Vibrato woes

lapua65

I have just changed a trem on a Partcaster strat to a Babicz one I had in a drawer. After fitting I set it up with 3 springs and tried to tune the guitar. after tuning strings 6-1 I returned to 1 and found it needed tightening once I did that I had to go through them all again...and again until the trem was at its max point. So I increased the springs to four and tightened the claw but now the trem is decked and a bastard to move at all. I've obviously missed something but not sure what. I am using 10-46 strings.
Any help greatly appreciated.

ICBM

You either need four springs and less claw tension, or three and more tension (assuming the screws have enough travel).

JGTay

If it is anything like setting up a floyd rose, you are best following this - https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/floyd-rose-setup-guide/

Funkfingers

lapua65 said:

After fitting, I set it up with 3 springs and tried to tune the guitar. after tuning strings 6-1, I returned to 1 and found it needed tightening, once I did that, I had to go through them all again ... and again.

This need to tune several times is entirely normal immediately after fitting new strings on an electric guitar with a fulcrum vibrato.

New strings need stretching in - even on guitars with locking machineheads or a string clamping system.

Andyjr1515

If the springs are tightened enough (or, as @ICBM says, enough of them) to hold the trem flat on the guitar top with the strings at full tension, then it should be pretty much like changing on strings on a hardtail - new strings stretch (and should be stretched) at first and so there tends to need a few tunings to get it fully on pitch.

However, if the trem is 'floating' - that is, the back of the trem is lifted off the top by the string tension - the good news is that you will be able to do both up pitch and down pitch vibrato... but tuning becomes iterative every time you tune up or adjust the tuning.  That is because each string being tuned up moves the vibrato and lowers the pitch of the other strings.  There are tips and tricks to speed up the process, but tuning up tends to be a case of having to repeat the tuning process on all strings 3/4/5 or even more times, each time getting closer to pitch on all strings.  Once at pitch though, if the trem and nut are up to scratch, then the tuning can be very stable even with repeated trem use...in my experience, more stable than when the trem is hard down on the deck.  

ICBM

Andyjr1515 said:

Once at pitch though, if the trem and nut are up to scratch, then the tuning can be very stable even with repeated trem use...in my experience, more stable than when the trem is hard down on the deck.  

Mine too. I think the constant slight movement of the bridge, even when just playing normally, helps release any friction at the nut and bridge saddles.

BillDL

After you eventually have the tremolo bridge set how you want it, restringing it will be a whole lot easier if you either change one string at a time or if you use a spacer made of something that doesn't crush to keep the bridge up off the top of the body at the right height while you change them all at once.  The idea is that you slip something exactly the right thickness under the back of the bridge so that when you then detune the strings, the springs pull the bridge plate onto the spacer and the spacer onto the body.  Some people use Post-It pads and remove slips of paper to get the right thickness of spacer.  After restringing you just bring the strings up to tension until the spacer is about to slide out and stretch the strings to bed them in.  The last fraction of a turn on each tuner will allow the spacer to slide out and you should be back at your desired trem adjustment and approximately in tune - unless you have changed the guage of strings or even a different brand of the same guage can have slightly different tension.  You can alternatively use a properly sized fillet of wood or other spacer down the space in front of the tremolo block via the back of the guitar for the springs to pull against the body so that the bridge plate is left up at the right height off the body.