why 5 springs instead of 3 in a Strat?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Paradox
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Paradox

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i play guitar for 14 years now...
my strat has 3 springs under the back panel,sometimes i notice other guitars with 5 springs...

why?
what does it make to the sound?
is it better then 3 springs?
 
There is no difference to the sound, the springs are there purely to provide tension for a bridge that has a tremelo arm.

Some guitars have 5 springs, some have 3. It's purely a choice of design by the manufacturer.
 
It's also an easy way to adjust the "action" of the whammy. Add or take out springs if you want stiffer or softer response.
 
also, not all springs are the same tension to begin with.

you could have 3 springs fully tightened against the inner cavity or 3 springs with the claw extended a ways.

like the ibanezes i had all had really loose but short springs. the guitars my dad owned had longer more tense springs
 
In addition to adjusting the action, you may want to add or subtract springs based on your string gauge. If you move from 9's to 11's you might need one or two more springs.
 
Another thought: If your guitar gets out of tune or dosent come back to pitch you might want to add another spring, maybe even two. Additional springs seem to help on the return to pitch, it might have something to do with the tension, I'm not sure, just an observation.
 
when i went from 9's to 10's on my strat it made my bridge rise but when i asked if i needed to put more springs in they said no and they adjusted the screw in the claw where the springs mount into the body
 
Adjusting the screws can do the trick, though there is only so much adjustment you can do with them (especially if you're going down in gauges; you don't want to unscrew too much and make the screws rip out). Adjusting the screws is much better for smaller adjustments, and adding springs for bigger.

Oh, and while we're on the topic, it doesn't just have to be 3 or 5 springs like the title of this thread suggests; 2 or 4 will do just fine in many situations. Just make sure you make it symetrical (unless you're trying to do something funky with the bridge height/tension on purpose).
 
I ALWAYS keep 5 springs on my strats. With 5 springs they stay in tune, with 3 they don't stay in tune.
 
I like to put a slice of foam under my springs so I can choke chords without a reverb chamber (springs) acting up. I use to wrap my springs loosely with electrical tape but foam sounds much tighter...more like a hardtail.
 
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