Fender Strat Trem Installation/ Set up

[rgorke]

So, how should a fender them sit on the body? My desire is for it to dive only, no pulling up. Here is a picture of how it sits on my body with a backward slope. Should it sit flush to the body or is this ok?

I can't seem to find anything on the inter webs about how it is suppose to sit.

[garbeaj]

Toneslinger can tell you all you need to know about Fender tremolo setup...

[rgalpin]

roger, when sitting at that angle, is it bottoming out on something inside the cavity? are you able to pull up on it at all? if not, it would seem to be hitting something inside. how tight are the springs? my 6 screw trem is setup like a random result of the big bang - and thusly, i am scared to death to touch it! kudos to you for researching a definitive "best practice" on this...

[jnew]

That's a great question. I didn't know how about this either so I just set it flat and adjusted each of the 6 screws down until they started to push down and then backed off to flush again. Then I used as many springs as necessary to keep it flush and tight against the body so that it wouldn't float. Works excellent but am open to other ways that would work as well.

[Strat78]

since it is mex spaced bridge on a standard spaced body, try leaving out the two outer screws. When the outer screws are driven in at an angle like that the plate can't lay flat up against the body. Or just grab another callaham that fits.

[chrisom]

After watching Greg Koch wrangle about 100 different Strats for sale on the Wildwood Guitars videos on YouTube, I began leaving enough space under the rear end of the tremolo to slide a nickle or quarter under. It's still very stable unless you purposely choose to hit it for a 'detune' effect and seems more natural to 'the original intent' of a Strat (whatever that may be)...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UqL9fEadRxA

[garbeaj]

Andy? Where are you?

[Strat78]

All do respect, but don't go drilling out your callaham blocks! That's where allot of the mysterious "strat" sound comes from, that little length of string resonating in the block.

[garbeaj]

All due respect, but don't go drilling out your Callaham blocks! That's where allot of the mysterious "strat" sound comes from, that little length of string resonating in the block.

Drilling out my Callaham block just helped with staying in tune when using the bar. I can't tell any difference in tone or sustain from the unmodified Callaham block that sits in my '89 Fender Eric Clapton strat which is blocked Clapton style with a piece of wood and the modified Callaham block that sits in my '78 Musikraft black and white Frankenstein which is drilled out to bring the ball end closer to the bridge plate.

[JimiJames]

I use Fender bullets.
For tuning issues: If you use other than these strings I would go as far as enlarging the hole; no deeper, but to the next size allowing the ball end of other manufactures to move freely in the "shoulder" area where ball ends tend to get snagged up and cause these tuning issues. I don't want to loose mass, as well.

Although pre-drilled; used to show an example of the "shoulder area"

Fender Bullets "rounded" - others visually square.

As far as the "set"
Recently there has been a surge in "anchoring" with different products being introduced.
There are even springs that are being advertised as such with a "bladder" in the middle.
I like jnew's approach in set-up with the (2 outer) screws. One point to consider is the tension of the springs themselves. In that they come in different (gauge) tensions. Decide on the desired feel of the "drop" and see if you need 3, 4, or 5 springs.
With three springs, some are as stiff as five...

[garbeaj]

I also use Fender Bullets and I can agree with JimiJames that it helps. I do a kitchen sink approach of everything that Toneslinger and I have ever heard of to get the best tone and tuning stability that I can get.

[Tone Slinger]

+1 Garbeaj ! Believe me, if you want to conquer the vintage Fender 6 screw trem. Bridge, then you gotta do what me and Allen have done. I will try and post a super detailed explanation later (vacationing now ).

[garbeaj]

[tsma]

I can't speak to issues of tone (because I'm a moron). But I've got an American Standard from the '80s where I put on Sperzels and I use a tap of graphite in the nut with each string change. It's impossible to make that guitar go out of tune no matter what I do with the whammy or what strings I use. I can push down until the strings flop off the fretboard, then snap it back up. Still perfectly in tune. Bless those Sperzels.

My vintage strat... I don't use the bar. I guess because I'm in "vintage mode."




-bryan