Strat Question.............

T

twist

New member
I have an original Fender 6 point trem bridge. When I bought the guitar, the claw that holds the springs was not screwed flush to the body. The screws were backed out about an inch. Is this normal, or should I screw them in till the claw is flush?


Twist
 
A trem consists of a fulcrum with a force on either side. One side is the force from the tension of the guitar strings...the other is the force from the tension of the springs on the claw hammer. As the forces on each side changes....the center of gravity shifts causing the trem to move on the fulcrum....if that is the right terminology lol. Anyway, you need greater force on the claw springs to counter the force from the strings to keep the trem against the body. There is a balance threshold and then usually a safety margin is added to keep the trem down securely. After a certain point....tightening the screws on the claw basically affects how hard it is to use the whammy bar, for dive bombs or whatever. This becomes a matter of preference. Do you use the whammy bar or would you rather have it as solid as possible? Also you can add or remove a spring to tweak it as desired, but it boils down to the amount of force applied to that side of the fulcrum.
 
I only use it occasionally, and not for dive bombing. I understand what you're saying about the fulcrum, and that makes me wonder, should the 6 screws that hold the bridge to the body be slightly loose to allow some movement there, or should they be tight to the body of the guitar?


Twist
 
They should have a little room under them. If you look closely...and if I remember right...the tip of the trem under the screws is angled a little such that tightening the screws all the way down will not allow the trem to sit flush against the body. I am not an expert, but just look at it and make a call. I think the goal is to have the trem sitting flush with a little room for the trem to move if you use the bar.
 
If you leave it backed off a bit you can go sharp as well as flat with it....Stock Fender trems were never made for dive bombing.
 
It seems like you'd want the bridge tight to the body for the transfer of string vibrations to the wood, but I'll experiment a little. Thanks guys!


Twist
 
The system is designed to have the bridge flat. The claw in the back is used to set the tension of the springs to keep the bridge flat. It is important to have the bridge flat, or else changing the intonation will screw up the action. Setting this tension is a part of a setup. There are players out there who want to be able to pull up on the trem (Jeff Beck comes to mind) who want the springs loose, but my recommendation if you want that capability is to get a Floyd Rose. Pulling up will cause more tuning problems than going down, so I think the Floyds stability is a real plus in that situation.


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twist said:
I have an original Fender 6 point trem bridge. When I bought the guitar, the claw that holds the springs was not screwed flush to the body. The screws were backed out about an inch. Is this normal, or should I screw them in till the claw is flush?


Twist
Click to expand...

Yes, this is normal. The "claw" is set to balance the bridge's forces. The bridge can be set to flat against the body, or floating at an angle.
 
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