hi i'm not big on dive bombs so naturally i prefer vintage tremolos i have a guitar with a floyd got in trade don't care for it dive bombs to easily but do like that it stays in tune is there some kind of locking vintage tremolo or way to keep it in tune better trying to learn to be a luthier everything i've learned i've learned online also i'm talking about that 6 bolt strat trem just to clear things up thanks
getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
- Thread starter andrew96
- Start date
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
It all comes down to the quality of the bridge you have and how well it's set up.
I have a Strat with a Callaham bridge and it stays in tune very well...no locking tuners, no roller but no tricks. Just a quality bridge and a good set up.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It all comes down to the quality of the bridge you have and how well it's set up.
I have a Strat with a Callaham bridge and it stays in tune very well...no locking tuners, no roller but no tricks. Just a quality bridge and a good set up.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
eclecticsynergy
Well-known member
Re: getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
Binding at the nut can be a source of tuning problems too. Sometimes a stock trem can work just fine if the nut is cut properly and/or lubricated.
Binding at the nut can be a source of tuning problems too. Sometimes a stock trem can work just fine if the nut is cut properly and/or lubricated.
F
Funkfingers
Guest
Re: getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
You would be hard pressed to find better instructions on setting up a Fender style six screw vibrato bridge than those provided by Dan Erlewine. Nut slotting and string winding techniques have already been mentioned. The condition of the knife edges within the six mounting screw holes is important.
You would be hard pressed to find better instructions on setting up a Fender style six screw vibrato bridge than those provided by Dan Erlewine. Nut slotting and string winding techniques have already been mentioned. The condition of the knife edges within the six mounting screw holes is important.
Nostalgic Distortion
New member
Re: getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
LOl, don't use it??? Not to beat a dead horse but locking tuners or at least locked tuners, a good setup, & the nut play a pivotal role, no pun intended. Pivotal, pivot, tremolos, no one? Anyway, upgrades are a good idea too if you got the $ to buy one but I've played $20 big block MIM's that had a good setup & were as good as any other 6 screw tremolo I've used? No matter what you do if you mess with that thing your guitar is going out of tune! Maybe just a tiny bit, perhaps so bad you can't even play it anymore without retuning it but It will go out of tune!!!
LOl, don't use it??? Not to beat a dead horse but locking tuners or at least locked tuners, a good setup, & the nut play a pivotal role, no pun intended. Pivotal, pivot, tremolos, no one? Anyway, upgrades are a good idea too if you got the $ to buy one but I've played $20 big block MIM's that had a good setup & were as good as any other 6 screw tremolo I've used? No matter what you do if you mess with that thing your guitar is going out of tune! Maybe just a tiny bit, perhaps so bad you can't even play it anymore without retuning it but It will go out of tune!!!
Re: getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
Hi,
For the nut, I strongly recommend the TusqXL. Not just Tusq, but TusqXL. It is beautiful. Permanent silicon pressed, or mixed, however they do it, it is permanently very slick. If you can, a very good idea is to smooth or remove (I removed) any part of the saddle plate where the string usually hits on the way the saddle.
If you look at a lot of broken strings on normal Strats you would most likely see 2 bends in it, from the saddle and the plate, so smoothing or removing (Drexel Fine sanding tools) the plate area leaves only one area that the string rubs against on it's way to the nut-which is the saddle only. True story. Helped me comparing two identical Strats, 1 with the plate hitting and 1 with the saddle only hitting. Just sayin'. I know this helps.
SJBuffington
Hi,
For the nut, I strongly recommend the TusqXL. Not just Tusq, but TusqXL. It is beautiful. Permanent silicon pressed, or mixed, however they do it, it is permanently very slick. If you can, a very good idea is to smooth or remove (I removed) any part of the saddle plate where the string usually hits on the way the saddle.
If you look at a lot of broken strings on normal Strats you would most likely see 2 bends in it, from the saddle and the plate, so smoothing or removing (Drexel Fine sanding tools) the plate area leaves only one area that the string rubs against on it's way to the nut-which is the saddle only. True story. Helped me comparing two identical Strats, 1 with the plate hitting and 1 with the saddle only hitting. Just sayin'. I know this helps.
SJBuffington
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
Nut material doesn't matter nearly as much as it being cut properly.
It's always going to go back to set up.
You need to reduce or minimize as much friction as possible.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nut material doesn't matter nearly as much as it being cut properly.
It's always going to go back to set up.
You need to reduce or minimize as much friction as possible.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
JB_From_Hell
Jomo's Nimions
Re: getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
As previously stated, follow Fender's instructions. Set it up properly (ie, like they say to) and it'll work really well.
As previously stated, follow Fender's instructions. Set it up properly (ie, like they say to) and it'll work really well.
Re: getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
Yes to TGWIF, and yes also to JB_From_Hell.
My idea to smooth or eliminate the plate-take it out of the picture, no harm, no foul, less stuff to rub against, as I said, and this goes with what TGWIF JB---Hell said.
My idea is not mutually exclusive at all, just an extra surface to get out of the way, to eliminate the number of things the string can rub against.
Cutting the nut is of paramount importance, I just think a slippery surface is a plus with a good nut set up. If you don't do it, you gotta get the best guy around, nuts need knowledgeable and experienced, meticulous hands to get it done right.
Thanks for listening, HTH,
SJBuffington- hence forth, and forever, just SJ.
Yes to TGWIF, and yes also to JB_From_Hell.
My idea to smooth or eliminate the plate-take it out of the picture, no harm, no foul, less stuff to rub against, as I said, and this goes with what TGWIF JB---Hell said.
My idea is not mutually exclusive at all, just an extra surface to get out of the way, to eliminate the number of things the string can rub against.
Cutting the nut is of paramount importance, I just think a slippery surface is a plus with a good nut set up. If you don't do it, you gotta get the best guy around, nuts need knowledgeable and experienced, meticulous hands to get it done right.
Thanks for listening, HTH,
SJBuffington- hence forth, and forever, just SJ.
JohnnyGuitar
New member
Re: getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
My Highway 1 strat has a 6 point tremolo, modern tuners (the non-locking kind you find on Am Stds, they are smoother than the correct vintage tuners). I've changed the nut to a Graphtech, however, even prior to doing so - never had any problems staying in tune.
BTW, if you're planning to abuse the tremolo (Floyd or vintage) a good tuner pedal might be a good investment and something to use between songs.
My Highway 1 strat has a 6 point tremolo, modern tuners (the non-locking kind you find on Am Stds, they are smoother than the correct vintage tuners). I've changed the nut to a Graphtech, however, even prior to doing so - never had any problems staying in tune.
BTW, if you're planning to abuse the tremolo (Floyd or vintage) a good tuner pedal might be a good investment and something to use between songs.
Re: getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
Go here:
http://www.stewmac.com/
and look in the "how to" section. Read all the articles and watch all the videos about set-up, trems, and tuning.
Go here:
http://www.stewmac.com/
and look in the "how to" section. Read all the articles and watch all the videos about set-up, trems, and tuning.
twango the clown
New member
Re: getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
Well, I say every part counts. Strats are literally designed around the tremolo. Anything that touches the string must be addressed. Fiddle with the claw. Loosen the middle four screws on the plate. Use five springs for pitch return. Sand (or file if you've got the right needle files) your nut slots in a cone with the point toward the bridge, being careful not to cut your nut too low on the bridge side and ruin your action, and lube too. I use KY gel because I live in hope, but have a surplus of the substance, plus it works. Butterfly string trees and those 'e-z glider trees provide minimal friction. Like the man says, keep winds on the machine head post to a minimum, except on those pesky B and E strings. We're talking slot-head posts, right? The whammy bar as designed did not work for me. I went to the vise, like others before , and bent it to a different angle. The way I personally preferred was the reverse of stock, sort of like a shallow 'C' with the whole bar bent up off the top of the guitar for more range. I'm not into diving either, but do it sometimes for fun. All of this worked very well for me, and I know others have done it this way because I copied it off a '57 strat that someone left with me for a month back in the early 70's. It has worked fine for years, but you have to remember to change the strings one at a time or you lose your setup. I've been using my Esquire lately all the time, so I hadn't touched that beautiful strat for a disgracefully long time, but even with year-old strings, that ***** still stays in tune after brutal diving, which I'm not into. Problem is, for gretsch-style trem, you have to learn to be gentle. You have to have a whammy that you don't need to think about.
Well, I say every part counts. Strats are literally designed around the tremolo. Anything that touches the string must be addressed. Fiddle with the claw. Loosen the middle four screws on the plate. Use five springs for pitch return. Sand (or file if you've got the right needle files) your nut slots in a cone with the point toward the bridge, being careful not to cut your nut too low on the bridge side and ruin your action, and lube too. I use KY gel because I live in hope, but have a surplus of the substance, plus it works. Butterfly string trees and those 'e-z glider trees provide minimal friction. Like the man says, keep winds on the machine head post to a minimum, except on those pesky B and E strings. We're talking slot-head posts, right? The whammy bar as designed did not work for me. I went to the vise, like others before , and bent it to a different angle. The way I personally preferred was the reverse of stock, sort of like a shallow 'C' with the whole bar bent up off the top of the guitar for more range. I'm not into diving either, but do it sometimes for fun. All of this worked very well for me, and I know others have done it this way because I copied it off a '57 strat that someone left with me for a month back in the early 70's. It has worked fine for years, but you have to remember to change the strings one at a time or you lose your setup. I've been using my Esquire lately all the time, so I hadn't touched that beautiful strat for a disgracefully long time, but even with year-old strings, that ***** still stays in tune after brutal diving, which I'm not into. Problem is, for gretsch-style trem, you have to learn to be gentle. You have to have a whammy that you don't need to think about.
DrNewcenstein
He Did the Monster Mash
Re: getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
Floyd Rose fixed this issue over 30 years ago. Extra springs will add more tension, and there are several variations of devices that add tension to give a more vintage Fender feel, limiting your forward and backward motion, but including a simple process that you don't need an instruction manual or tutorial to use properly.
Floyd Rose fixed this issue over 30 years ago. Extra springs will add more tension, and there are several variations of devices that add tension to give a more vintage Fender feel, limiting your forward and backward motion, but including a simple process that you don't need an instruction manual or tutorial to use properly.
Re: getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
I bought a Super V vintage trem and it works fantastic. it stays in tune and it improved the tone of my strat big time. check out there web sight. it drops strait into your strat trem slot without any routing. They also make a locking model too. I have not tried there locking model. Eric johnson used the locking model and you can find his endorsement of that model on Youtube. I use the non locking model and it really works great. well worth the money I spent.
I bought a Super V vintage trem and it works fantastic. it stays in tune and it improved the tone of my strat big time. check out there web sight. it drops strait into your strat trem slot without any routing. They also make a locking model too. I have not tried there locking model. Eric johnson used the locking model and you can find his endorsement of that model on Youtube. I use the non locking model and it really works great. well worth the money I spent.
PFDarkside
of the Forum
Re: getting vintage tremolo to stay in tune?
Floyds don't sound like vintage trems (and I like them both).
Every string change I lubricate the friction points with graphite (saddles, nut, tree) install the strings correctly (minimal winds) and learn how to tune the guitar as mentioned. The big thing is, if it comes back out of tune pull the bar to reset the string tension. If you retune with the tuners you are only kicking the problem down the road until the next bar usage. Mine stay in tune reasonably well.
Floyds don't sound like vintage trems (and I like them both).
Every string change I lubricate the friction points with graphite (saddles, nut, tree) install the strings correctly (minimal winds) and learn how to tune the guitar as mentioned. The big thing is, if it comes back out of tune pull the bar to reset the string tension. If you retune with the tuners you are only kicking the problem down the road until the next bar usage. Mine stay in tune reasonably well.
