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Post subject: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 11:20 am
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Hi everyone,

While playing my strat today I noticed the attached spring fell on the ground. I have no clue if it came out of the guitar - to my knowledge there are only 2 types of strings, intonation saddles and tremolo... Any idea if this belongs to the guitar?

http://s27.postimg.org/95w40rxkz/image.jpg

Thanks

Tom


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Post subject: Re: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 11:54 am
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Yep... it lives in the hole for the Whammy Bar.

It's purpose is to place tension on the bar so it doesn't flop around.

They're easily lost, but if you put a dab of RTV on it, it will stay in place.

cheers!

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Post subject: Re: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 12:02 pm
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Thanks Lightnin MN.

How should I get it back to its place? Just let it fall into the hole and put back the whammy bar?


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Post subject: Re: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 12:25 pm
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Yes, that's all you do. I put a blob of vaseline on the spring before dropping it in, and that holds it when you take the bar out.


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Post subject: Re: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 12:33 pm
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Some tape the hole when the trem arm is off. Some have a fridge magnet to cover the hole. Some superglue the spring in the bottom of the hole. Some just keep the arm on - check that it's OK in the case if you do this (turn the arm down towards the corner of the case).

And it's always wise to have spare springs - they're sold in packages of six...


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Post subject: Re: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 1:13 pm
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Or get a nice callaham steel block which has a delrin insert. The arm stays anywhere you leave it with one thread engaged or all of them, no springs needed.
Plus they sound better.


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Post subject: Re: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 4:46 pm
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Yeah that's it, a spring falls out, so replace the whole tremolo with an expensive Callaham!

Just follow JMattis' and Butterscotch's advice and you'll be good to go.

We do love to overcomplicate things on here sometimes!
:mrgreen:
T2

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Post subject: Re: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 6:02 am
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T2Stratman wrote:
Yeah that's it, a spring falls out, so replace the whole tremolo with an expensive Callaham!

Just follow JMattis' and Butterscotch's advice and you'll be good to go.

We do love to overcomplicate things on here sometimes!
:mrgreen:
T2

We had this whole Callaham thing out with Mike Eldred on his Forum several years ago. I'm satisfied to defer to Fender. Seems to me that if Fender thought that Callaham's design yielded the tone they wanted they'd have gone in that direction, as they did with the VN pickup, but there will always be those who can justify a better mousetrap. Different strokes, I suppose.

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Post subject: Re: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 8:53 am
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Callaham does sell stand-alone steel trem blocks to upgrade Strats originally equipped with those of zinc-alloy. However, I wouldn't replace an existing steel Fender block with theirs, based solely for the convenience of having a delrin bushing. As for the trem-arm spring, I've never bothered to use them.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:32 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
Callaham does sell stand-alone steel trem blocks to upgrade Strats originally equipped with those of zinc-alloy. However, I wouldn't replace an existing steel Fender block with theirs, based solely for the convenience of having a delrin bushing. Arjay

Do you see replacing a zinc-alloy trem block with one made of steel as an upgrade? Apparently 'AH' does, and bases the recommendation upon the idea of 'killing two birds with one stone.' :idea:

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Post subject: Re: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 10:11 am
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ZZDoc wrote:
Retroverbial wrote:
Callaham does sell stand-alone steel trem blocks to upgrade Strats originally equipped with those of zinc-alloy. However, I wouldn't replace an existing steel Fender block with theirs, based solely for the convenience of having a delrin bushing. Arjay

Do you see replacing a zinc-alloy trem block with one made of steel as an upgrade? Apparently 'AH' does, and bases the recommendation upon the idea of 'killing two birds with one stone.' :idea:


I want the guitar that Leo Fender designed -- nothing more, nothing less.

And Leo did not specify zinc alloy as a suitable material for trem blocks.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 10:18 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
I want the guitar that Leo Fender designed -- nothing more, nothing less. And Leo did not specify zinc alloy as a suitable material for trem blocks. Arjay

I expect that should one purchase an American Vintage '56 Stratocaster it is going to be spec'd period correct in terms of materials.

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Post subject: Re: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 11:22 am
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Hey, wait... Is this turning to "keep the spring, get a new guitar that fits it"..?

Retroverbial wrote:
As for the trem-arm spring, I've never bothered to use them.

Me neither - and that's the most obvious solution I didn't list above...

:lol:


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Post subject: Re: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 11:25 am
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jmattis wrote:
Hey, wait... Is this turning to "keep the spring, get a new guitar that fits it"..?

Retroverbial wrote:
As for the trem-arm spring, I've never bothered to use them.

Me neither - and that's the most obvious solution I didn't list above...

:lol:

Perhaps. Another is to block the trem which is the way I have two of my Strats set up or deck the bridge with five springs and fugeddaboudit.

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Post subject: Re: Spring - what is this?
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2014 4:18 am
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Spring? That's the season that doesn't seem to be coming to New Jersey this year. :(

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