danglybanger
ReelItInologist
k!
Finally got fed up enough with my CIJ trem to go drastic and ruin it
Stayed in tune fine, a bit creaky in operation, would seem to catch on upbends a bit (stick and click when pulled all the way back. I theorized (correctly) that the trem seemed to be binding on the string ball ends, and thus filed down the back of the baseplate…
DON’T ever like, do that… The strings shouldn’t bind, but the ball ends are basically what keeps the trem from being able to flop around (as I discovered unfashionably late). Don't know how many CIJs do that...
Coulda prolly bought a new plate, but even then I’d played Jags where the thing was smoother, just said eff it and bought an AV
Worrisome Jap trem things
-bar was long and bottomed out on the route (fixed with hack saw)
-arm held on by three prongs that get loose, can be pushed back together but that needs to be done often (aka, take off trem, deal with it, repeat). Also, the hole is bigger than the arm (as it needs to be), meaning the trem arm can rattle.
-range not quite as good as I liked, plus binding, and a general flimsy feel… creaky spring too. Even aft the trem was taken apart and many parts tightened…
Things I liked about the Jap trem:
-basically worked
pics for the peeps:
First, whether due to having a MUCH deeper chrome (I’m pretty sure the CIJ is stainless actually) or not being 10 yo, the AV trem is the shiniest thing on my guitar, making me want to replace all the CIJ control plates with chrome now as well :laugh2: Note how much burlier the trem bushing is, and also dull finished tremlock (so it can’t fingerprint, and yes, I HAVE even used the thing). Tremlock feels more solid somehow, gives a satisfying sort of click, unlike the CIJ one, which felt mushy no matter how adjusted… Oh yeah, AV is on the right hah
Boring view, but note random red smudge on back of the AV tremlock, also the fact that nothing on the AV is brass… ehh. I’ll just take this opportunity to say everything on the AV feels solid, and less like it’s going to break apart if you handle it wrong, also note the 2mm larger slot on the CIJ (my fault :smack:… nearly to the middle of the rear screw holes, uggh. Yeah, sucked
…but check this. Notice how much thicker the AV is in all dimensions (AV is right again), and how much better things fit together… making it heavier than the CIJ model. Other than that, check how that little plate the trem leans against is rounded off on the CIJ, but kept blocky on the AV…
…also, the AV has larger screwholes on the base plate that are more convincingly recessed, just small enough that you can still use the CIJ screws (so no trip to home depot).
Alright, so it’s installed and such…
Things I like about the AV trem:
-The trem arm itself is more secure in the hole, due to being notched. Less likely to fall out of the guitar, as a matter of fact it’s pretty... hard to take out. Also, doesn’t bottom out on the cavity or do anything really crazy like that. Also, MUCH nicer trem arm tip, that’s aged plastic as well, prompting me to want aged plastic for every other part of this guitar :laugh2:
-MUCH smoother operation, doesn’t bind anywhere, no creaks etc. Feels direct.
-SHINY!!!
-slightly more range, due to it not binding.
Things I’m still a bit sketchy on…
-arm is still loose, can swivel around… meaning in that respect it’s even more annoying than the CIJ, which stays put til it pops out of the guitar entirely. I’ll fix this by squeezing the bushing with pliers a bit next time I take the thing apart, or til then just wrapping the arm with tape... or maybe I can bend the trem arm slightly.
ambivalence
-counter to everything I’ve ever heard/read, the CIJ had a stiffer spring, and the AV is more like pushing down on a sponge. But it still feels way more direct than the CIJ… Could be the PO of the CIJ trem replacing the spring, possibly, as I’ve heard lots of them were too weak to take heavy strings…
-I’d heard before that AV trem arms were bent in an awkward way… in the worst cases managing to rest against the face of the guitar til they were bent outward again. This one’s where it ought to be, but it’s bent in concave which takes a bit of getting used to after the CIJ one…
So it’s not a huge revelation, but it DOES make it nicer, bit more like the real thing, instead of the flimsy look/feel of the CIJ one, (really was the only subpar aspect of the Jap guitar). Worth $70 something bucks over the $60 or so for the CIJ trem? Probably, I’d have to think a bit before I replaced a Jap trem that was working fine… Oh yeah, might be perception but it seems to sound more solid
THA MOLKS!!!
Finally got fed up enough with my CIJ trem to go drastic and ruin it
Stayed in tune fine, a bit creaky in operation, would seem to catch on upbends a bit (stick and click when pulled all the way back. I theorized (correctly) that the trem seemed to be binding on the string ball ends, and thus filed down the back of the baseplate…
DON’T ever like, do that… The strings shouldn’t bind, but the ball ends are basically what keeps the trem from being able to flop around (as I discovered unfashionably late). Don't know how many CIJs do that...
Coulda prolly bought a new plate, but even then I’d played Jags where the thing was smoother, just said eff it and bought an AV
Worrisome Jap trem things
-bar was long and bottomed out on the route (fixed with hack saw)
-arm held on by three prongs that get loose, can be pushed back together but that needs to be done often (aka, take off trem, deal with it, repeat). Also, the hole is bigger than the arm (as it needs to be), meaning the trem arm can rattle.
-range not quite as good as I liked, plus binding, and a general flimsy feel… creaky spring too. Even aft the trem was taken apart and many parts tightened…
Things I liked about the Jap trem:
-basically worked
pics for the peeps:
First, whether due to having a MUCH deeper chrome (I’m pretty sure the CIJ is stainless actually) or not being 10 yo, the AV trem is the shiniest thing on my guitar, making me want to replace all the CIJ control plates with chrome now as well :laugh2: Note how much burlier the trem bushing is, and also dull finished tremlock (so it can’t fingerprint, and yes, I HAVE even used the thing
). Tremlock feels more solid somehow, gives a satisfying sort of click, unlike the CIJ one, which felt mushy no matter how adjusted… Oh yeah, AV is on the right hah
Boring view, but note random red smudge on back of the AV tremlock, also the fact that nothing on the AV is brass… ehh. I’ll just take this opportunity to say everything on the AV feels solid, and less like it’s going to break apart if you handle it wrong, also note the 2mm larger slot on the CIJ (my fault :smack:… nearly to the middle of the rear screw holes, uggh. Yeah, sucked
…but check this. Notice how much thicker the AV is in all dimensions (AV is right again), and how much better things fit together… making it heavier than the CIJ model. Other than that, check how that little plate the trem leans against is rounded off on the CIJ, but kept blocky on the AV…
…also, the AV has larger screwholes on the base plate that are more convincingly recessed, just small enough that you can still use the CIJ screws (so no trip to home depot).
Alright, so it’s installed and such…
Things I like about the AV trem:
-The trem arm itself is more secure in the hole, due to being notched. Less likely to fall out of the guitar, as a matter of fact it’s pretty... hard to take out. Also, doesn’t bottom out on the cavity or do anything really crazy like that. Also, MUCH nicer trem arm tip, that’s aged plastic as well, prompting me to want aged plastic for every other part of this guitar :laugh2:
-MUCH smoother operation, doesn’t bind anywhere, no creaks etc. Feels direct.
-SHINY!!!
-slightly more range, due to it not binding.
Things I’m still a bit sketchy on…
-arm is still loose, can swivel around… meaning in that respect it’s even more annoying than the CIJ, which stays put til it pops out of the guitar entirely. I’ll fix this by squeezing the bushing with pliers a bit next time I take the thing apart, or til then just wrapping the arm with tape... or maybe I can bend the trem arm slightly.
ambivalence
-counter to everything I’ve ever heard/read, the CIJ had a stiffer spring, and the AV is more like pushing down on a sponge. But it still feels way more direct than the CIJ… Could be the PO of the CIJ trem replacing the spring, possibly, as I’ve heard lots of them were too weak to take heavy strings…
-I’d heard before that AV trem arms were bent in an awkward way… in the worst cases managing to rest against the face of the guitar til they were bent outward again. This one’s where it ought to be, but it’s bent in concave which takes a bit of getting used to after the CIJ one…
So it’s not a huge revelation, but it DOES make it nicer, bit more like the real thing, instead of the flimsy look/feel of the CIJ one, (really was the only subpar aspect of the Jap guitar). Worth $70 something bucks over the $60 or so for the CIJ trem? Probably, I’d have to think a bit before I replaced a Jap trem that was working fine… Oh yeah, might be perception but it seems to sound more solid
THA MOLKS!!!
