Quote:
Originally Posted by MattChen
I haven't had my american strat for long... I'd had the whammy bar winded up just so it starts to tighten and stay afloat at around the volume knob. As time has passed and as I've wound it back and forth a few times it's gotten loose; now at the first tone knob.
Is it normal for the whammy to keep slipping down? What can be done about this? Am I setting it up right? Thanks
|
Is that normal? Yes. What can be done? Nothing really. It was a great design for it's time - 1954! Although your Strat has a slightly more modern design with two mounting/pivot screws on top instead of the six that a '54 Strat would have.
Don't keep trying to keep that arm tightly in position as eventually it'll break off and it'll be a real pistol to get the broken off threaded piece out of the tremolo block. It's better to let it hang loose rather than to expect it stay tight. Back it off one counterclockwise turn and when you need it just reach down for it.
Are you setting it up right? All depends. I have one of my Strats set up with the springs around the back tightened so that I can dive bomb down in pitch but cannot raise the pitch. If you go that route you'll also want to screw in the screws around the back until the springs are tight enough to pull the bridge plate on top down flat to the body of the guitar and then screw down the two mounting screws on top until the front of the trem plate lays flat against the top of the guitar as well. Don't screw those two screws down to much though or the base will start to tilt again at the rear because directly under those two screws it's beveled.
Jeff Beck likes to be able to pull up on his vibrato so his is adjusted to float. Jeff is my favorite rock guitarist but I can't handle a floating set up. I like to be able to rest the palm of my picking hand on the bridge with the vibrato warbling.
Jeff loves middle eastern music and that warbling effect is part of his style.
Eric Clapton loves the tone that a Strat with a vibrato has better than a string through design without a vibrato - but he NEVER uses the vibrato. So he goes around the back to tremolo spring cavity and has a block of wood pounded into that 1/2" space between the tremolo block and the back edge of the spring cavity to prevent the vibrato from moving at all.
That's how I do it on my favorite Strat. Sounds better as well. But your vibrato won't work at all.
Every Strat player has his or her own preference. You just experiment - sometimes for years and years until you find the compromise that works for you.
But don't expect that arm to stay tightly in place - it'll break off eventually if you do.