Tremolo Mod
- SneakyT
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Tremolo Mod
A lot of people complain that their foreign tremolo is not as smooth as the American ones. I have had mixed results with ones I’ve owned and I’ve narrowed down what the culprit was. It was the brass piece that holds the spring. It was causing the spring to bind.
If you have this one you are fine.
The one that is the problem is this one.
It may be nickel plated but it should still be made of brass as mine were.
So I decided I’d mod it to work. The first thing you need to do is remove the spring and brass end then thread the screw quite a way through the brass end. I did not take pictures of the process until after the mod was done so you’ll see the finished brass end in these pictures. Just use your imagination.
Next take the screw end and tighten it into a drill (I’d use a corded one if possible). Then use a standard file to reshape the brass end.
Before:
After:
It made a world of difference in two of my tremolos. One guitar I had already had the proper brass end and my modified ones are just as smooth as it is now. Sure you can buy the correct brass piece for about six bucks on ebay but six bucks saved is a good thing in my book.
If you have this one you are fine.
The one that is the problem is this one.
It may be nickel plated but it should still be made of brass as mine were.
So I decided I’d mod it to work. The first thing you need to do is remove the spring and brass end then thread the screw quite a way through the brass end. I did not take pictures of the process until after the mod was done so you’ll see the finished brass end in these pictures. Just use your imagination.
Next take the screw end and tighten it into a drill (I’d use a corded one if possible). Then use a standard file to reshape the brass end.
Before:
After:
It made a world of difference in two of my tremolos. One guitar I had already had the proper brass end and my modified ones are just as smooth as it is now. Sure you can buy the correct brass piece for about six bucks on ebay but six bucks saved is a good thing in my book.
Last edited by SneakyT on Tue Jul 22, 2014 12:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- jvmusic
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Re: Tremolo Mod
Awesome. That helps convince my choice in buying a CIJ/MIJ versus saving up for a 62 AVRI. Although I suck at work like that and don't have the means to do it so I'll have to just buy the part.
- SneakyT
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Re: Tremolo Mod
With heavy use on the Bass VI I was able to get it to bind again so I ended up taking some more off to get it perfect. Still working great as pictured on the Jazzmaster though.
I'd really like a longer spring for the Bass VI. Any one have any Ideas of a source?
I'd really like a longer spring for the Bass VI. Any one have any Ideas of a source?
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- maximee
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Re: Tremolo Mod
Great idea! Thanks for posting this.
In some other thread I remember somebody mentioning where they got their springs from. I just can't remember who and in what thread.
Not exactly helpful... sorry 'bout that.
In some other thread I remember somebody mentioning where they got their springs from. I just can't remember who and in what thread.
Not exactly helpful... sorry 'bout that.
- bipedal
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Re: Tremolo Mod
Neat -- thanks for posting. I never would have thought of this.
- Danley
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Re: Tremolo Mod
I'll point something else out:
Flipping the spring over in my MIJ trem finally fixed this, after trying just about everything else (short of what you did, which is cool)...
Whether by accident or by design, one end of the spring was wider than the other.
Flipping the spring over in my MIJ trem finally fixed this, after trying just about everything else (short of what you did, which is cool)...
Whether by accident or by design, one end of the spring was wider than the other.
King Buzzo: I love when people come up to me and say “Your guitar sound was better on Stoner Witch, when you used a Les Paul. “...I used a Fender Mustang reissue on that, dumbass!
- Stereordinary
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Re: Tremolo Mod
I always knew it had to be something simple like this. Glad to see someone dedicated their self to figuring it out and to good results. You get quite a few cool points for this.
Rhoney Guitars, 2010-2017, 2024
- spacecadet
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Re: Tremolo Mod
Just to add a little wrinkle, not *every* trem with the problem design is bad. I was curious to check my original CIJ trem (which I did replace) and it has that design... but I never had any problem with it. I replaced it because of the string spacing and because everybody said I'd like the AVRI trem better, and it was cheap. But functionally, my CIJ trem was fine. So I think maybe that design makes it more likely to bind up or whatever, but it isn't guaranteed - it's probably still down to the tolerances of the different parts and how they all fit together. But maybe those tolerances are smaller with that design.
Just saying this so people don't freak out and suddenly feel like they need to change this part even if their trem is working fine.
Just saying this so people don't freak out and suddenly feel like they need to change this part even if their trem is working fine.
- SneakyT
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Re: Tremolo Mod
After doing three Bass VI setups this week, every tremolo had this problem, so I thought I'd bump for those that have not seen it.
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- maximee
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Re: Tremolo Mod
The 2012 MIJ Bass VI?
- huffyboy
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Re: Tremolo Mod
Good info! Thanks
- antisymmetric
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- SneakyT
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Re: Tremolo Mod
No, 2 Squiers and a pawnshopmaximee wrote:The 2012 MIJ Bass VI?
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- mercu80
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Re: Tremolo Mod
HI! I have a squier VI.....I would like to change the tremolo plate... is '62 reissue CIJ or AVRI Usa the same as a replacement in the squier? will they fit?SneakyT wrote:A lot of people complain that their foreign tremolo is not as smooth as the American ones. I have had mixed results with ones I’ve owned and I’ve narrowed down what the culprit was. It was the brass piece that holds the spring. It was causing the spring to bind.
If you have this one you are fine.
The one that is the problem is this one.
It may be nickel plated but it should still be made of brass as mine were.
So I decided I’d mod it to work. The first thing you need to do is remove the spring and brass end then thread the screw quite a way through the brass end. I did not take pictures of the process until after the mod was done so you’ll see the finished brass end in these pictures. Just use your imagination.
Next take the screw end and tighten it into a drill (I’d use a corded one if possible). Then use a standard file to reshape the brass end.
Before:
After:
It made a world of difference in two of my tremolos. One guitar I had already had the proper brass end and my modified ones are just as smooth as it is now. Sure you can buy the correct brass piece for about six bucks on ebay but six bucks saved is a good thing in my book.
and...Should I wait to flip the bridge, mount new strings and set everything up..before to purchase a staytrem?
Thank you in advance for your help..
- SneakyT
- PAT. # 2.972.923
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Re: Tremolo Mod
They are all interchangeable.
Troy Neagle Luthiery & Custom Pickguards
Please contact me at Reverb
https://reverb.com/shop/neagle-luthier
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https://reverb.com/shop/neagle-luthier