Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

D

DotNetTim

New member
Hi guys.. I'm setting here watching the Yngwie Malmsteem DVD / G3 tour and he's like Pulling up on the trem of this Fender strat with what looks like a 6 point / screw trem and it's staying in tune.. HOW ! HOW ! HOW! does he do it! Please please tell me! Is it possible? I ask because I"d like to have a hard tail type Fender like this that I could just pull on a little now and then, but I've never had one that would stay in tune! Not Fender I mean, but I mean other guitars with trems that were not Real Floyds.. etc..

Thanks
Tim
 
Re: Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

wind and stretch your strings right, make sure that your nut is polished (:D), lube your nut and string trees, and when you tighten your strem screws, back them out off the plate and slowly screw them in until they put a little force on the plate. then back off 1/4 to 1/2 a turn. Thank God for Dan E.
 
Re: Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

Hey guy.. Thanks.. I take it that means it is possible..hehehe..
Tim
 
Re: Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

I'm convinced it has a ton to do with how you wrap your posts.

Get some locking tuners, that would be the first place to start. I laerned a while back how to properly wind a sting on the post, and they stay in tune really well. I'll start another thread with some pics.
 
Re: Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

Maybe a Roller Nut wouldn't hurt, either???? I'm no Strat expert, by any means, but a lot of folks that I know that are heavy Trem. users use a roller nut.
 
Re: Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

Yes it is possible to get a Fender vintage trem to stay in tune and it is all in the setup.

Sperzal lockers, a roller nut and a Shaller Floyd is the way I went with my Strat. Now it stays in tune perfectly and I don't have to mess with all that polishing and lubing.

Lubing and polishing is a young mans game.
 
Re: Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

Another option is to replace the nut and saddles with graphite. Sperzel locking tuners, and if necessary remove the string trees. My strat stays in tune. But I have the bridge resting on the body. More sustain, and if you break a string it will stay in tune!
 
Re: Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

I do a decent amount of trem stuff. My 62 RI Strat has Klusens and I have no tuning issues with the bridge floating. I like vibrato on chords so it is not flush against the body. The most helpful thing for me is useing lube on the nut and trees, seems to do the trick very well for me. My other homebrew strat (I just traded )I used Graphtec string saddles and locking grovers. It was not quite as stable as my Fender but with those upgrades it worked very well. Both guitars have vintage trem set ups.
 
Re: Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

I was going to comment exactly what Kevin said, as I also have Kluson split-shaft tuners on my 60's RI Strat. I just trim the string to allow a couple wraps around the post, slide the string into the hole between the split-shaft, bend the string down into the split, wrap the string around the post a couple of times and tune it up. IMO those Klusons are just as good as any locking tuners. I rarely have to tune any string after all the divebombing I do with that axe. That guitar has a 6-pt. trem, and I use 4 trem-springs in it as well. I have the trem-plate set up approx. 1/8" off the guitar. I had a graphite nut installed on it, and that's it. No need for lockers on that guitar! Klusons are great tuners.
If you hear a slight "tinking" noise when you whammy, which I sometimes do when I put new strings on it, I take a sharp pencil and rub the tip into the E, B, and G nut grooves to give it a little extra coating of graphite, and rub a little on the under-side of the string tree as well. Nice little trick if you don't have any oil as Kevin referred to.
Thanks for that suggestion, Kevin....I'll have to use some oil the next time that problem arises.
 
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Re: Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

Short answer is "YES". The long answer is a lot more involved but follow the advice here. Also get a good setup. The nut needs to be slotted properly for the string guage you are using. If when you tune you hear "pinging" then your string is getting bound up somewhere and you will be out of tune. My MIA 01 Strat stays in tune really well now. I had a good set up , the bridge is flush ( 5 springs in back) I can use the whammy and also change from Standard E to Dropped-D tuning with out problems. I do have to tune up again after playing hard for an hour or so but that's just the breaks. It's not even anything that people notice
 
Re: Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

Setting your trem to lower the pitch and not raise the pitch will cut down on tuning woes. If you have a vintage Strat trem there are 6 adjustment screws holding the trem to the front of the guitar. Raise the middle 4 so that thier heads are not contacting the trem plate. Now adjust the two outside screws and tighten the trem claw around the back of the guitar until you can dive bomb but not raise up on the trem.

The last thing is: learn to give your trem a little pull up to readjust it and to get it back in tune again after using it. A little quick jerk up will usually return it to pitch.

SRV got away with using a stock vintage Strat trem...tho he'd often switch guitars after giving it real work out on a tune like Voodoo Child!

Lew
 
Re: Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

Hey guys.. I really appreciate it.. I don't even have a strat, but I want a guitar with a trem and I was thinking about either trading or building a strat.. Anyway, I asked because I'm torn between a floyd rose floatiing trem or standard strat trem like on the Highway 1 strats which I think are priced right, etc.. A guy locally here has a Double Fat STrat Amercian Made and I'm going to get to play it and see if I like it..

The SRV video I watched of him in Macombo or something like that.. in a club playing, he uses his number one the whole time and used the trem a lot.. That said, he did reach up and tune the g string a couple times, but really he was abusing it pretty good.. My brothers PRS (1990) stays in tune really well, and I thought about a Wilkonson trem as I hear they are good.. I have had floyds and I hate the floaters.. and even though I'd love to have a Floyd on a Real strat, I'd think one would have to really shim the neck to get it to work since I'd like to have a floyd on a strat body just resting against the body.. I mostly dive and if I could get a good strat with a floyd that would only dive I'd love it.. but I don't even think they make such a critter do they?

Thanks guys..
Tim
 
Re: Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

My strat has a set of locking tuners on it with a graphite nut and wilkinson bridge. I have it setup to float about 1/4 step up (I can pull the bar up that far) and it is rock solid. BTW this is on a MIM strat that I paid about $150.00 for, invested in a fret job, tuners, nut, bridge, pups and other electronic goodies totally about $300.00 and it plays as well as my American standard. Go figure!
 
Re: Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

It is a endless task to keep it up and running.
First all your saddles needs to be smooth all the time, your nut should be cut very well, your stringtree for the high E and B should be polished alot, and risen enough to just keep the strings tensioned over the nut.
Use qualitystrings and stretch them alot(boil them in water while they are coiled), fill the G B E nutslots with graphite from a pencil.
Then even with standart vintage trem and tuners you should have a pretty decent setup.
Use no more than three windings on bass-stringposts, the other can go with four or five windings, used to work rather well for me.
But I had enough of the constant work it was;)
 
Re: Is it possible to keep Strat Trem in tune?

My Strat w/six point trem stays in tune perfectly with the floating trem. Schaller locking tuners staggered height no string trees; delrin slippery nut; and set up the bridge so it rides on the two outside screws, and the middle screws are raised up.
 
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