What's your whammy? 3? or 5 springs?

[Viceroy]

Just wondering....

I'm refitting this MIM Strat with a Callaham bridge and it came with 5 springs. The stock, crappy bridge I removed only had 3 springs.

Does anyone use 5 springs??

[J_Lee]

I have one with 5 and one with 3 springs (otherwise similar strats). The number of springs does effect how they sound acoustically. The one with 3 springs sustains longer and has a little more of that "spring reverb" sound. Both stay in tune well. String bending feels a little softer on the strat with 3 springs. It is all personal preference.

[E5RSY]

I used to use 4, but recently went to 5. It feels more solid to me and not as spongy when I bend strings.

[otterhound]

Mine has three . It was that way when I bought it .

[tazzboy]

When I had a Stratocaster I put 5 in there.

[2tone60thAsh]

4 springs here.

Had three from factory, tended to not feel as solid as it should since I do a lot of bending. Took it to my luthier (Mellecaster, he da man!) and he put an extra spring on there for me and set it up to my desire, has felt perfect since then.

[Stuco]

I have 4 on mine but the 4th (aftermarket) is a lot tighter than the stock ones. I will be putting five of the Am. Std. type springs in mine at some point. I like to keep the bridge against the body but that's just my preference.

[jrich99]

Well, I havent messed with the ones on my strats (both came with 3) but SRV used 5, so I plan on trying it at some point.

[edgemarc]

This all depends the initial tension of the individual spring. If one springs tension is greater than another then three springs of greater tension may operate the same as four or five of lesser tension. The combined initial tension would be the true variable. I have noticed a difference in trem spring tension which is probably a quality issue. Various manufactures of springs may use slightly different alloys and different temper methods. I'm not saying one spring is better than another but because springs vary there is more to this than 3 or 5 springs.

[metropolis74]

Going from the stock 3 springs to 4 springs is a nice compromise for me with 10-46 strings and bridge floating. Wiggling the trem feels nice and smooth, yet not too loose or much flutter when I bend or hit the strings hard. I set my Strat bridges up the same regardless of 2-point style or vintage style. I even put 4 springs in my Kahler (Floyd Rose type) bridge in my HM Strat.

The only Strat bridge I decked with 5 springs was a pre-upgrade MIM Standard I once had.

[still_fiddlin]

I have 3, but use the half-light hybrid strings. I tried 4 (per Callaham recommendation) but with their shorter arm I didn't like it as much, though either works. I imagine it depends to some degree on the string gauge you use (e.g., SRV and 5 springs).

[Old Cane]

My strat has 5. My strato-partster has 4 i realized. i was tinkering and fogot to put the middle one back on.

[JMPRO]

But of coarse you must remember that Leo started with only 3 springs, decided 3 was not good enough and went to 5.

[jrfrond]

Originally Posted by J_Lee

The number of springs does effect how they sound acoustically. The one with 3 springs sustains longer and has a little more of that "spring reverb" sound.....String bending feels a little softer on the strat with 3 springs.

If you are using 9's or 10's, 3 springs is probably the best way to go (this is what I use), and part of it IS because of the natural reverb and "braaaang" you get from springs with higher tension. If you use 5 springs with these string gauges, you must lower the spring tension if you want the trem to float a bit, which is the "normal" Strat setup, so that you can pull up a bit too. The lower tension with 5 springs feels tight and sounds a little darker. But again, it IS all personal preference.

[guitarzan13]

4 in my Paul Reed Smith and 3 in all of my Strats

[romo]

i have one strat with 3 and another with 4. the bridge is floating on both and they play about the same. to get the right feel i had to add a fourth spring to my second strat when i got it.

[taterhead]

5 on the Fender strat. 11's on there and bridge planted firmly against body. (I don't use the tremolo).

My G&L came with a claw that only holds 3 springs, so it gets 3 and a block of wood behind the block.

[Eric_M]

I have one Strat-type with a floating Wilkinson and 10s; I use three springs on that. For my Strat with a vintage-type trem, strung with 11s, I'm going to add a fourth spring.

Originally Posted by JMPRO

But of course you must remember that Leo started with only 3 springs, decided 3 was not good enough and went to 5.

True, but that was to counteract the heavy string gauges of the day.

[Shoved BassVIII]

5 and always non floating. It acts like a hardtail, but the trem is still usable. I also use a heavier bar.

[A.B.Negative]

I use 3 (1 straight and 2 angled) with 10-52s and a floating trem.

[stantheman]

I've alway preferred 5 - She's got 5 pairs of stirrups and She always stays in tune. I just came on because I haven't touched my Strat in some time. It's been all Tele & SG Classic.
So this afternoon instead raking leaves...

[alnicopu]

I play blues with lots of 1 and 2 string bends with 11's. I tried 5 with the claw screws all the way in and still felt like I was fighting to make 1/2 tone bends without drifting flat. One of the reasons I took back my 08 American standard. I now have a mim strat (the mia wasn't 800.00 better imo) with the trem blocked off. I put 2 springs in just to hold the battery for my active mid-boost.

I never got that reverb thing people say about the springs. But then again I know an amp guy who built 2 amps to prove a point. Both hand wired. They were identical except for one had carbon comp resistors and cloth covered wire, the other with carbon film resistors and vinyl wires. No one who played the two could tell the difference. The guy he built it for absolutely wanted cloth wire and carbon comps swearing he could tell the dif. He could not. But then again he was argueing that the cotton covering of today is grown with more chemicals. Whats next? Free range copper?

[kinkstah]

I use 5 springs... but I never use the trem!

[Tele Fan]

I use 5 since I use .011's.

[boris bubbanov]

I use 11's, 10.5s and 10's.

Most of my guitars have 4 or 5 springs but one has 3. The number of springs doesn't actually follow the string guage - the pattern is loose.

Each individual guitar will have its own needs. I don't think you can predict how many some guitar may need until you play it, set it up some more, play it some more.

I like the bridge plate, when at rest, to be about an 1/8ths inches off the deck. I call this "slamming" after the low rider cars and trucks. Decking is where the plate is on the deck. Blocking is when you actually install a block in there.

Leo ( Mr. George Fullerton, honestly) switched to room for 5 not because all Strats need 5 but because some do.

[TxTeleMan]

I used three on my Strat, with Dean Markley Vintage regular guage strings, 10-46. The trem was set up per Fender specs, floating. It worked great and I didn't have tuning problems.

[bo]

5-no gargle!

[qblue]

I have 5 springs w/ a tremsetter on a Strat Ultra, and 3 springs on the '71 model. Ithink the biggest difference between them is the Ultra has a 2-point trem and the '71 has a 6-point trem. The 6 point is really stiff, compared to the 2-point trem. I like the 2-point a lot better, because the guitar stays in tune.

[Viceroy]

Thanks to everyone for their input!

After playing this guitar for a couple of weeks set up this way (with 3 springs, and keeping the bridge floating, with a .010 - .046 set of strings), I'm finding it to be a little problematic.

The problem is that I don't like what happens when bending a string while playing another note - it causes the other un-bended note to go flat. Worse, when bending two strings with one sounding un-bended is even worse. I can watch the tremolo arm move when bending strings. I've been playing the Tele for so long, I forgot what it was like to play with a trem bridge. So, I'm thinking that I'll try to beef up the springs and not have the bridge float. Just use the tremolo arm for bending downwards in hopes of minimizing or even eliminating that effect of the bending throwing other notes out.

How do you all cope with the floating bridge, bending notes and keeping things in tune?

[franchelB]

Whenever I use my Strat, I can get by with 3 springs.

[Xchekker94]

I use .11's on my two Strats that are tuned to e-flat and .10's on the rest of my Strats that are standard tuned. All bridges float. I have used three, four and five spring setups on my Strats regardless of string guage. After experimenting for years I found that three springs is perfect. Five is WAY too stiff for me. Try playin' "Lenny" with five springs! I also found that the trem arm length makes a huge difference too.

For years I had a really long arm, that I can't remember where I bought it from, and found that accurate string picking with that arm in my picking hand was all but impossible. The longest arm that Callaham Guitars sells works perfectly for me.

The trem does move when I bend strings, but I've somehow been able to compensate for adjacent strings going flat. I can't tell you how because I've just been doing it for a really long time without noticing. Keeping in tune is easy with fresh springs, a proper setup and if you don't do EVH dive bombs. Even Jimi would have to tune back up after cranking on the trem arm.

[atroy]

Originally Posted by Xchekker94

The trem does move when I bend strings, but I've somehow been able to compensate for adjacent strings going flat. I can't tell you how because I've just been doing it for a really long time without noticing. Keeping in tune is easy with fresh springs, a proper setup and if you don't do EVH dive bombs. Even Jimi would have to tune back up after cranking on the trem arm.

Same here. It's an unconscious compensation. First started for me back in the metal 80s when I used a floating Floyd Rose.

These days 3 springs pulling a Standard Strat bridge, floating so I can surf when I feel like it.

[Stuco]

Originally Posted by JMPRO

But of coarse you must remember that Leo started with only 3 springs, decided 3 was not good enough and went to 5.

Did he "go to 5" or just make them so that 5 springs could be used? In other words, did any strats ever come from the factory with 5 springs?

P.S. Is that your prototype strat that's been shown on the tdpri before? If so, could we see some pics again?

[johnreardon]

Originally Posted by Stuco

Did he "go to 5" or just make them so that 5 springs could be used? In other words, did any strats ever come from the factory with 5 springs?

P.S. Is that your prototype strat that's been shown on the tdpri before? If so, could we see some pics again?

Yes

All Strats, including mine, that were sold in the UK, when I were a lad, in the 60's had 5 springs.

[Birdmankustomz]

...2... I lost one, I want to go to 5 though.

[magicguitar]

I use four and thinking about going up to five.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by Viceroy

Thanks to everyone for their input!

After playing this guitar for a couple of weeks set up this way (with 3 springs, and keeping the bridge floating, with a .010 - .046 set of strings), I'm finding it to be a little problematic.

The problem is that I don't like what happens when bending a string while playing another note - it causes the other un-bended note to go flat. Worse, when bending two strings with one sounding un-bended is even worse. I can watch the tremolo arm move when bending strings. I've been playing the Tele for so long, I forgot what it was like to play with a trem bridge. So, I'm thinking that I'll try to beef up the springs and not have the bridge float. Just use the tremolo arm for bending downwards in hopes of minimizing or even eliminating that effect of the bending throwing other notes out.

How do you all cope with the floating bridge, bending notes and keeping things in tune?

I couldn't cope.

So I would add a spring, or tighten the trem claw, or both. Until I could.

But now I am considering a different approach. Playing (trem Strats) with less string bending. To get back to more of a virginal sound that is best got with 3 trem springs or possibly 2. Sacrificing big bends and deep whammies for a sweet, innocent tone. Maybe going back from 11s to 10s.

Any of ya'll fool with different types and tensions of strings in a reverb chamber on a cheap amp you did not worry about wrecking? To a very subtle degree the individual tension per trem spring seems to effect the sound. One trem spring, along with 4 others can dominate and defeat the strings without breaking a sweat. But a trem spring (underused) like that is not being challenged is like a tube in an amplifier that is turned down real low. A lot of the benefit of a tube amp is basically lost. By "stressing" the springs more interesting effects may be evident.

[telestroker]

4 springs.

.010 - .046 strings.

[redstringuitar]

3 springs, 10 - 46 strings, if I up the string gauge, will go to 4 or 5.

[WickedGTR]

2 or 3 here. Depends.