I've got a Strat I bought on here that is a lovely Guitar, but ever since I got it, I kidded myself I was happy with the 5 spring decked Trem set up.
The Trem was very hard to push down, but on the plus side, the Guitar played well and stayed in tune.
Other week I played Dave Hunter's (Super Amp Tech of this Parish) Strat which was set up floating with 3 springs and it was a joy to effortlessly manipulate the Trem.
So I found this video.
Found it very informative and easy to follow.
So, baby steps at first. I thought I'd just revert my Strat to 3 Springs / I \ stylee and deck that to start with just to see if it was any easier to push down the Bar. Result, it is easier and I've made sure the Bridge is deffo decked. Quite a difference in ease, still not as easy as the floating set up I experienced at Dave's though.
I had to tighten up the claw screws several turns to deck it with 3 springs, I expect this is normal?
Guitar still seems to keep tune very well, so I may go the route of attempting to float it this weekend.
May seems like shelling peas to the more experienced of you, but it was kind of "Squeaky Bum" doing this for first time.
That is all.
For now.
Only a Fool Would Say That.
Comments
Some people ( including Fender ) say to have the outer 2 screws set, and to lift the inner 4 a tad ( accuracy is not included in these instructions ).
In an ideal world, the springs ( 2 or 3, depending on string guage ) should be straight, but angled springs can give a bit more tension if required, in relation to the claw. It is nice if this tension is spread out across the width of the block.
Having the trem floating, at least allows for a little tug to pull those pesky strings back into some sort of tuning, when the screws and bridge plate get a bit worn from use ( which they will ).
There is an intensely anal discussion on this subject, which I took part in, and Fender never did get back to me with their explanation on how they have it 'wrong', as revealed in the discussion.
It works well enough, if you don't expect miracles.
I'm assuming the Fender version is basically the same idea, knife edges into grooved posts, so I guess it is just easier to adjust posts, although saddles can be used as well - they are setting string radius though, so using posts is probably easier.
Bear in mind, these adjustments shouldn't be done under string tension, as that is what can damage screws and knife edges.
Also, the number of springs greatly depends on the string guage, how far the claw is screwed in, and the strength of the springs. This is also why angled springs are a thing, slightly more tension as it has to go further.
I am using 2 on a decked Floyd, with EB skinny top-heavy bottoms, 10-52. I can just about manage it, but unison bends just start to cause the bridge to lift, which is the problem you try to avoid by having the bridge decked.
It is quite literally a balancing act, but it can be nice to have it set up well and working.
There is no advantage from doing so - if you want more tension, you can just tighten the claw screws slightly.
But there is a disadvantage, which is that the angled springs have to rotate slightly at the ends as the bridge moves, and can stick out of position and stop the bridge returning perfectly to the rest point.
"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
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Was in Wilko yesterday where I saw a set of 3 hook tools that I knew were perfect for the job, but the Yorkshireman in me thought that the £3 could be spent better elsewhere.
I might go back and buy them for any future adjustments.
Was scratching my head why things seemed off. Went back in and tuned with claw screws down another half step and then fine tuned with the proper tuners and all seems OK for now.
Had to lower the string height a little bit by using the saddle screws.
I did it this way whilst under string tension @andy_k I guess this is OK as the saddles are independent and lower them doesn't "Grind" anything?
Will experiment and see how things hold up.
That said I usually don’t find it a problem with my fingers - the trick is to put the side ones on first so there’s more space in the middle to hold the spring.
"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
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
That or use needle nose pliers, except when I need them they always appear to have gone away to hibernate.
Something ain't right, I mean, I did it with my Cack Hands FFS
As you were!
https://i.imgur.com/pOWwoDF.jpg