Do you use the plastic cover on the back of your strat that covers the trem assembly or not?

I leave it off for two reasons:

1. When I was 15 and had my first Strat copy, by 'Anson', an older player told me it's easier to change strings if you leave the cover off. I took it off, promptly lost it, and years later when I got a real Strat the first thing I did was take the cover off. I've never played with it on.

2. I also like to twang the springs sometimes during spacey feedback instrumental parts of some songs. They come throught the pickups, but faintly... a distant and spooky sound.
I have the trem cranked down to the face of the strat so it only bends down, and won't budge when I'm bending notes - leaving the open strings in tune still. So i've got a good amount of tension on the springs and get some nice ring when I play them. It's also a surprising non-guitar kinda industrial sound to get out of a Strat, which I like.

_________________
"...Compared to the flowers and the birds and the trees, I am an Apeman."

Well nickbeatnik you've given me some ideas to play with over the weekend - thanks for that

I've always left it on. The reason is I don't like feeling it catch against my belt. These days I've usually got my shirt untucked so I don't have any excuse not to experiment.

Yeah, my guess would be it was put there to stop belts catching on the springs - which makes a lot of sense.
I hardly ever wear a belt tho, and when I do I usually put the buckle over to the side so it's not gouging out the back of my guitars! Problem solved.

_________________
"...Compared to the flowers and the birds and the trees, I am an Apeman."

Stock Baby!!!

I have a tortoise pickguard and backplate. Of course, having the backplate installed negates showing six screw holes and the conglomeration of springs (and a wire) but it certainly makes the back of the guitar more cosmetically pleasing. In other words, I feel the guitar looks the way better with it installed. Besides, the backplate's six string holes line up perfectly with the tremolo block's six string holes so for me, there's no logical reason to leave it off. YMMV.

_________________
You dig?

Why do you think ground wires get ripped from tremclaws?

_________________
No no and no

Hello!

I thoughly enjoy putting my own strats together and for Me the Back Plate has become the elusive symbol of a *fully* finished project. Once its all settled down, the strings are broken in etc, I can put the back plate on knowing that I won't have to adjust the trem as everything is perfect.

That said, only one of my strats has the back plate on (when i say on, its held in place with one screw.......its almost perfect)!

Enjoy!

Andy

_________________
Pending Greatness

I like the way you think!!

_________________
You dig?

They come on them, so I leave them on.

One screw? Does it fit so exactly? Impressive.

_________________
"...Compared to the flowers and the birds and the trees, I am an Apeman."

You have a good point here.

_________________
You dig?

Yeah, I can see that risk. It makes total sense to leave the cover on.... but I never have, and I've never ripped a ground wire off in 15 years of playing a Strat. I'm not a shoegazer stand-still kinda player either.

_________________
"...Compared to the flowers and the birds and the trees, I am an Apeman."

I once got my junk caught in one of the trem springs. Since that day, I leave it on.

What were you wearing at the time?

Don't like the backplate. Can't say why, the guitar just feels better.

_________________
'Kwipment: MIM Strat - Texas Specials; Super Champ; Assorted Pedals; Strings; Picks