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

[Artie]

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

My Johnson Strat came with 3 springs, with the outside two angled in, and the claw about 1.5" back from the body. And, it had tuning problems.

I moved the outside two to be parrallel, added two more springs, tightened down the claw to the body. (I never use a tremolo.) Now the guitar has no more tuning problems, and I swear, it sounds better. Noticeably more "jangle" and harmonics.

 

[Armotron]

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

Ive kept my guitar stock the way it came so far, with 3 springs and the trem floating just a teeny bit, i havent experimented yet to see what i really prefer.

 

[Stratcat]

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

i use 3 but i wnat to add two more because i use .10-.52 strings

OK buddy

 

[aestus]

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

I don't use the tremelo so I have 5 springs, with the tension screws tightened really tight AND it's blocked hehe. I personally don't like the sound of the fixed bridge strats. They are too "dry" sounding. The springs in the back of a strat with a tremolo bridge gives a slight springy, reverb to the tone. It's only slight, but enough to be heard and I like it.

Spreaking of tremelo springs, theres a mod to have a built in reverb in a strat by wiring a pickup in the back cavity facing the springs. The pickup is wired to a pot that controls volume and "mix". I had my doubts until a friend of mine tried it and it actually works. Spring reverb in a strat!

It's not as lush and warm as the tube powered reverb units made by fender, but it's enough to give the strat a wet sound and it's not too boingy and very pleasant. Think of a really airy, light reverb. Thats how it sounds. He usually sets it at about 5 on the volume/mix pot. At 10 it's a little metallic sounding depending on the amp.

 

[Kent S.]

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

I don't use the tremelo so I have 5 springs, with the tension screws tightened really tight AND it's blocked hehe. I personally don't like the sound of the fixed bridge strats. They are too "dry" sounding. The springs in the back of a strat with a tremolo bridge gives a slight springy, reverb to the tone. It's only slight, but enough to be heard and I like it.

Spreaking of tremelo springs, theres a mod to have a built in reverb in a strat by wiring a pickup in the back cavity facing the springs. The pickup is wired to a pot that controls volume and "mix". I had my doubts until a friend of mine tried it and it actually works. Spring reverb in a strat!

It's not as lush and warm as the tube powered reverb units made by fender, but it's enough to give the strat a wet sound and it's not too boingy and very pleasant. Think of a really airy, light reverb. Thats how it sounds. He usually sets it at about 5 on the volume/mix pot. At 10 it's a little metallic sounding depending on the amp.

I think that's this ... the reverbitar ... I cna't get the link to work as I think it's kinda old ...kinda like an electried version of the old Aspree (sp?) mechnical reverb systems were.

 

[Kac]

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

Well.... I don't use 10s.... but With my bullets 9-42... I use 5 springs and have always used 5 springs on any tremelo guitar I have owned...
It mite be a little of a fight with the tremelo.. But I like a good fight. Therefore, i do use the tremelo and with my 5 springs and LSR roller nut I have no problems with staying in tune
Rock On :smoker:

 

[Kent S.]

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

I don't use 10's either (8~38), so I use two springs if flat mounted, and three when floated ... I don't have any double string bend problems really, unless I'm using an open string drone.

 

[Bludave]

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

I use 11's on all my electric guitars. I have 3 Strats and I use either 3 or 4 springs. One guitar I have set the claw very tight so the bridge rests on the body. The other 2 are set very similar. I don't like the bridge to "float". I prefer to have it set to rest on the body. My guitars never go out of tune badly, and I do not use the Whammy all that much any way.

 

[bert123]

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

WHat the ??!!!?? this thread showed up as new so I voted and replied and then noticed it was over a year old.

Angled from block to claw.
Bridge floats has 1/8" between back of tremelo and body.
Using 0.010 to 0.046 Fender bullets on 2 strats.

 

[bungalowbill]

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

I use 'em all with the bridge flush with the body. I like to do pedal steel type bends and I don't want any movement at all. I don't use the bar.

 

[dani]

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

on mi mij contemporary strat with a kahler-made type-1 locking trem, i use 3 springs at an angle with the trem set floating parallel to the body.

on my other strat with a callaham vintage trem, i use 4 springs straight with the butt end of the trem set about 3 degrees above the body.

 

[TheArchitect]

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

The hardtail MIA uses none of course but the MIA trem and Highway 1 both have 5 springs and lock the bridge down to the body.

 

[Jeroen]

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

When I still used .010's, I stuck to 3 springs. Nowadays I use .011's on my Strat, and added a spring.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

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

Wow! Funny to see this thread back.

 

[SlyFoxx]

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

I usually go with .10's and 4 springs leave off the middle. I set for a bit of up pull but only about 1/4 step. I like the action stiff. I cut about 2 inches off the bar and have it bent "just so." That way I can hold the bar in my hand while I pick and not have the tuning going really flat and sharp even when I'm super yanking on it.




as an aside....I actually just picked up a warmoth strat loaded with EMG's on a white "mother of bowling ball" pick guard. I swapped that with a black "mother of bowling ball" pick guard loaded with Carvin passive pups. Sounds a good bit better. I'll post some picks soon. I need to rob the set of
locking tuners off my squire and..........

 

[Pierre]

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

My own basic rule of thumb:
2 for 09s
3 for 09s if you want it tight
2 for 10s if you like it VERY loose
3 for 10s for normal feel
3 with 10/52s (but then it's a bit loose.
4 with 11s.

That's my experience.
Right now my vintage trem is totally flush with the body, I can only push down. My Floyd is also blocked. Both have 4 springs in a 2 + 2 pattern I think. Maybe the Floyd has a slanted one somewhere.
Springs cost about 50 cents. Just experiment. It's a GREAT and cheap way to improve your tone A LOT. At one point I used 5 springs with the unblocked Floyd and that thing would never detune and sustain for ages.

 

[Alvin Lee Fan]

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

Three straight back. I use 10-46 and use the trem and it stays in tune just fine. Vintage trem on a JV Strat.

 

[Robbiedbee]

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

I have 3 on mine, the middle one is parrellel to the neck, the two outer ones are angled to the middle. I use 10s on my Strat. I rarely use the arm though. I tried it with just 2 once, but I added another when I went from 9s to 10s.

 

[75lespaul]

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.

Oh Yeah! I keep 11s on one strat, 10s on my other two along with my other Fenders and 9s on my Les Pauls. I love to start playing on the 11s, then move down to the 10s and 9s. Can't even feel the strings. AWESOME!

By the way John, I use the same spring setup you do on both the 11s and 10s. :smoker:

 

[Ocifer]

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

To get my trem flat (non-floating), I had to use 4 springs. However, I'm using heavier bottoms. 10-52 is the guage, I think.