Bendmaster FT vs Deluxe

Are they interchangeable? Any radius issues? Will a FT nutlock work with a Deluxe.
Reason being is that I've come into a very nice Silverstone Spectrum FX and would like to switch out the FT with an extra Deluxe bridge I have.

Thank in advance for any help

The FT is the better bridge, IMO, and I'm not sure if there are issues regarding swapping them out but I'm prepared to bet it's not as easy as it would seem!!!

Not sure about the stringlock, too' I do see to remember that the fixing screw sare in different spots and the overall height of the FT.v.Deluxe may be an issue...

Thorn'll be better at this than me so hopefully he'll have something to say...

Thanks, maybe I just need to do a full setup on it. I use trem stabilizers on all my guitars. They are a spring loaded plunger that sits against the trem block in the spring cavity.You can adjust the tension from dive only to any variable of tension pulling sharp. I have it mostly dive only, it's stays in tune better. With the deluxes they work like a champ. The FX is not as stable, even when using a light vibrato effect. I haven't changed the strings yet, as they seemed ok. I'll start from scratch and see if that helps.

By the way this is the guitar from Thorns sight. The picture of the Silverstone FX. Very lucky to get my hands on it.

Thanks for the opinion.

Marcus

I've not long ago put a Goldo Backbox on my FT equipped LX and it's made such a difference that I'm putting them on all my trem equipped guitars eventually; oddly enough, I've found that the Deluxe is very stable indeed and up till now wasn't going to bother putting a tremsetter on them but having installed and used the Backbox I'm a believer!!

I have also found that 4 springs on any trem helps with stability and use 4 on all my trem guitars, mainly because I have the bad habit of resting the heel of my right hand on the bridge which doesn't matter on a non-trem bridge but makes the guitar warble a little if it's a trem with 3 springs!!

My first one was a Goldo at $40US but I found these old Kahler ones for half the price 19US. I only use 2 springs and pull the claw in farther than normal but this is how I set the touch for going flat. I haven't found a trem other than an Ibanez Edge that goes sharp and stays in tune.
If you want I can send you a link to the trem stabilizer. The guy is a official Kahler dealer.

Thanks for the advice on the FT, I'm sure i just need to start from scratch.

Gee, that's expensive... I payed €12.00 for mine direct from Thomanns in Germany, but that said, all of the blokes who I've showed the Goldo installation to are well impressed so I'll stay with them, if nothing else but for standardisation!!

Yeah; I don't go sharp on the bar much if at all; I do like it to float a bit though with the trailing edge sitting a hair lower than the leading edge. Bear in mind, too, that all of my professional and semi-pro work was done on a Vantage VA900; a hard tail so I'm no great expert at all!!

that was the price to the US at the time. The design is the same exact as far as functionality Spring loaded plunger, adjustable tension. The cast/steel body has 3 screw down points instead of 2 if i remember the Goldo correctly. Ibanez has a dual spring plunger assy from the 90's.

Anyway, I'll stick to the FT bridge and set it up again with new strings and see if that helps.
This Spectrum FX has hardly any wear on it. The pickup combination are incredibly flexible. They actually may stay in the guitar. Most Westone I get are gutted electronically and rebuilt with better PUP's, pots and wiring.

madmarcus1960 wrote:This Spectrum FX has hardly any wear on it.

OK, then - let's have a look at it!! we live for pix here...

The pickup combination are incredibly flexible.

Yes, they are; the switching set-up was ahead of it's time really!

Most Westone I get are gutted electronically and rebuilt with better PUP's, pots and wiring.

Oooh... big call!! The p'ups could be one of 3 lots and a visit here could be in order...

http://www.westone.info/spectrumfx.html

I've used the MMK45 and MMK53 p'ups for most if not all of my pro days and found them to be as good, if not better than most of the p'ups I A/B'ed 'em against! That said, there are pickups out there now, like the Bareknuckle range, where the ones I've heard are phenomenal ....

I've gotta say I've found the Switchmaster pots and electronics very good indeed.... 25 years+ and nary a crackle in most of mine...