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Post subject: Guitar without whammy bar
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2018 5:22 pm
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Hi I was given a new Fender Stratocaster about 10 years ago and thought a give it to my son For Xmas but I just noticed that guitar doesn’t have an opening to screw in a whammy bar.

I thought that all electric guitars have one, so now I’m not sure what I was given or if The guitar is playable. The guitar says it’s a Fender Squire Stratocaster- standard.

Any help would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance!

-John


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Post subject: Re: Guitar without whammy bar
Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:17 pm
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Welcome to the Forum John! A photo would help.

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Post subject: Re: Guitar without whammy bar
Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 12:27 pm
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Hi John,

Sorry for the late reply to this post. Electric guitars are most certainly playable without a whammy bar. While most Stratocasters come with one included (it's possible that there are Squire Strats that are sold without them, I'm not totally sure about that), other models like the Fender Telecaster and the Gibson Les Paul are usually made and played without them.

I have a Strat that I've owned for 18 years and play regularly that has its tremolo "blocked", essentially disabling the whammy bar. I had this done on purpose because I don't usually use the feature and I feel doing so makes the guitar easier to play and keep in tune. Here's a link to some more info on blocking a Stat's tremolo...

https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/blocking-strat-tremolo-2/


Squire guitars are, of course, considered Fender's budget/entry level guitars, but they seem to be generally well made and should be fine for a kid just learning the instrument. I would recommend taking the guitar to a qualified repair shop and have a setup done (usually around a $50 job) to insure the instrument's action and intonation are set correctly. https://www.fender.com/articles/how-to/what-is-a-setup-and-why-is-it-so-crucial.

Hope this helps and good luck -- Happy Holidays!

Steve


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Post subject: Re: Guitar without whammy bar
Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 6:39 am
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I like the guitars without wammy because they generally stay in tune better.


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Post subject: Re: Guitar without whammy bar
Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 10:44 am
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There are people out there who insist that a floating bridge is a healthy part of the Strat tone.
I am not one of them.
I think I have a pretty good ear and I cannot perceive any tonal difference between a blocked bridge and a floating bridge.
Only thing I notice regards tuning stability.

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