Mustang Tailpiece Resonance

[Ryan0594]

The vibrato unit on my Vintera Mustang resonates incredibly when I'm playing on certain frets. . . it's very noticeable whilst unplugged and is so profound it is a considerable variable insofar as sound/volume/sustain/etc

Does anyone know what the actual reason / cause is behind this phenomena? Is it the string vibrating at a frequency sympathetic to the mass of the bridge?

Either way, who has experimented with a pickup BEHIND the bridge, and is it worth it?

 

[Deaf Eddie]

My e-pal Creston Lea built a guitar with a pickup behind the bridge. I have no further comment or knowledge...

 

[Moonraker5]

Are you saying the unit plate is ringing out or is it the strings from the bridge to their anchor points that are sympathetically ringing out?

 

[AAT65]

In a Jazzmaster you certainly get sympathetic resonances in the strings between the bridge and tailpiece (though I don't really think I hear them come through the pickups). A Mustang tremolo has much shorter strings behind the bridge but I expect they will still resonate (at higher frequencies). The Mustang tremolo springs may also resonate a bit.

 

[BorderRadio]

These resonances happen not only in Jazzmasters, but any guitar with a trapeze tailpiece or non-tension bar Bigsby. I have to palm mute for hard stops to eliminate them. I also tried the rubber grommet thing, then moved on to heat shrink tubing the lengths behind the bridge. I also used leather string behind the bridge. Neither eliminated it completely, so I stick with my technique.

The common denominator seems to be the shallow break angle behind the bridge. The good thing about a Dynamic Vibrato (Mustang) is the break angle is adjustable. Try moving the bar down. It’s usually bad practice, but moving it down so the strings touch the back lip of the bridge might mute the resonance.

I’ve messed with behind-the-bridge pickups on JMs, but never committed to it. I play behind the bridge for weird tones, but what comes out the amp with normal pickups is fine for me. I rather use a pickup for a set of sympathetic strings like John McLaughlin’s acoustic than use random atonal bits. A Mustang would be a little difficult, as there is so little room to work with. Not worth the hassle IMHO, but if it’s part of your thing, have at it!

 

[Boreas]

My guess is that if you are hearing it, it is more likely the springs that are resonating. Some Strat players mute their springs with foam blocks because of unwanted resonances. I tried it and it works, but I removed the block because I could hear the springs interacting with the foam when not plugged in! You could try the same thing with the Mustang - perhaps using a stout rubber band between them. I never really noticed it happening on mine, but I suppose setup differences can increase or decrease the resonances. I wouldn't think the "tailpiece" pickup would get you much from the strings, since certain notes will have different resonant qualities because of the springs. To me, Mustangs are jangly and that is part of their charm.

 

[radiocaster]

It's louder on Mustangs with higher bridges, but doesn't have much effect when plugged in.

 

[Ryan0594]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

My tailpiece is super high, which may contribute to it. . . an A string rooted 7th fret E Minor resonates unbelievably. . . one touch of the tail stops the overpowering reverberation. . .

it's not a big deal, just a cool quirk!