Concord III : Pots, Trem and Whammy advice

[fret_burn]

Hi, i'm currently putting a Concord III back together that i received in bits and looking for some advice on a couple of things.

Firstly, the Trem block has a crack in it along the whammy bar shaft... see here:


Is there a way i can repair it? I think the crack is just above where the thread starts.

Also, i don't have the whammy bar, is there any particular one i should replace it with? i think i remember reading something about Japanese threads being slightly different.

Secondly, the volume and tone pots have all had the stems snapped off (looks as if they didn't know how to remove the knobs and resorted to brute force!) so i think i need to replace them. I've no idea whether there are any particular ones i need or where to get them in the UK ?

Here's a photo in case it helps!



Thanks alot!

[Westbone]

Hello, The bridge is a cast 1 piece item. You could take it to a local welder/brazer, tap it back, weld/braze and clean out the thread. Can't remember the thread at the mo. but pretty sure it's 6mm course. Plenty of trem arms about.
All the pots/controls are 250's.Tap guitar potentiometers into ebay, you'll find them.
Any problems( which there will be) Ask.
Cheers.

[fret_burn]

Thanks Westbone, thats a great help!

[Barry]

Hi fret_burn.
Yup, Westbone's right, 6mm should fit just fine, and the pots are a pretty straight forward replacement too. The only real nuisance will be getting someone to do the brazing/welding repair on the sustain block.

Snapping off the shaft to retrieve the knobs, eh? That's a new one on me. Some of the things people do just makes my head hurt at times.

[corsair]

Bear in mind that the sustain block is made of pot metal and will require some pretty specialised welding skills, or at least it used to!! I know I tried to have one of my bridges welded and was told that it wasn't possible because of the quality of the metal in the casting...

[Guest]

I don't think a 6mm arm will fit - the arm on my Concord III is 5mm, a 6mm arm won't even fit through the hole never mind screw in.

[Racing]

Sorry to be the one that pees on your parade,but John(Corsair) is right.
It simply isn´t cost effective to even try and repair that tremoloblock.
Pot metal as stated,and high on zink content making it not only hard but hazardous to braze it.

Word of advice is to get a replacement out of steel and then install your Westone saddles onto that.
Doing so make sure you get a replacement trem bridge with the same C/C spacing for the saddles.

An added benefit is that a fresh steel trem will improve tone vastly.

[grogg]

Before binning the tremolo block you could try a really good hard two part adhesive like one of the araldites.

[Steve777]

I would also advocate a replacement block, however, are these blocks directly interchangeable with strat blocks? If not, then its back to making one from scratch, not difficult, but personally, and I stress IMO, brass would be a better medium. Its easier to work with. If you like plenty of high end frequencies then steel is the way to go. Brass will bring out more of the mid range.

Still, it all comes down to cost vis a vis personal metal working skills. Have a go ... that what its all about!

[Westbone]

The trem. arm on a Concord III is indeed 6mm.
The block and bridge are cast as one so the block cannot be changed.



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[Steve777]

Ahhhh... so it's cast as one errrrr .... as in picture 1 ! Apologies ... just off to Spec savers.

[Westbone]

[Barry]

Gee that's purdy!
Just gorgeous Westbone.

[Barry]

Before binning the tremolo block you could try a really good hard two part adhesive like one of the araldites.

I was wondering the same thing. It might repair it physically, but I suppose it wouldn't do much for the sustain. Still it does maintain the originality if that's a priority.

[Racing]

Again.

No matter if the piece in case is out of pot metal or detroit wonder it comes down to the same thing...
Cast products are what´s known as chrystaline to the texture.
That brings that no matter what you do to the part it will NOT withstand force the same way being repaired as it did new.
In essence to the point where the word repaired can be questioned in most scenarios.

[Westbone]

If all else fails, try this, they go straight in and you can use the original saddles.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140307795432&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[Westbone]

Again.

No matter if the piece in case is out of pot metal or detroit wonder it comes down to the same thing...
Cast products are what´s known as crystalline to the texture.
That brings that no matter what you do to the part it will NOT withstand force the same way being repaired as it did new.
In essence to the point where the word repaired can be questioned in most scenarios.

Throw away society

[Barry]

If all else fails, try this, they go straight in and you can use the original saddles.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140307795432&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

No sustain block on this one though. I just did a similar bridge replacement on an Aria Pro II Urchin. A Strat bridge (with block) dropped right in, no worries. Just be sure the saddle centres are 10.5 mm and not American spacing.

[Westbone]

Look closer Barry, there is a sustain block. This is the same.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-TREMOLO-BRIDGE-STRAT-ETC-GOLD-BLACK-CHROME-/150431204166?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item2306660346

[Barry]

Look closer Barry, there is a sustain block. This is the same.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-TREMOLO-BRIDGE-STRAT-ETC-GOLD-BLACK-CHROME-/150431204166?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item2306660346

Yeah this link does. Your first link shows a bridge only, hence the comment.