80s Hohner Locking Trem/Kahler-alike help anyone ?

Everyday’s a school day right ?

Friend of mine has asked me to help him resurrect his first ever electric guitar for the pile of disparate parts retrieved from his parents house. It’s a Hohner ST Scorpion, kind of fairly generic 80s HSS Superstrat. The bones of it seem decent enough and I think it’s saveable.

Thd only thing that is concerning me a bit is the Trem 
https://i.imgur.com/sP9hdQG.jpg
To look at I think it’s modelled after a Kahler rather than a Floyd. All top routed, front loaded, no rear cavity, pivots on a cam rather than a knife edge.
Thing is, it is a bit rusty/seized. The trem itself rocks back & forth but the rollers on the saddles and the height adjust saddles aren’t moving. I guess if I can get it apart I can get these in the penetrating fluid & clean them up but then there’s a decision to be made.
Do I try and get it back into action ?
If so I need a fine tuning knob, a trem arm, and the slightly weird, behind the nut locking nut.
If not the other option is to hard tail it which would obviate the need to source the parts but in that instance I would need to lock out the trem. I’ve had the trem out but can’t see an easy way to do that.
gut shots in daylight tomorrow but any one know anything about these ?/Got any spare parts ?


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Comments

  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547
    edited September 2020
    Accutune trem.

    I had one somewhere but its not turned up since my last move.  @HarrySeven has dibs if it turns up
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    edited September 2020
    Obtaining spare parts for obsolete hardware of this sort is usually a matter of cannibalising another unit.

    My recollection is that, even in premium condition, that design leaves much to be desired.

    A well-known hoarder on this forum might be able to help - even if that is only by purchasing your vibrato. The funds freed up would pay for a replacement bridge. 

    Schaller do some good fixed bridges that would cover the vibrato cavity. 
    Be seeing you.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    It doesn’t look like there’s too much missing or damaged. The tuner and the arm should be standard threads I think. If you can get the stuck parts free and working I would leave it in place.

    You don’t actually need the locking nut if you string it well and don’t over-use the vibrato - but if you want to, I may have one. Or fit locking machineheads if you prefer.

    I don’t actually think any replacement bridge other than a Kahler will cover the hole, and you probably don’t want to go there given they’re worth more than the guitar now...

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • As @WezV correctly stated, it’s a comedically mis-named “Accutune” unit, beloved of various ‘80’s MIK offerings (Höhner and Marlin were the most common perpetrators, but there were numerous other brands).

    To cut a long story short, anything that can go wrong, probably will - they were made from some alloy which has all the structural integrity of plasticine - not ideal when handling the tension of guitar strings. Usual issues are a deformed frame, bent or (more commonly) broken back-stops, etc. 

    As the saying goes, good luck with that one! Hopefully, it won’t be too bad once inspected...


    HarrySeven - Intangible Asset Appraiser & Wrecker of Civilisation. Searching for weird guitars - so you don't have to.
    Forum feedback thread.    |     G&B interview #1 & #2   |  https://www.instagram.com/_harry_seven_/ 

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  • DrBobDrBob Frets: 2998
    As @WezV correctly stated, it’s a comedically mis-named “Accutune” unit, beloved of various ‘80’s MIK offerings (Höhner and Marlin were the most common perpetrators, but there were numerous other brands).

    To cut a long story short, anything that can go wrong, probably will - they were made from some alloy which has all the structural integrity of plasticine - not ideal when handling the tension of guitar strings. Usual issues are a deformed frame, bent or (more commonly) broken back-stops, etc. 

    As the saying goes, good luck with that one! Hopefully, it won’t be too bad once inspected...
    Oh god so it’s “that” trem is it ?Ive seen you reference it before....Right well that’s an auspicious start ..
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    DrBob said:

    Oh god so it’s “that” trem is it ?Ive seen you reference it before....Right well that’s an auspicious start ..
    There’s more than one... this is the ‘Kahler’ version. There’s a more common ‘Floyd’ version which was used on the Marlin Sidewinder and others - it has the minor advantage that the baseplate is actually made from steel, but the rest of it is the same sort of dried plasticine HarrySeven mentioned. The block - which holds the fine tuners - quite often simply disintegrates. Usually this happens stealthily in the case while the guitar is put away for years, but I’ve actually witnessed one happen when the guitar was hanging on the wall of the shop... there was a noise like a bag of spanners being dropped, and some chunks of crumbled ‘metal’ fell out :).

    The real problem is that like this model, it’s a completely non-standard design, and none of the parts are interchangeable with any other bridge - nor is the whole thing, because the post spacing is unique to it. So replacing one is a lot of work, and not usually thought economical given the value of the guitar.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    I had a Hohner with this type of bridge for my first guitar.

    It was utter crap and never stayed in tune. The trem arm broke and couldn't be replaced.

    I think I threw it away in the end.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960

    The trem arm broke and couldn't be replaced.
    From memory, it’s fairly easy to tap the hole out for an M6 thread and fit a standard ‘thick’ arm. I may possibly be confusing it with a different piece of crap bridge though...

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • DrBob said:
    so, it’s “that” trem, is it?
    No. “That” vibrato is/was the Bendmaster. 

    H7 says Plasticine. I say crumbly cheese.
    Be seeing you.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    Ironically, it’s this Kahler-like model which should be called the Bendmaster, given what the frame tends to do...

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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