Hi all, totally new to this forum and really enjoying the read so far.
Well done to all for a fantastic forum!

I have just got myself an American issue strat with the 2 post tremolo.
LOL, this was a swap I did with my dad for my MIM powerhouse and there is no comparison.
Totally delighted with this guitar and love everything about it exept one small thing.
My guitar playing involves a fair bit of full bends while playing a couple of un-bend strings. I noticed that the notes were flat due to the tremolo moving on the bend. The tremolo was set the way I want to keep it floating with the ability to pull and push the tremolo so tightening the springs too much is not an option for me. The guitar came with 3 springs as standard so decided to buy an additional spring to see if that would help. This has helped but those un-bent notes are still flat although not as bad.
I'm wondering if what I need to do is adjust my technique and not the guitar? It is only really noticable when I bend the G string while ringing the B and E strings low down on the neck (5th fret for example) It seems not so noticable further up the neck.
Has anyone had a similar issue?

Also I was wondering if I can store the guitar in it's molded case with tremolo arm still in place? Will this damage anything?

Any feedback on this very greatly received indeed!

Chris

Dont put the guitar in the case with the trem arm in the trem. Its just not good and has the potential to damage your guitar. Put it in the pocket in the case.

your malaise is a common one to floating trem users. Short of blocking the trem or tightening the springs right up theres not much you can do without aftermarket parts. Developing a technique to stop the trem moving when you bend strings could take you years. I've never been able to develop it.

Luckily there is a aftermarket product called the hipshot tremsetter.
http://store.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=115

some people dont like it because it alters the way your trem plays. I say give it a go, you may love it you may hate it. Theres only one way to tell.

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No no and no

There is nothing you can do about the pitch drop when bending except to install a Hipshot trem setter or something like it. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. The forces must be balanced across the fulcrum. If you increase the tension on one side of the fulcrum by bending a string, the other strings will go flat to varying degrees. It's simple physics.

And don't leave the arm screwed in when you store the guitar in its case.

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James Burton Upgrade Telecaster
Hot Rodded Am Fat Strat Texas Special (now featuring Kinman Traditional II pickups)
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Thank you so much everyone for your replies!
That has certainly answered the question about keeping the tremolo arm in when put in case.

As I mentioned earlier I am very reluctant to change the setting of the tremolo which is parallel to the body of the guitar. Obviously I had the adjust the claw to this setting after adding the spring. Adding an aditional string has definately improved things. I may consider trying out 5 springs to see if I can still use it without too much strain. It's just a pain trying to get springs where I live.

When I mentioned altering my technique I didn't mean somehow restricting the tremolo etc but perhaps sliding the G string up instead of bending if at the lower end of the fretboard or quickly letting go of the bend before playing the un-bent strings or not bending the G string so far.

Thank you againg for the support.
Any further comments most welcome.

Chris