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Post subject: small spring has fallen off my NEW American Std Strat!?!?!?
Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 7:32 pm
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help me everyone with my FIRST ever Stratocaster...

i got my strat this afternoon, and when i moved it around, i heard something moving inside. an hour or two later, something popped out!?

a small black spring, about a centimeter long has fallen off from my guitar while i was playing. i have no idea where it came from or how to install it back to my stratocaster. i think it may have come out of the back plate. i know for sure its not one of strings connected to the vibrato piece, because the one that fell out was about a centimeter long.

has this happened to anyone else? does anybody have an idea where it came from? how do i put it back to my guitar?

are there blue prints available that i could see?

thanks ya'lls,
Glenn


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Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 7:33 pm
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Trem arm spring.

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Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 8:06 pm
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Was it a new strat? Didn't it come with a little round sticker over the trem arm hole in the bridge? That sticker is to keep the spring in while the arm isn't in.

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Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 8:23 pm
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CAfeathers got it right... It sounds like the tremolo arm spring. No big deal, just put it back in and insert the tremolo arm.

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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 6:13 am
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Hello. First post and all that, so go easy. :)

I recently purchased a 2008 American Standard Strat & a Blues Jr, very happy with them. Over the moon in fact. I couldn't wish for a better tone. I could do with a Tube Screamer, but that's a different story.

Anyway, i read this thread earlier & i didn't realise there was meant to be a spring inside the tremelo hole. I know, i've been playing for nearly 25 years but am very naive on the technical side of things. I'm from the plug in & play school of thought. So i went and looked inside the hole of my guitar and cannot see a spring in there. I even turned it upside down and gave it a shake to see if it came out and nothing.

Thing is, did play initially without the tremelo arm on so it could easily have fell out without me realising. Yet again, it could still be in there. I don't know.

If it's not in there, am i doing my bridge or/and tremelo system any harm? What would be the tell tale signs if it wasn't there? It's the first Strat i've owned so i've nothing to compare it to.

I understand this question has probably been asked a million times, i'm just looking for a quick, straight answer.

Thanks very much in advance & i must say there are some incredibly knowledgable people on here & i've picked up some great tips from browsing these boards.


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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 6:19 am
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That spring is a spacer for your tremelo arm, drop it back in and keep on playin...


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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 6:30 am
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You dont have to use it. Some people dont like'em,, even claim they do harm to threads. I prefer them,, keeps a lil tension on the arm so you dont have to tightin it all the way down to keep the arm from being loose or wobbley. Buy a bag at your local shop for a few bucks. When you turn guitar upside down it will usually fall out, Thats why theres a silver sticker over the trem arm hole on new strats.


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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 6:32 am
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Thanks man. That's all i needed to know.


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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 7:03 am
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I've always wondered if you actually need that little spring. Anyone?

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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 7:12 am
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blues_boy wrote:
I've always wondered if you actually need that little spring. Anyone?


I've never used one. I like my trem arm to fall out of the way when I'm done with it.

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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 7:48 am
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Matter of taste whether you want the little spring beneath the trem arm or not (as mentioned above, it is to help the whammy stay where you put it, rather than dangling loose). But if you are missing one and want it there are a couple of tricks people do.

One is to use the spring from a cheap retractable BIC type biro as a replacement.

The other is to get a bit of stoutish polythene, from a bin liner or similar. Place it across the hole, then push the arm in and thread it till it is as stiff as you like it. Take a box cutter and trim away the surplus polythene. The plastic kinda gums up the threads a bit and keeps the arm tight.

Purists, including me, think this second method is crude and scuzzy - but loadsa people seem to do it...


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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 8:16 am
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Right. So it's only really there to keep your tremelo arm in place? Does it not serve any other purpose?

I'm with the gentleman who said he'd rather it fall away when he's not using it.


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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 8:20 am
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Spenny wrote:
Right. So it's only really there to keep your tremelo arm in place? Does it not serve any other purpose?

I'm with the gentleman who said he'd rather it fall away when he's not using it.


It keeps the arm in place and keeps you from over tightening the arm in the block.

I leave the spring out, screw the arm in until it just starts to get tight, then back it out a full turn. The falls away when I'm not using it and that works for me.

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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 8:23 am
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CAFeathers wrote:
Spenny wrote:
Right. So it's only really there to keep your tremelo arm in place? Does it not serve any other purpose?

I'm with the gentleman who said he'd rather it fall away when he's not using it.


It keeps the arm in place and keeps you from over tightening the arm in the block.

I leave the spring out, screw the arm in until it just starts to get tight, then back it out a full turn. The falls away when I'm not using it and that works for me.


That is precisely what i've been doing. You obviously know your stuff so thanks very much for the advice.


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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 8:26 am
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Chet knows his stuff all right!


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