Ibanez RG To a Wilkinson?

NathanCahill

New member
How much trouble would it be to put a Wilkinson into an RG that originally had a Strat style Trem? Zerb, JohnJohn, BlueLine anybody?
 
Re: Ibanez RG To a Wilkinson?

If you want to go to a two point, some routing may be in order (I'm not sure) and you will have to fill in your current mounting holes and drill out two for the new posts.

Wilkinson also makes a 6 point trem, you might want to check it out.
 
Re: Ibanez RG To a Wilkinson?

Thats where I was at. What are the advantages of the 2 point over the 6. Both Wilkinson of course. The six point still locks, it looks good to me. I'm a hardtail guy at the moment. Never really used the trem on my old strat copy.
 
Re: Ibanez RG To a Wilkinson?

2 point gives you a bit more freedom of movement. I keep mine floating like a floyd and the tuning stability is pretty good (with a graphite nut and Sperzels).
 
Re: Ibanez RG To a Wilkinson?

if you're going from a 6 poitn vintage to a 6 poit vintage trem, it could be as easy as unscrew and rescrew
then again, the screw holes may not line up

check the schematic for both and see
going from a 6 point to a floating - that's a different story
 
Re: Ibanez RG To a Wilkinson?

Sorry I´m late.

The mounting distance of the Wilk. VS-100 is the same as that of most 6 points/ the Fender American Standard. In a (big) nutshell, all you would have to do is mark the length (which in that case should go right along the line of mounting holes) and drill the holes for the bushings.

It´s a bit more complicated than that, but not something that someone with basic woodworking skills can´t do. But the VSV is IMO almost as good but sounds better, so it´s definitely a viable option as well :)

PS: Just remembered, the Wilk block may be longer and /or bulkier, so you may have to modify the back end of the rout a bit to get full travel. This is in either case, 6 point or 2 point;)
 
Re: Ibanez RG To a Wilkinson?

Zerb, how do you feel about grinding the block a bit (at an angle) to get that clearance? I know it changes the tone but will it be drastic?
 
Re: Ibanez RG To a Wilkinson?

Benjy_26 said:
Zerb, how do you feel about grinding the block a bit (at an angle) to get that clearance? I know it changes the tone but will it be drastic?

No problem if you know what you´re doing. But I prefer not to tell people who´s capabilities I don´t know to go around grinding on their Hardware, because woodworking is easier and inherently less dangerous ;)
 
Re: Ibanez RG To a Wilkinson?

Good point.

Just a reminder to all who read this, when working on metal (or wood) always wear eye protection.


Oh yeah, and never, ever, lick the spoon. :burnout:
 
Re: Ibanez RG To a Wilkinson?

I've got a 2 point Wilk in my RG (originally the 6 point vintage trem). Lemme give you the scoop.

First, the Ibanez strat style trem is smaller than the average vintage 6 point. The mounting holes will not likely line up. Additionally, the rout in the ibanez is not large enough to accomodate the Wilkinson. Plan on removing material on both sides of the bridge, especially on the arm side. I even removed a tiny bit of material on the back side of the rout just in case there wasn't enough room to really give the trem a good dive.

VERY IMPORTANT: you will likely need to glue a block to the front of the trem rout if you go with a 2 point. The studs require 3/8" holes. After triple measuring the distance from nut to saddle before I drilled for the posts I realized that there was little material behind the post. I know there's more pressure on the wood in front of the posts, but I was still worried about the bottom of the posts kicking back towards the bridge.

Also, the RGs are inherently thin bodies, and the studs will poke into the spring cavity. I don't know what kind of forces might want to push the studs deeper into the body, but I'm thinking I may have to epoxy the studs at final assembly to prevent them from moving.

Also, check the mounted depth of the 6 point. when the body is resting back down on a table and I place the trem in of a test fit the block rests on the table as well (the block is actually a hair taller than the body is wide - we're only talking about maybe 1/32"). Shouldn't be a problem if you float the trem a little bit.

That's all I can really tell you right now. I've got to get a couple more coats of clear on it before final assembly.
 
Re: Ibanez RG To a Wilkinson?

I hadn't checked this thread for a while, I thought it died. Thanks for all of the information. I'm going to go with the six point for now. I haven't even sanded down the bodie yet. I'll order the trem and do the necessary mods first. Thought I was going to have to make my own neck (or attempt to anyway) for this project but it sounds like JohnJohn might be able to do it when it comes time.
 
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Re: Ibanez RG To a Wilkinson?

Zerberus said:
No problem if you know what you´re doing. But I prefer not to tell people who´s capabilities I don´t know to go around grinding on their Hardware, because woodworking is easier and inherently less dangerous ;)


I used to be an auto mechanic I know what you mean!
You don't happen to have any blinker fluid, do ya? :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:
 
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