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Post subject: Blocking/Strat Question
Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 12:34 pm
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I am the new owner of a beautiful American Delux V Neck. I love it. This is my first strat. I have gone years using a Lester that I also love. I have always used the tune-o-matic bridge. I took it to my tech guy for a set-up. He asked if I wanted it blocked. I assumed he meant the bridge and that this would help with intonation. I said sure. Was I correct and does that mean I cant use the trem. If not thats ok, I am not really into the whole whammy bar. Thanks for any feedback


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Post subject: Re: Blocking/Strat Question
Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 12:44 pm
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psychmusic wrote:
I am the new owner of a beautiful American Delux V Neck. I love it. This is my first strat. I have gone years using a Lester that I also love. I have always used the tune-o-matic bridge. I took it to my tech guy for a set-up. He asked if I wanted it blocked. I assumed he meant the bridge and that this would help with intonation. I said sure. Was I correct and does that mean I cant use the trem. If not thats ok, I am not really into the whole whammy bar. Thanks for any feedback


You're correct, after blocking you can't use the trem.
It helps you're tuning, get more sustain out of the gittar.
You can block the trem with installing all the springs or put a piece
of wood between the trem and the body, you're tech guy knows what i'm
talking about.


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:57 am
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If you use all five springs , tighten claw a lil. you can still use the tremolo arm.


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Post subject: Re: Blocking/Strat Question
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:33 am
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psychmusic wrote:
I am the new owner of a beautiful American Delux V Neck. I love it. This is my first strat. I have gone years using a Lester that I also love. I have always used the tune-o-matic bridge. I took it to my tech guy for a set-up. He asked if I wanted it blocked. I assumed he meant the bridge and that this would help with intonation. I said sure. Was I correct and does that mean I cant use the trem. If not thats ok, I am not really into the whole whammy bar. Thanks for any feedback


The blocked trem was popularized by the introduction of the Clapton Signature Stratocaster in 1985. Clapton, who never used the tremolo, nevertheless felt that a hardtail did not yield the sound he wanted. He felt that the wood resonated better through the block.

My CS strat, which is essentially a modified Clapton, came without the block. My tech took a Clapton guitar off the shelf and cut a block of wood
exactly to the size Fender places in the Clapton guitar. If you want that kind of precision, ask for the guitar to be setup like the Clapton out of the case.

I am also given to understand that hardtail guitars do not have intonation issues, and a blocked-trem renders the guitar the same.


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Post subject: Blocked
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:58 am
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I blocked my trem and very happy I did.

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:14 am
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I haven't blocked mine yet but I did with every other trem guitar I own. My new Strat seems to already stay in tune better than the ones I have blocked. :P

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 1:01 pm
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EFinFLA wrote:
I haven't blocked mine yet but I did with every other trem guitar I own. My new Strat seems to already stay in tune better than the ones I have blocked. :P


What year?

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 1:04 pm
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i like the whammy. also instead of blocking the whammy for tuning stability you can put locking tuners on.


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Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 3:31 pm
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I put five springs in my Highway One and five springs don't block the tremolo as long as you use the screws in the back to float the bridge to about 1/8" the factory set up, which in my case works great with the truss rod, the action etc. Putting in 5 screws tightens up the tremolo, so you don't have the pitch wandering around from body movement etc. when you're playing something and you want it tight to pitch. I still cheat with the tremolo for vibrato at times and it works great. I found out about adding the springs here and it definitely tightens up that tremolo for pitch perfect notes, without giving up the cheating when you need it. I don't use the tremolo a lot and I don't dive bomb and so forth and so I can't tell you if five springs get in the way of some of those things.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 3:44 pm
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strat58cat wrote:
I put five springs in my Highway One and five springs don't block the tremolo as long as you use the screws in the back to float the bridge to about 1/8" the factory set up, which in my case works great with the truss rod, the action etc. Putting in 5 screws tightens up the tremolo, so you don't have the pitch wandering around from body movement etc. when you're playing something and you want it tight to pitch. I still cheat with the tremolo for vibrato at times and it works great. I found out about adding the springs here and it definitely tightens up that tremolo for pitch perfect notes, without giving up the cheating when you need it. I don't use the tremolo a lot and I don't dive bomb and so forth and so I can't tell you if five springs get in the way of some of those things.


Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan used 5 springs in there strats, and
did they use the tremolo.....WOW.

Eric Clapton and Rory Gallagher did use 5 springs but blocked the tremolo.
It was set flush to the body, they tightened the 2 screws in the back of the
body. Clapton also used a piece of wood to block the tremolo.

Peter


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