Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

my ears aren't that sensitive to notice a change in tone just by removing a plastic cover..

for me,
its like saying the clothes i wear that day to play my guitar influences tone..yeah right
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

Well, to contradict a bit what I earlier wrote.. all factors count. Once you're aware of changing of these factors, they might influence you, but not tonewise (directly), but in your confidence in playing, perhaps indirectly leading to better tone? *cough*placebo*cough*
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

I don't currently have a strat (or any guitars with a functioning trem) but when I did used to play strats I always took the cover off. Not for tonal reasons though, haha. The idea that removeing a small peice of plastic is gonna improve tone seems ridiculous (although I guess it could be true, who knows?). I just took em off cause I felt it made string changes much quicker. Thats it.

Heres a question though....If removeing the trem cover improves resonance or whatever....Why not remove the Pickgaurd too? thats a much larger peice of plastic, so you'de think the change would be That much larger. Or Ya could go a step further, and Remove Everything. Your Body would resonate like crazy if ya didn't have that stupid bridge, neck and strings attached!
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

I've always had mine off because I always have 5 heavy duty trem springs to "hardtail" my bridges. This makes the block so far back the cover would have to be forced back on.

Change in tone: couldn't tell ya, I've had my cover off my Strat for more than 10 years.
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

jeremy said:
i used to keep it off back in the day, i was playing a show and was getting a little to showy and decided to rip a solo with the guitar behind my head. everything was great until i tried to pull the guitar down to normal playing position and found that my lovely locks were stuck in the springs. that sucked hard boys gotta tell ya.
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Spinal Tap worthy story dude! :chairfall
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

I gotta try that. One of my Strats has five springs loaded and sometime if I am really rapping the strings I can hear the springs making noise. Did that change your tone in a major way at all? I ask cause it has been said that the springs are the reason a traditional bridge sounds more stratlike than a hard tailed strat.

As far as covers.... I can't see a piece of plastic making any difference at all. At first I though the original post was referring to the ashtray cover that early starts had on the over the bridge :)

WhoFan said:
i normally keep the trem cover on for one reason.... i stuff foam in there to stop the springs from ringing out... i don't like that spring noise when i hit the strings hard...

Some axes in my collection don't have their covers because i got lazy and never put them back on...
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Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

WhoFan said:
i normally keep the trem cover on for one reason.... i stuff foam in there to stop the springs from ringing out... i don't like that spring noise when i hit the strings hard...

Some axes in my collection don't have their covers because i got lazy and never put them back on...
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That's funny, because that's one of the things I love about Strats!
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

RD, that certainly is a defining characteristic of a stratocaster. However, it's HIGHLY annoying under more than moderate amounts of gain, IMO. I ended up taking it out on my HWY1, but left the foam in on my Aria.
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

guitarded said:
At first I though the original post was referring to the ashtray cover that early starts had on the over the bridge :)
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thats what i thought at first too, i was like who the hell keeps that thing on. its best use is an ashtray
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

Well if it makes a difference, I will never know because I always take them off and toss them in the parts box. I run 5 springs on the strats with a bit of tape around one end of the springs to quiet noise.
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

Don't take it off if you are in the habit of playing guitar naked.
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

^auch
I heard the grass growing when I took mine off!!
Hehe anyways I removed it because it is a pain in the behind to change strings, with that damn thing there:D
And I hate when the springs are damped...takes all away that makes it a trem equipped strat, and I use two springs....I hear the grass growing better that way;)
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

Actually I thought about seeing if Warmoth would make me a 2/3 length back cover that would just cover the claw and the springs while leaving the trem block exposed (or just cut a 'regular' one myself). I don't like the way the springs sound when I have the back off, so I dampen them with strips of cloth. The 2/3 cover might be the best of both worlds-decreased spring noise and easy access to the block for string changes...
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

Low_fidelity2100 said:
Heres a question though....If removeing the trem cover improves resonance or whatever....Why not remove the Pickgaurd too? thats a much larger peice of plastic, so you'de think the change would be That much larger. Or Ya could go a step further, and Remove Everything. Your Body would resonate like crazy if ya didn't have that stupid bridge, neck and strings attached!
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I note the obvious sarcasm in this and I shall reply with dry wit: If I remove the pickguard, where will I put the pups? How do I play a stringless guitar? Or string a guitar without a bridge?

The trem cover isn't a necessary part, and is a pain in the ass in more than one way. It's a waste of plastic if you ask me.

If anyone wants mine, they're welcome to take it.
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

ratherdashing said:
That's funny, because that's one of the things I love about Strats!
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well i like a little trem spring noise but on some strats i get a lot... i guess it depends on how it's set up... i have a few floating strat bridges and i didn't use the foam on those ones.. But on most of my axes were the bridges are set flush and go down only i mostly place the foam in there...

I used to have a strat that on some notes the springs were really alive and over powering.... so i started placing the foam in there...
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

I took mine off, just because it's easier to change springs, then i lost it, so it never went back on. Can't say i've noticed a change in sound mind you.
 
Re: Trem Cover on a Strat...do you remove it?

I've been watching this thread and I must say, it's a good laugh. This "theory" runs along the same lines as believing that putting "SS" or "GT" decals on your car or truck will make it go faster. ;)

There will be absolutely zero difference in the tone of the guitar with the cover on or off. If you can hear any, it's because you want to and you're making yourself believe it.

Let's not get in to the science of it and if there is a remote chance of it being there. To the human ear, the change is zero.
 
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