Hi guys.

This may be a fairly simple question, however....I wanted some confirmation. I recently purchased my first strat. Its the fender american select HSS mahogany strat. Now, once its tuned, it stays in tune perfectly. But...Im used to fixed bridge or string thru guitars and Im finding that when I tune between say E or E flat, the bridge sort of relieves a little and I end up having to go through it two or three times to get it there.

When I play live I usually play strictly in E flat, however, sometimes I play in drop D 1/2 step down and sometimes double drop D. I always just tune on the fly, but i find when I tune it dead on E flat, if I drop the E, or both the E strings.....the rest of them change pitch due to the bridge moving a little.

Is this just something I have to get used to? Thanks guys!

Yes, you will have to get used to it as long as your tremolo "floats". If you tighten the claw plate screws to increase tension on the trem springs until the bridge tightly rests on the body, you will get rid of the majority of this issue! But then your tem only goes down This is one of the wonderful quirks of playing a strat You could try the Hipshot Tremsetter, and aftermarket device that installs invisibly in the trem cavity to stabilize the tremolo.

Oh wow, thanks a lot for that! Didnt even think of messing with the bridge screws but that should help a lot. My thinking is, tune the guitar to the "tightest" tuning I would play, then set the screws flush with the bridge. when I loosen the strings....hopefully it wouldnt have room to roll back when I tune anything lower. I'll try that too, and the tremsetter looks neat too.

I'll have to see how it installs though. Didnt look real close yet, but I dont want anything permanent that would require a body mod of any kind. Wanna keep this guitar as is, and if I ever do change anything....I want to be able to put it back into new condition. Thanks again!

Not the bridge screws. You tighten down the trem claw screws. The trem claw is what attaches the trem springs to the body in the underside of the guitar. If you try to use the trem with the bridge screws tightened down, you will damage the mechanism.

_________________
Bill

As long as the trem is floating, you will have to retune 2-3 times to get it right because the trem moves every time you adjust any string and changes the pitch of all the other ones.

I Have The Same Issue On My VHR. Buy A Good Chromatic Tuner. The Korg CA-30 Helps Speed Up Tuning.

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Vintage Hotrod '57 Strat, 81 G&L L2000 Series E Bass, Fender Musicmaster Bass Amp.

Not the bridge screws. You tighten down the trem claw screws. The trem claw is what attaches the trem springs to the body in the underside of the guitar. If you try to use the trem with the bridge screws tightened down, you will damage the mechanism.[/quote]


+1

If you want to tightien the trem to have it flush with the body:
1) remove all strings
2) loosen (not remove) the tremolo screws (the 6 screws) and tighten the outside screws untill it bottoms out on the trem (do not overtighten) and the trem is flush with the body.
3) then tighten the other 4 trem screws untill it is flush (do not overtighten) all screws should have even pressure on the trem and there should be no play in the trem.
4) restring the guitar and tune up. As you are tunning up--to pitch--
5) tighten the trem claw springs (the 2 in the back of the guitar with the springs attached), and/or add a spring to have 4 springs if you are using .10ga strings.
6) as you are tuning to pitch with X2 drop D assure the trem is flush with the body. Use the 2 trem claw screws to make the adjustment to tighten or loosen. Don't overtighten the claw as you want some play for your trem arm.
7) Once you're satisfied with the trem action, do an intonation setup as the intonation will be flat and the saddles will sit lower.

I like a full compliment of springs to reduce the play in the tremolo. This doesn't eliminate the difficulties with tuning or note bending in double-stops, but it helps. Of course adding springs will pull the bridge back at first and will require you to readjust the claw screws, redo the intonation. But hey, trying things with a guitar is fun.

The tremsetter installs easily enough, all you do is remove the trem spring claw plate, and install two separate claw plates for 2 springs in the stock holes, then mount a third plate in the middle that the tremsetter attaches to. Then you use the instructions to set it up. Then your bridge will return to zero, and will not move due to broken strings or big bends!.