how do you block a trem anyway?

seanw1010

i hardly ever use mine, so i dont really need it/

Novawind

Put 5 springs in the back and take off your whammy bar?

moster78

With an actual block of wood cut to fit in the cavity between the body of the guitar and the tremolo block. Shove it in there and no matter what the tension on the strings, that'll stop the bridge from pulling up. I have one that I used when I setup my Strat on my own. Following the instructions in a book by Dan Erlewine, recommended by Bob (aka Whos_Pearljam), you jam the block in there, tune up and get the distance you want of the bridge to the body, then add the springs and tighten those and the block will come up when the tension is just right. Worked like a charm, but in this instance, just leave the block in there and you should be OK. I think I read in the Fender manual that came with my Strat that they don't recommend tightening the springs to get the bridge flush with body, but I could be mistaken.

ianvomsaal

add wood . . .

PJ-Sin

Novawind wrote:

Put 5 springs in the back and take off your whammy bar?

I think we have a winner.

Either that or try a different guitar. Seems kinda like a waste if your not using the trem...

ianvomsaal

Just remove your back trem plate, and wedge a small block of hardwood into the space between the trem and the body (most of the time you'll need to pound it in a little - not too hard, but you want this to be a nice tight fit). The wood should be slightly wedge shaped, or minutely larger than the space available (but that's a good thing because it'll be really solid). The wood then takes up all that empty space, making it more like a set bridge (and you actually get more sustain and better tone than just adding a bunch of springs, though you can do that too - remember, an empty space {air} means less Sustain and Fat Tone).
This basically locks your tremelo so it's not resting on the body, and makes it more solid and more "one" with the body - it's easy - you just need to get a block of hardwood that's an appropriate size - Cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

who's_pearljam?

For most Strats

Open the back plate and you'll see the springs and the metal tremolo.

Find a piece of hardwood that would about fit in the space between the metal tremolo and the wood body towards the rear of the guitar and the smaller space between the wood towards the front.

What you want to do is sand that piece for the rear so that it'll fit between the metal and the wood so that the bridge is parallel to the body on the top.

Take some sandpaper and lay it flat on a table and rub the wood until it fits.
(A little wedge shaped like Ian says)

Blow off all the sawdust

Now,, pull the trem arm out so the space is bigger between the metal and the wood body, stick that wood piece in there and let go of the trem arm and it should hold because of the springs.

You CAN put a small drop of white elmers glue on, but not too much. Just enough to hold it, but a tiny bit so you can knock the wood off if you want to remove it. Don't glue it if you don't need to, though.

This would work just like that, but if you want more permanent, then take the springs off and cut and sand that other piece of wood to fit on the front side of the metal tremolo.
Don't pound it in,,, push and wiggle that thing in but pounding too hard can put stress on the wood and bridge.

If you want to ge fancy, drill a hole in the exposed part of each wood shim so that you can screw a screw in so it's easier to pull them out!

Put the springs back in, too, or you'll lose them like me! Also,,, if you take the springs off,,, make sure there's a ground wire to connect to the same metal, because the springs complete the ground in some Strats

You'll get more sustain and power, but you may lose some of the Strat bell and springy boingy tone, too. Part of that tone comes from the LACK of sustain and the vibrations of all the moving parts. When you solidify it all, you may have more of a solid tone,,, for lack of a better word that I probably wouldn't be able to spell anyway!

exhausted

on my strats i've always just adjusted the springs to pull the bridge right back to the body and then adjusted the saddles for height and intonation.

hmmm.

who's_pearljam?

exhausted wrote:

on my strats i've always just adjusted the springs to pull the bridge right back to the body and then adjusted the saddles for height and intonation.

hmmm.

I think that's the way you do the lefty's!