Hi all,

I've read most of the Tremelo threads on here, and i still have some questions.

My stratocaster seems to be a Reissue 62' from the 80s. It is all beat up, and i bought it from a dude for 30$. It's so awesome. Unfortunately, I CANT get it set up the way I want it to be. I don't want to take it to a guitar tech because i believe this one of those "if you want to do it right, do it yourself" deals. Please comment on my following (numbered) points:

Tremelo Problems
1) With the tremelo flush to the body: it gives peircing high's and badly vibrating lows. And I love messing around with the tremelo, so having it flush to the body isn't my style at all. The guitar stays in tune quite well in this setup.

2) With the tremelo floating: the low E-string goes out of tune ALL THE TIME when I do dive-bombs. When I come back up from the dive the E-string goes up in about a whole pitch! - my guess is it is being caught on the saddle somehow. The rest seem to stay in tune okay.

Tuning, Intonation, and Action problems</u>
3) The neck seems to be warped. There is a noticable "dip" between the 8th and 12th fret on the side of the low E string. I CANNOT get this thing to intonate properly. When i fret the 12th fret, I can hear Beating...which i know is not good because that means there is a difference in frequencies.

4) Action. The low E string has to have REALLY high action relative to the other strings or else it buzzes. This may be causing the poor tuning stability when using my tremelo!

[u]Famous strat guitarists and their tremelo setups
5)Malmsteen, Hendrix, Clapton, Gilmour (pink floyd)...etc What were their tremelo setups? I would like to have an idea of how the tone of the strat changes. Did they have floating tremelo? how many strings? tremelo wood block?

Thanks for your time!

-Porlino-

1, the tonal problem is a setup issue, thats all. Floating or flushing your trem doesnt change the guitars sound.

2 It's either getting caught at the nut or the saddle, or even the ball end in the tremblock. One reason why I prefer fender bullet strings, I find the bullet genuinely helps. Pulling back on the trem after a dive should allieviate the problem a little. Also research the Carl Veheyen method of setting up a trem and following it. It takes ages to get right but works.
Bare in mind the 2 point and synchronized trems were never meant to perform like a floyd. Divebombs are a bit too much for it. It was only ever intended to give a slight wobble every now and then. If you look at the strat trem greats Hendrix and Beck, neither were/are too fussy about tuning.

3 If the neck is warped it needs proffesional help.
What are you checking the beats of the 8va E to? You need a refrence note sounding to hear beats with intonation adjustments. I think your far better off to get the 12thfret harmonic sounding the same as the 12th fret fretted. Its far more accurate than refrencing both notes to a tuner.

4 More likely the neck warp is causing the problem.

5 Float, flush or block doesnt change guitar tone. Its another internet myth. You'll certainly notice more improvment in tone by getting the neck sorted out.

I really think you need to take the guitar to a repair person and get it sorted out.

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No no and no

Everything Nik said makes perfect sense,there are some things best left to someone who makes his/her living doing this.As to bridge set ups Jimi Hendrix always had his flush and instead of upwards bends used behind the nut bends or pulled back on the neck to get a note or notes to go sharp.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

It's kinda hard to find, but do find the Carl Verheyen interview video. There are a couple of them if I remember. One is better than the next. They're not complete. You'll have to fill in a few blanks for yourself.

One question I have that factors in is the gauge strings are you're using. Chances are the low E is getting caught in the nut. Try a little Vaseline before any mods.

There really is so many facets to a good setup. Floating the tremolo and getting it right is in my opinion the most challenging.

For the record, my tone is like you describe it when my bridge is decked. With a float my guitar sounds the way I think it should. Amazing.

Here's one video...
http://www.5min.com/Video/Stratocaster- ... -241991022

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-Kirk

GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
AMP
Vox ac4c1-bl
PEDALS
Compressor
Big Muff
Vox Stomplab 1G
Carbon Copy Delay

What about Yngwie Malmsteen? does he have it flush or floating?

Great advice, but I don't know if I agree with the tone not being different when the bridge is changed from floating to flush or blocked.

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American Standard Stratocaster