Overzealous upgrading

When I got back my old Hondo and determined what I wanted to upgrade, I really did have good intentions. My goal was to not only make it playable again, but also to make it a viable addition to my collection. A guitar that I wouldn't be embarrassed to play in public or to bring to a lesson or jam session. A guitar I could be proud of.

I did have a guitar in mind when I put together my list of upgrades - Alan Morse's red Stratocaster. As you can see from the picture on the left (which I got from the Web, so if there's any copyright issue, please let me know), it's an HSS Strat with a painted headstock, a maple neck and a Floyd Rose tremolo. I could be wrong, but it looks like a Japanese Strat.

Anyway, my Hondo is quite similar except it's black and, well, it's not a Fender. So the addition of an HSS pickguard was a given. I considered the possibility of adding a Floyd, but since my Hondo has a bullet truss rod, I didn't think the locking nut would fit. So I ended up getting a Wilkinson blade tremolo, which is nice and smooth, but has the same problem as all non-locking tremolos I've ever used - the damn thing won't stay in tune.

I've tried everything. I replaced the stock string tree with a roller string tree. The tuners were already pretty solid, so I left them alone. I put graphite on the nut. I used three different methods of spring setup - the standard three-spring W formation, the Carl Verheyen three-straight-springs-with-an-angled-claw formation, and, most recently, the Eddie Van Halen two-springs-in-a-V-with-an-angled-claw formation that he used before switching to locking tremolos. Nothing works. It stays in tune for about 5 minutes, then it sounds like death. I don't even have to touch the trem arm - just a deep bend throws it out of tune.

When I got this guitar back from my friend's dad, the original 6-screw tremolo was bolted down solid to the guitar body. I joked at how bad it was and how I threw it away, but right now I wish I still had it. I'd take out the Wilkinson and put it back in in a heartbeat because right now, I don't play my Hondo often. It goes out of tune too easily which makes it not a lot of fun to play.

Unless anyone has any suggestions on how to keep it in tune, I'll have to look into locking down the Wilkinson now, which seems like a colossal waste of time and money. I could've achieved the same result with the old setup. Plus, since the Wilkinson is a floating blade tremolo, it'll be a lot harder to lock down than a vintage 6-screw trem, which is probably the easiest style of tremolo to lock down.

It should be worth the effort, though, to be able to play the Hondo again without getting frustrated and annoyed. I want to rotate my four guitars as often as possible to try and alleviate my need to buy many guitars. If I had the means, I swear I'd have at least 20 guitars. That purple Ibanez would just be the start.