There is a much easier way to balance a flat trem like a vega or floyd. You want to use a stack of picks or coins to block the trem. Tighten the claw more than needed. Do the set up with the trem locked. Once you are all ready and tuned you remove loosen the claw until you can easily remove the shim, and tune with the claw. It takes me about 1 min extra to do a string change to a different gauge on a Floyd doing it that way with no intonation adjustment. It takes so much time off intonation adjustment too on a floating trem.
Yeah that’s how I’ve started doing it. I like about 1mm of clearance for a subtle float, and I use 1mm picks coincidentally so it makes it easy lol. I’ve set up my own trems and it’s helped a lot. Also on the 6 screw, I started with the strings completely off and the springs removed so there’s no tension on the bridge. Back out each of the 6 screws, and then one by one screw them down until they start creating pressure on the bridge and makes it lift up. Then back out the screw until the bridge rests on the body again. This basically creates the “perfect” amount of movement space where it’s not going to impede movement or allow too much movement for the bridge to shift on the screw’s surface area. Do that for all 6 screws, and then back out the middle 4 screws to create a pseudo 2-point trem. It’s helped a lot for tuning stability. Also some white lithium grease on the pivot points helps remove any additional friction from metal-on-metal contact.
I love how much fun you have playing. I bought a used 4x12" cab yesterday and spent the afternoon repairing tolex tears and redoing the wiring. Now my amp head can be used after 6 years sitting on the floor without a cab to handle it. The fun isn't just the playing, it's the project itself to get to the playing.
Everyone has their reasons for watching RU-vid. Mine are#1 entertainment, #2 learning, #3 sharing with other like-minded people. When I come across a video that teaches me something its in my top tier list of great channels. I have heard of Vega Trem systems for a long time, but no one I found broke down the specifics of why this particular trem is such a nice option for a strat. Thank you so much for giving us in the guitar world a useful video for making a decision about a trem option. All the very best to you
your playing style is SO refreshing. I just picked up a cheap strat for a project guitar and you got me wanting to drop more on a trem than what I spent on the guitar LOL
Nice work, I have a standard 6 screw trem on my strat and I was just thinking to myself about changing it but had no idea what would be good and this seems like an awesome choice! Also, your playing is so j-rock to me, like, your demo in this video felt like I was getting a recap on an episode of FLCL and this is the highest compliment I know how to give.
Haha that is the nicest thing anyone’s ever said about my playing! As you can probably imagine, most of my influences are jrock bands, especially The Pillows!
You are awesome! I have built several Strats but never installed a Vegatrem. I really appreciate your guitar tech skills and attention to detail, and your playing!
I got a Strat with a Vega Trem VT1 too! From what I've seen from this video, I think "the fitting the trem" issue could be exclusive to that guitar. Mine's is just a run of the mill MIM Strat and had no problem fitting in.
I was so frustrated with the six point trem on my Mex Strat, that I bought the Vega-trem without a lot of research, but so happy with the ease of fit and the results.
you really popped back up on my feed doing an in depth review on a piece of guitar tech that's vastly underrated and something I've had my eyes on for a while. nice :)
Great video! I installed a Vega Trem in my Sterling Cutlass earlier this year. As the guitar came stock with a two-point pivot trem, I used the other install plate option. Unfortunately Sterling uses a non-standard size of bolts for its pivot posts. Thankfully the folks at Vega Trem were able to point me to some Fender replacement bushings/posts that worked great. The new Vega Trem is a joy to play, and it's practically like getting a whole new guitar for the price of a bridge. I really appreciate you putting this video together, and I loved the song.
Very cool! Nice job. Appreciate the clear explanation, even of your “mistakes.” Especially liked your description of the set up and balancing process. Thanks.
Very. Cool! My experience- Low and high E install is required ( should be a mention in manual) then fun fiddling spring/ claw adjustment to set it parallel and body level given your preferred string gauge. . No need to set G string to pull minor 3rd ala Jeff Beck setup as the amazing Vega Trem has such a wide range of movement.
re: 08:28 ALL my screwdrivers have marks on them for 1/4 and 1/2 turns. It's such a great hack, makes all adjustments that don't have a fixed measurement a breeze. Great video Nisebelle, thank you!
That is truly amazing, I see they have a drop-in tele replacement that springs up through the existing tele string holes, if that works half as well as this one it would be well worth it. I always enjoy your playing and how you incorporated the new trem was a joy to see.
The possible change in length of the block on trems is often overlooked; it can throw the geometry of the trem completely off, changing the it's expected behavior dramatically. Yes, spring tension is a thing, but there's a whole equation taking place in strat style tremolos. NICE VIDEO.
Thank you for the good review. It's a shame that Vegatrem is ignoring requests for left handed players though, they have been telling it it'll be back in stock in a week for close to a year straight.
Good job! Thanks for producing and uploading this content - I am always interested in aftermarket trem videos, I have several guitars that range from hardtails I want to convert least effort path (Ibanez AX7521) to a couple guitars that I bought as used players and I didn't realize until they got here that the trem was not comfortable (Aria Pro II RS series) or flat out the incorrect trem where I can't really find a used part for it some I'm gonna have to restomod it (Peavey Horizon II). Protip: use already broken in strings from another guitar to speed up dialing in where the trem is going to actually float - then you're not fighting two variables at once.
I shim the Fender Strat trem at 3/32" floating, then do the normal setup. Then remove the shim and tighten or loosen the trem claw screws to match 3/32".
I love the vega trem. I have one on my warmoth jazzmaster with a two point trem and one on my first guitar (mim strat) that had a six point trem. Interestingly enough, the six point vega replacement works way better. Not sure why.
Cool video! I have a strat I've had since I was a teen. I just put 5 springs on it and locked the bridge down to the body. This trem might be what I'm looking for. I'm already trying to figure out how to wire up an "oops all middles" 3 way switch for it since I never use the pickups by themselves and want to try neck and bridge together.
The Vega Trem is a great drop-in mod for almost any Strat. In combination with locking tuners, it is almost like having a Floyd Rose without having to route out your guitar or mess with the nut. The flutters with the Vega Trem are great - much easier than with a standard Strat trem.
I also had a problem where the route on the strat that I originally wanted to put the vega on did not accommodate it properly unless I wanted to plug and then drill new holes for the bridge (no thanks). I ended up putting it on a different guitar than I first intended (and love it, FWIW). The variations in routes/bridge placement can affect the vega trem's compatibility. Something to be aware of.
I got news for you. That piece of paper isn't going to do anything if the force of those trem springs snap into the guitar top with the trem baseplate. A piece of wood is a better option, but I honestly would just backing the springs out a bit before removing the trem so there is no force to hit the guitar top with. You're going to need to adjust them anyway. Also it's possible that the body may take on moisture in the future, and decrease the clearance in the trem route. Just another thing to consider.
@@GetOffset As a thumb-over player, 7 1/4 is so much more comfortable than anything else that I've sold all my non-7 1/4 guitars. They're just perfect!
Hi Nisebelle, I know Darrel Braun is a big fan of the Vega - it is something I would love to try on one of my guitars. It looks so beautifully engineered - solid metal as opposed to bent steel saddles. And that solid baseplate is pure art. I see your problem from the start though - you should have used a Pokemon card instead of the bit of old calendar. Then there would have been no issues at all.🤣 Glad that you got it to fit though, when everything was at tension. The ultra tight tolerance I actually think is a good thing? Much better than loads of slop, than can be unsightly. For final adjustments - I got a great method from Dylan Talks Tone for when he does Floyds. 1. With strings on, and springs loose. Block the trem from the back with a small offcut of wood, pencil eraser or whatever - that makes the trem level. 2. Then you can tune up, intonate etc without worrying about what the deck of the trem is doing. 3. When ready - slowly tighten up the springs until the block just slips out. The trem should stay level and is balanced perfectly against the string tension. (maybe a small fine tune required, but it shouldn't change the deck position too much.) re: no Radius Gauge - trim up a Pokemon card until it matched the radius you want - either by trial and error or using a compass - then use that to reference arc of the bridge saddles. All things can be fixed with Pokemon cards!
Haha i think you’re right!! I was about to buy a few new tools from StewMac for some future projects, but now I need to see if I can make them out of Pokémon cards first!
There's a new company creating a strat trem that comes on their guitars that allows you to bend to EXACTLY to 1/2 and whole step. Basically is has a tactile "notch" for lack of a better word (because a notch would probably make an unwanted sound) that tells you you're at a 1/2 step and a full dive takes it to a whole step. So it bends less than some floyd roses and locking trem's, but it gives you a tool to do exact bends with ease. THAT IS SOMETHING! I'd want to play it to see if it's something i'd actually want, but it seems interesting.
@@trev3971 no it doesn't. A regular strat trem can give you a full whole note bend and more, but this bridge "guides" you to those two notes, a 1/2 note bend up or down and a whole note bend up or down.
So here are my Favorites - Vintage 6 screw - Gotoh Traditional Tremolo - 2 7/32 Bent steel saddle bridge - I typically put HighWood saddles on here to complete it, and it is if you are looking for that traditional trem look. - Runner Ups - Floyd Rose RailTail - Good for if you want a modern look on a vintage 6 screw style mount system, great if you deck your trem, takes a while to break in. - Super Vee Bladerunner - Best return to pitch a price 2 point Modern - Hipshot Contour Bridge - For Cost the best, its hands down the best option and TBH goes good with the Directotron 21:1 direct 2 pin replacement tuners - Runner Up - Sophia 2.2 - Expensive the best for this mounting system but if you don't care how much you put down. Floyd Recessed - OFR German - The original is still the best modified with Hollow Points it looks great and add a Tremolo-No - Runner Up - Ibanez Edge-Zero II bridge - LoPro design combined with the w/ZPS3Fe is just something that you need to try, This is more custom body not really a replacement. Floyd Top Mount - Gotoh GE1996T - In some cases this is also your best recessed provided it will fit without modification, hands down the best Floyd LIC on the market.
Great video and advice😊👍💜 I've got an almost identical strat. I'm considering fitting the Dave Murray Seymour Duncan set up. I think that works around a standard Fender Strat. Bridge and Trem🤔 The Trem seems like a great idea, neat, clever and looks to pitch forward and back well. How well does it stay in tune please 🤔 Also was it's easy to set up the intonation on the new Trem🤔 Thanks✌️👍😊💜
A tip I saw on trem balancing that had me balancing a trem in 15 minutes, and an FR at that Block the trem At Zero Tune the guitar Remove block Adjust strings in back until guitar is in tune, it should be flat & in tune! I took an FR from standard to drop C in No Time
Great video as always! Question - is there a way you could have supported the bridge block from the back to help with the installation? That was my first instinct, but maybe there's something in the way that I don't know about that would prevent that.
Thanks! Honestly, I work on strats so infrequently that I’ve never heard of blocking the trem from the back to help with balancing until reading about it in the comments. There shouldn’t be anything preventing using something to add support on the vt1 and it’s definitely something I plan to do for next time!
MAKE SURE YOU MATCH THE RIGHT SPRING TYPE TO THE RIGHT STRINGE GAUGE YOU ARE USING. Be very careful since the stupid springs don't have labels on em. Only their lil packages have labels. Get em mixed up after taking them out of their lil paper bags, and you dun f---ed up... I would know from experience lol. If you're off, sooo much for a stable trem... I was soooo mad at this product until I realized the mistake I made, largely because the company didn't properly label all this stuff... They really should do a better job with the labeling... Color code em or somethin... OR do it yourself so you can't mess up! Knowing which springs are which is everything here... Other than that I think you covered everything basically. Best trem upgrade for any strat if you ask me. Aside from the terrible price lolz. Sometimes you can find em for close to 200 though instead of the near 300 that they are asking yeesh!
great video as usual! I'm wondering what are your thoughts regarding the 'feel' of the trem comparing to your jaguar guitar. The jaguar/jazzmaster trem is my favorite BY FAR regarding the feel, and allows you to be real subtle about it. Is that possible with that or it's more like a very modern vibrato system like it sounds in the video?
The Vega Trem is a silky smooth Strat trem, but it's still a Strat trem. It's a tighter fulcrum than the Jazz/Jag, so a subtle flutter takes *much* less hand movement. It can be done, but it's difficult.
Totally agree with @trev3971 ! The VT1 felt much more reactive and touchy compared to a jag vibrato, so I found it way easier to do really fast movements, but it also took a lot more control to be subtle. For reference, the shoegaze-esque part where I was holding the bar while arpeggiating those chords took waaaay more takes than I’m proud of just to get it subtle enough. Hope this helps!
Vega Trem is One of The Best Aftermarket Upgrade, But its not For Everyone Specially costing: ₱13,750.00 | $243.85USD Its Like Buying a New Squier Guitar Here In Philippines 😅
