I bought 2007 american deluxe strat recently. Love the guitar, but seem to have a problem with the snap in tremolo arm. It won't come out. It took a fair amount of pressure to pop it in, but I've put all the force on it as I dare to pull it out and it won't budge. Doesn't really spin around very easily either. Kinda have to push it around and it just stays in whatever position it is in. Common? Any ideas? Umm....would like to remove it eventually...

Thanks

If you are having that much trouble obviously something weird happened. I am figuring you have laid the guitar flat on its back and held the bar between your middle and ring finger while putting pressure straight down with your left hand completely flat and over the hole while pulling straight up with your right hand. If this did not work bring it back where you bought it and explain that you cant get the bar out and let them do it so in case something messes up at least they will be responsible. I just feel once you get it out once things will be fine.

Mate, try pushing gently down on the bar like you would when you are using the trem to slack the strings, and while it's in that position look under the rear of the bridge plate and where the bar pushes into the trem block you should see a small allen screw (grub screw).

Try loosening that a half turn or so and the arm should come out easier, that is the adjustment for the arms push-fit and rotation/swing tension.

Cheers,

Snowy

Thanks, I ended up having to take the trem completely out. The problem wasn't with the friction screws, it was with the little spring latch they used to catch and hold the detent on the bar. It was way too stiff and had a death grip on the thing. I was able to get a thin flat head jewlers screwdriver in enough to work the spring back and forth for awhile and it started to feel a bit easier to insert and remove the bar. Weird but oh well.