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Strat Trem Setup


simpleman3441

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So the Dan Erlewine suggested 10 steps for setting up a Fender trem includes blocking the tremolo, but I don't have a block available, let alone one with his dimensions. How can I adapt his steps? Do these steps result in a floating trem? Also, his steps seem to be about the vintage style. How should I set the pole height for mine? And...

 

Please explain this:

[video:youtube]

We cannot accelerate the growth of a tree by pulling on its branches. - Ricardo Iznaola
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I recently set up my white mexican strat from 1991 according to Fender specs and it worked just fine. I loosened the central screws as instructed and balanced the tremolo on the two outer screws. I also raised the back of the tremolo 1/8" (3.2 mm) as per Fender specs. I balanced the bridge with the strings in tune, without blocking it.

End result: the bridge is perfectly balanced, tuning survives dive bombs and the tremolo works one and a half tones up and dive bombs down.

I like tremolo to be usable both ways as I like to use it to vibrate and fine tune bendings, Gilmour style. If I did not want my bridge unstable and balanced on springs I would buy a Tele, or maybe a Gibson to have more sustain and intonation.

Then I used some bore oil from my flute on the saddles and string retainer at the headstock. I am also considering adding some graphite from a pencil in the nut.

My tremolo is stable as the one shown in the video.

Ah, yes, almost forgot. It's here

 

http://www.fender.com/it-IT/support/articles/stratocaster-setup-guide/

-- Michele Costabile (http://proxybar.net)
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A quick-and-dirty trem-blocking can be done with tapered wedge-shaped or cone-shaped pieces of wood or whatever you can find that will work. I've used wood scraps, golf-tees, pieces of old fashioned clothes-pins, etc. to temporarily block-in and immobilize a trem-block.

 

Whether or not a floating trem results depends on how you set everything up; I'll look over that part of the book later (Guitar Player Repair Guide, right?) and also the vid you posted above, and give you a more detailed bunch of malarkey. ;):thu::D

 

I recently set up my white mexican strat from 1991 according to Fender specs and it worked just fine. I loosened the central screws as instructed and balanced the tremolo on the two outer screws. I also raised the back of the tremolo 1/8" (3.2 mm) as per Fender specs. I balanced the bridge with the strings in tune, without blocking it.

End result: the bridge is perfectly balanced, tuning survives dive bombs and the tremolo works one and a half tones up and dive bombs down.

I like tremolo to be usable both ways as I like to use it to vibrate and fine tune bendings, Gilmour style. If I did not want my bridge unstable and balanced on springs I would buy a Tele, or maybe a Gibson to have more sustain and intonation.

Then I used some bore oil from my flute on the saddles and string retainer at the headstock. I am also considering adding some graphite from a pencil in the nut.

My tremolo is stable as the one shown in the video.

Ah, yes, almost forgot. It's here

 

http://www.fender.com/it-IT/support/articles/stratocaster-setup-guide/

 

Excellent, sounds good to me! :cool:

 

I love this stuff:

 

* Archer Precision Lubricator with Teflon, Radio Shack catalog # 64-2301 or 64-2301A. Looks like this:

________ http://rsk.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pRS1C-2264858w345.jpg

I sometimes mix it with powdered-graphite (like they make for lubing locks), but if you do, be careful to only use it where the grey colored goop won't get on bare wood, maple whether finished or not, or anywhere that it can seep under the finish through cracks,edges, etc. To quote a million little old ladies, "OH, that'll STAIN... !" :freak::D

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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Which modern trem system do you have?

 

Well, the buyer of my Squier decided to pick it up today! I was pretty happy with the result of my setup. The only trem I have left is vintage style and that'll probably be my next project.

 

Picked up the lube yesterday, Cave. Haven't gotten a chance to use it yet, though.

We cannot accelerate the growth of a tree by pulling on its branches. - Ricardo Iznaola
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i'll take a stock old school fender trem over all others, any day of the week.

 

tech lube and graphite work wonders.

 

also...consider soldering the ball - ends of the strings...will help the longevity of the strings, and tuning accuracy.

 

make sure the nut doesn't bind, and lube the nut and string trees with the graphite and lube mixture.

 

i can ABUSE, i mean TOTALLY ABUSE my strat live, and not even have to tune it for the next song. the key is getting the pressure from the strings to equal the pressure from the springs so the trem can "float".

 

1 1/2 steps up is pretty good. try playing an e at your 12th fret and a c at your 12th fret of your b string and pulling up on the bar...you'll start finding david gilmourisms you never knew existed. ;)

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I like my Strat bridge plate trems set flush with the body and only use the down strokes...I love the pop-in pop-out trem bars on the American Deluxe Strats...I rest my palm on the bridge saddles and cause the guitar to go out of tune on the stock floating trems when I put a little too much pressure on them...I'm new to Bigsbys on my Taylor T3 and find that I may get more into using the trem now to include suttle up-strokes...I didn't mind the blocked Trem on my Clapton as I started out with a Les Paul sans trem before going to Fender...mostly used the Fender trems (to include the old Jag and Jazzmaster styles) on surf tunes like Pipeline... :cool:
Take care, Larryz
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