Stratocaster bridge conversion

Ray

Hello everyone
OK, so I've got this MIM and taking the paint off to put other paint on. But something else I am thinking about is converting the bridge to hardtail. Becasue I dont use it and the few occasions that I give it a bash is not so nice. And anyway, I'm putting another one together with a Gotoh Wilkinson.

So, looking at this body and available bridges, it has seemed to me that the conversion is just not going to be possible with the big ractangular rout through the body. But in our idle moments we sit and we think sometimes and something I was wondering is if it wouldnt be possible to slap a telecaster type bridge plate over the thing. Glendale has something called The "Hardtail" Strat bridge-plate:

http://www.glendaleguitars.com/trem%20blocks.htm

And I cant find any doc on how this guy proposes to get this thing fitted. I dont see any holes and stuff for topload which is good becasue I dont want topload if possible.

So, has anyone had any experience with Glendale? Has anyone had any experience converting to hardtail? Has anyone got any good ideas on this? The old trem was one of those 6 screw things and at the end of the day, maybe that'll just go back on.

I could also get an old guy at the woodworkers assoc to machine me something but not sure on a design.

Thanks - Ray

AlanRatcliffe

I usually recommend just tightening the springs to bring the bridge down hard against the body. Keeps the resonance of the trem springs but otherwise works as a hardtail. I do that with my own Strats.

So, has anyone had any experience with Glendale?

Yeah - his stuff is great. Along with Ritter, he does some of the best Tele hardware. However the Strat bridge is for Strats that are already hardtail, Rather than a conversion bridge.

Has anyone had any experience converting to hardtail?

I've done it a few times. Basically glueing in two pieces of alder or ash - one where the inertia block goes and one for the spring cavity. The inertia block piece also needs to have a recess around the edges of the top bit (the hole in the body directly under the bridge is smaller than the rest of the cavity). Otherwise routing the top bit of the body to the same size as the rest of the block cavity makes it easier to fill.

Hipshot make a wooden conversion to fit their Trilogy bridge to Strats, which is basically a maple version of what I described above. Nice if you're lazy or lack the skill to make one yourself, but it's a generic fit - you can get a much tighter fit making one yourself.

http://store.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=148