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Post subject: Is this possible...?
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 1:35 pm
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I'm looking at getting a Strat, but i'm a huge fan of tune-o-matic bridges and similar styles.
I'd like to put a Mustang style bridge/tremelo system on the Strat, as this is similar to the tune-o-matic and still gives me a tremolo arm option.
Is this possible? and without completely ruining the appearance etc.. of the guitar?
I've been told that i'd need a hardtail strat for this mod to be possible? Just wanted to check.
If a Mustang style bridge/tremelo system isn't viable, are there any other bridge/tremelo systems i could use instead?


Thanks


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Post subject: Re: Is this possible...?
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 6:48 pm
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I would say no, well not as a flush fit. The plate would need to be quite far back on the body and I think the curvature could be problematic. I've seen a Mustang bridge/trem on a Tele but the body is flat on a Tele

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Post subject: Re: Is this possible...?
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 8:56 pm
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I just googled Bigsbys on Strats, if you're interested in Bigsbys, & here's some pics with Bigsbys on Strats, so it's doable. I suspect those Strats were hadtails. You'll have to judge for yourself if it ruins the looks. IMO it sort of does.
https://www.google.co.il/search?q=bigsb ... 1#imgdii=_


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Post subject: Re: Is this possible...?
Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 2:58 am
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Everything is possible, with enough skills, time and money :wink:

I'd say the "easy" way to that kind of tremolo (*) + Adjusto-Matic™, is to get a replacement body with the bridge/trem routings you want - or completely unrouted for more DIY.
The A-M™ bridge design works on a different basis than the 'normal' Strat bridge, so you'd probably need to shim the neck significantly (or reshape the neck joint) to increase the neck angle.
(*) I'm not sure if you mean the Mustang style "Dynamic Vibrato" or the Jag/JM style "Floating Trem", but at this point it doesn't really matter. One hint: on Jag/JM trems, choose one with the lock button.

A totally different approach would be to get a guitar (Mustang, Jag, JM) with the trem and bridge you want, and replace the electronics to Strat style. The sound would probably not be exactly like a Strat (maybe stratocasterish), but this mod would be reversible.

"Ruining the appearance" is a very personal thing. For instance, I love a Strat, and I love a Bigsby - but not when they are combined, as in mojjett's links.


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Post subject: Re: Is this possible...?
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 7:51 pm
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I'd look at doing a Warmoth custom build if I were you!

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Post subject: Re: Is this possible...?
Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 5:19 am
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jmattis wrote:
Everything is possible, with enough skills, time and money :wink:



...not to mention a BIG hammer, LOL!!!

Seriously...though...

Before I get too much into this, I would ask the OP what is the appeal of the Tune-O-Matic style bridge? This is just my own personal opinion, but having owned guitars with both, I find a more traditional Strat style bridge (trem or hardtail) to be considerably more flexible when it comes to setup and such. T-O-M's are fine and they do the job, but most of them (that I've ever seen) do not offer individual height adjustment for the strings the way a Strat bridge does. I also find it much easier to set the intonation on a Strat bridge, simply because the adjusting screws are easier to get at (you don't have to wiggle that screw driver down between the strings the way you do with a T-O-M). I'm not really knocking Tune--Matics here, I just never saw much advantage to them either.

In any case, if you're really gonna consider this, regardless of whether you go with a Tune-o-matic style or a Bigsby, etc., the 3 things you'll need to address are radius, string spacing and scale length.

Let's start with the radius...
A typical Tune-O-Matic such as you would find on a Les Paul is designed for a much flatter radius than you find on most Strats (unless you get a custom neck/fretboard with a flatter radius...) and since the bridge saddles on a typical Tune-O-Matic aren't height adjustable as they are on a Strat bridge...you get the idea. I suspect there might be some height adjustable T-O-M's out there and you may even find one that's more Strat compatible, but I've personally never gone looking for one. I'd suggest a bit of Google research there.

Another other option here would be a custom neck. It's been a while since I did some checking, but I'm pretty sure that companies such as Warmoth, etc., offer various style necks with various style radius, including compound radius etc.. I suspect it would be rather pricey, however I'd guess that you can probably find a Strat style neck out there with a flatter fretboard radius that would be compatible with a T-O-M bridge.

Spacing...
Which ever way you go...new bridge or new neck, you'll need to pay attention to your neck width and particularly the string spacing. In short, you'll want to make sure your neck has a similar spacing as the bridge you're considering...you don't want to end up with your high and low E strings hanging off the side of the neck because the bridge was too wide!

Scale Length...
Which ever bridge you go with, make sure you pay great attention to where the saddles on the old bridge were located as the saddles of the new bridge will need to be positioned the exact same way...the new bridge will need to be the same distance from the nut as the old. If you move that bridge too far back (or too far forward for that matter), the guitar will never been in tune!

You should also pay attention to bridge height as well. I haven't measured a T-O-M against a Strat bridge, but you'll want to make sure that the new bridge will get your strings high enough above the neck so that you can set the action...but not so high as to make the guitar "slide only".


Now with those considerations in mind, ultimately I think a custom build is the way to go here, HOWEVER, if you've never attempted something like this before (and I suspect you haven't), my suggestion would be to pick up a CHEAP Strat and start there. I would not tear up a good guitar or go to the expense of building a custom instrument until you've experimented with this a bit. If you watch Craigslist, you can often find inexpensive Squier Strats for as little as $50 or so and they make great pieces to practice this sort of thing on. This has the distinct advantage that you can try out this idea and not worry too much about tearing up the finish of the guitar and such....if you screw up or damage it, oh well...it was only a $50 guitar to begin with, LOL! You'll have a few holes left over from the old bridge (whether you use a hard tail or otherwise), but that's no biggie as this is just for the sake of experimentation more than anything. Once you have the mechanics down...and find out if you're even going to like such a thing...THEN I'd start looking at companies such as Warmoth, Might-Mite, All Parts, Grizzly, etc., to do a custom job. In fact, while it's a bit pricey, All Parts has a lovely 2 tone sunburst hardtail Strat body...it's $350, but that looks like a really lovely chunk of wood!

If/when you get to the point that you're considering a custom build, I do think that a hard tail would be an advantage. I wouldn't worry about it for a practice piece (unless you happen into a cheap Squier "Bullet" that's already a hard tail)...I would measure first, but I would think the mounts for a T-O-M (both bridge and tail piece) should be wider than the cut out for the trem block. In theory you could block off trem cavities on a more traditional style Strat body by gluing in some well shaped wood blocks however, I also suspect that you could find a hard tail body out there that would save you a lot of effort (and wouldn't require as much refinishing to boot...a can of worms unto itself).


I do think this sounds like an interesting project and one way or another, I hope you decide to go for it! Keep us posted here...I'd be interested to see how this all turns out!

Good Luck!


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