TelePaul
J to the R O C
Hi all. Just re-strung my new strat and now the bridge is at about a 20 degree angle to the body. I know this has something to do with the trem but it seems it was seated closer to the body before I restrung. Is it a problem?
DrewPeterson7
Sage of the Order
Sort of - it's not the end of the world if you like it that way, but it probably raised your action a bit, and you may not like that.
Did you put on heavier strings this time? If you went up a gauge, the higher string tension is pulling harder on the bridge, and the offsetting tension from the claw springs is no longer enough to counteract this, so the bridge shifted until in its new position the now-more=-stretched claw strings are putting enough tension on the bridge to hold it in place. Think of it as sort of like a tug-of-war.
There's an easy solution and a hard solution, depending on what you're after:
Easy - take a screwdriver, and screw in the claw screws quite a bit further, to increase the spring tension. If need be, add another spring. Then, retune. Your bridge will now be held flat against the body by the spring tension, and can only be used dive-only (and I'm assuming this is a vintage style trem and not a Floyd, BTW). The advantage here, aside from it only taking a couple minutes, is that since the bridge isn't floating compound bends will be in tune, and attack/sustain will be more like a fixed bridge.
Hard - Give the claw screws a turn or two to tighten them up. This will cause the bridge to start coming down, which will increase the string tension and in turn pitch, meaning your guitar will go sharp. Retune until all six strings are back at concert pitch. Check your bridge angle again. If it's still angled, then tighten the claw screws a little more, retune, and check angle. Continue doing this until the bridge is perfectly level. Assuming the trem studs aren't flush with the top of the guitar, at this point the bridge will now be "floating" - you can pull back a little bit as well as dive. The advantage here is you can co all sorts of cool shit with a floating trem - the disadvantage is that dialing in a bridge to float right is the sort of stuff novice techs have nightmares about, doing compound bends takes a bit of skill (the trick is to apply just enough pressure with your palm as you bend to stop the bridge from raising as the overall string tension increases as you bend a note), and that you don't have quite as crisp and bell-like an attack - this is a tradeoff whammy nuts are of course all too willing to make.
I've got a Wilkinson VS100 in my strat, set to float with about a half step of pullback. If it'd help, I can take you a picture or two of how I have it set up.
TelePaul
J to the R O C
Thanks so much for that man. I didn't change the string gauge but maybe I should've strecthed them out a bit first. Anyways, I adjusted the screws till the bridge sat flush and it plays just fine. Thanks a mil, have no massive need for up-wiggle; I'm not Jeff Beck (yet!)
G
ggunn
Crystal Flavolian
Stretching the strings wouldn't have made a difference. If you put on a new set of strings and the bridge position changes, then there is a difference in the string tension. You say you didn't change string gauge, but did you compare all the string sizes? Just because two sets have the same high E doesn't necessarily mean that the rest of them are the same gauge. Also, hex core wound strings may have a different tension when tuned up to pitch from the same gauge round core string.Thanks so much for that man. I didn't change the string gauge but maybe I should've stretched them out a bit first. Anyways, I adjusted the screws till the bridge sat flush and it plays just fine. Thanks a mil, have no massive need for up-wiggle; I'm not Jeff Beck (yet!)
But anyway, now you know what to do when that happens. Rock on!
BTW, I am a fan of "up wiggle"; it's the only* way you can get a true vibrato. If you fret a note and do a finger vibrato, the center point of the pitch swing is sharp of the note. With a trem bar set up without "up wiggle" any vibrato you do has its center point flat of the note.
*Of course, you can fret a note a half step flat and bend it up to get a symmetrical vibrato. But still.
TelePaul
J to the R O C
Interesting. I assume it was strung with .9s in the shop, I put some GHS Boomers on it. I'll go check it again now, see how it plays.
DrewPeterson7
Sage of the Order
Thanks so much for that man. I didn't change the string gauge but maybe I should've strecthed them out a bit first. Anyways, I adjusted the screws till the bridge sat flush and it plays just fine. Thanks a mil, have no massive need for up-wiggle; I'm not Jeff Beck (yet!)
Cool, glad it worked out for you.
I was a "bridge flat against the body, dive only" for years during my blues/punk rock phase, but Satriani sort of ruined me. 
yag
Still Newbie
I am wondering/thinking/asking if/how/does the setup of the tremolo strings (assume we have 3 in a vintage style tremolo) affect the overall tension. I mean if one uses thicker strings is keeping the tremolo string parallel to each other or keeping them in "V" shape is better?
ps. I'm sorry if I'm hijacking the post...
ps. I'm sorry if I'm hijacking the post...
DrewPeterson7
Sage of the Order
I've had people try to explain to me that it changes the way the trem "feels" and because the strings are stretching at an angle a V arrangement will have a little more give than a parallel one. On one hand I could see that there might be a certain truth to the idea that you get a different response if the "stretch" of the spring didn't change tension in a perfectly linear manner, but I suspect any differences would be slight/all in your head in the real world. I certainly haven't tried it, however, but I wouldn't lose much sleep on it - the tension will be equal no matter what you do.
I go parallel for two reasons - I use Tremol-nos in all my floating guitars, and it's WAY easier to go, "Hmm, looks like I need a 4th spring" and just pop one on if they're already parallel.
yag
Still Newbie
Thanks Muttley and Drew(Peterson) I agree with what what you think about it...