Hmi Wilkinson st 50 User manual

Set the action at the nut.

Set the action at the bridge

Adjust the pickup height

The last step is intonating the guitar by adjusting

the string lengths at the bridge saddles so the

guitar plays in tune all the way up the neck.

Using a strobe or other accurate tuner, first tune

the strings to pitch. Then, press the high E string

lightly at the 12th fret using just enough pres-

sure to sound the note. Check it with your tuner.

If the note reads flat, the saddle needs to be

adjusted forward towards the nut, shortening the

length of the string.

If the note reads sharp, the saddle needs to be

adjusted back away from the nut, increasing the

string length.to set the intonation

Adjust the action at the bridge by raising or

lowering the string saddles. Measure string

height over the 12th fret between the bottom of

the string and the top of the fret.

A good starting point is:

High (unwound) E string: 1/16" at the 12th fret

Low (wound) E string: 5/64" at the 12th fret

You can always go lower or higher depending on

your playing style. After setting the two E strings,

dial in the remaining strings to match the curve of

the fretboard. Stew Mac 7.25” Radius guage

included in the set # 0353 is ideal for this ..

Holding down the low E and high E strings at

the 22nd fret, adjust the bass side of the pick-

ups to 5/64" from the top of the pickup pole to

the bottom of the low E string.

Adjust the treble side to 1/16".

Set the intonation

Lower your string nut slots for better playability

using gauged nut files. Measure string height

over the 1st fret, between the bottom of the string

and the top of the fret. A comfortable medium

action is: Unwound strings (G, B, E): 0.012" at the

1st fret, wound strings (E,A,D): 0.020" at the 1st

fret Use feeler gauges to measure the gap, or

use guitar strings whose gauges match the meas-

urement you’re after. Stop when the string sits on

your feeler gauge. Go slow and check your work

frequently—it’s easy to go too far in this step and

ruin the nut.

Your guitar is now be ready to play and ENJOY !!

Now Re-tune your guitar and check the action .

Sight down the neck and check for any Over bow (bending backwards causing string buzz on an

open string or Under bow on the neck causing a higher than necessary action in the midle of the

neck when playing. Adjust the optimum action with the truss rod.

Assembly Instructions

ST 50 / ST 60 models

Welcome to the wonderful world of guitar building!

These are the tools and supplies we recommend for assembling this kit.

(Stew Mac item numbers are included where applicable.)

Nut-slotting files

0.010" width(#0821)

0.013" width (#0823)

0.020" width (#0828)

0.035" width (#0832)

0.042" width (#0833)

0.046” width (#5313

Electric hand drill or Bench Drill press

Small Hammer # 4895

ESP Multi Spanner # 1344

Phillips screwdrivers, size #1 & #2 (#3000)

Understring radius guages Item # 0353

Center punch or awl (#3000)

Clamp (#3721)

Soldering iron

Drill bits: 1/16” 5/64“ 3/32” 7/64“ 1/8” 11/64“

Whether you are a first time builder or Professional Luthier this kit will

give you a top quality "Custom Shop grade"

Great sounding, Great playing instrument.

This Kit Features Genuine Wilkinson Hardware,

Tuners and Pickups. CTS pots and CRL switches.

Classic "Strat style" Unfinished fine sanded body in 2 piece centre jointed American

Alder

Classic 50s' "Original style" neck in 1 piece Maple with Walnut "Skunk" stripe and

correct vintage one piece truss rod with heel adjuster. (ST50 kit)

Classic 60s' "Original style" neck in Maple with Rosewood “Slab FingerboardBoard

and correct vintage one piece truss rod with heel adjuster. (ST60 kit

Period correct pickguard loaded and wired with Wilkinson WVS alnico"V" single coil

pickups, CTS potentiometers and CRL lever switch and cloth covered push back

hook up wire.

Wilkinson WJ55 "Kluson" style tuners with safety posts

Wilkinson WVC 5+1 vintage style vibrato

Period correct accessories and screws etc....

Wilkinson "Slipstick" dry lube for screws, saddles and nut etc...

Parts included in your KIT

Using the correct amount of springs in relation to the feel and string tension is one of the most mis-

understood aspects of vibratos. Quite simply, no matter how many springs you install in relation to

string gauge the least springs you can use will give you the smoothest feeling and best “return to zero”

possible. This will result in superior tuning stability.

Neck relief refers to adjusting a neck so that it has a very slight upbow, rather than being

perfectly straight. This relief allows a little more room for string vibration, reducing the

chance of hitting the lower frets and causing fret buzz. Depending on your playing style,

and how perfectly level your fret tops are, a neck should be anywhere from perfectly

straight to having 0.012" of relief. This measurement refers additional string height over

the 12th fret, compared to a perfectly straight neck. A straight neck tends to play and

sound better, but very few guitars end up with no relief at all, and several thousandths of

an inch or more is perfectly normal.

Straight neck, or a little relief?

Truss rod

Heel adjuster

Leave the vibrato backing plate under the back of the top plate and install at least 2

springs (.009 to .042 ) or 3 springs (.010 to .046 or bigger). For a fully floating vibrato

unless you are using much heavier strings like (013 to .060), 3 springs should suffice.

Now screw the spring claw screws in to give more tension to the springs and tune your

guitar to pitch. If the backing plate becomes dislodged from under the bridge plate tighten

the spring claw screws even further until the backing plate is held firmly in place by the

springs. Once you have achieved your desired tuning, start to back off the spring claw

screws until the backing plate falls out from under the bridge plate. You will find now that

the guitar is still tuned to pitch and the bridge will be floating at the ideal angle to give you

both upward and downward pitch changes.

Floating the vibrato

Adjusting the Truss rod Increase relief

Decrease relief

Install the strings and the remaining Vibrato springs.

Assembling your guitar

During assembly, use a padded surface to protect the finish from scratches and

dents.

Installing the tuners.

Fit the tuner post bushings in the face of the headstock. These can be tapped in

place with a hammer using a small maple dowel to save damaging the face of the

bushing, Alternatively if you have a small drill press then close the empty chuck and

use this to press the bushing home.

Lay out the tuners using a ruler to make sure they’re in line with one another and

square to the edge of the peghead.

Mark out your mounting holes with a scribe or punch. Tuner mounting screws are

very delicate and will break off if forced into hard maple. Use a 5/64" drill bit to make

pilot holes for the screws; if these holes are any smaller you risk shearing off the

screw heads.

Lubricate the screw threads with the Wilkinson “Slipstick” provided in the kit.

With the tuners in place, install the screws in the pilot holes with a #1 Phillips scre-

driver.

Whenever you drill a hole be sure to countersink slightly larger than the screw

diameter this will reduce wood tearout amd make for a clean assembl

Install the Strap Buttons

Fitting the Pick-guard and Jack socket plate

Soldering the string ground

The two-strand hookup wire from the volume pot goes to the output jack. Thread the wire through

the hole from pickup cavity into the jack cavity. Solder the white insulated wire to the jack’s tip

lug (the rounded lug). Solder the bare ground wire to the jack’s sleeve lug (the square lug).

For more information, see our Stew Mac Trade Secrets video #186 “How to get a good clean

solder joint!” at stewmac.com

The remaining black lead wire is for the string

ground. Feed this wire through the hole from

the pickup cavity to the spring cavity. Solder this

ground wire to the spring claw. Now that you've

wired the output and ground, install the pick-

guard and the jack plate.

Lay out the pick-guard and jack plate using the neck and bridge for reference. Once positioned,

mark out the mounting screw holes with a scribe or punch. Drill pilot holes for the screws using

a 1/16" drill bit. Do not install the pick-guard yet. Mark the mounting holes for your jack plate,

then drill pilot holes for the screws using a 1/16" drill bit. Drill the jack plate mounting holes.

Always countersink drilled holes slightly to stop any grain lift when installing screws.

Do not install the jack plate yet.

Now you can fit the pickguard and Jack plate. Use the screws provided and don't forget

a little Wilkinson "Slipstick" on the threads to make the install even simpler.

Solder the output jack

Enlarge the 4 screw holes in the body with 11/64" drill bit. The body holes are drilled intentionally

small to allow the neck holes to be perfectly aligned. Before installing the neck it is essential that

these body holes have clearance for the neck bolt/screws to pass through the body un-hindered.

This is essential in order to facilitate a truly tight neck to body joint for maximum transfer of string

resonance from the neck to the body. I also find that countersinking these holes slightly

(under the neck plate) also helps provide the tightest neck to body joint as the countersunk

screw head can be deeper than the countersinks of the neck plate. Use a #2 Phillips screwdriver

to install the neck mounting screws through the neck mounting plate. Lubricate the 4 neck

mounting screws with "Slipstick" Dry Lube. Tighten the screws to hold the neck in place.

Install the neck

Your body has already been drilled for the correct locations of these buttons.

Use the screws provided with the kit. A little Wilkinson "Slipstick" on the screws

will make installing these a breeze.

Always countersink drilled holes slightly to stop any grain lift when installing screws.