Which trem collet is vintage?

Discussion of vintage Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Bass VIs, Electric XIIs and any other offset-waist instruments.
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thisisnickpaige
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Which trem collet is vintage?

Post by thisisnickpaige » Mon Sep 16, 2019 9:00 am

I have two vintage trems, one was on a '65 and the other off a '69, both patented, yet each has a different shape to the top of the collet. I've never noticed this before. One is thicker with a bevelled edge and one looks more like a modern collet but patinaed. Reminds me of how the bridge thimble tops got thinner over the years. Has anyone else seen this or has someone perhaps changed a collet on one of them over the years?
Last edited by thisisnickpaige on Tue Sep 17, 2019 5:25 am, edited 3 times in total.
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thisisnickpaige
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Re: Which trem collet is vintage?

Post by thisisnickpaige » Tue Sep 17, 2019 2:23 am

Image

vs

Image
(the second one has a bit of tape on it because the string is rubbing.)
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Mechanical Birds
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Re: Which trem collet is vintage?

Post by Mechanical Birds » Mon Sep 30, 2019 6:38 pm

Pretty sure the second one. First one looks like the AV65 one

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Re: Which trem collet is vintage?

Post by timtam » Mon Sep 30, 2019 7:17 pm

"I just knew I wanted to make a sound that was the complete opposite of a Les Paul, and that’s pretty much a Jaguar." Rowland S. Howard.

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Re: Which trem collet is vintage?

Post by Ursa Minor » Mon Sep 30, 2019 7:42 pm

Second one is vintage. First looks like AVRI or AV65.
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Re: Which trem collet is vintage?

Post by thisisnickpaige » Tue Oct 01, 2019 2:52 am

Solid, thank you gents for confirming my suspicions. :)
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Re: Which trem collet is vintage?

Post by BornToHula » Tue Oct 01, 2019 6:40 am

kosmonautmayhem wrote:
Mon Sep 30, 2019 7:42 pm
Second one is vintage. First looks like AVRI or AV65.

Im curious kosmonautmayhem, how can you tell?

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Re: Which trem collet is vintage?

Post by Mechanical Birds » Tue Oct 01, 2019 6:49 am

The reissue has a bevel, the old ones kinda don’t.

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Re: Which trem collet is vintage?

Post by sookwinder » Tue Oct 01, 2019 9:02 pm

Just like the reissue bridge cover is different to the vintage bridge cover, I suspect Fender have made deliberate (albeit small) modifications to the design to be able to show the differences between reissue and vintage
relaxing alternative to doing actual work ...

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Re: Which trem collet is vintage?

Post by cursesfoiled » Tue Oct 08, 2019 4:00 am

I find that my old vintage Fender tremolo bars don’t quite fit in these bevelled U.S. reissue collets. The U.S. reissue collet shaft is just slightly too snug.

I guess the reissue collet radius is a hair smaller than vintage, and likewise the reissue arm is a hair smaller, too?

And the reissue bars are shorter, too.

Maybe this is a point worth noting, like Japanese reissue tremolos versus U.S. reissue versus vintage. All slightly different radiuses and not often accurately described as different in their sales listings. ???

At any rate, it’s a bit frustrating when you have to fix an old tremolo and replace a vintage collet with a reissue collet (US, Mexican player, Japanese, Staytrem, American Performer - all the variations). It often means replacing the tremolo bar as well, because the vintage bar may no longer fit the new collet shaft. :fp:

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