Tremelo sprang thang....

[Blues Hurler]

Another novice question! So, she comes with 3 springs, but has room for 5. What's the deal-e-o? I'm assuming that 5 holds things in tune better? Does anyone use 4? Is the trem still useful with 5? When the tech set it up (hywy 1 strat) he tightened the 2 screws to put more tension on the springs. If I go to 5 should I back the screws out again? How the heck do ya know where those screws should be set?
I always get the answers I need from you guys! Thanks!

[Lance]

I use 5 in my Custom Shop '54 strat. I think it sounds better and stays in tune better. You just back out the claw to compensate. Wont hurt nuthing.

[Kevin]

I always use three, with the middle straight and the outers angled in.

Five springs, IMO, were made for those heavy, wound-third, sets of strings from the 50's. With .009s or .010s three is sufficient. Although the resting tension of five springs and three springs is the same, the resistance to dumping will be much greater with five springs. I like a smooth, light feel.

AFA how far to screw them in, you adjust tension to where the trem floats in the position that you want it to be, and returns to pitch after using the bar....

That last part is the art of setting up a strat. It can take a while to get the right height for the mounting/pivot screws and the right tension on the springs. Of course, if you set the trem flush with the body, you can increase the tension of the springs....

If your tech has it set up so that it plays in tune, I wouldn't mess with it.

[Blues Hurler]

Out of curiosity:
Lance, why do you think it sounds better?
Kevin, why the angle?

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by gibson guy

Out of curiosity:
Lance, why do you think it sounds better?
Kevin, why the angle?

I have a real scientific reason for it: a tech set one up for me that way once, and I've always done it that way since then....

Now, I'd never really thought about it for a lot of years -- that's just how I'd always done it! Last year, though, I found some "justification" for doing it this way in Dan Erlewine's book How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great. Here's a quote from that book:

Originally Posted by Tom Anderson

I use three springs, and I like them to be opened up some, and never want them closed -- open enough that even with the arm pulled back, the springs remain open. I angle the outside springs to center because I like a relatively stiff feel when I push the arm down. The two springs angling to center are already exerting almost enough pressure to balance the strings by themselves. This produces a smooth, cushy feel because the more a spring is open the less resistance it has. As you push down, the angled springs give easily, and the almost-closed middle spring, which is carrying very little of the string tension, offers the resistance that adds a stiffness that I like.

-Tom Anderson, Anderson Guitarworks, Newbury Park, California

My guess is that five springs gives a really stiff feel, and maybe that's what Lance is after -- it's really personal preference.

Hope this helps....

[Blues Hurler]

Great stuff. Thanks!

[hiptone]

I have 3 springs in my 50's classic, the 2 were angled but I put them back in parallel. I do like the explanation for the angled pair though, great concept!! But here's what I like about the 3 springs, you can play the tremelo without the bar by using pressure on the bridge with your resting hand. What a great sound to give to a Strat, just the right amount of subliminal trem. Listen to SRV's Lenny and free yourself from the bar.

Bert

[RussG]

Kevin's right. 5 springs are a throwback to the 50s when strings were heftier. 4 springs are the max for me. One of my Strat's got 4, the other 3. I play .10s on both, so the 3-spring thing is just a little softer. But Bert's nailed it. Put that whammy down and use your palm -- not for plowing and diving, but for a nice taste of "shimmer" at the end of a sustain note or chord. The true magic of a Strat.

[Blues Hurler]

Alright! Never thought of that. I'll try it.

[hiptone]

Russ G has got it right. The Strat feel and sound sits on the tension balance of the strings and springs. The weight of the block gives the sustain and when you play it you feel that balance and you can work it. That's why the Strat is so revered by those who have figured this out. It is the only guitar that has this feel, sort of like a Porsche 911 on a mountain road, an exhilaration on the edge of out of controlness. Leo pegged it. 5 springs are like a muscle car, 3 like a roadster.

Bert

[hiptone]

Russ G has got it right. The Strat feel and sound sits on the tension balance of the strings and springs. The weight of the block gives the sustain and when you play it you feel that balance and you can work it. That's why the Strat is so revered by those who have figured this out. It is the only guitar that has this feel, sort of like a Porsche 911 on a mountain road, an exhilaration on the edge of out of controlness. Leo pegged it. 5 springs are like a muscle car, 3 like a roadster.

Bert

[RussG]

It's just such a natural move for me, I even do the "Strat palm-shimmer move" when playing my Les Paul. Of course it has no effect, but I catch myself doing it from time to time -- pretty funny, actually. A Stratocaster was my first "real" guitar back when I was jest a kid (1966 -- whew!) and I been shimmerin' ever since...

[David Rolling]

...the two outer pairs. My guitar just won't stay in tune with 3 but feels too stiff with all 5. The extra springs are cheap (mine also came with 3) and fun to experiment with, but like someone already said;

If your tech has it set up so that it plays in tune, I wouldn't mess with it.

[stantheman]

it's five springs. I seldom use a wank bar unless it's a Bigsby which I'll use every wankin' moment, strange but
I've always felt that the Bigsby is superior by far than all those other contraptions,but I'd never buy a hardtail strat
unless it was a sick deal on an early 90's Robert Cray and
even then I dunno, I like having those 5 springs there.