Tremolo springs do affect sound!

[wood&nickel]

Hey friends, i justed fitted on 3 springs on the back of my Musicman axis supersport yesterday and boy was there a world of difference.

Initially i only had 2 springs for ease of diving. But with 3 springs fitted, i adjusted the bridge to lift off really slightly and now there is more punch in the sound. More life in the tone.

Its hard to describe but i'm sure there's much an improvement. Now i'm wondering if 4 or 5 spring would make it sound better.

Any comments from the experts?

 

[Everdying]

wait til u try using different brands of springs.
just dont end up in a mental institution

 

[edgie]

I recently got a set of Raw Vintage springs as part of my gift from my gf at TYMC. I installed 5 springs in my strat as recommended by the manufacturer.

These have lower tension compared to typical springs so the effect is still like having 3 springs so you can still use your trem bar without having to fight it. The travel of the trem is so smooth now that I have more pitch control over it. As for the sound, I couldn't really say there was a huge improvement like what others said in TGP forum. I thing it still depends on the guitar. In my case, my guitar is already resonant before I got them so it's quite hard to tell. But for the feel of the trem alone, it is very much worth the price at less than 30sgd.

 

[van_halen]

are you eric johnson?

 

[edgie]

are you eric johnson?

I don't quite get your question. But if it's for me, I'm a much, much lesser mortal as far as guitar playing is concerned. : ) But I think Raw Vintage springs are one of those type of accessories where the only way to find out if it works for you is to install it in your guitar.

 

[relinquish69]

springs will sometimes add "noise" that might be caught by your pickups. you'd have to stuff some foam under the springs.

lesser springs makes it a whole lot easier to use a trem. it would make good sense if more springs adds to more vibration = "nicer" tone. however if you put like 5 springs on a FR trem, it would totally defeat the purpose of having one. so best of both worlds is 3 springs if you are a trem user.

people who don't use a trem at all usually put 5 springs there to hold it down. I am not too sure whether there is a significant change in tone because I've never sat down to test and hear whether there is a difference.

removing the backplate however does make a difference.

 

[geoff1121]

are you eric johnson?

lol crazy son of a lovelovelovelovelove. hes addicted to the effects springs and backplates can make, his strats have all full on 5springs.. he was also addicted to batteries in one of his mental phases. but yah more springs = more sustain. quite likely leads to better tone. same thing goes for string gauge

 

[edgie]

@relinquish69, as a strat user, I can feel and hear the effect of using 3 springs vs. 5. With 5 springs the guitar has more hi-mids increasing that metallic ping-y pretty much like a tele. I also don't like the stiff feel of 5 springs.

And btw, to all those who are thinking about tuning stability on a 3-spring set-up, in my experience, if it is set-up properly and the contact points(string tees, saddles, and nut) are properly lubricated, they hold up pretty well.

 

[relinquish69]

@relinquish69, as a strat user, I can feel and hear the effect of using 3 springs vs. 5. With 5 springs the guitar has more hi-mids increasing that metallic ping-y pretty much like a tele. I also don't like the stiff feel of 5 springs.

And btw, to all those who are thinking about tuning stability on a 3-spring set-up, in my experience, if it is set-up properly and the contact points(string tees, saddles, and nut) are properly lubricated, they hold up pretty well.

tuning stability will not be affected by the number of springs. however, the condition of springs do play quite a significant role. rust/oxidation would hinder even the primary function of the spring. IMO, stability is more affected by the strings, bridge and nut.

btw if you use the trem with 5 springs loaded, do prepare a few extra trems because trem arm breakage would become a common problem.

IMHO, springs do make a difference but not as much as replacing a trem block/ removing the backplate.