I’m a new user or Hipshot trem. But I found it different to my previous trem which is gotoh 510. If I push the whammy bar all the way into the hole, it would be too deep and uncomfortable to play which 510 wouldn’t act like that. Is my bridge broken or it is designed to push and stop where I want it be?
Any hipshot contour trem user？
- Thread starter Zshhhhh
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spudmunkey
Well-Known Member
Have you adjusted the arm screw?
I haven't. Because now it can stay where i want and not falling down. I just want to know if it works like push all the way in like gotoh 510 which means my bridge is broken or I can just leave it where I want and not pushing all the way in.
Drew
Forum MVP
As it happens I have one Strat with a Gotoh 510 and another with a Hipshot Contour.
Could you explain a little more clearly what you mean by the bit I bolded? I don't understand it, I'm afraid.
When using Gotoh 510, you can push the arm all the way in and it will lock in. The distance between arm tip and guitar body feels good. But when I using Hipshot Contour, if I push it all the way in, it can go really deep and the distance between arm tip and guitar body is too close. Although I can pull it a little bit and it can still work, I just want to know if the Hipshot arm works like that or my bridge is broken.
Also, the screw in Gotoh 510 should be used to adjust the arm tension and keep it not falling down when playing which means it won’t affect how deep you push the arm in.
Drew
Forum MVP
Ok, so it's not anything about diviing the bridge, so much as it's how high above the body of the trem the bar sits, and that you think the Hipshot sits too low?
I'll pick them up tonight and play with them. I pretty much just leave the bars in - my recollection, and this might not be right, is the Gotoh pushes in a certain depth, but then after that it screws in, and you have some height adjustment available to you that way. It's possible the Hipshot doesn't, and just pushes in. I'll check tonight after work, though. I don't remember the trem arm sitting in particularly different positions, but then again I'm used to a lower height bar, from the Ibanez Edge trems, so that could be a matter of preference.
And yeah, the allen key adjustable tension collar on the Gotoh (and on the Hipshot as well - if you dive the bridge you'll see a similar screw in the body of the trem, underneath, from the back) is one of my favorite parts of that design.
Hope my bridge is not broken haha…
Drew
Forum MVP
totally forgot about this with everything going on today. 
My Hipshot Contour is a pure push-in arm, once it's fully in it doesn't screw further. I'm actually not using the stock arm, I got an alternate from Hipshot with a smooth metal tip rather than a plastic tip, but fully in, it looks like it starts bending forward about 12mm from the face of the trem, and the top of the bar straightens out into its constand angle probably around 22-23mm from the face.
My Gotoh 510 pushes in to a point, and screws in beyond that. From the top of the arm-holder at push-in depth it looks liker it doesn't start to bend before 15mm, and the top of the bar stops bending and transitions intp a straight line around 25mm. The arm holder adds about 7mm, but then again the body is much thinner than the hipshot (maybe 3mm vs 7mm?) so net you're probably getting another 4mm of height there. Of course, I DO keep it screwed most of the way to the bottom of its range, I tend to like the arm a little lower than you, I guess, and it looks like my usual position is probably close to how far the Hipshot extends above the (thicker) top of the body.
The arms are slightly different anglrd, yoo. The Hipshot, which has a longer insertion point, appears to initially have a little more of an upwards angle away from the bodyat the first bend, but then when it curves up a bit at the end, does so a little more gently. It's a little shorter past the second bend, maybe 45mm, but with a longer first bend the arm itself appears to be a couple mm longer. The Gotoh is a little closer to parallel with the body after the first bend where it inserts into the trem, but the second bend comes a little sooner (maybe 60mm before the tip) The tips get to roughly the same height from the first bend point, though again the Hipshot bar is a hair longer than the Gotoh, even though the tips would likely sit exactly the same height above the body if they were set to have the bend start at the same point.
Hope this helps! the one other thing I'll say is while I PERSONALLY wouldn't want the arm any higher off the body than it is at deepest insertion point, with enough tension on the retainer screw accessible from the back of the trem, I'm not having trouble getting the bar to hold position less than all the way in. And, I remember Hipshot's customer service being great (I had a pretty long email exchange with one of their reps, initially about wondering if they had a trem bar with a smooth tip but eventually on to tonal differences of different materials, design, etc - I was really impressed with their support), so it might be worth a shot to send them a note and see if they offer a bar that would sit higher above the body.
My Hipshot Contour is a pure push-in arm, once it's fully in it doesn't screw further. I'm actually not using the stock arm, I got an alternate from Hipshot with a smooth metal tip rather than a plastic tip, but fully in, it looks like it starts bending forward about 12mm from the face of the trem, and the top of the bar straightens out into its constand angle probably around 22-23mm from the face.
My Gotoh 510 pushes in to a point, and screws in beyond that. From the top of the arm-holder at push-in depth it looks liker it doesn't start to bend before 15mm, and the top of the bar stops bending and transitions intp a straight line around 25mm. The arm holder adds about 7mm, but then again the body is much thinner than the hipshot (maybe 3mm vs 7mm?) so net you're probably getting another 4mm of height there. Of course, I DO keep it screwed most of the way to the bottom of its range, I tend to like the arm a little lower than you, I guess, and it looks like my usual position is probably close to how far the Hipshot extends above the (thicker) top of the body.
The arms are slightly different anglrd, yoo. The Hipshot, which has a longer insertion point, appears to initially have a little more of an upwards angle away from the bodyat the first bend, but then when it curves up a bit at the end, does so a little more gently. It's a little shorter past the second bend, maybe 45mm, but with a longer first bend the arm itself appears to be a couple mm longer. The Gotoh is a little closer to parallel with the body after the first bend where it inserts into the trem, but the second bend comes a little sooner (maybe 60mm before the tip) The tips get to roughly the same height from the first bend point, though again the Hipshot bar is a hair longer than the Gotoh, even though the tips would likely sit exactly the same height above the body if they were set to have the bend start at the same point.
Hope this helps! the one other thing I'll say is while I PERSONALLY wouldn't want the arm any higher off the body than it is at deepest insertion point, with enough tension on the retainer screw accessible from the back of the trem, I'm not having trouble getting the bar to hold position less than all the way in. And, I remember Hipshot's customer service being great (I had a pretty long email exchange with one of their reps, initially about wondering if they had a trem bar with a smooth tip but eventually on to tonal differences of different materials, design, etc - I was really impressed with their support), so it might be worth a shot to send them a note and see if they offer a bar that would sit higher above the body.
Get it!!! When I use Gotoh 510, I never use the extra screw-in, I just push in. I guess that’s the reason.. Thanks for help!!
