#1937540 - 05/05/08 04:22 PM
Am I Correct On Tremolo Springs?
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Zack Pomerleau
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Registered: 10/28/07
Posts: 436
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Are the more you put, the harder it is to push down, or is a support thing for string size? Guys at Guitar center didn't have an answer...
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#1937546 - 05/05/08 04:35 PM
Re: Am I Correct On Tremolo Springs?
[Re: Zack Pomerleau]
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Kramer Ferrington III.
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Registered: 05/12/05
Posts: 9412
Loc: Wellington, NZ
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I thought it was both?
Many moons ago, when I had a Floyd Rose (copy) on a guitar I wound up putting all six springs in because otherwise, it just felt too loose and didn't come back up quickly or accurately enough.
I guess that would have been a function of string gauge, but also a personal preference for the feel of a tougher lever.
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#1937571 - 05/05/08 05:30 PM
Re: Am I Correct On Tremolo Springs?
[Re: Kramer Ferrington III.]
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mdrs
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Loc: rural PA
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It is both.
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#1937575 - 05/05/08 05:42 PM
Re: Am I Correct On Tremolo Springs?
[Re: mdrs]
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guitarzan
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Registered: 02/26/02
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there are variances , depending on how tight you set the springs as well. but generally speaking the higher the gauge the more springs. you can tighten springs but you don't want them over tightened. just enough to do a whole step bend without the bridge moving.
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#1937714 - 05/06/08 01:11 AM
Re: Am I Correct On Tremolo Springs?
[Re: guitarzan]
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GeoffB
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What was said above^ plus, the overall tension is set by how much or how little you screw in the lugs which hold the springs to the body. These are the two big screws.
You could use 2 springs & screw the big screws right into the body to equalise the string tension, or you could use 5 springs and keep the screws long - both will work, but would give you a different feel. You'd need to experiment.
I don't use a trem now - mine's blocked, but I used to go for 3 springs & a middling screw-length.
G.
_________________________
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the World will know Peace": Jimi Hendrix
Frank M:Back in the day you could have a trio with two people.
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#1937786 - 05/06/08 05:16 AM
Re: Am I Correct On Tremolo Springs?
[Re: GeoffB]
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Caevan O'Shite
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Registered: 04/05/02
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What Geoff said above! 
Strike a good balance between the tension set by the spring-claw (those two big screws that hold the springs on that claw-like fixture) and the number of springs. I personally like three, or sometimes four, springs with the spring-claw pulled back a good bit, say, more or less three-quarters of its travel to the tight-side...
Also apply a smal drop of clear Teflon gel lube to each and every physical contact-point between each moving piece of the trem-bridge: the springs and spring-claw and the holes their other ends go into on the tail-block (a.k.a. inertia-block), the screws/studs/knife-edge fulcrums/etc. that the bridge rests against, even beneath the strings on the individual bridge-saddles. This will help the trem-bridge to perform its best, reducing tuning troubles, and working more quietly, more free from squeaks and rustles.
Check out either of the excellent books that Dan Erlewine's written- How To Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great!, and/or the Guitar Player Repair Guide for more specific details involving measurement and precise set-up adjustments; highly recommended! 
I also like for the bar itself- the handle- to feel snug and without play or looseness; many whammy-bars have an adjustment for this, and if there isn't, or it isn't effective, a small amount of Teflon plumbing/thread tape (non-adhesive), wrapped a few times around the threads found on most bars, will snug things up nicely. Some folks drop a small spring like that found in some retractable-pen's into the threaded hole where the bar is inserted to do the same.
_________________________
~Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite~
_ _ ___ _ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _
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#1937995 - 05/06/08 09:58 AM
Re: Am I Correct On Tremolo Springs?
[Re: Caevan O'Shite]
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Zack Pomerleau
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Registered: 10/28/07
Posts: 436
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Will have to figure this out when I get the Guitar in!
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