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Post subject: Will the whammy bar affect the tuning?
Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 6:34 am
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Hi everyone at Fender. I'm pretty new to all this Fender stuff. I'm quite an accomplished musician, and have played many other instruments such as Gibson, Ibanez and Jackson, but have recently fallen in love with a Turquoise Fender 57 Strat. I love the guitar, but am worried that using the whammy bar to create heavy effects like that of Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads will affect the tuning because the guitar does not have a floyd-rose system. Could anybody out there help me with this? :cry:


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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:48 am
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Make sure all the points where the string meets another component is well lubricated. I use 3-in-1 oil on the saddles, nut and trem springs contact points; I also use a touch of Chapstick on the string stays.

If you really want to do an "Artie" with the whammy, I'd install Shaller locking tuners and an LSR roller nut.


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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:22 am
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I think that Strataholic said it all. :)

Slip or stick at string contact points: These points, as noted, are at the nut, bridge saddles, and trem springs. I'd also include the tuners in a round-about way. Strings need time to settle in - mainly for the windings on the tuner to tighten. Many guitar players either tune a bit higher and tune back to normal (I do this on classical guitars when adding new strings) or pull up a bit on each string and then retune (several times). This removes the slack of the string windings on the tuners and helps the strings to 'settle'. This will avoid detuning with the whammy bar - otherwise it is acting a bit like a settling technique and you get detuning.

To use the whammy bar on a Strat more aggressively you definitely need to consider these preparatory actions and possible customizations.

I've been told that graphite powder mixed with vaseline is also a good lubricant for these points but it may not be as effective as oil.


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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:17 am
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I would stay away from putting oil on the nut. Eventually it will do nasty stuff to the wood around the nut as it slowlly seeps into it. I always recommend a dry lube for tuners as well. I have replaced neck for people due to oil rotting the wood over time.

One of the simplest lubes for the nut is some graphite from a pencil. Go pick up some refills for a mechanical pencil. They are thin enough to fit into the slot on the high E.

On the custom Strats that I build I usually will install a Graph-Tech Trem Nut if the user is planning to use the bar a lot. It would be a pretty quick install that most people can do themselves. The Trem nut provides its own lubrication and will really help with tuning stability.


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