Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

[stratsandaks]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

3 springs straight across
Flat to the body
Never use the trem

Why don't I just by hardtails :smack:

 

[Bludave]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

I normally use 3 springs that are angled on the left and right and the middle spring is straight and I use the 3 inner claw tangs to hold the 3 springs...I Like the back of my bridge floating and with about 3/32" gap measured from the rear of the bridge to the body..I always use .010 gauge strings...How about all of you?

John

I set up 2 of my strats this way, but I use 11's. I just had to snug up the claw a little more. Works fine, but I do have the bridge resting on the body. I had my 57 reissue set to float but my good friend who is also my tech. talked me into setting it to rest on the body. I gotta say he was right. It sustains better this way. I had first tried 5 but found it to stiff to move smoothly, so I tightened down the claw and removed two springs. I like it this way. :laugh2:

 

[Twang Man]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

3 springs angled in with the claw screw tightened down a little more on the bass side. I use D'adarrio 9-46. Floating 1/8" off body, though I'm thinkng about bringing it down flush on the body.

 

[MrHeavyMetal]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

3 springs.

 

[midnite_man]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

All throughout the 90's, I mostly played Strats, and had to come to terms with the fact that strat trems ARE NOT Floyd Roses. I've never been able to get one to stay in tune when wanking on it. I anchor them down tight with 5 springs, put Graphtech stringsavers on only the 3 plain strings, and to me, they perform and sound killer setup like that. No tuning hassles, no broken strings, and the string to string balance is perfect with that odd saddle setup. I got used to 11-49's for a long time, but I backed them down to 10-46 and lightened my touch lately. If you get used to rippin on 11's, you can blaze a fretboard with 10's or lighter.

I must be one of the lucky ones with the strat trem in my MIJ 60's RI Strat, then. I've whammed on that puppy hard and heavy many a time and never had an issue with it not staying in tune. Believe me, I'm amazed as I wouldn't think any standard tremelo would be able to maintain accurate tuning like that, but hearing is believing.
The jury's still out on my Amer. Strat, though. I'm sure that I'd be happier with that trem if it had 4 sprgs instead of 3.

-Bob

 

[Gr8Scott]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

I'm playing 11's. When I was playing 10's I used two springs only, but this was with a wilkinson trem.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

My Strat is a hard tail

 

[Quencho092]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

i want my guitar to be flush with the body and use .10's. There is a slight angle between the bottom of the tremolo and the body, should i get another spring to make it parallel with the body then set it flush? 3 springs now

 

[Quencho092]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

how does angling help?

 

[FenderBoy]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

5 springs. trem is flush to the body. But I can push down on the bar to get dives. It stays in tune pretty well indeed. I can also drop D the Low E string and still stay in tune across the board. I don't think I'm fighting the bar at all with the 0.10s that I'm using . Actually I can't remember how loose it was with the springs and floating but It's all Fine now.

 

[Quencho092]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

i just did some work on my guitar already, there are wood screws that anchor the springs. if you tighten them, the tremolo can be set parallel to the body, then you can lower it using the other 2 flatheads on the face of the guitar. I get the idea that 5 springs would help anchor and prevent "dive bomb", but when you bend up using the tremolo, arent you only fighting the string's tension? the tremolo block moves in favor of the springs so they dont prevent string bending up, like some of you said they like fighting strings, or am i wrong?

 

[Quencho092]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

either way, im going to get 5 springs as i never used tremolos. im used to gibson style guitars. and by the way, when you set it flush with the body, how hard should you tighten the screws? I dont want to hurt my deluxe, lol.

 

[Norman_T]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

either way, im going to get 5 springs as i never used tremolos. im used to gibson style guitars. and by the way, when you set it flush with the body, how hard should you tighten the screws? I dont want to hurt my deluxe, lol.

Until you just hear the gentle cracking of the wood or the paint whichever comes first :22: :joke:

John,

On most of my (3) strats they have 3 springs (including Blackie) - all angled. I have found this to be the best compromise. I very rarely use the tremelo bar and frankly as most of my strats have vintage blocks it just is not worth using and they are all flush to the body. On my EC strat none - its blocked up with a piece of wood. On my custom built strat .. just checking ...3. I use 10's by the way.

Norman
Norman

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

...its blocked up with a piece of wood. I use 10's by the way.

Norman
Norman

Same here, all 3 of my strats are blocked. The 4th one is a hardtail! :duh:

B

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

Thanks to all for the many replies on my post...You guys all rock!

John

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

Three springs. Set flush, 10-46. Tuning staility is good, but not perfect if I really get on it.

 

[Frantic_Rock]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

4 Springs. Flush. Use it for wiggle - on beautiful beautiful altered chords

I lubricate all parts of the tremolo with machine oil or Olive oil when I don't have machine oil: nut, string trees, saddles, and tremolo screws. Helps a lot - wiggling never gets me out of tune. But when I dive all 3 treble strings go sharp...

I use 10-52 strings

What I particularly like about Flush bridge - is string breakage keeps you in tune. Another good thing is I can bend notes within other holding out (Little Wing Solo...) I took this idea from Eric Johnson - he uses 10-50 nickel strings and all 5 tremolo springs. He doesn't use his tremolo

 

[\m/(00)\m/]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

on my charvel model 1 i have 3 springs set like this | | |, with ernie ball 9-46. gonna switch to 10-46 though
on my charvel sann dimas 3, i have it / | \ with ernie ball 9-46 though im considering makeng the jump to 10's

 

[Monty-Jay]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

I've been using 12-60, tuned Eb with the trem just *barely* floating and all 5 springs. I very rarely use the trem, so I don't have too many issues with going out of tune. I'm planning on building a custom strat with a bunch of changes though, so it's gonna be interesting to see how it comes out

MJ

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Strat Users With .010s How Many Tremolo Springs Do You Use?

2 springs....I really do not like the added tension of more than three.
Even my Wolfie with a Floyd uses 2 springs, and that guitar is sporting 11-48 in normal tuning right now.