After watching this I realized I was one of the none of my trem arms have that spring because none of my guitars are new. I just went to my crap drawer and fished out an old empty lighter and took out the spring from under the flint. I cut it down to size and it works perfectly. Made a few with one spring. Thanks Phil.
@@bobholland5302 if my wife didn't immediately discard pens the second they start to fail I'd have a bunch of those in the crap drawer too. I strip everything.
There’s an old Strat player’s trick (for when that little spring doesn’t exist), you can wrap the threads on the tremolo bar with something that plumbers use… Teflon Tape! You can get it at any hardware store that sells plumbing supplies. Wrap some Teflon Tape twice around the threads (three times at the most) and that will keep that whammy bar from just swinging freely. The tape (which is not sticky in any way) adds just a little bit of friction to the threads. This prevents the bar from dropping to a “straight down” position when you let go, and keeps your tremolo bar in whatever position you left it. It won’t damage the threads (it’s just a very thin plastic), so the threads will stay like new as long as you have that Strat! The piece of Teflon Tape in my Strat has been there for at least 15 years! File this trick under “easy fixes”.
*Shudder*, there's never a reason to play a PRS, unless you were given one for free, and even then, you're better off passing that curse on to someone else, and using the proceeds to buy two guitars that will both be better than the PRS!
Interesting to learn about the tremolo spring. In the mid-80's I bought a brand new Japan Strat and as you said, it had no spring. In fact, I didn't know they existed until watching this video.
Good job - I actually learned something! Been playing for over 65 years, Strats and Teles, and your information was eye opening! I went the foam pad route with the springs, and just learned to avoid the vol control on strats, but the foam ring is cool . . .
@@quinn.0 it's partially because of the guitar's reputation, having been closely associated with both Tony Iommi and Angus Young, as well as the neck profile making it easier to play
@@quinn.0 in terms of sound and playing comfort they’re pretty decent since they’re sort of like a lighter les paul, but they’re twice as fragile! Since there’s less wood at the neck joint, you basically have to rely 100% on the glue to hold the two pieces together.
I feel like this is more of a “how to fix annoying issues” video than it is a “things you didn’t know” video. Regardless, great video that provided some really cool and super useful info!
I've been playing guitar for over 23 years in different bands, places, environments. Never have I had the honour of being in the company of someone with your knowledge. Mr McKnight, you are awesome. :)
This tutorial was excellent. I ordered Fender trem springs right away. Made such a difference. But a word of caution using foam products inside the trem tension springs: certain types of foam products disintegrate--or "rot"--over time, leaving you with a sticky, gooe mess that is very hard to clean up. This has happened with so many of my stored products, and even includes certain rubberized plastics like those used as camera grips. The consistency is visibly identical to tar, and I think it's safe to assume these chemicals are petroleum based..
Love the foam under the volume knob trick. I have an Ingwie loaded pick guard with a low friction pot that moves if you breath on it. If Fender would get pots that turn the other way, the strat players through the years might not have turned their knob down by accident.
The tip with the spring is unbelievable, that's exactly what I was looking for on my Yamaha Pacifica 112V BL RL. I just had to close the hole in the bottom of the tremolo block. Thanks, Phillip
Yep, knew it all, and NEVER dampen the springs! That's part of the beatific character of the Strat! I love the light reverb the springs give ... some guys even go to trouble to amplify the springs (LOL). Each to their own.
It's all in small details, you can't possibly explain it to anybody with a picture or description. I like Mexican Strats as much as the next guy, but once you pick up one side by side with something like American Standard(whatever that model is now) you can instantly feel the difference. The fit, finish, hardware quality. All you have to do is rub your hand against the edge of the neck and you can instantly tell which has better fretwork. It's the little things. Does it make American models 3 times better? Hardly. Even owning one I can say that in terms of value it's not as good as a Mexican models. But you always pay unproportionally more for incremental improvements in every product category. Is 1000 dollar phone twice as good as 500 dollar one? It almost never is, but that's how much they want for a slightly better product.
I once ordered a pack on the site of a big European retailer. Cost 7€ for a pack of 12, so I thought, wow, kinda expensive. And then shipping costs, so it was something like 10€. I had to add a tech 21 rk5 fly rig to the basket to save at least the shipping costs. Springs and pedal were good purchases.
This video blew my mind! When I got my '62 reissue, I don't recall a sticker so always thought the tremolo was just a bit "janky" as I didn't have the spring in place - pretty much kept me from ever using it. And the tricks for keeping the knobs more fixed and keeping the springs from being so noisy - such great ideas Phil. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us. 😃
What's depressing is that there are evidently 1.2k a-holes that expended more effort to dis-like the video than to just move on with no comment. This video couldn't have been more timely and precise for my issue with the tremolo springs. Great idea for a quick fix. Great video.
Hey Steven! You can actually get a quick response from Phil and answers to your questions by joining his Reachable community here: home.reachableapp.com/?Name=phil%20mcknight Phil also talks about the launch of his Reachable community here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yxHMDTp_O20.html.
@Gevalt, Of course they touched tobacco!! You only use filters you find in the ashtrays of the Kit Kat Klub or on the street!! After they drag them down a gravel road, that helps the antiqued "custom shop" guitars get that lovely roadworn patina that cost an extra few hundred bucks.
I’ve been cutting apart pickguards and replacing parts on Strats since 1984 and you blew my mind. 1) The trem issue was a problem that I gave up on and simply twist it so it's locked facing around 8’oclock. 2) I do love the onboard spring reverb tank (ahem, thought I only knew about that) but some of my Strats have 4 tight springs = IMO perfect reverb effect but little divebombing ability and some have 3 loose springs = too much booing!, now I will experiment with this muffling technique. 3) Foam under the volume knob (AKA tone) is really nice trick. PS: Love your RU-vids - you’re very pleasent to watch and learn. Keep on pickin’.
finally I found a video where the guy is talking but in the same time he's making the thing happen. usually people when they're making videos talk 10 minutes before and then they put some pictures and fast forward video to Show the Job done. in that case buddy, you were making the thing happen and explaining why you're doing that! thank you very much. you know pass it on.
sometimes i like the spring noise. its like natural built in spring reverb especially on super resonate notes. good tips to get rid of the noise regardless. nice foam volume knob trick too.
THIS i cant udnerstand people who like the noise that sometimes come from the springs, gives kind of a dissonant chorus that fucks up with your ears even if you really aint noticing it
I agree, unless we are talking about something more intense that I haven't experienced yet, I always thought it was what gave the strat a more complex, jangly character. Especially strumming. It's like a subtle pseudo accoustic effect. I mean, if he is just saying every strat needs this done by default I don't really agree, I think it would make the tone more generic.
7:06 "a lot of guys have the same problem. When they're strumming they hit their knob". I don't know how you play guitar, but I think it's quite the challenge to hit your knob xD
Well, honestly, I hit the knob very often too man. I've noticed that almost all strats have the volume knob placed very close to the strings which actually gets hit almost every time you're trying to play something on the higher strings...
When I had a Strat, I hit it more then I cared to. Watch Keith Urban play his. He is constantly turning it back up with his pinky. Could just be a fidget thing, but I noticed he messes it all the time.
Ikr maybe that how some player play a strat. Its quite challenging for me to actually. I cant imagine strumming at the same time hitting the knob. I guess for some people, they like to strum close to the bridge thats why
I bought a used strat but it will not be here for another day. I had to go out and buy a new tremolo arm (didn't have one) but the other ideas were great too. You are the first of my line into knowing my new strat! Thanks
+Eran Montiel Rubbish…its personal preference. Having the bridge flat to the body allows the guitar to resonate more gives better sustain, its similar to playing a hard tail strat. Notice why a tele seems to sustain and resonate better than a strat?
+gmlasam oh for sure there are a number of ways you can set up your guitar, I was just relaying what fender days on their site as to the standard setup.
+Eran Montiel That is correct, but that gap is supposed to be caused by the spring tension and the string tension, causing the bridge to float. Not the screw pushing the bridge down in the front.
Watched the first 30 seconds of this and went straight on eBay and bought one of those springs for $1 plus $2 postage. I've owned several Strats, never a brand new one, didn't know those screws existed. Thanks!
Didn't know about the spring, so I put a spring from a ball point pen into mine and it's awesome. I thought it would fall out in transport, but the spring became caught up in the hole. It's so nice to have the trem arm up and ready, rather than dangling straight down.
HankCScorpio actually they are. Mine works just fine with my pen spring lol. It doesn't really take a whole lot for it to work. Now it may not be as perfect and it may not last as long. But it does work just fine
@showlogicprod lol so defensive. Carry on with that expert tone! Also, music isn't a competition - maybe one day you'll realise that and actually enjoy it...
It is amazing how the people at guitar stores as Fender dealers don't know about the spring in the tremolo. This is the first I'm hearing of this and I've recently been in to two stores to sort out my used Strat tremolo bar issues. This is the exact problem solved.
I have been keeping up with you and what you're doing for some time and I'm extremely impressed and above all your a likable guy with plenty of knowledge and I appreciate what you do I wanted you to know that thank you...
+Randy McRae I'm not sure how much the trem springs can influence the overall tone electrically, given how far the trem springs are from the pickups. I'm not really a fan of the ringing sound they put out acoustically, so I prefer to dampen them on most of my guitars. Each to their own, though!
+zoomosis It's not an electronic influence. It's acoustic, and you can hear it both plugged and unplugged. I feel it's part of the sound of the guitar. I am blessed with a Strings and Things Custom Blues King III that I have had since 1984. The best "Strat" I have ever owned. It is relatively light, ash, and has almost an acoustic vibe to it. I have always kept the bridge tight against the body, never using the trem. The "spring ring" is like a built in reverb and I like it.
Thanks Dude, I’ve had my USA Strat since 93 I never knew I was missing a spring on the trem?? The tricks with the foam on the volume pot and springs are just awesome! Those spring noises always drove me nuts and I’m always knocking the volume!
+Paul Rose Indeed, it's a great solution. I'm just wondering why this problem hasn't already been adressed by Fender (and other guitar companies) already? I mean, this has been a problem ever since the spring-based tremolo was first invented - so why not manufacture new springs that have had the proper silencing treatment? I just can't see why it's not in the companies' best interest to have the best product available...
It never ceases to amaze me of all the things you can do with a pool noodle. You might want to hold off on #5 if you're an Adrian Belew fan and wanna do pinky volume swells with delay.
Packs of the trem springs very affordable - I got mine from Amazon UK. You get enough in the pack to suit even the most clumsy-fingered. One point that's rarely mentioned for anyone who decks the Strat bridge by tightening the the spring claw and pulling the bridge flush onto the body is that access to the holes for removing or installing strings can move too far forwards to be accessible via the slot or holes in the backplate. I simply bought a replacement plate and adapted it but kept the original in the case for any future owner who wants to reinstate the trem.
Not true...literally everything is way better quality. You can feel the difference between the 2 when playing. You make less mistakes playing a fender. It’s more effortless then a squire.
This video has been on my suggested videos for at least a year. I watched it, I liked it, I'm a subscriber... I don't need to watch it every day, though...
never knew about the static issue. just had that issue for the first time. I used a dryer sheet with a little plastic baggie as a barrier so as to not get any gunk on the guitar. worked like a charm
How do you keep from losing the tremelo spring?! It's so small! My 1984 Squier Strat (Japanese) didn't come with the spring. Here's a great solution. Apply some teflon tape to the thread to give a little material to give friction/fill to the threads. I've found this works pretty well.
@@maykel_192 no where stiff enough, (there is also a ball bearing with the spring). New kits also have a small disk magnet to cover the hole to use over the hole to (help) keep the spring from getting lost. It's about $10.
I have always had the issue of turning down the volume. I remove a tone, move the volume down, and run one master tone as I never use both together anyway. I set the trem to the body, use 5 springs, and run the trem spring claw right in close. Afterwards I do a complete setup with 11's and my strats are killer to me. I get perfect intonation and the sweetest tone (to my ears). I give the tone's credit to heavier strings, not using a pick, and EMG SA pups. Not crazy about the battery part of having actives, BUT they make for great noise free output, and and the tone is amazing. I highly recommend trying them.
The only real mod I've ever done to my Strat is I added one wire so that one of the tone knobs works on the bridge pickup...I found that to be worthwhile...
wow, i never knew that about the tremelo arm spring....and it has always bothered me. thank you! now i need to find one that fits. as far as dampening the tremelo block springs, well i think those springs are (a small)part of the magic of the strat tone...
Just changed the tremolo cover on my Stratocaster for the first time in five years a few weeks ago and was wondering, "why the heck did i put foam inside the springs? well, i'm sure it's for a reason, i'd better leave it that way". Halfway through the video I realize I put foam inside the springs because last time I watched this video was 5 years ago xD Thanks for the great tips! Timeless tutorial!
That ringing sound is why you play a strat! You don't want to take that away + If you use a six screw bridge you just pivot on the two outer screws, not all six.
Not 30 minutes ago I was playing and I am hearing crackling ... I watch this and you go BOOM STATIC GUARD .... Thank You Phil ... Your a Guitar God !!!!
Yep. I block the trem but keep the springs. I also leave the cover plate off so I can "play" them (add some reverb and hit 'em hard, it gives an ungodly great krangggggg). Sounds totally different to a hard tail strat.
Same here Justin, blocked trem w/ springs. I don't know if it makes a difference or not but I feel cool saying it and makes people around me think that I know something about guitars, which of course I don't. At all.
Excellent tips Phil! I am doing most of these tomorrow on my “Magnificent 7” Strat! The one I won’t need to do is the spring in the trem arm because they somehow fixed the pop-in arm to where it stays where you leave it. They might have fixed it in all Elites? The volume knob has been making me crazy! Love your channel!
I found an old fashioned black sink, faucet washer works well as a replacement knob also. I'm a lefty player and used to play my Strat. upside down and this helped me not to turn the knobs accidently.
my MIJ strat had a tremolo arm spring and I lost it. I went to Guitar Center to see if they had any, and the morons had no idea what I was talking about.
+Boodysaspie I bet in modern tremolo systems they are using fine thread. Fine thread provides better fit. However, a mechanical engineer like me would never use a thread for positioning. Threads have different function. It is just an easy and cheap design. For the price of an American strat they could offer something better, but that's the traditional design... :D
Boodysaspie Honestly i think its because most players dont use it, therefore it goes undernoticed. then theres the "IT HAS TO BE VINTAGE SPEC!" thing that limits the market sevearly at times, if the improved the system to much people would complain its to far off from the origonals. honestly the fender mustang trem attatchment method was better, put it in, tighten down a screw with an allen key that has a headpiece that fits in a grove cut in the bar. Allows you to move it, but still keep it in place, basicaly, as flexable as you want it to be. Put that on a strat an we are golden. Hi have mine cranked down on my home build so it only moves when moved by hand.
Wonderful tips. I've played strats for over 35yrs and done all of them at different times. I'd also add in that 5 trem springs sound better than 3 and they also create better tuning stability. Best gtrs on the planet!! 🎸😎
No5 is a good one. One of my strats the volume pot moves too easily. I've been looking for solutions but till now not seen any. Regarding the trem spring, it doesn't work on my MIM strats as the hole goes all the way through and the spring falls out. I just use the old plumber tape and it works fine.
+fishy paw mim strats made before 2006 have holes that go all the way through, but i believe they changed this on all or most mim strats after '06. do you know what years your mexican strats are?
+fishy paw Yes the older MIM's have a different block. As you said PTFE tape or Rizlas should work: Thats how I secured the switch tip on my '52 re-issue Tele :-)
Using the little spring in the trem arm hole makes a squeak noise when the bar is moved. It’s better to wrap the bottom of the trem arm grooves with pipe tape. There are different thicknesses and you can decide what works for you. Keeps the trem arm right where you need it and the arm is super responsive to touch. No gap in that slot. I’ve done that for player’s guitars and they agree it works great. Give it a try and see if you like it
