Recessed Wilkinson Post Height Question

[dalandser]

Hello,

I have a guitar with a recessed wilkinson vs100 and it's giving me a bit of a headache in terms of setup options. The guitar is intonated, but the E, A, and D strings are too low and ringing on the frets for most of the neck. I've raised the saddles to the point where it looks like they're at the top of their set screws and there's not much more they can go before it slips out of the bottom. The neck relief is pretty generous - I don't know that straightening it any would help, but it started quite straight, back bow actually since the person I bought it from hadn't played it in the years since he bought it new. So my question is what do I do? Can I raise the two posts higher so I can reduce the amount of height needed for the set screws? If so, how high should I go? Are there taller posts specifically made for people with guitars that have recessed tremolos? I know I can experiment, but I'd rather ask before I get around to doing something that might make something strip or worse on the guitar. Attached is a link to some pictures. Thank you and have a great day. Blessings.

Anthony

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos?hl=en

[Tim37]

How high is the nut set up? Does it "ring " when plucked open or fretted

If its a bolt on neck i think i would try puting a shim in to tilt the neck foward then back off the relief to a normal amount, then see how it does.

[dalandser]

I read about people doing that. Thank you. Unfortunately it's a neck-through.

[dalandser]

I think I'm going to try raising the studs a little, it seems like the only thing I can do at this point. I guess my biggest concern was loading the inserts with too much of a moment by raising the studs and having the inserts press into the wood, tilting forward toward the neck, but at this point I can't do much else unless I'm missing something. I'm sure there may be some situation in which sustain would decrease because the studs are not screwed all the way into the inserts, but I'm not sure if they are already to begin with, and it's not going to be noticeable I'd imagine, even if there is some loss of sustain. I wish there were maybe some longer studs available for recessed guitars, but c'est la vie. If anyone has some info please let me know. Thank you and have a great day.

Anthony

[curtisa]

From memory the Wilkinson studs have about 3/4" of thread on them, so unless they're already backed out of the inserts more than about 10mm I can't imagine adding a couple more turns on them will affect the operation or stability of the trem. You can even just back out the bass-side stud a bit if all you need is a bit more height on the E/A/D strings. I've done exactly this on my last build and I have no issues whatsoever with the trem.

[bob123]

These bridges operate the exact same way as a floyd rose setup. Its more then "acceptable" to raise the post height, thats why they are adjustable to begin with.

If the posts you have are ANY kind of "wobbly" get some teflon tape OR thread lock, and you will have awesome tuning stability.

[dalandser]

Sounds like solid advice all around. Thank you everyone. Have a great day. God Bless you!

[guitar2005]

Don't the higher end "proper" Wilkinsons have a set screw in the adjustable post like the old Ibanez Edge posts?

The set screw helps with the stability of the post.

[Prostheta]

If the posts you have are ANY kind of "wobbly" get some teflon tape OR thread lock, and you will have awesome tuning stability.

Do NOT use threadlocking compound unless you know what you are doing or the properties of the specific compound in use. Loctite 222 is completely different to 263 yet are both called "threadlockers". This is bad advice and causes more problems down the line than it solves. Studs are rarely prone to the kind of instability that requires this and if they are, you replace the studs instead.

That and this has nothing to do with tuning stability.

[curtisa]

Yes, the Wilkinson posts have the set screw inside the post to help lock it into its chosen height.

And no, I wouldn't recommend using any kind of threadlocking compound/tape to secure the posts either. If your posts have so much wobble that you need to use glue or tape to secure them you should be replacing them outright.