CNC Machined top for Wilkinson tremolo bridge

[dawson]

So, lucky guy I am, I got all sorts of birds stoned at once by machining this bridge with a CNC mill at my local junior college:

It's a floating tremolo with a big handle on the back that's easy to grab onto or push down on without a 'whammy bar' isn't installed, designed to operate like the custom bridge that Isaac Brock uses in Modest Mouse.
The machined piece screws onto the original die-cast block and uses new Fender saddles.
The prototype was drawn in Fusion 360 and cut out on a manual mill first- I've shared pics of that one before:

Since the prototype worked so well, I wanted another one for my main player, a Reverend Descent baritone.
I re-drew the design and routed the toolpaths in my Mastercam class, then cut it out with a CNC mill in another lab class. A couple final operations were finished on a manual mill, and then I had to get in with my rotary tool and fine-tune the angle where the plate meets the little bracing-poles.
In order to get the intonation right, I had to remove a bit of material from one of the saddles.

Anyhow, in conclusion- after a considerable amount of fine-tuning, it works and feels really great!

Thanks for looking!

 

[Harry Klippton]

 

[benny_profane]

HE’S ON A RAMPAGE!!

 

[steviejr92]

Beautiful craftsmanship!

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

So, lucky guy I am, I got all sorts of birds stoned at once by machining this bridge with a CNC mill at my local junior college:

It's a floating tremolo with a big handle on the back that's easy to grab onto or push down on without a 'whammy bar' isn't installed, designed to operate like the custom bridge that Isaac Brock uses in Modest Mouse.
The machined piece screws onto the original die-cast block and uses new Fender saddles.
The prototype was drawn in Fusion 360 and cut out on a manual mill first- I've shared pics of that one before:

Since the prototype worked so well, I wanted another one for my main player, a Reverend Descent baritone.
I re-drew the design and routed the toolpaths in my Mastercam class, then cut it out with a CNC mill in another lab class. A couple final operations were finished on a manual mill, and then I had to get in with my rotary tool and fine-tune the angle where the plate meets the little bracing-poles.
In order to get the intonation right, I had to remove a bit of material from one of the saddles.

Anyhow, in conclusion- after a considerable amount of fine-tuning, it works and feels really great!

Thanks for looking!

 

[Giorfida]

So, lucky guy I am, I got all sorts of birds stoned at once by machining this bridge with a CNC mill at my local junior college:

It's a floating tremolo with a big handle on the back that's easy to grab onto or push down on without a 'whammy bar' isn't installed, designed to operate like the custom bridge that Isaac Brock uses in Modest Mouse.
The machined piece screws onto the original die-cast block and uses new Fender saddles.
The prototype was drawn in Fusion 360 and cut out on a manual mill first- I've shared pics of that one before:

Since the prototype worked so well, I wanted another one for my main player, a Reverend Descent baritone.
I re-drew the design and routed the toolpaths in my Mastercam class, then cut it out with a CNC mill in another lab class. A couple final operations were finished on a manual mill, and then I had to get in with my rotary tool and fine-tune the angle where the plate meets the little bracing-poles.
In order to get the intonation right, I had to remove a bit of material from one of the saddles.

Anyhow, in conclusion- after a considerable amount of fine-tuning, it works and feels really great!

Thanks for looking!

Did you heat treat the whole thing or just the knife edges?

 

[dawson]

Thanks for looking, everyone!

Beautiful craftsmanship!

Takes one to know one, buddy!

Did you heat treat the whole thing or just the knife edges?

I didn't do any heat treating.
My original prototype is holding up just fine on my regular standard-tuned guitar so I'm not too worried about it- however, there's a considerable amount of added string tension since this one is a baritone, so time will tell.

 

[Erik S]

Bro. Reverend, Wilkinson, Machining, Design, Isaac Brock - You're checking all my boxes.

This rules.

 

[dawson]

Bro. Reverend, Wilkinson, Machining, Design, Isaac Brock - You're checking all my boxes.

This rules.

Dude, thank you!

@Giorfida's got me worried now though- do you think I fucked up by not heat treating it?
It's 1080 steel, but this guitar gets a ton of hours a week

 

[Erik S]

Dude, thank you!

@Giorfida's got me worried now though- do you think I fucked up by not heat treating it?
It's 1080 steel, but this guitar gets a ton of hours a week

I'm not familiar with what the contact points look like off the top of my head, or how much you like to whammy, but I doubt you're going to wear it out.

If it's similar to the way the stock piece functions, you could give that a touch with a file to get an idea whether Wilkinson hardens them. Again, I have no idea, but I'd guess if they could design around the need to harden them they would.

 

[dawson]

give that a touch with a file to get an idea whether Wilkinson hardens them.

Good call

 

[Giorfida]

Dude, thank you!

@Giorfida's got me worried now though- do you think I fucked up by not heat treating it?
It's 1080 steel, but this guitar gets a ton of hours a week

I’d bet if it’s good quality steel and you aren’t abusing it they’ll last a long time.
Real Floyd roses are hardened quite a bit, but they are designed to be abused. Some of the Japanese knock off “licensed” bridges were not so much, but they were so soft steel that heavy use would actually bend the bridge plates!

Truthfully on some bridges it’s the posts that develop grooves before the knife edges actually wear, but as long as you drop the string/spring tension when rasing/lowering posts they should hold up fine.

My mind is stuck in the 80s trem use where people abused the hell out of their systems… not the more sane use that people did for decades before and after then


And again- killer design and machine work!!! Makes me want for a milling machine (used to have access to one at work)!

 

[dawson]

@Giorfida thanks for the input

Unfortunately for listeners, I crank the dive-bombs significantly less than the beloved hair-spray + cocain-fueled riffs of the 80's, so hopefully it holds up for awhile!

 

[Giorfida]

@Giorfida thanks for the input

Unfortunately for listeners, I crank the dive-bombs significantly less than the beloved hair-spray + cocain-fueled riffs of the 80's, so hopefully it holds up for awhile!

I’m sure you’ll be fine! Glad to see you took the time to set up as CNC though- you’ll be able to knock out more for other guitars etc a lot less effort than the first one!

 

[Bio77]

That's awesome! The design is really smart. I think you could sell a few of these if you wanted.

 

[Harry Klippton]

That's awesome! The design is really smart. I think you could sell a few of these if you wanted.

Do it

 

[dawson]

That's awesome! The design is really smart. I think you could sell a few of these if you wanted.

Ah thanks John, I'm really glad you dig it!
Whenever I consider selling anything, I remember how incredibly disorganized an incapable of customer service I am, so I haven't given it a serious thought- however, sometime in the future, I'd like to do another small run to have some on-hand, maybe even heat-treated! If I'm able to do that, I'll be sure to make a few extra for my DIY brethren and sisthren.

Do it

No build docs.