Fender Mustang hardtail ... " whammy" tremolo upgrade ? is it possible ? help

[crustoleum]

is a "drop in" whammy, tremolo "thing" available ? or "anything" else ?. I like this thing,a lot. But, would like to whammy, if possible...Is it ? who, how ? thanks

[Bucksstudent]

Eww... No thanks.

 

Actually, Adrian Belew used modified Mustangs with Kahler tremolos installed.

 

You can easily hardtail a Mustang. I did it to mine recently. Remove the strings, pop off the bridge and unscrew the plate. You turn the tailpiece around after removing the springs with a flathead screw driver, and voila. It's a reversible mod too.

[badpenguin]

ok, what exactly are you asking? Is there a "drop in" add on, for a Mustang without a trem? And you want to add one?

Or a replacement/upgrade trem if one already exists?

 

For the first one, yes and no. Yes, you can add a trem. A Bigsby works wonders. GFS has their Xtrem, that works, though I am not the biggest fan of it. And of course, there are any number of variations of trems on feebay.

They ALL require some mods to the body, though it's usually a few screw holes.

The Kahler as suggested above, require routing the body to fit it. And may cost as much as the guitar to purchase and install.

 

Is there a retrofit kit, to replace/upgrade a current trem? Probably. Seems most of the market is there to improve Fender designed parts. For that, you need to do some serious hunting.

[catscurlyear]

take a look at this http://www.harmonycentral.com/forum/forum/guitar/acapella-41/32024815-warmouth-jagstang-rises-from-the-ashes#post32024815

[thatsbunk]

Get a Bigsby. I installed one on a Blacktop Jaguar & love it;

 

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n32055866[/ATTACH]

[jtr654]

Cheaper $$ to buy a guitar with a trem than to retro fit one.

[hellion_213]

Why certainly! Just depends on how in depth you want to go. Top-mounted Floyd is an option, little pricey though. Kahler or a recessed Floyd are options, do require routing though. Bigsby, as mentioned, bolt on, not as good at the Whammy effect though. More of a Vibrato. Stetsbar could be one way to go, though I have absolutely no experience with them. There is a forumite who installed one, seems like he liked it quite a bit. As for the routing thing, it's really not too bad, so long as you get the posts right. That's the worst part, that and making sure the block works with the rear rout, so the springs clear.

I guess it really depends on what you're goal is - if you want to do dive bombs and squeals, whammy bar tricks, etc, you really need a Floyd or Kahler, or licensed variant. If you're more into the light vibrato, tremelo kind of thing, Bigsby. Stetsbar is, in my way of thinking, kind of in the middle. You could do a floating 2pt Wilkinson, Strat style. So long as you've got decent tuners, they work great.

[DeepEnd]

Get a Bigsby. I installed one on a Blacktop Jaguar & love it;

Bear in mind that if you install a Bigsby you'll also need to replace the bridge. It may turn out to be more cost and effort than you want to invest.

[Phil O'Keefe]

is a "drop in" whammy' date=' tremolo "thing" available ? or "anything" else ?. I like this thing,a lot. But, would like to whammy, if possible...Is it ? who, how ? thanks[/quote']

 

Which specific Mustang do you have? Is it something like the Fender Mustang 90 that I reviewed a while ago?

 

 

 

http://www.harmonycentral.com/expert...der-mustang-90

 

 

If so, the most cost-effective option is probably to sell it and get a Mustang with a tremolo already installed on it. You could possibly add a Bigsby (might not be easy to do if you have a bridge that strings through the body) and you could definitely do the routing and add a Kahler like in the linked thread above, and it may even be possible to have it routed for a standard Strat tremolo (if the body is thick enough) but any installation that requires routing is going to tend to be expensive... again, why not just get a Mustang that already has the vibrato installed already?

 

If you have a Fender American Special Mustang with the ToM bridge and stop tailpiece, adding a Bigsby becomes a much easier proposition...

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MustangASOLP

 

[DeepEnd]

I had something like the Mustang 90 in mind when I wrote my own reply. In that case the OP would need a new bridge in addition to a Bigsby.

[crustoleum]

Phil...

dig it ?

[crustoleum]

no better photo at this time. Can you tell "anything" from that photo ?

[crustoleum]

thank you for the reply. I don't want a Bigsby unit. Something more ";traditional&" like a Stratocaster tremolo, or something similar, if anything such as that is available. Hope there is such a thing. with relatively simple installation process. I will look at the xtrem thanks

[crustoleum]

Get a Bigsby. I installed one on a Blacktop Jaguar & love it;

 

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n32055866[/ATTACH]

looks way cool, but, but...I would like something more or less like a Stratocaster trem, rof the like. I like those bigsby things on semihollow things, but that's just me I suppose.

[crustoleum]

orange = #1:rawk:

[crustoleum]

I like Bigsby tremolo units and Riviera P93's

a lot

 

 

but don't really want on that Mustang

 

 

They work pretty good on Wildkats too

[Phil O'Keefe]

Phil...

dig it ?

 

Sure that helps a lot - I know exactly which model you have - it's a Pawn Shop Mustang Special.

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...-guitar/h84062

 

 

They have a Strat-style hardtail bridge.

 

The question is, is the body thick enough to install a Strat-style tremolo bridge? And unfortunately, I just don't know.

 

If you have a pair of calipers and can measure the thickness of the body, I'd be willing to do likewise with my Strat and we can see if that would work or not... or you could just compare the thickness of your Mustang and your Super Sonic (or Strat) and see if they're the same.

 

Either way, adding a Strat-style trem like the one in your Super Sonic would require the services of a well-skilled guitar tech - unless you're really good at working with wood and routers yourself. Not only do you have to do some routing to the top, but also a significant amount on the back for the spring cavity.

 

The Kahler mod that Freeman Keller did to the Jagstang in the other thread should be do-able on your guitar, but again, would require precise and careful routing... and would leave unused string ferules on the back of the instrument. Those would have to be removed as part of a regular Strat tremolo / vibrato installation. That whole area would need to be routed out.

 

 

[crustoleum]

thank you for your kind reply..With all that, looks like it's going to remain trem-les. I like that thing, but...maybe I'll just use it for sliiding...

 

I have to find out iff a different "model" of Mustang comes so equipt...hmm always something ...right ? :music017:

 

[Bucksstudent]

thank you for your kind reply..With all that, looks like it's going to remain trem-les. I like that thing, but...maybe I'll just use it for sliiding...

 

I have to find out iff a different "model" of Mustang comes so equipt...hmm always something ...right ? :music017:

 

The MIJ Mustang has a trem, but it's a mess to keep in tune unless you want locking tuners.

[crustoleum]

 

The MIJ Mustang has a trem, but it's a mess to keep in tune unless you want locking tuners.

 

it's always "something" right.. Well, an idea that has come, and gone...one more. Is there any other style of "trem" that might fit this thing ? one that could be attached "over" or "near" the current bridge ? or, something...again, much thanks to all

[Bucksstudent]

 

it's always "something" right.. Well, an idea that has come, and gone...one more. Is there any other style of "trem" that might fit this thing ? one that could be attached "over" or "near" the current bridge ? or, something...again, much thanks to all

 

Other than the Bigsby idea people throw around, a Jazzmaster trem might fit. I actually loved the trem on my Jazzmaster.

[crustoleum]

any further comments about ^ this ^ ? anyone ? thanks

[Phil O'Keefe]

any further comments about ^ this ^ ? anyone ? thanks

 

In order to use a Jazzmaster / Jaguar style tremolo, you'd need to install a Mustang-style floating bridge... as well as route behind the bridge area for the tremolo itself, which is a separate piece from the bridge on those guitars. It's probably do-able, but again, a fairly involved task that would best be left to a good guitar tech.

 

Here's a Jaguar tremolo and bridge to show you what I mean:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Grant Harding]

I always thought that all Mustangs had that strange trem system that my old one had. It definitely worked as a trem, but returning to pitch not so much.

[Bucksstudent]

I always thought that all Mustangs had that strange trem system that my old one had. It definitely worked as a trem' date=' but returning to pitch not so much.[/quote']

 

Over the past decade, Fender keeps tinkering with the Mustang because of its wide appeal, and the Pawnshop model the OP has is basically a short-scale guitar with humbuckers and no trem. Not really a Mustang other than the body, scale length, and name on the headstock.

 

For me, the appeal of a Mustang was the single-coil pickups in combination with the tremolo system and short scale making for a unique tone. It's the sound I hear on Go Sailor and Warpaint albums. But when you add humbuckers and a fixed bridge, it takes out the original charm. It's supposed to be a quirky guitar that's situated between a Jazzmaster and Tele.