IanBallard
New member
After acquiring a Gotoh Floyd, doing the best install possible by amateurs (with the adequate tools), I was floored by the tone and fatness I was getting, even with the stock springs. I was pleasantly surprised by how much the Gotoh IMPROVED the tone, rather than detract which some claim occurs with Floyd type bridges. Mind you, it's flush-mounted/down-only, so that is a factor.
I wasn't done though...
I'd been thinking about the Raw Vintage springs for a while and the idea makes sense. For people who USE their vibrato unit, you usually have to compromise with fewer springs to get the action you want, while having to screw down the claw enough to have the "snap-back" to keep the unit in tune. Typical Floyd players, like a very loose action, so they can do dives with a finger or two while they hybrid pick and tap away. So... the stock (Squier) springs were actually what I could call "medium tension" and I used three with the old bridges. I tried the Gotoh springs and after a frustrating go at installing these (HIGH!!! tension) things, I realized I'd only use 2 of those. Either way, I have less metal connecting the (nicely machined, brass) block and the acoustic elements of the guitar are limited. So, I finally got the Raw Vintage springs in the mail...
... they were EASY to put on, indicating that they were definitely low in tension. I could also instantly tell the wire was a tad thicker, and an examination by a magnifying glass confirmed that. I weighed the stock springs and the RV's and the latter was about 5 grams heavier (3 of the Squier springs and 2 of the Gotohs vs. the RV's). So they are spot in with "more mass, less tension".
The first thing I tried was strumming and picking unplugged... INSTANTLY I noticed a difference. It was MUCH louder! A tad of "reverby" sound but everything sounded ...brighter and warmer... which seems like a paradox, but that's what I found. Next, I plugged into my Crate tube combo and played the clean channel and found the paradox continued with more note definition and a wider harmonic content. Chords had that "brang" quality you expect from a good humbucker into a cleaner tone stack, like never before. Next was the lead channel and it CAME ALIVE... it's amazing the difference. I feel the combination of hard-mounting and the springs definitely enhances the best (and worst) of the wood and hardware on a given guitar. As I cycled through the gain knob, I found the note definition remained but the breadth of the chords got more intense, not muddy. I then played several models on my Fender Mustang, mostly the Fender models. If I dialed in a scooped EQ and turned the gain and volume knob to conservative levels, the Twin models with reverb and a little slap-back, gave nice vintage and clear tone like I haven't been able to get thus far. The Supersonic model proved the best, ripping riffs and leads was very enjoyable.
The feel is amazing too. I feels like the unit is more stable and the tension with 5 didn't seem to change at all from 3 (stock) or 2 (Gotoh high tension).
These springs are cool. Definitely worth the $17.88 I paid on eBay. Do it!
I wasn't done though...
I'd been thinking about the Raw Vintage springs for a while and the idea makes sense. For people who USE their vibrato unit, you usually have to compromise with fewer springs to get the action you want, while having to screw down the claw enough to have the "snap-back" to keep the unit in tune. Typical Floyd players, like a very loose action, so they can do dives with a finger or two while they hybrid pick and tap away. So... the stock (Squier) springs were actually what I could call "medium tension" and I used three with the old bridges. I tried the Gotoh springs and after a frustrating go at installing these (HIGH!!! tension) things, I realized I'd only use 2 of those. Either way, I have less metal connecting the (nicely machined, brass) block and the acoustic elements of the guitar are limited. So, I finally got the Raw Vintage springs in the mail...
... they were EASY to put on, indicating that they were definitely low in tension. I could also instantly tell the wire was a tad thicker, and an examination by a magnifying glass confirmed that. I weighed the stock springs and the RV's and the latter was about 5 grams heavier (3 of the Squier springs and 2 of the Gotohs vs. the RV's). So they are spot in with "more mass, less tension".
The first thing I tried was strumming and picking unplugged... INSTANTLY I noticed a difference. It was MUCH louder! A tad of "reverby" sound but everything sounded ...brighter and warmer... which seems like a paradox, but that's what I found. Next, I plugged into my Crate tube combo and played the clean channel and found the paradox continued with more note definition and a wider harmonic content. Chords had that "brang" quality you expect from a good humbucker into a cleaner tone stack, like never before. Next was the lead channel and it CAME ALIVE... it's amazing the difference. I feel the combination of hard-mounting and the springs definitely enhances the best (and worst) of the wood and hardware on a given guitar. As I cycled through the gain knob, I found the note definition remained but the breadth of the chords got more intense, not muddy. I then played several models on my Fender Mustang, mostly the Fender models. If I dialed in a scooped EQ and turned the gain and volume knob to conservative levels, the Twin models with reverb and a little slap-back, gave nice vintage and clear tone like I haven't been able to get thus far. The Supersonic model proved the best, ripping riffs and leads was very enjoyable.
The feel is amazing too. I feels like the unit is more stable and the tension with 5 didn't seem to change at all from 3 (stock) or 2 (Gotoh high tension).
These springs are cool. Definitely worth the $17.88 I paid on eBay. Do it!
Last edited:
