Luthier Teardown | 1987 Washburn G-5V - Check out the Amazing 2001 "Wonderbar" Tremelo Bridge

[@lloydfranks1357]

I have a Washburn A-20V with this Trem. I love it to death!! Look's great on stage. Killer Washburn Quality! I am taking it with me when I die.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

'..when I go throw my guitars on the funeral pyre! It will be a day of much wailing and gnashing of teeth!' lol, I LOVE it!

[@tydalcanonmusic5188]

I still use my '88 Washburn G-40V as my main guitar. It has the Wonderbar as well as one triple-bucker pickup, pushbutton toggles, built-in straplocks and a phenolic resin/paper composite fretboard (Washburn called it Carbonite). It's a great guitar. The push-pull volume pot switches between series and parallel and pushbutton toggles control each coil. It has a bolt-on neck but is also set nearly 2" into the body, beyond the screws. It's a bizarre guitar. It looks awesome and sounds great.

[@cecilmusick8629]

I have a G40V too, got it for Christmas 1987!

[@tydalcanonmusic5188]

@@cecilmusick8629 Cool! It's such a great guitar. Red or black? I designed a new pickup ring and had it 3D printed in nickel-plated brass. I always thought the original pickup ring looked cheap.

[@michaelthomas9991]

This is the best explanation of the Wonderbar that I’ve found. Thank you so much for this video! I have a G10V with the Wonderbar, but I have none of the documentation for it.

[@sheldonshogrin6736]

I bought a Washburn Wonderbar years ago as a system brand new. I am very lucky to own 2 Wonderbars. The trem system is a torsion bar system, they stay in tune. I found out thru the years that they pair awesome with a Floyd Rose nut. They are a flush mount system that's front 2 screws locate off a Strat style trem's outside trem screws. You can set them up for max dive or set it up to pull up as well (floating). If you set up the dual saddle system correctly, you can actually dive bomb in tune with all 6 strings. My original Wonderbar is on a Yamaha SC-100. The other is on a RR V-2. They can be set up on right hand or left hand very easily. They were an amazing after market, double locking trem system without having to route out your guitar body. You can also break a string while playing, and your guitar doesn't go out of tune. The center allen screw is your pull up stop. The bar is NOT supposed to be the trem stop. The bar on that one is not a factory bar, looks like a Kahler bar. The original bars look more like a Floyd Rose style bar, just a bent bar, no big tip on it. Some where I have the install/setup instructions from my original purchase. Any questions, message me, I've owned one since the beginning and know how to set them up.

[@StephenWhite55]

to: Sheldon Shogrin I've been a full-time repair-tech for 42 years, and bought two WonderBars when it first came out. I was very excited about this vibrato when it came out, because they promised that you could drop chords in tune, like a Steinberger TransTrem. Unfortunately, in my experience, this was NOT true - with the 6th (low E) string set to drop in pitch the minimum (for a given movement of the vibrato-arm), and with the 1st (high E) string set to the maximum drop (for the same vibrato-arm movement), the 6th string still drops in pitch More, when compared to the 1st string. Another way of saying this, is that (with the guitar in tune, when the vibrato is at rest) as soon as you begin to drop the pitch of the strings, the 1st string goes somewhat sharp, compared to the 6th string. The 3rd through 6th strings CAN be made to drop in pitch 'in tune' (which is pretty cool), but the 2nd and 1st strings do not stay in tune with the bottom 4. Very sad... If you have any way to correct this problem, I'd love to hear about it. Please get in touch - my eMail is: [e-mail] (my primitive, '90s-style webpage is www.guitartech.us) Thanks for your attention; Stephen White

[@johnpearson4899]

You are lucky indeed my friend. My younger brother and I found one in our local shop in the early to mid 80s. $100 even. My brother was about 14 and nothing else would do but for him to have that on his Flying V. So, he bought it and we mounted it. Then remounted it. The mounted it again. That's when we 1st learned about scale length and critical dimensions. Lol. It all worked out quite well. He had offers to buy that guitar from nearly everyone who saw and played it. He kept it for several years and then fell in love with a 335. So, the V was sold. He passed away a year ago next Wednesday at 49 years old and he always regretted selling that V.

[@MrJohnnyDistortion]

Nice post. I have a Gibson SG. Would you happen to know if there is a specific model that will bolt down directly to the stock saddle and tail posts?

[@johnpearson4899]

@@MrJohnnyDistortion There used to be a trem system made specifically for that called "The Bowen Handle". They stopped making them years ago but, I have seen some new old stock, still in original packaging, as well as an occasional used one for sale on the Bay. I'm almost positive that someone currently makes a trem for those today but, I can't think at the moment which company.

[@johnpearson4899]

@@MrJohnnyDistortion Floyd Rose, Dusenberg, Trem King all make themselves for that 2 post style bridge.

[@obsessedwithguitars3157]

Had one, can confirm it is awesome. The sustain and tone were incredible, and the transposing was a fun trick.

[@paulgraumann2774]

I worked as repairperson for 2 different shops that were 1. Distributor for Washburn and 2nd one maker if prototypes and Wasburn repair facility. The Wonderbar was not made by Kahler, it uses a totally different type of spring, a torsion type like the old VW bug front suspension cross chassis member. ( also used on older Subaru rear suspension obliviating the need for standard coil springs. From the top it does strongly resemble the Kahler which was a problem and the it's ultimate demise, as the Kahler used a couple short wimpy Strat style springs which required a small routed pocket under the unit and had the bad habit if the rollers for corroding in place under sweaty conditions and required regular maintenance. So the players in 80'' s mostly preferred the fender and FR units. It was also perceived to be too large and complicated looking. It's main musical feature ahead of it's time, staying in tune even if one of the thinner strings would break seemed to be mostly ignored. This was long before the Tremsetter was marketed.

[@mikeholmed7029]

I had one of these back in the day. I luved my g5v! Wouldnt mind getting anotherm

[@craigdavidson4378]

I think the bridges were made as “Access Answer” as well as “Shift 2001 Wonderbar” I used one in the 90s on a G1v (not original equipment)

[@SirSneakerPimp]

I have this trem on my strat. It’s awesome. I had it installed on my ‘80’s Elite Strat (active pickups, button selecter switching) because the original Fender system kept eating my D string. To this day I marvel at this unique system. I used locking tuners.

[@theguitarelectric5218]

I typically don’t interact with comments but that is such a coincidence. I bought an Elite Strat in about 87 fitted with a wonder bar. It was a Sunburst. Gigged it for years. I loved that guitar. Although I caught a lot of shit from other players for that beast of a tremolo.

[@stevegiannell3401]

I have a black one on my '77 Natural/Black Strat. Best upgrade ever! Unusual lock in those days to accomodate the "bullet" truss rod for the Microtilt neck.

[@8KilgoreTrout4]

When you put the trem bar on the top I'm thinking to myself "Why would you want to.... Oh my God that's GENIUS!" hahahha

[@cheapskate8656]

Fantastic precision engineering. I just love things with quality moving parts that fit together precisely. Thank you Ben for showing off this amazing bridge.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

With a bit of grease it really does work rather well, gonna last forever imo

[@robvandermolen6767]

I am a lucky owner of Washburn G40-V with that masterpiece: love it!

[@andytraverse]

Love the engineering that went into that Tremolo system. As a first timer doing a fret crown, I bought a diamond embedded fret crowning tool that was radiused to crown both sides of the fret at the same time (size to suit my fret size) got a great result and it didn't get near the fretboard.

[@Bogey1022]

The puppy sealed the deal, along with you pushing your own boundaries with the file. Subscribed as of today.

[@ManNamedEd]

I don't play guitar myself....But GOD I LOVE watching your video's!! Refurbishing, creating full builds, your videos are just AMAZING!!! LOVE your channel!!

[@ultravee8162]

My first solid-body electric, a beat-up old Ibanez Roadstar, had one of those trems on it. Back then they were marketed as "Shift 2001"

[@theguitarelectric5218]

Wow. Haven’t seen one of those in decades. Bought an 81-82 Elite Strat back in 87. It was fitted with a Wonderbar. I gigged with that thing for years. It was a very stable instrument. I miss it. Always caught a lot of shit for that piece of gear from other players. Thanks for the memory’s.

[@guitarsbymetaljay]

I bought a Washburn Wonderbar when I was 14 in 1986 for my Gibson SG. I sold it a few years later and I always regretted it so I found a Wonderbar on ebay in pristine condition and I'm building a replica of that guitar now. I got it and dismantled everything for a good cleaning included freeing up any rollers ( only one or two the previous owner must've kept up on maintenance) but I was too nervous to open up the bearing system. I kept having visions of springs and bolts flying everywhere lol so I figured it was good enough for now hopefully I won't have to get in there any time soon 🤣

[@rauschguitars]

I love seeing all these unusual guitars! They may not follow the recipe that's been established over the last few decades, but they're a great source of inspiration for my own builds.

[@ronnienose8608]

Fascinating video. I love that bridge and the thought that must have gone in to designing it, and the brass roller saddles give it a look of quality. Perhaps somewhat over-engineered and possibly worth more than the rest of the guitar, but that bridge oozes class.

[@dbspecials1200]

Torsion bar technology was used in automotive suspensions for years. with those you don't compress a coil or leaf spring, you are instead twisting a flexible metal bar for your spring action. it's extremely effective in whatever application it's designed into. very reliable.

[@pinkmouse4863]

Ah, I love that trem. Bought one from new and mounted it on my (much modified) Westone, (remember them? :-)). Don't worry about it's longevity, it's very much bombproof. Mine has been stripped down and cleaned once, about 10 years ago, and it's still going very strong.

[@elecengineer46]

I had a Washburn G5V that I bought new in 86. It had a blue crackle finish. Washburn by Jackson branded HSS pickups, and a real Floyd Rose trem and locking nut.

[@nomaddamon100]

I bought and still have a G5v I bought in 1991, deep blue and in pretty good condition. It's been refretted and electrics resoldered over the years but all still original parts Inc the whammy bar, which is actually a solid piece of shiny metal. Was my main guitar until 2years agon... Flippin eck!

[@jeffflint9086]

I reluctantly sold a while ago a Washburn G20-V which had the same trem system. It also sported a phenolic resin fret board which was way ahead of it's time. It was once owned by a member of Saxon. Since I sold the guitar roughly around 2001 I haven't seen another one for sale. One of those regrets.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

We all have them, the ones that got away, maybe one day you will find another.. though they seem to have had a huge range of specifications across just two model numbers.. resin fretboard that far back is just plain cool!

[@jeffflint9086]

Sadly I have a long list - 60's Tele and Gibson SG Special I sold in 1970. 72 Les Paul Custom and SG Standard I sold in 1974. The list goes on but thankfully I still have the memories.

[@christianboddum8783]

There is a second version of this trem. Simply called Shift 2001 by ANSWER. It has a better arm attachment, I've been a devotee to that model since 1986, they are hard to find!! TMK it is not made by Kahler, it is produced in Japan by ANSWER (no longer in business). if you unscrew it from the body it says so on the underside ;-) It doesn't work so great with strings thicker than 10-46 FYI, you only have so much torsion to work with. The allen key in the middle on the back is for setting a stop point, a "hard tail" point. You can hear me abuse that trem on a track called Black cat by the danish band Dream Police (original version form the EP Cold winds). The original arm is very long and gives a very smooth action, I use a normal fender length arm, but sometimes I miss the extra long arm for it's smoothness ;-)

[@courier11sec]

"This seems overcomplicated." -Guy who needs to turn right and does so by turning left eleven times. 😄 I love that bridge. I'm a big fan of torsion bars because of how compact they can be. Honestly the only thing I don't like about this guitar is the truss rod adjustment access. It would be great to use a spoke wheel adjustment accessed through the fret board like the way valiant does it.

[@simonlegdon5905]

I still have one of these that I bought new, probably around ‘87. Yours has had the knobs, switch tip and jack plate replaced. Originally, it had chrome knurled knobs, a black switch tip and black plastic jack plate. Mine doesn’t have a tip on the trem arm either and I’m pretty sure it never did. I’ve known for a while that the trem on mine needs a service and thanks to this video, I now know what needs to be done. Thank you.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Thanks for this. I assumed the switch tip was new, wasn't sure about the knobs and now that I think about it the trem arm almost certainly came off a Kahler tremolo

[@simonlegdon5905]

@@CrimsonCustomGuitars I’ll send a couple of pics to the Crimson office email later tonight.

[@MrSonorbakken]

I have that trem, and when they were not on a Washburn, they were called Shift 2001. The «experts» back in the 80s called it the «tone killer», and was supposed to kill all tone and sustain, but I still love it and would really like one more.

[@c0lumbo]

I found the opposite. Maybe it depends on how much contact it has with the wood of the guitar, and even maybe the type of wood. The guitar I had with one was, by far, the most sustainey guitar I've ever owned.

[@daveylee4677]

20 years ago I bought an ‘83 hardtail Washburn force 2 that had the 2001 trem aftermarket already installed. All the sustain that I need! I was told that the wonderbar 2001 was probably worth more than the guitar😮

[@Axisflics]

Fascinating bridge!

[@MrCJNI]

Great video, loving this series. May I suggest a small ultrasonic cleaning bath for fiddly parts like the tree pieces? I use one all the time for watch bracelet links and trem parts and it's a great way to pull flob out of the crevices before reassembly. What a cool trem though. I feel Ben is preparing to take on a Steinberger TransTrem - or is that just my wishful thinking....?

[@crilf5830]

It’s comforting to know that I can “smash that like” before actually watching a video. Thanks guys!!

[@ThePreciousguitar87]

Best whammy Bar from the 80's! It works incredible smooth!👍

[@mnemonik61]

Literally clicked this suggested video because I thought "Wait a minute - did Washburn steal the Kahler cam design?" Then heard "...guitars I built for _Robert Fripp_ ... " and now I'm subscribed. 😁 (OK, back to watching the video 😃)

[@cjonesufc]

I once had a Vantage Avenger with a Wonderbar, Seymour Duncans (hum bucket had a coil tap), Grover machine heads, a maple neck that had a ton of little birds eye marks, and was painted almost exactly the color of this Washburn. I let it go for next to nothing and have regretted it ever since.

[@nikolaiastrov1099]

I had one of those. The body was the style you saw in the Robert Palmer video “Addicted to Love”… I absolutely loved that guitar! Mine was red/maroon with gold hardware though opposed to that videos white with black hardware 🥰 Also, I just noticed there are 2/3 guitars to look at in that video, the spikey one behind him on the left. That trem is one of a kind huh? I thought it was the beez kneez 😊

[@HatchA_Makes...]

My second electric guitar (bought around '91 or '92) is a Hohner Arbor Series LP copy from the late '80's, I believe. It has features identical to that Washburn - the "routing" for the pickups, leaving the little nubs for the screws to go through, and the 3-screw pickup height & direction adjustment. Many are the toothpicks and shaved-down BBQ skewers that have gone into bringing functionality back to the screws! I'm not a trem player but I appreciate interesting design & engineering. There's probably a mini toolkit that came with each one, especially for fiddling about with the torsion bar housing.

[@Liam1975]

My dad bought me a pre-loved Washburn G-5V for my 13th birthday back in 1988 (still got it!!)..... once we were part of the online internet gang, I wanted to know more about the guitar, but most of the hits I found were for these Wonderbar equipped models. I got somewhat confused, because mine had a Washburn branded licensed Floyd on it! I think from what I gathered is that the 'original' G-5V was your typical mid 80's Floyd loaded superstrat variant (believe these ere only made between 1985 & 1986), but then Washburn chose to re-use the model number, because I remember seeing at least 3 distinctly different guitars bearing the same G-5V name - the one like mine, the one as per this video, and the other one had a ice hockey stick style headstock, a la Kramer back in the day. All that being said, the ambidextrous Wonderbar concept was a good one - as well as not having to remove a massive amount of wood from the body in order to install it- but does seem to be excessively engineered :D Thanks for an incredibly interesting video, Ben!

[@cecilmusick8629]

The Wonderbar was not made by Kahler it was made in japan by Answer. They may have got the roller saddle idea from Kahler perhaps? I love Kahlers also, both the Wonder and Kahlers are great designs! I still have a Washburn G40V that I got for Christmas in 1987. If The Wonderbar was manufactured in japan these days it would cost a fortune to manufacture. Some people make fun of the way Wonderbars and Kahlers look but I think they are very attractive bridges!

[@alexforshaw]

I think my brain melted trying to encompass all the parts in that bridge! Love the engineering but hate the thought of keeping it well-maintained.

[@Peterplayingguitar]

Great review! Really enjoyed watching this. Great commentary and energy. Subscribed!

[@ikirurosemountain1590]

Well, well, well. I have two Wonderbar's just as Sheldon Shogrin here. I bought them ages ago as an aftermarket part. Absolutely no-one wanted them so I got them basically for free. The only problem with torsion bar is that it makes the whole travel of the cam feel very much the same (pressure wise). As such there is no spring in this beast. "Torsion bar" is more like a spiral element that contracts and detracts along it's axis while twisted. Please correct me if I'm wrong about this, it has been a long time. It is not a very delicate thing. Still, love it nevertheless. By the way, the height adjustment for each string behind the rollers is to adjust the amount the pitch the bridge will apply for each string separately just as you noticed. However the idea they advertised is that you can balance several strings so they can stay in tune relative to each other while using the trem. Sometimes this even works.

[@lotuswebteam]

You had me at "...Robert Fripp guitars..."

[@johnpearson4899]

Yet another guitar to remind me of the good ole days. I was surprised by the fact that you were surprised by the fact that the pickups had spring suspension. The use of surgical tubing didn't become a thing till more recently. The hard-core EVH fans were doing the solid screw down thing before tubing became popular. I always figured, under my breath of course, EVH did that because he was buzzing pretty good while working on his guitar (as he did constantly, as any respectable guitar god does) and couldn't find the springs. Then, quick minded as he truly was, said "Yeah. Direct mounted pickups give more sustain" or something along those lines. I could be wrong but, either way, EVH is, was and ever shall be... BADASS🤘! Washburn has made, or had made for them, some pretty great guitars. Unfortunately, with the "Asian partnerships" formed by so many companies to further pad their pockets with filthy lucre while killing jobs, and for at least a while, quality, those days have dwindled. That's just how it is and there is no going back.

[@alexsharifi742]

Many thanks, I had never seen a trem such as this and it's gorgeous (yes, inner engineergasm). If the opportunity ever arises, I would love to see how the Steinberger TransTrem works. As a teenager in the 80's, I thought the Steinberger guitars were the coolest thing ever! Looking back now, that composite headless guitar along with its TransTrem system (Changed up to 2 octaves while each string stayed in tune).

[@c0lumbo]

The Washburn bridge can, if set up right, transpose as well. It takes a bit of skill to work out how to do it, but it can do it! I don't think it would transpose as much as an octave, but there's a video on KZbin of someone who set it up so he could transpose from E all the way down to B.

[@TomLaios]

I was saving to buy one of these Washburns, in 1987.I scraped together enough and went into the store to buy it.Unfortunately it had been sold and I ended up with a Kramer Striker instead.I still want that 1987 Washburn .Never saw another Washburn since.

[@thesunnyveil]

Had the Wonderbar on my Tele for years. Never went out of tune, ever. You could break five strings, and #6 would stay in tune. The ability to fine-tune with the right hand was absolutely a delight. And had plenty of sustain. But it occupies a lot of real estate on the body and does change the guitar's tone (my Tele sounded a lot like an early 70s Strat while using it). EVH spawned an industry; too bad Washburn got sued into a cease and desist. They are great trems, if not always aesthetically pleasing.

[@BLBlackDragon]

A very slick bridge system. No holes through the body, infinitely adjustable, and a fairly solid mechanism (even if it's a bit over-engineered).

[@speedohugo8646]

Boy...I owed 2 of these and love them.

[@patrickhale424]

The Wonder Bar Trem is amazing 🤘🤘

[@kenren110]

I've read about the Wonderbar but I understand more now, thanks! It's an odd duck, but with a beautifully over-engineered look. No routing is necessary, though it is a bit of a Starship model stuck on your guitar.

[@endemonia666]

I’v had a couple of ibanezes with tremolosystems like that one but they where called Shift 2001.

[@camerontgore]

A lot of engineering went into that tremolo system. Super cool! 🤘

[@groovedodger]

I have an old Lyon series Washburn with a similar "tone" plywood body but Strat style trem and I absolutely love it.

[@tonyhunt4250]

Love the video. It's cool see how things are made.

[@jdarmis87]

I had an 87 Washburn g8v it had a early Washburn style Floyd rose on it and had emg passive hss pickups no matter how long I didn’t play it I always would pick it up and it was still in tune it was a great guitar I almost regret letting it go but had to thin out my collection considerably

[@f33fifofum]

That trem has better stability than most of my relationships

[@Wyl7]

My first “real” guitar was an ‘87 Washburn G-5V, which I bought new as a 16 year old and still have as I approach my 51st birthday (to be fair, it hasn’t been my main for years). Unlike the one in this video, the finish on mine is blue with a black crackle pattern. Mine also came with a licensed Floyd Rose that I replaced with a real one somewhere along the way. I also replaced the original bridge pickup with a Dimarzio Tone Zone, though I think I still have the original parts in a box in a closet. Anyway, I always thought it was a nice playing and sounding guitar. More than worth the $375 I paid for it back in the day.

[@canadaguy1959]

Will ....... I am trying to find the very same blue crackle guitar for sale somewhere ... I left mine in a Pawn Shop in the UK when I moved to Canada :( Please let me know if you ever want to sell it :)

[@Allguitarinfo]

Bought a wonder bar in late 80s traded small block cylinder heads for it...installed it ,rocked it for years ..

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

I’ve got a Korean Aria Pro II SLB-2 bass which has a ply body… it’s really light and sounds great!

[@darlenemcmillan5802]

I love this bridge❗ I put one of these (a shift 2001 system which is the same as the Washburn Wonderbar.) on my 70's Eldegas (MiJ) strat copy. My favorite guitar. I love how comfortable the bridge is when you rest your hand on the rollers during palm mutting. Unfortunately I lost the little bushing that the tremolo bar screws into.😥

[@c0lumbo]

Is that the little nylon plastic ring that goes around the bottom of the tremolo bar?

[@darlenemcmillan5802]

@@c0lumbo yes although I thought it was metal like the rest of the trem but I could be wrong. I lost it a long time ago

[@c0lumbo]

@@darlenemcmillan5802 It was metal, but I seem to recall it being a slightly softer metal. The problem might have been to do with the way the screw hole was designed. Something about that locking nut made it much more likely to fail. It was the only major weakness I encountered in the entire system.

[@darlenemcmillan5802]

@@c0lumbo yes. I agree

[@c0lumbo]

@@darlenemcmillan5802 Please excuse my confusion. I thought I was replying on another thread about the locking nut up near the headstock. There was a little metal ring that went around the bottom of the tremolo bar which would screw in with the bar, and then there was a tiny little plastic ring that would go around the bottom of the bar just above the thread, and then when the bar is screwed into the hole, the metal ring can then be screwed in, making the plastic ring tighter so that the bar is stiff and not flapping around. I don't know if any of that made sense! I suspect I'll read this again later and realise that it's gibberish.

[@thetravllrr]

I love the look of that trem.. I acquired one by accident and was planning to use it as a fixed bridge for “looks”

[@KE8UYV]

Ive been polishing my frets with a Dremel for years, while I've got a big buffer like you do in the shop. Shaking my head* I'm going to go buy another wheel just for frets now. Thank you!

[@doctoribanez]

I have a g 15v that I got from a pawn shop in the 90's sometime. It has a wonderbar but it doesn't have a 5 way switch. It has 3 off/on toggles

[@samplecode]

My first guitar was was a Washburn G Jr V. Still love those old pointy headstocks and logo. Made me think it was like a Jackson or a ESP.

[@evalonious]

😢😢😢 I used to have a Washburn Wonderbar on a cheap plywood guitar! I miss it so much! I gave that guitar away! 😢😢😢😅❤🎸

[@johnrowe8725]

Dude I own one of these guitars I’m 42 years old my parents bought it for me on my 16th birthday. I’d absolutely would love if i could send you mine and turn it into what it once was. But I’m sure that’s not interest you. I do appreciate this very encouraging and educational video you made. Its more helpful than I thought I would even need I can’t tell ya enough. Thank you bro thank ya so much

[@jamesmarcin4787]

I had that exact guitar that I bought brand new In 1987. I was still in High School.

[@robertr4193]

Other than it being red it looks pretty good. Not a fan of red in case you were wondering. It sounds pretty nice. The trim does seem overly complex even if it is not a nightmare to tune and adjust.

[@markrup6369]

Ben -- probably not a popular request, but I would LOVE to see you do a left handed guitar in this series. I would buy the hell out of those raffle tix.

[@Jmdeclue]

There were not many good japanese made guitars in the 80’s. Plywood was typical for anything in the squire range and other brands at those price points. Higher end guitars had better specs but the quality was not nearly as good as what came later in the mid 90’s. Ibanez, fuji-gen, was an exception to the rule in the mid 80’s. I think people forget that the japanese were making the same junk that was later made in indonesia, korea and then china. There seems to be a progression that these countries go through that results in quality improvements after accumulated experience.

[@frankiechan9651]

If you ever find out more about the trem I'd love to see more about how it works. It's fascinating. The 80's were a great, but wacky time. I have a Washburn from back then and it was plywood too. Apparently it could be luck of the draw - same guitar could be solid wood or ply depending on what the factory worker grabbed.

[@sheldonshogrin6736]

I have 2 Wonderbars, bought my first when they first came out. They can be setup to dive bomb "in tune" when holding chords. Torsion bar system. There is a stop screw for setting up as a floating system. Pair it with a Floyd Rose locking nut and they're great. When setting up as a floating system, you loosen the torsion bar tension, so it gets pretty "light" feel on the bar depending on much you want to pull up. They also won't "warble" like a Floyd Rose. Still a great double locking tremolo system.

[@frankiechan9651]

@@sheldonshogrin6736 Thanks Mate. They really are an interesting take on a trem system. I'd love to try one out. I'm also really interested in the Ibanez ZR trem system too.

[@elevenAD]

I had one in blue back in the 80s, it was my first good guitar.

[@THRobinson]

I have the bridge that was used on the G-3V, which was also used by HONDO (fixing up an old Hondo Warlock copy). It's also got a 2nd set of rollers in the saddles. Much simpler bridge than that though. Kinda like a Floyd with 6 screws. Also immediately thought it was a Kahler because of the trem arm, and mostly the lock on the headstock. Looks identical to what Kahler has.

[@davidmadsen5804]

Very cool video! I have an early 80's Washburn G-2V with a Wonderbar, that is in pretty good condition. Picked up the guitar at a pawn shop in the early 90's for around $150. Same plywood body as your G-5V. My pickup configuration is HSH, and I recently replaced the stock pups with some Seymour Duncan's. It is nice to know the in's and out's for intonating with this tremolo system.

[@Chaps_Jr]

I would love to put one of those trems on my old Ibanez RG. I think it would really do well with my drop tuning, and it looks super cool.

[@malibujack]

I have this same guitar, and another wonderbar for a les paul I'm building. Ive had it since 1987, and I recall the reason for the complexity was so you could set individual string height, and intonation and neither would shift when the trem was used.

[@laurisrenault3466]

Super contenu , comme toujours . Tes vidéo sont superbes . Un vrai plaisir a regarder. Merci beaucoup 😁😁😉

[@davemayberry9938]

I have a chrome one on my 1967 Sheraton, and outside of wiping it down, & oiling, it’s been in perfect condition,. No pitting, no corrosion, no sticking. I Also use. 8’s....And mine’s the 1980 version, flat for a Les Paul or 335....Mine had a mounting plate for the trem, so no holes, except for the locking nut, had to be made.

[@riffraff6585]

On trem parts I really like using a sonic cleaner. Does a great job. Love your work, and how easy going you are.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Thanks Robert 😊 sonic cleaner is a great idea, I have a small one that will be brought to bear forthwith!

[@ThePreciousguitar87]

The best vibrato System I have ever tested! Very smooth to play, from Hank Marvin sounds to Eddie Van Halen sounds, it is all possible!🤘 Very rare to find!

[@alpeterson]

This looks like a hundred various guitars I worked on while working at a guitar shop over the years. One of those “good quality but I don’t wanna own that” axes for me.

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

another mans trash is another mans treasure.

[@1683clifton]

You can tell a lot about a man by the way they treat their pets. Good choice

[@galacticoasis]

Not made by Kahler. But even Gary Kahler said it was a very well engineered device. I have a couple of them and I love it. No routing required.

[@bowfrog]

Great vid!! The Wonderbar is the best trem out there. You cannot buy a new one in the USA

[@jrg770]

I hope you are able to do a few more videos similar of these and older bridges. The Pre Ibanez Edge era of Ibanez have a few monstrosities like this. Yamaha had some bulky abominations as well lol.

[@stephenjutsum7484]

I had what I presume was the older brother to this term fitted to a strat I had made in 1985, back then it was called a “ Shift 2000” one advantage of this system was you could convert itto left handed simply by screwing th arm into the opposite hole although the arm supplied was right hand only, a blow torch and heat shrink sorted out that problem, it is no longer on mu strat but I still have it , may have to find a use for it.

[@thebigdcross]

Great Vid!! ThanX Man!! I have 1 of these and was trying to decide if I want to put on my Strat but I think not. I think it's cool , I'll build another just for it!!

[@wjombat]

Always wanted a good look at one since seeing one in an ad for the Washburn Ace Frehley model.

[@wadestrickel7068]

Same here, I've still never personally seen one ever after all these years that they've been in existence! I've seen a lot of Washburn guitars through the years and none of them had one! I also remember Ace Frehley, for a short time, had one installed on one of his Gibson Les Paul Custom guitars when he was with Washburn!

[@raycymbalisty5503]

i had a washburn nuno which i liked alot but as i started touring i traded it for a strat which i got rid of after finishing the gig and stepped up to a musicman and never ventured from it they are imo the best guitars out there than i watched you make the resin paul became intrigued than you let dave simpson take it home for a trial and he loved it man if i lived in england i'd love to give it a go. make more and put them on the market.

[@eliassimon666]

It would be really cool if you bought a Wonderbar on its own and tore it down so we could get a look at the spring. I suspect you could make the whammy action easier if you changed the spring.

[@scottiecasey9312]

Very unique trem.

[@frycjusz]

Coffee time! I'm really into '90 stuff recently, cars, guitars, you name it. Think they turn into youngtimers.

[@chadwaller6072]

Had one of these in the late 80s. It was awesome

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

I really like it too!

[@deludedreality89]

I picked up an LTD JH 600 Jeff Hanneman guitar a couple of days ago. It has the Kahler USA Hybrid bridge. Buttery smooth and effortless to use the bar. And you can lock it into a fixed bridge if you so desire. It's only been a couple of days, but already I know that I really can't go back to a Floyd. Check out the Kahler 7330. It's a fixed bridge with fine tuners (similar to what Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman had on their Jacksons). I'll be getting that fitted on my Jackson Warrior that's being built right now.

[@Esrom_music]

Ben really nailed the tone of my, "huh?".

[@toblexson5020]

The design on that bridge makes me think of the hardtail design I sketched up a while ago. Might need to save this video for if I build it and want a trem version.

[@peachmelba1000]

Do you mean a design for a hardtail bridge, or for a hardtail configuration guitar? I'm very into making my own bridge hardware recently, though nothing as complex as what's on this Washburn. It's challenging but fun.

[@toblexson5020]

@@peachmelba1000 my design was (is) a simple hardtail bridge, but with bulkier sloped sides (compared to the folded sheet metal construction of a standard fender style bridge) to hopefully allow for a wooden construction. It got delayed because cutting the slopes by hand turned out to be more challenging than expected.

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

According to what I’ve read online, the Wonderbar was developed by a company called Shift and had features to get around the Floyd and Kahler patents…they also go for a lot of money on eBay

[@crasheenarino]

I'd love to see Ben's take on a trem. Very little innovation in this field in the past few years.

[@cyclesgoff9768]

I’ve had my G 10 V since 1984 . I bought it because it was the most rock solid tuning wise super strats at the time. My earlier wonder bar seems to be of better quality material wise. Brass rollers. Pick ups at the time we’re Wasburn branded passive EMGs.

[@mikemartin2913]

Mine had chrome knobs as well as the same EMG-type passive pickups. I was also horrified when i realized it was a plywood body.