what is the reason why some people lock down their tremlo solidly onto the body

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Dave
T&T

Some just like it that way. Others can't figure out how to stabilize it so they block it off.

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"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a Conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst." J. Edgar Hoover

what do you mean by stabilizing it

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Dave
T&T

Tuning stability during use.

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"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a Conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst." J. Edgar Hoover

the reason i asked is that i recently got it and new to learning. and every time i touch it the guitar goes out of tune
is that normal

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Dave
T&T

No, it's not normal. But, it's common because many people do not have neither the knowledge nor patience to setup a trem properly and many guitars are poorly manufactured and won't stay in tune no matter how hard you try. Either and, or the hardware is junk or the wood flexes too much or the wood is too soft and won't hold the trem in place even with good hardware.

What kind of guitar do you have?

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"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a Conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst." J. Edgar Hoover

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Dave
T&T

Where did you get it from?

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"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a Conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst." J. Edgar Hoover

Sam Ash Miami

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Dave
T&T

Bring it in to Sam Ash for a setup. Ask them to hand it back to you in-tune and stabilized. When you pick it up, play it on a demo amp for a bit. If they are not willing to, or they are unable to stabilize the trem, if you are within the return period -- demand a guitar with a stable trem or ask for a refund and find a shop that sells guitars with stable trems! If you are out of the return period, find a Fender Authorized Repair Center and do the same as above. If they can't help you, contact Fender directly via phone. If Fender won't help...come back here and let's see what we can do!

The trem is on the guitar for a reason. It's meant to be used, not looked at!

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"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a Conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst." J. Edgar Hoover

No matter what you try, a six screw Fender trem will never be as stable tuning-wise as a double-locking system like a Floyd Rose. Don't believe those people who are in denial and think that they have some kind of special skills or something to magically keep it in tune, it doesn't happen.

You can try all of the tricks and believe all of the exaggerations, but it will never stay in tune with trem use. The best setup Fender trems can stand very mild trem use and stay in tune fairly well, but never will they be as good as decking or blocking the bridge. On the best setup Strat, using the trem will cause all strings to either go sharp or flat, but can be brought back to pitch by simply pulling or pushing on the bar.

The tuning stability problem with a typical Strat is one of the main reasons to deck/block/lock the bridge. That, and double-stop bends and other bends sound better.

Leo himself understood, and admitted that his trem was not that accurate as far as tuning stability. People have been trying all kinds of goofy tricks ever since to try to prove him wrong, and it has not happened yet.

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

bull poop. Watch this video:

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

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"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a Conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst." J. Edgar Hoover

Yes, that is the best that you can get, only with mild use as he does. As I have said before, the strings are in tune with each other, but they will all go sharp or flat with trem use. I can hear it in the video that you linked to, and notice that to get the strings back to pitch he also pushed or pulled on the bar when done. And had he used a tuner we could see without doubt that all of the strings go sharp or flat. The fact that he didn't use a tuner to support the "staying in tune" supports what I've said. Staying fairly well in tune, sure, but not as good as a double-locking FR. So that we don't have to depend on anyone's ears, I always use a tuner to prove that the Fender trems do not stay in tune as well as a FR. Funny though, some people will still try to argue with the tuner.

And here is a thread where I prove that the claw angle thing is also hooey. Each string has to have an exact amount of tension to be in tune. In order to balance (float) the bridge, the springs have to have an exact amount of tension equal and opposite to the string tension. Angling the claw is BS, plain and simple as I have proved in this thread.
http://www.fender.com/community/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=74361&p=876031&hilit=+spring+tension#p876031

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Oh my God! You're deaf and ignorant. Listen to the man's guitar -- it's in tune despite radical whammy use and the psuedo-science discussed in that thread.

L-O-L!

Trini, if Sam Ash can't stabilize that trem, demand a refund!

If you're out of the exchange period, contact Fender. If Fender gives you the run-around, come on back to this thread and report back your experiences!

If the trem is not stable it is because either the wood is not suitable for a trem, the hardware is of poor quality or defective, or the nut was cut incorrectly at the factory, or the guitar is not setup correctly, or the strings on the guitar are junk.

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"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a Conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst." J. Edgar Hoover

Dan Erlewine has this book called "How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great!" about $20 or so.

Once you understand how to setup your trem properly, you won't be out of tune ever again.