Having worked as initially as a guitar repairer in the 70’s, James Tyler had become the go to guy for many of the top guitar and bass players in the LA scene, and was known as a builder that was always looking to improve and create better sounding guitars and basses. Already utilising the legendary VS100N vibrato on his custom guitars, he was introduced to the VSVG vibrato and this formed the starting point for the VG300.
On hearing the VSVG Tyler was immediately impressed by the vintage sparkle the bent saddles created and asked if it was possible to combine these with the VS100N, the answer was of course yes, and the VG300 was born thus creating a vibrato that had fantastic feel, excellent tuning stability and the sparkle of vintage tone from its unique bent spring steel saddles.
To redesign the traditional bent steel saddle and offer a similar central locking screw as on the VS100N meant that Trev Wilkinson had to create a whole new saddle concept, engineered from spring steel the final design is ingenious and retains that vintage sparkle associated with the bent steel saddle, and unlike the original saddle found on a vintage vibrato, each unit can be solid clamped once intonated via an easy access central screw.
The vibrato bridge block is the anchor point for both the strings and the adjustment springs in the rear cavity. Being the central point of the vibrato system it does have a tonal influence, and that tone will ultimately be different dependant on the material used to create the block.
Billet Steel, Aluminium, Brass, Titanium and Zinc have and are used for vibrato blocks and the debate about which is best will no doubt continue for years.
The Wilkinson perspective is that we predominately use billet steel and Zinc for both the tonal properties and also the qualities of machining; in the case of the VG300 and VS100N we utilise Zamak 3 (Zinc Alloy), this is also the preferred material of Tyler Guitars and James Tyler.
The Total control vibrato arm system is full of Wilkinson developed innovations that offer the player the ability to set the arm tension and arm height perfectly to their preferred feel. The internally threaded stainless-steel arm is anchored at the bottom of the vibrato arm assembly by a matching thread screw/bolt and held perfectly in the neoprene sleeve that is inserted into the assembly and which can be tensioned from a screw in the top collar of the assembly, the stability of this system gives the player instantaneous control with no arm lag.
The VG300 is unique in many ways and is the only vibrato available to offer a bent style; vintage sounding saddle that unlike the traditional vintage saddle feels comfortable under the player’s palm, and also ideal for string muting.
Utilising the VS100N platform the VG300 is also super compact, and as relevant today as when it was first launched, hence why it remains the choice of custom guitar builders around the globe.
$200.99 – $210.99
