Hello
i have two questions about fender factory setup:

1. tremolo setup, it says on fender.com:
"Fender spec is a 1/8" (3.2 mm) gap at rear of bridge"
how exactly is that measured? photos?

2. should the claw screws be tightened to give more tension on the bass side and less on the treble side? or they should be parallel?

thanks a lot
MoJoE

1. Get a ruler - just measure from the body top to the bridge bottom at the very rear of the bridge.

2. No

Notice that the rear of the bridge plate (the end away from the neck) is up off of the guitar body. Measure the gap between the bridge plate and the guitar body.

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Set for your own preference, not some measurement.
On the claw, the treble side needs to be further back than the bass side. The treble strings have more tension in them than the bass strings so need the springs on their side to exert more force to balance the trems action.

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No no and no

I favor ditching the measurement, too. Instead of measuring, just adjust the height of the plate so that if you pull up on the trem bar all the way, the pitch is changed one half step. Not only does it put it at a reasonable height, it's sort of handy, as a part of your technique, to be able to pull up all the way and know you're changing one half step.

i just measured, the bridge plate thickness is 1/8".
the bottom end of the plate is round not square and if i measure from the straight area it's way to much

file:///E:/DCIM/Camera/2012-08-12%2011.38.14.jpg
file:///E:/DCIM/Camera/2012-08-12%2011.38.51.jpg

This does'nt work

i'm trying to upload these photos, don't know how, they're on my computer

Look here for posting pics:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=52777

Keep in mind that all setup procedures are "generalized" in the sense that they are a first-step and up to personal preference.

Some folks like the tremlo flat against the body. The thinking here is it increases sustain.

Go with your own sense of what is correct.

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-T

"You can't spend what you ain't got, you can't lose what you ain't never had" ~ McKinley Morganfield

You are making this way too complicated. See the picture at the top of page 12:

http://support.fender.com/manuals/instr ... sses_(2003)_manual.pdf

As far as claw adjustment goes, some people adjust it straight across, others angle it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy-F7iSIopA

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Bill

Bluesky636 that 's a very good video how to tune Strat tremolo. I think I will try on my guitar.

It's not easy to understand how the tremolo one piece may react differently on one side just because of spring adjusted differently.

I am inclined to believe that all the tremolo follows in full the amount of force exerted by the spring. Never mind that these springs are at different voltages

But the result is there, we can hear on this video


Translation with Google , I hope this is good

"Tension" not "voltages".

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Bill

That is one of those things that doesn't translate well. Actually, tension is used referring to voltage quite often, such as "high-tension" or "HT". Note that many amps with a fuse in the high-voltage sections of the amp are labeled "HT". Linemen often refer to "high-tension wires" indicating the wires that carry what we call high voltage. But yes, in the case of springs, the correct term is tension......except when the death-cap shorts, then you could have voltage on the springs as well as tension.



True. It is really pointless to angle the claw, because as you stated, the force from the springs is spread evenly on the bridge screws anyway. Simple physics.

_________________
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Perhaps thats why you can't get em to work properly?

Of course the strings exert different amounts of tension. Just look on the back of a pack of Diaddario strings. It tells you the differing tensions at concert pitch. That is why you angle the claw. The pivot posts have nothing to do with it. They certainly don't affect a force that is operating in the opposite direction to which the pivot posts work.
That is simple physics.
A word of advice to anyone reading this. Please don't take Strat tremolo setup advice from the people who freely admit they can't get the things to stay in tune.

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No no and no