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Post subject: Keep that tremolo tension spring from escaping!
Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:51 am
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I’m loving my new Standard Start - and wanted to share a little hack for that little tremolo arm tension spring in the bridge.

I’ve seen various plugs and stoppers for hole that the tremolo arm leaves when removed (to keep the tiny spring from escaping), but I found an elegant solution that fits the aesthetic of the guitar.

Michaels arts & crafts store carries these neodymium magnets - a four-pack for only 5 bucks or so:

[url]http://www.michaels.com/pro-mag-neodymium-magnets-.5%22%22/10382640.html#q=magnet&start=7
[/url]

They’re super-strong and nickel-plated, so they blend with the look of the bridge. Just pop one over the hole when you remove your trem bar, and you won’t lose the tension spring. When the bar is installed, I put it on the jack plate to keep it handy… again, it stays put and doesn’t draw attention to itself.

Image


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Post subject: Re: Keep that tremolo tension spring from escaping!
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 7:27 pm
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Cool tip.
I've resisted even installing my bar because of this.

I wonder how well a small dab of silicone sealer on the bottom of the spring would do?

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Post subject: Re: Keep that tremolo tension spring from escaping!
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 12:25 am
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I don't know why they don't glue them in in the first place....Probably so they can sell you more.

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Post subject: Re: Keep that tremolo tension spring from escaping!
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 5:31 am
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John Sims wrote:
I don't know why they don't glue them in in the first place....Probably so they can sell you more.

When did they start using them?
My '78 Strat and '92 Squier didn't have stickers (or springs)... though both were bought from the wall at Whittier Music and Guitar Center

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Post subject: Re: Keep that tremolo tension spring from escaping!
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 12:08 pm
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I bought some springs at Sweetwater about 8 months ago because I keep losing them too.
1 pkg - 0994931000 - Fender Trem Arm Tension Springs (12) $6.99

Thanks for the tip, studio246. I like the idea of a dab of silicone sealer on the bottom of the spring too, Rich.

I bought the package of 12 and I'm down to 9. The funny thing is that I can never find them. :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Keep that tremolo tension spring from escaping!
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 6:14 pm
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Marky Forrest wrote:
I bought the package of 12 and I'm down to 9. The funny thing is that I can never find them. :lol:
LOL! Ya, they could sell them in packs of 1 for the same price and it wouldn't cost most of us any more. :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Keep that tremolo tension spring from escaping!
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 7:31 pm
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Thanks for the info...great idea.

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Post subject: Re: Keep that tremolo tension spring from escaping!
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 11:16 pm
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One thing to note: the risk is small, but a strong magnet like neodymium can degauss a pickup polepiece. (Yep, I know, that's old man grunting…)


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Post subject: Re: Keep that tremolo tension spring from escaping!
Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2018 2:50 am
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jmattis wrote:
One thing to note: the risk is small, but a strong magnet like neodymium can degauss a pickup polepiece. (Yep, I know, that's old man grunting…)


Yes, and they are VERY strong magnets. Does it not effect the tone of the bridge pickup?

8)

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Post subject: Re: Keep that tremolo tension spring from escaping!
Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2018 8:00 am
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omar59 wrote:
jmattis wrote:
One thing to note: the risk is small, but a strong magnet like neodymium can degauss a pickup polepiece. (Yep, I know, that's old man grunting…)


Yes, and they are VERY strong magnets. Does it not effect the tone of the bridge pickup?

8)

You know I thought about that but I didn't say anything. So I ordered them yesterday at 40% off. Maybe I'll try one on my secondary Strat first, or, maybe they'll end up as refrigerator magnets. :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Keep that tremolo tension spring from escaping!
Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2018 9:15 am
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Re. affecting the bridge pickup, I haven't played it with the bar off/ magnet in place yet... I just use it when I store the strat in its case and have to remove the bar. I'll try it this evening and see if it makes a difference.

jmattis: Does degaussing a pole piece just diminish its output/effectiveness? What is the effect?


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Post subject: Re: Keep that tremolo tension spring from escaping!
Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2018 9:35 am
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Marky Forrest wrote:
omar59 wrote:
jmattis wrote:
One thing to note: the risk is small, but a strong magnet like neodymium can degauss a pickup polepiece. (Yep, I know, that's old man grunting…)


Yes, and they are VERY strong magnets. Does it not effect the tone of the bridge pickup?

8)

You know I thought about that but I didn't say anything. So I ordered them yesterday at 40% off. Maybe I'll try one on my secondary Strat first, or, maybe they'll end up as refrigerator magnets. :lol:


Sometimes buying fridge magnets is the cheapest way to get strong magnets. ;-)

With regard the the magnet and the PUP, the possible issues did cross my mind. Similarly, I don't think magnetising the trem plate as a result of being in contact with a strong magnet is necessarily favourite either.

I guess I come from the old days when you had to be careful of magnets as, if you put them in the wrong place, they could muck stuff up, CRT TV screens, valves etc. And then initially even more so with modern technology having floppy discs ruined and chips corrupted etc. All this makes me consider magnets the work of the Devil unless harnessed to do work exactly where you want it.

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Post subject: Re: Keep that tremolo tension spring from escaping!
Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2018 11:34 am
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studio246 wrote:
Does degaussing a pole piece just diminish its output/effectiveness? What is the effect?


Degaussing is sometimes done on purpose; e.g. to get closer to a vintage & weakened pickup sound. And, for the wizards, it can shape a pickup's tone. But in the hands of a non-professional, non-wizard, the results are somewhat hard to predict.
When degaussing happens by accident, one possibility is that a pickup turns really weak. (Yep, been there, done that - my advice is to not clean steel wool residue from a pickup with a magnet from a broken speaker. And BTW, I don't use steel wool on guitars anymore.)
But even then, all hope is not lost; a pickup can be re-magnetized. The web is full of instructions, both ways, if one wants to experiment.

One more BTW; some other solutions (besides the ones already mentioned) to the accidentally dropping trem springs syndrome are a piece of tape covering that hole and a dab of some thick goo (bluetack, chewing gum, vaseline...) on the spring bottom end. :wink:


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