Today I spoke to a luthier about doing a setup on my 1989 strat plus. WhenI asked him if he was familiar with the hipshot tremsetter he told me he usually recommends removing the tremsetter and replacing it with a spring. He said the tremsetters son't stay in tune. I have not had any problems with my guitar going out of tune. However I want to change my string gauge from .9's to.10's but I am afraid that there is nobody who knows how to adjust the tremsetter so they either want to remove it and replace it with a spring or they want to change it from floating to resting the bridge on the body. SHould I consider these options or try to find someone who knows how to properly adjust the tremsetter.

I would find someone else. I pull the tremsetter out of mine, but that's because I like to deck mine and have 4 springs in it.

The tremsetter was made to help keep it in tune, so I'm sure it can't be any worse with it, than without it, as long as it's set up right.

This sounds like a job for Xhefri, guy is a Plus/Ultra guru.

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I also have an '89 strat plus. If it's set up properly, the tremsetter will help with tuning stability, but you can achieve tuning stability with springs as well, if everything is done properly. But there's a trade-off when you use the tremsetter, and I didn't realize this until I got mine working the way it's supposed to. FYI - I can't find it right now, but there's a really good youtube video demonstrating the right way to set the tremsetter up.

The trade-off is this: once it's working right, you can still float the bridge, but you can not wobble the trem the way you can when it's just springs. The tremsetter will always return the its "locked" position, so there's a noticeable stopping point in between the up and down movement of the trem bar. I prefer to be able to wobble the bar freely (and I have other strats without the tremsetter), but I live with it on the strat plus because the main advantage to the tremsetter (in my opinion) is not the tuning stability during tremolo use, but the fact that you can do some pretty aggressive string bending and vibrato things without your other strings going flat. Also, I want to keep mine bone stock.


If you can find the youtube demo on correct tremsetter set-up, you should be able to easily do it yourself. Once it's working the way it's supposed to, you'll be in a better position to decide if you want to remove it and just use springs. Also, if you're careful, and get everything lubricated right, you can float the trem and still keep pretty good tuning stability with only two springs. That way you won't have to add a new trem claw.

In this youtube video, David Borisoff, founder of Hipshot Products (makers of the Tremsetter) shows how to install the unit in a Strat. As part of the installation, he shows how to adjust it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jvl0fLOzwi8

Ditto. Find him in "members' and send him a PM, or go to www.xhefriguitars.com. Be sure you're sitting down before you open his web page.

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"Another day in paradise!"

I have visited Xhefri's site many times and it is indeed a great site for those of us who like the strat plus series of guitars. As far as my setup problem is concerned I have decided that I will learn how to do it all my self. After trying to get the guitar "professionally" setup this I have decided that you are better off doing this stuff yourself. I can't believe that the first gut I talked to was recommending removing parts from my guitar because he didn't know how to make the proper adjustments. I had even worst results when trying to get it setup at Sam Ash and I didn't dare bother with Guitar Center.
Using the manual that came with the guitar and the same gauge strings I took all the neasurements and everything is pretty much dead on after 22 years. I'm glad I saved the $75 the luthier was going to charge me to rip the tremsetter out and setup my guitar.