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First electric guitar (Strat), need tremolo adjustment help

#43
I do all the setups on GF’s Strat collection. Adjusting the trem is no big deal. And a complete guitar setup is no more difficult than a bass setup is. Fender publishes a complete setup guide on their website you can download and print out. Alternatively you can watch a vid on YouTube if you want to be shown how rather than read about doing it. Dave’s World of Fun Stuff channel is solid and worth watching for setup help as long as you get Dave’s grumpy old dude schtick is just him messing with people.

Hey, if I can do a good Strat setup almost anybody can. Be brave!
 
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#44
My friend... holy crap. Your guitar needs more tension on the trem springs. If you're wanting to use a floating trem, it's best to just take it to a luthier because it's trial and error and you might not have all the parts needed to get the job done right. Otherwise, you can just hardtail it with a block of wood or super high tension springs so that you can still use it as a whammy - but not a floating trem.
 
#46
It doesn't need to be trial & error.
Here's how you get the spring tension just right the first time:

<add: first, slack the strings, detune the guitar>

Screw the claw screws in until the shank meets the wood.

overlaypage_clip_image002.jpg


Do not keep screwing until the shank goes into the hole!

Now get something just the right thickness to prop up the bridge under tension.
Fender specifies that the rear end of the bridge should be 1/8" of an inch off the body.

Tune the guitar to pitch.
Start backing off the two claw screws, carefully & evenly, until the thing you propped the bridge up with falls out.

You're done!

However, don't forget the other things that go along with a setup, like neck relief, action, intonation. All of that is in the Fender guide I posted earlier.

In summary, it's not that difficult, so please don't remove the functionality of a floating bridge by blocking it.

edited: added the part about slacking the strings first
 
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#50
Do what you like to your guitar, but don't encourage another person to do that on their first string change, is what I'm on about.
It's not that difficult, & shouldn't be immediately blocked just for convenience.

Did you even read the rest of my post, explaining how easy it is to get the spring tension right the first time?
 
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#54
What was the old string gauge and what is the new string gauge?

I’m not sure it needs more springs, it shouldn’t, unless you jumped up several gauges. I would start by tightening the tremolo screws in the back. It’s pretty common to have to do that even after a string change of the same brand and gauge. Tighten each one about a full turn and then re-tune it and see where the bridge is at. Keep repeating that until bridge is where you want it. The bridge should never be fully against the body, you should always be able to pull up on the trem arm a bit without the bridge bottoming out on wood.
 
#58
Killed_by_Death said:
It doesn't need to be trial & error.
Here's how you get the spring tension just right the first time:

Screw the claw screws in until the shank meets the wood.

View attachment 2957048

Do not keep screwing until the shank goes into the hole!

Now get something just the right thickness to prop up the bridge under tension.
Fender specifies that the rear end of the bridge should be 1/8" of an inch off the body.

Tune the guitar to pitch.
Start backing off the two claw screws, carefully & evenly, until the thing you propped the bridge up with falls out.

You're done!

However, don't forget the other things that go along with a setup, like neck relief, action, intonation. All of that is in the Fender guide I posted earlier.

In summary, it's not that difficult, so please don't remove the functionality of a floating bridge by blocking it.
Click to expand...

There ya go! That’s how I do it too. Hardly rocket science. :thumbsup:
 
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#59
Killed_by_Death said:
View attachment 2957092
:roflmao:
Click to expand...

Just so you know. Not everybody wants the trem. So no fault, no foul blocking it if that’s what you want.

My GF doesn’t really care for trems or use them much. But if she finds a Strat she really likes the sound of and how well it plays, it not being a hardtail isn’t going to be a dealbreaker for her.

I don’t block her trems because she sometimes (very rarely) will use one. But if I suggested it she’d probably just tell me to leave it functional on one of her eight or nine (I’ve lost count) just in case.
 
#60
Truth is you don't need to block it to play slide on it. Block it if you must, but don't make that your first piece of advice when a new Strat owner has a problem with the level of float in their bridge.

I'm having trouble keeping my tires inflated.
Oh, then you should just fill them all with fix-a-flat :smug:

It's the simplest solution, but probably not the one that was being asked.
I think this is the main reason so many Strat owners block them, simply because it was the first piece of advice they got.

If they got the more complex, but more correct advice, they might not have blocked it.
 

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