Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
For 20 years, I've played strats but disliked the Fender screw in bars because of the loose wobbly feel. Even after screwing it all the way in, the threads would weaken, making it impossible to keep the bar solid in play. For years, I anchored it down and ditched the bar. I play Gibsons half the time, so I don't miss the trem on Strats.
So tonight, I met up with Gr8Scott, who's in LA for the week. We went to West LA Music and Truetone Music, my favorite guitar store, then went to a Mexican restaurant.
We were talking to the techs at Truetone, when I brought up the idea of changing my Fender bridge for a Wilkinson, because of the bar tension issue.
The techs at Truetone know strats, and cater to many of the top players, so the guy pulls out a half inch hard tension spring, specifically made for dropping into the bridge hole, and exerting massive pressure on the underside of the bar.
DUH!!!! How did I manage to go this long, especially on guitar forums, and NEVER hear about this trick???
It's simply a half inch black spring that's super strong. You can't even flex it with your fingers. They charged me $2 for it, and it really works. Now, the Fender trem bar is as tight as I want it, depending on how tight I screw it in.
It's got the same firm feel as a Wilkinson or Floyd. I may buy a bag of these, if they're cheaper that way.
The only catch. You either have to transport your guitar with the bar in, or you need to carefully take it out each time. It's a tiny spring that's easily lost, so that's the only negative.
So tonight, I met up with Gr8Scott, who's in LA for the week. We went to West LA Music and Truetone Music, my favorite guitar store, then went to a Mexican restaurant.
We were talking to the techs at Truetone, when I brought up the idea of changing my Fender bridge for a Wilkinson, because of the bar tension issue.
The techs at Truetone know strats, and cater to many of the top players, so the guy pulls out a half inch hard tension spring, specifically made for dropping into the bridge hole, and exerting massive pressure on the underside of the bar.
DUH!!!! How did I manage to go this long, especially on guitar forums, and NEVER hear about this trick???
It's simply a half inch black spring that's super strong. You can't even flex it with your fingers. They charged me $2 for it, and it really works. Now, the Fender trem bar is as tight as I want it, depending on how tight I screw it in.
It's got the same firm feel as a Wilkinson or Floyd. I may buy a bag of these, if they're cheaper that way.
The only catch. You either have to transport your guitar with the bar in, or you need to carefully take it out each time. It's a tiny spring that's easily lost, so that's the only negative.
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