strat retro-fit. which is the best floating bridge?

[Oogadee Boogadee]

i have a peavey predator strat that i'd like to mod. i want to take out the stock traditional trem bridge and put in a 2-point floater. I don't mind drill out for the 2 studs, but i don't want to route the body (but i could if need be).

what's the best one out there?

[JJ Rodriguez]

Wilkinson maybe? I think that's pretty close. That or something from Hipshot.

[Josh]

I like Wilkinsons and Hipshots personally... Drew swears by the Wilkinson on his Strat.

I like the "modern" Wilkinson myself, with the big rectangular saddles that lock down with hex bolts.

[Lee]

I've had really good luck out of my Wilkinson. It's the VS-200. Warmoth Direct - Bridges

It's more easily adjustable than a standard Strat bridge, and it's kept in tune pretty well too.

[noodles]

Behind the bridge. Seriously. For what I know you're looking to do with the guitar, you're going to knock it out of tune with any bridge that is non-locking, so save some money and block the thing off.

[Oogadee Boogadee]

it's not going to be my main guitar... but i'll be my back-up / practice guitar to the Warmoth (which has the real Floyd). I like the Peavey to do subtle dives in emergency / practice situations.

[noodles]

Originally Posted by Oogadee Boogadee

it's not going to be my main guitar... but i'll be my back-up / practice guitar to the Warmoth (which has the real Floyd). I like the Peavey to do subtle dives in emergency / practice situations.

Fair enough.

This is the absolute best non-locking trem money can buy. Not sure if it will fit your guitar without a significant amount of work, though, in which case it would just make more sense to step up to an OFR. It is a Wilkinson:


Next up is the Hipshot. Once again, it floats on two studs, and I hope you have access to a drill press. Get the studs anything but straight up and down, and the bridge will never sit or move right:


If I was you, I would get a couple of wood screws that are a higher tensile strength than stock, use only those on the two outside holes of your current bridge, and crank the bridge back until it rests on the wood. This is stable enough for dives, and requires minimal cost and modification.

[Josh]

Originally Posted by noodles

If I was you, I would get a couple of wood screws that are a higher tinsel strength than stock

Do you mean "tensile"? Although, 'tinsel' is certainly festively appropriate for today...

Also, yes, that top one is the Wilkinson I was talking about.

[noodles]

God damn Firefox spellcheck.

[brian]

I'd personally go with the Hipshot - I've got a Wilkinson and a pair of Hipshot trems and the while the Wilkinson is really really good, I think the Hipshot is built like a bloody tank and the stainless steel bearings will probably last longer than the Wilkinson's knife edge.