trem to hardtail conversion kits?

  • Thread starter Thread starter notCardio
  • Start date Start date
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notCardio

I walk the line
I know they make 'em, I just can't seem to find 'em.

Here's my problem. I found a strat I want. The neck is really sweet, but the body's pretty beat up. That in itself is not the problem. It's missing it's trem springs, and I think even the block (is that even possible?). I could just get a whole new trem assembly (the bridge is kinda rusty anyway), but if I'm going to go to all that trouble and expense, I'd rather just do a hardtail conversion because that's what I prefer anyway. And yeah, I could just get a hardtail body to put the neck on, but all of the bodies I've seen are trem routes anyway, and I really didn't want to go that far with it.

So, what do I do? I'm thinking about getting it anyway, hoping I'll eventually come up with a solution, but I've already done that too many times.

Help, Mr. Wizard!
 
I have a HT strat bridge, but no plans for it. PM me if you want it at a reasonable price.
 
Thanks, I might do that, but what I really want is a conversion kit. I think. :o
 
notCardio said:
Thanks, I might do that, but what I really want is a conversion kit. I think. :o
Click to expand...
You're not going to find one; the body of a trem Strat is routed where the hardtail would attach. I'd advise restoring the trem bridge and blocking it. Who knows, you might even grow to love the whammy bar.
 
Aside from tone (I doubt if I'd be able to tell the difference) and tuning issues, I've got a habit of resting my palm on the tailpiece, and I don't like the way trems feel.

But I guess I could get a trem kit from Guitar Fetish. Theirs are sized to fit Americans, I think, so I don't know if they'd fit my Mexican.
 
ggunn said:
the body of a trem Strat is routed where the hardtail would attach.
Click to expand...

I know, but the kits come with a block that fills that hole, and the hardtail attaches to that block.
 
You know, I have wondered about this same sort of thing- I had a Duo-tone body that had been crudely routed out for a strat-type trem, and I wanted to fill it in. Now, a piece of wood, cut/shaped to the EXACT size and shape of the cavity would be best, but I figured that would be all but impossible to do- so I thought of covering over the back of the cavity with a thick metal plate, putting some sort of bond-breaker on the plate, and filling in the cacity with a self-leveling epoxy. I figured that would do a better job of transfering vibrations from the bridge to the body, than even the best-fitting piece of wood.

I would think that even if conversion kits do exist, you would need to match it up to the EXACT guitar you were mounting it in- one for a MIA strat might not fit a MIM, for example, or the year of manuf. might be just as critical. If the epoxy idea would work, it would fill the cavity perfectly. Oh, and you would be able to use the bridge I have, too!

Comments? Toughts? Anyone? Anyone? Bueler?
 
notCardio said:
Aside from tone (I doubt if I'd be able to tell the difference) and tuning issues, I've got a habit of resting my palm on the tailpiece, and I don't like the way trems feel.
Click to expand...
I've only a passing acquaintance with hardtail Strats, but from a cursory look it appears to me that a trem bridge pulled down flush and blocked with the trem bar removed would be the same as a hardtail.
 
The kits I'm talking about come with a block that replaces the trem block that the bridge is mounted to, but not the whole trem spring cavity. No offense, but that epoxy thing sounds pretty out there to me. Doesn't mean it wouldn't work. If I end up needing a HT bridge, I'll pm you. Was it off an MIM or MIA?
 
ggunn said:
I've only a passing acquaintance with hardtail Strats, but from a cursory look it appears to me that a trem bridge pulled down flush and blocked with the trem bar removed would be the same as a hardtail.
Click to expand...

You'd think so, but they aren't.
 
notCardio said:
Aside from tone (I doubt if I'd be able to tell the difference) and tuning issues, I've got a habit of resting my palm on the tailpiece, and I don't like the way trems feel.

But I guess I could get a trem kit from Guitar Fetish. Theirs are sized to fit Americans, I think, so I don't know if they'd fit my Mexican.
Click to expand...

Don't get hardware from Guitar Fetish. It's junk mostly and does not fit as advertised. You'd be better off going with Stew Mac or one of the other non-budget outfits.
 
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