Strat/Wilkinson trem stability

[Kapo_Polenton]

Question for you guys,

I've got a wilkinson with sperzel locking tuners on one of my strat style guitars and the damn thing just doesn't hold tuning unless I quick dip down after some crazy bending or trem dives. I know this is an old trick, you just quickly pop it down silently and it comes back to tune but is there anyway around this? How are you guys doing it? Lubing the nut? Pencil led? I stretched the strings out and went up and down them with agressive vibrato, if that isn't doing it, what are other factors? It isn't always ideal to pop the trem down quick and have everything come back. I understand for some crazy dives sure, but just for vibrato or popping zakk style pinch harmonics i shouldn't have to.

Ps - i have a floyd on one of my guitars, I don't like them. Bulky and the fine tuning and locking nuts are a pain. But I guess there is a reason so many guitar players use them.

 

[Racerxrated]

Wilkinsons have never ever stayed in tune for me. A cool guitar with a Wilkinson? Hard pass

 

[Devin]

I have one of the 6 screw wilkinson trems with the old-school Fender style bent saddles and it stays in tune surprisingly well for me. I recommend having it decked (no room to pull up) if possible; at least mine works best this way

 

[CarlF]

Make sure the nut slots are each wide enough for the gauge strings you are using. Lube the nut slots. I use a few different Nut-Lube products and this little vile of Gun-Oil I get at Amazon.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Well it seems to be holding tune better today than it did after I changed the strings last night but I think for sure that I am going to order more lube for the nut. Funny that wilkinsons are supposed to be the cats meow and yet, no difference really !

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Have you guys seen this string butler thing? Looks a bit ugly but seems to address the tuning issues. In gibson style guitars anyway..

 

[PBGas]

What about these?
https://reverb.com/ca/item/24879182-wilkinson-wls130-s-locking-steel-saddles

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

What about these?
https://reverb.com/ca/item/24879182-wilkinson-wls130-s-locking-steel-saddles

Shouldn't my wilkinson essentially already have those on board?

 

[PDC]

I much prefer non locking trems. If you are going that route, I highly recommend purchasing a set of actual Nut Slotting Files from Stew Mac in the recommended sizes for your preferred string gauges. The teeth are very fine and the bottom of the file edge is rounded so it makes a true 'U' shape groove in the nut, as opposed to a 'V' slot which will ALWAYS snag strings. Most decent nut blanks are under 10.00 a piece - just expect to 'ruin' a few of them learning the correct technique of 'ramping' the groove off the post side of the nut toward the tuning posts to eliminate a sharp break angle off the back of the nut. Too deep a ramp, and you will get 'pinging' behind the nut and its hard (at first) to tell where the heck its coming from. It's a learning process, but once you become comfortable grooving the string slots, you will never look back and this (along with a drop of your lubricant of choice in each string slot) will eliminate 99% of tuning stability issues with most non-locking trems.

 

[Devin]

Shouldn't my wilkinson essentially already have those on board?

Nope, the only guitar I can think of that comes stock with those is the Pete Thorn sig. Suhr

 

[grooveHT]

Which Wilk trem, btw?

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Which Wilk trem, btw?

VS-100 so it's the decent one.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

I much prefer non locking trems. If you are going that route, I highly recommend purchasing a set of actual Nut Slotting Files from Stew Mac in the recommended sizes for your preferred string gauges. The teeth are very fine and the bottom of the file edge is rounded so it makes a true 'U' shape groove in the nut, as opposed to a 'V' slot which will ALWAYS snag strings. Most decent nut blanks are under 10.00 a piece - just expect to 'ruin' a few of them learning the correct technique of 'ramping' the groove off the post side of the nut toward the tuning posts to eliminate a sharp break angle off the back of the nut. Too deep a ramp, and you will get 'pinging' behind the nut and its hard (at first) to tell where the heck its coming from. It's a learning process, but once you become comfortable grooving the string slots, you will never look back and this (along with a drop of your lubricant of choice in each string slot) will eliminate 99% of tuning stability issues with most non-locking trems.

I'd love to be able to learn this but i don't think i have the confidence to jump in. Seems like I would be ruining a ton of nuts..

 

[thenine]

Wilkinson work pretty good usually. Nuts properly lubed as mentioned, staggered locking tuners and no string trees are the recipe for me. Definitely think they sound better than Floyd’s.

 

[PDC]

I'd love to be able to learn this but i don't think i have the confidence to jump in. Seems like I would be ruining a ton of nuts..

I bet you’d do much better than you give yourself credit for. There are some excellent YouTube videos out there that really get you pointed in the right direction and show you the pitfalls to avoid. Especially if you start with a pre-slotted nut as opposed to just a ‘blank’ so all you are doing is getting the height at the 1st fret and the ramp off the back of the nut to the tuning post right.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Well, I threw in some of that nut sauce last night and worked it back and forth a bit and today I spent an hour jamming on the guitar and it more or less stayed in tune. A small dip here or there but over all, way better. I'm guessing that is also what a lot of players have had to do in the past. Really stretch the strings, pay attention to the nut, lube it up or use pencil led.