Trem springs ringing - flavor or noise?

[RaistMagus]

The springs in my 2013 MIA strat (3 springs, floating trem) are ringing like crazy. They produce a tone of A# and of a very high G.

From your experience, does this affect the strings' vibration and does it come through the amp?

I guess that if this resonance comes through the amp in any way, it would cause the sound to be more muddy because A# is not in the scales I frequent.

For you that have fixed the ringing, what difference, if any, did you notice?

 

[tap4154]

Never heard of that happening. Suppose putting some foam under them would solve it and not interfere with function, but I'll bet it's something else ringing.

 

[RaistMagus]

I'm 100% sure it's the springs, and yes, some foam would stop them from ringing. I'm more interested in your thoughts on if and how will this affect the tone of the guitar.

 

[spauldingrules]

Flavor.

 

[Frodebro]

Never heard of that happening. Suppose putting some foam under them would solve it and not interfere with function, but I'll bet it's something else ringing.

It's the springs, and it's pretty common. I have a pair of foam earplugs stuffed under the springs in my PRS, right where they attach to the claw, that dampens the springs without interfering with the trem.

 

[Tele Fan]

It's noise to me but it's also the nature of the beast if your an aggressive picker.

 

[Hudsonduster]

Foam bits like earplugs will dry out fairly soon and lose their effectiveness; I'd try looping a bit of cotton twine around & through the springs for a kind of dynamic damping. (I'll try it myself as soon as I re-install this tremolo rig!)

 

[Cat MacKinnon]

I find it mildly annoying, and it's more noticeable on some guitars and not others. Sometimes I'll stick something under the springs if I think it needs it. Try taking a small piece of paper towel, fold it in half once or twice to make it thicker, and stick it under the springs. If you like the effect it has, you can always find something a little more "permanent". Just try to find something that isn't really tight under the springs; you just need it to gently touch the springs to keep them from ringing. The foam that pickups are usually packaged in works well, you just need to cut a thin piece off and stick it under the springs.

 

[Frodebro]

Foam bits like earplugs will dry out fairly soon and lose their effectiveness; I'd try looping a bit of cotton twine around & through the springs for a kind of dynamic damping. (I'll try it myself as soon as I re-install this tremolo rig!)

The earplugs I have stuffed in mine have been there since 1997, they're holding up pretty well.

 

[jvin248]

.

Springs will ring. It's noise for the player unless the pickups are overly micro-phonic then it could come through (but you'll have other noise problems to worry about then).

Find some foam and cut strips to run through the center of the springs (pull through with a wire hook), unless you know they are beating against the body then put some there too.

 

[Hudsonduster]

The earplugs I have stuffed in mine have been there since 1997, they're holding up pretty well.

I'm thinking some mild snark about our ossified ears, but I can't stretch the connection far enough. But I'll stand corrected!

 

[brookdalebill]

It's part of the Strat tone, and the main reason I don't play them.
There are many ways to circumvent it.

 

[63 vibroverb]

On some guitars, it sounds like a subtle reverb type effect. Similar to the resonance of a good pine cabinet. On other guitars, it can be annoying with out-of-key ringing that muddies up your playing.

My one strat had this problem, so I stuffed cotton balls into the springs. Quick and easy fix.

 

[HWTele]

Had a PRS that did it, I tamed it with strips of cloth placed inside the term spring but I ended up returning it because I felt for $2k that guitar should have never left the factory.

I hated it .....

 

[LKB3rd]

Maybe you can find them on ebay, someone makes heat shrink rubber tubes to dampen them. I'm sorry but I forget exactly where I saw them.
I got some just because the noise is ugly and annoying whether it comes through the amp or not.

 

[tap4154]

It's the springs, and it's pretty common. I have a pair of foam earplugs stuffed under the springs in my PRS, right where they attach to the claw, that dampens the springs without interfering with the trem.

Okay, just never heard it myself, but my Strats are mostly living in the closet the past 8-10 years, plus both are blocked/decked. Just played one to see if I can hear it, but nothing. Springs do vibrate, but no noticeable noise. Oh well, just another reason to love the Teles

 

[Frodebro]

Okay, just never heard it myself, but my Strats are mostly living in the closet the past 8-10 years, plus both are blocked/decked. Just played one to see if I can hear it, but nothing. Springs do vibrate, but no noticeable noise. Oh well, just another reason to love the Teles

My Strat is decked as well, and the springs don't resonate at all. But my guitars that still have functioning trems do have this anomaly to various degrees. It was only an issue for me with the PRS because I was gigging in a loud band at the time, and the sympathetic ringing was noticeable through my amp.

 

[tap4154]

My Strat is decked as well, and the springs don't resonate at all. But my guitars that still have functioning trems do have this anomaly to various degrees. It was only an issue for me with the PRS because I was gigging in a loud band at the time, and the sympathetic ringing was noticeable through my amp.

Oh... this is sympathetic ringing from amp volume? I thought just from playing the guitar. I never play loud enough to get that, being a home player.

BTW, I just pulled out my old MIJ '68 reissue Strat, which I haven't played in years, and am really digging it again. Even with it's pencil-thin neck, which I'm oddly enjoying again.

 

[Frodebro]

Oh... this is sympathetic ringing from amp volume? I thought just from playing the guitar. I never play loud enough to get that, being a home player.

BTW, I just pulled out my old MIJ '68 reissue Strat, which I haven't played in years, and am really digging it again. Even with it's pencil-thin neck, which I'm oddly enjoying again.

IIRC, it was a combination of amp volume and the sympathetic ringing from the springs working together to make things a bit difficult. The springs would vibrate, which would cause the energy to transfer back through the trem block to the strings, which caused an audible ringing and a tendency to feed back really easily. I don't play out anymore, so the volume part isn't usually an issue, but if I'm playing one of the trem guitars either unplugged or at very low volume I will notice it a little bit, mostly if I'm digging into the strings harder than usual (I generally have a pretty light touch).

 

[bo]

I've had a piece of gaffer's tape over my springs for years. Works great.