use trems enough to notice a difference in the springs unless it was a straight swap like you've just done.

[gingataff]

I've seen those but I already bought a set of ESP Custom Shop springs which I think have the same principle; much lower tension than usual so that you can use all 5 springs and get stronger coupling between the trem block and the body but with a trem that's still usable. I actually don't use the trem on that guitar but it looks cool  anyway ;)

[dave_mc]

Dave - they look like a direct replacement for standard strat springs, so I guess the answer's yes. And yeah, the feel is really something, if I'd known how much I was going to like it, I would have bought them for that alone.

thanks :)

I've tried the wilky trem on the vintages (seemed pretty nice, certainly for the price of the guitar), philly, but i haven't tried the vsvg :lol: