mn eit oy maintain, and repair electrics and acous- tics Updated & expanded second edition by Dan Erlewine PhenixPublished by Bockboat Books (fomety Miler Freeman Books) 600 Harrison Steet San Francisco, CA9A107 ‘wn bactbectbooks com Emol: books@musicployer.com ‘Ao isi of Musi Player Newark United Entertainment Medio, Ie © 1994, 1990 by R Danial Elewine Alright exewved. No par of hie Book covered by copjrighs hereon may be ‘epreduced or copied in any manner ‘whateoever without writen permission, except inthe ease o bie quctatons embodied in orcs and eviews For information contct he publisher. Disibuted tthe book trode inthe U.S. and Conard by Publishers Group Wee! P.O. Box BaA3 Emeryille, CA 94662 Disitwedo he music wade nthe US cond Corado by Hal leonard Publishing, .0. Box 13819, Miwaukos, WI 53213 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 93.80493 ISBN 087930.201-7, Printed in he United Sates of America (03 04 Wiz Dedication Dedicated toJoan, Meredith, and Kale-wih lov. ‘Also thos Tom Elewine Designthe book looks great David Vinopal ond on Loomis~for helping me over my writing hurdles Jas Obsec, the greatest edior a guy ever had anda patient amigo. Bryon Gallup's Guitar Hospital in ig Rapide, Michigan, where many of the photos wero taken. Ando all my customers: hanks fr bxeaking your gui! Edo Jos Obrech ond Jon Loomis Daxign/llsraio/Phtos: Tom Elewine Photo Credis ‘We woul Ike fo thank Brian Blowser of Akens, Ohio fe hie patos kom ‘00d tips with Don fo check cut the guitars of he sors, Thanks ao ‘Al Blo of An Aber, Michigan for his photos on pages 53 ond 219. Thanks othe following companies fr providing the insturent shown ofthe ston of each chop: Page 1: Klin Cusiom Guitars Poge 3: Rober Sinegger Page 23: Fender Musical Insuments Page 43: Erlewine Guitars Poge 79: Gretsch Guitars Poge 115: Santo Cruz Guitars Poge 129: Poul Reed Smith Guitars Poge 137: Fender Musca Insument. Poge 191- Gioson Guitars /EietlyIsiumants Poge 193: CF Marin Guitars Poge 219: ESP Guitars Page 233: Rickenbocker Guitars Page 261: MY Pedilla Guile Cover: Paul Reed Smith coutesy of Darel MarvaSET-UP & MAINTENANCE GETTING STARTED ‘Cleaning the finish Cleaning your fingerboard leaning and de-rustng metal bridge saddles Install stings correctly, and they'l stay in tune Neck evaluation and truss rox! adjustment Setting intonation ACTION ADJUSTMENT (SETUPS) What isa setup? Gibson electric guitar factory setup specifications Fender electric guitar factory setup specifications Electric bass setup Fender guitar neck profiles Fender bass neck profiles, Acoustic guitar setup sing factory specs PRO SETUPS:TALKING WITH ‘THE KINGS OF THE BLUES Low action and the blues Stevie Ray and Jeff Beck Setting up for slide: the Mooney innovations. Albert Colin: talking ‘guitar with the Heeman Buddy Guy: my guitar is almost like my love BB. King: talking about Lucille Get ready for the blues. ELECTRIC ADJUSTMENTS AND MINOR REPAIRS iting and replacing Gibson ‘Tune-O-Matic saddles Bolton necks 39 52 63 C) B ‘TUNERS AND TREMOLOS ‘Tuner basics ‘Tuner installation Shrunken heads Removing broken headstock screws Damage caused by over-ciled tuners Insaling the Floyd Rose tremolo Setting up the Floyd Rose Kahler installation and setup, Fine tuning 2 Strat ternolo ‘Tightening a loose Stat tremolo arm {A Strat trem mocification ‘The Trem Setter Altematives to the locking nut String benders ACOUSTIC ADJUSTMENTS ‘Troubleshooting bridge problems before setup Fitting Flattop Bridge pins Refiting and replacing bridge saddles Evaluating acoustic action -Arch-top bridges Setting up a classical guitar. NUT WORK & FRET WORK ‘Twelve steps to replacing a nut Cutting string slots and finishing up FRET DRESSING Loose frets Fret-dressing basics Fretwire types & sizes Fretwire hardness Files used for fret dressing Dressing the frets REFRETTING Introduction to refreting Fretboard preparation Selecting a fretwire ‘The hammer-in method 2D 82 83 93 98 103 103 104 108 10 15 116 18 120 121 12 131 1B 157 158 163 164© Compression fretting ' A typical Manin ‘-ret installation 2 Martin barstyle freting 1 The glue-in method © Bound fingerboards 1 Freting vintage fender necks = Scalloped fingerboards ‘The neck jig © Summing up fretwork PART 3 REPAIRS & MODIFICATIONS ACOUSTIC REPAIRS f Dealing with humility ' Flat-op bridge and brace problems 1 Regluing bridges, clamping cracks and Loose braces 1 Bridge replacement techniques 8 Winter cracks 1 Clamping loose braces. 1 The bridge pac: repairing wom and jagged bridge pin holes Neck reset. ‘11 OTHER IMPORTANT REPAIRS 2 The last thity years of guitar repair. 1 Super glue repairs and touch-ups w Albert Kings Lucy fs Shrinking Strat pickgaurds 1 Broken headstocks 1 Loose binding 1 Fixing a guitar case 1 How to ship a guitar. 12 GUITAR ELECTRONICS 1 The basic tools. & Wire, shielding & capacitors... ® Troubleshooting with a multimeter ® Soldering techniques 8 Mini switches Installing a replacement pickup 1 Safety measures... 195 194 198 199 202 212 215, 29 221 22 24 205 228 29 21 233 235 1238 239, 245 & How piezo transducers work, and how they're installed 245, ‘© Other acoustic amplification solutions...252 1 Sarat pickup quits 253, Soap bar pickups . 253, 1» A pickup forthe Blues. 254 1 Modifying a 3-pickup Les Paul Custom 255 Strat switch modification 237 § Semi-hollowbody witing 258 PART 4 FINISHES 19 FINISH PREP & APPLICATION ® A basic finishing schedule 263 = Spraying necks and bodies 27 w Advanced finishes & sunbursts 5 16 A Dref introduction to finish rep ....279 ' Touching-up “dings” chips, dents & scratches 280 1 Supplies for repairing clear finish topcoats 280 1 Fixing chips using drop-flls 281 fixing wood and finish dents...0.00.284 1 Scratches. 285 f= Touching-up color 286 f Very important safety information ....288 PART 5 SUPPLIES & SOURCES 15 TOOLS § Tools, too}, tools 291 1s Tools of the trade soon 292 1 Lutherie suppliers ono 298 1 Manufacturers. 299 1 Recommended reading. 300 © Onganizations 308 Schock for gtr ep and buing..303 Vintage deale on 308Foreword ‘Among material objects on this earth, few possess the mysterioso voodoo of the guitar From the moment we frst pick it up, there's something about its feel, its look, its hef, that ‘whispers—or screams—to us. Before long this intriguing stranger becomes a friend, even an extension of ourselves, and we feel the urge to nurture ito take care of i, 10 caress i ‘Or maybe to rip out its pickups, bolt a whammy bar on there, and spray it with metalflake green enamel We can't keep our hands off the guitar. we're not playing it, we're polishing i, adjusting it, altering it, or wondering about it, Why does it buzz when | bend a sting? ‘Would it get more sustain with a brass nut? How come it doesnt play in tune anymore? Whether you want simply to maintain your guitar in performance-teady shape or hot-tod it into a radical new incamation, Dan Erlewine isthe ideal guide, guru, and ‘godiather. He's a player, he's an extraordinary repairman, and he gets to the point Flewine’s credentials run deep. He was co-founder of Erlewine Instruments and proprietor of Dan Erlewine's Guitar Hospital in Big Rapids, Michigan, and is currently the author of Guitar Player's popular Repaits & Modifications column, as well as Director of ‘Technical Operations for Stewar-MacDonald’s Guitar Shop Supply in Athens, Ohio. He's also procluced numerous acclaimed how-to videos. ‘Ths is Dan's personal edit of his Guitar Player columns—addling in new stuff and removing outdated information, And far more than that, to: it’s the product of thousands of hours spent hunkered over wounded guitars, a smoking soldering jon in hand. Its the product of experimentation and improvisation, endless hours poring over books an ‘manuals, consultations with top repairmen, and countless weekend seminars, tade shows, and luthetie conventions. In short, it’s the life work of a talented craftsman who loves his ‘work. You'l find the good advice that all guitar owners need to know, plus loads of up-to- ‘minute tips o new-generation whammies, finishes, acoustic pickups, and a whole lot more. ‘Over the years Dan's clients have included gifted, demanding players like Mike Bloomfield, Clarence White, Otis Rush, Johnny Shines, and Ted Nugent. Jenry Garcia owns one of his Strat style elects, and Albert King was pictured on the cover of Guitar Player with Lucy, the V-shaped electric blues machine that Dan custom-built for him. Dan Erlewine has helped all these players and| many more to get the most out of their guitars. Now it’s your tum, em ahenlor_ Tom Wheeler Editor Guitar Player MagazineIntroduction Every guitarist wants an axe that plays easly stays in tune, looks and sounds good, and is set-up correctly, right? And when things go wrong, important repair decisions must be made. Who'll ix your guitar? Should you get a second opinion? Since 1985, my Guitar Player column Repairs & Modifications has looked at guitar repair and set-up from many angles ‘This book updates those columns for the "90s, condensing and organizing them into a manual for guitar players and repairmen. It teaches do-it-yourselfers to fix guitars, helps players keep their axes sharp, and gives advice that will help you choose a good repair shop when the chips are down, ‘The Set-Up and Maintenance section is for players ofall levels. Beginners suspect that leaming to play is easier on a well-set-up guitar, and they're right, Professionals discover that by personally setting up their own guitars, they finally realize every inch ofits potential—but only after making such fine adjustments as setting the intonation and adjusting the “action” themselves. The Acoustic and Electric Guitar Repair section is for everyone—take what you need. Fellow repairmen are sure to find new tricks of the trade, and players: just knowing about guitar repair may keep you from the hearthreak of seeing your guitar ruined by inexperienced hands, Que dCleaning the finish Imagine that you've just bought a great used guitar. It's fithy and out of adjustment, but undemeath the crud you know isin excellent condition. Pve come across many such guitars ‘over the years, and to get them in shape I always follow the steps outlined in this chapter. First clean the finish, to start out fresh and see ‘what you've got, Then, before installing a new set of strings, clean the fretboard and any dirty ornusted metal parts (most often the bridge). String it up ancl adjust the neck, If the bridge is adjustable, set the intonation. At this point, if your new axe plays great and satisfies your needs, you'te done! fit doesn't play great, you ‘may have uncovered a numberof problems during the basic maintenance stage. The rest of thisbook will help you take care of those problems. Good luck! Cleaning and polishing guitar isthe most basic maintenance task ofall, and every player should know how to go about it. Maintaining a ‘new instruments clean good looks is simple if you keep itup from the beginning. But the lucky player who “discovers” a vintage piece that’s perfec except fora finish that's been dulled by years of sweat, din, and exposure to barroom smoke and the elements may need the helpful information in these pages. Guitar finishes become dity and hazy be- cause dit particles come to rest on the finish which always has. thin film of oi on ito ‘matter how often you clean it, Some of these oils come from your body, while others be- ‘come suspended in the ar rom cooking, manu- facturing, pollution, etc. The oil and dit ereatea “build” on the finish, which hardens in time and is quite tough to remove, When you remove the dln, because ofits abrasive qualities, you could be removing the finish too! That's why using the right cleaning technique is important ‘The tools needed for cleaning and polishing new or used guitars are few, simple, inexpen- sive, and easy to use, Clean soft rags re the most important tool, and depending on the situation, you may also need any of the following: naphtha, liquid guitar polish, “swirl GETTING STARTEDGETTING ‘STARTED Hf you would rather net use chomicals to Remember: Don’t rob your guitar down too mech, even with just a rag. Polishes are mere gentle than cleaners, and be very careful when working on old finishes! mark remover,’ liquid abrasive cleaner, warm ‘water, and elbow grease, First, describe each cleaner ancl explain why its used, and then follow witha few cleaning tips. As youl see, Jemon oil and silicone products are to be avoided. EVERYTHING YOU'LL NEEI 1 Clean, soft rags head the lst, With several rags and plenty of time, you can clean the diiest guitar without polishes or cleaners, although polishes and cleaners help you doa faster, better job. The three best cleaning rags are; used, well-cleaned baby diapers, cotton T- shits, and 100% cotton flannel, The soft rags that many manufacturers imprint with theic company logo and include with a new instr ‘ment are made from flannel, You can also buy a yard of flannel at any fabric store for $3.00. Most ‘ther rags nel fabrics are too coarse for delicate guitar finishes. 1 Naphtha (lighter fui) isa great, all- around guitar cleaner. I's a de-greaser for Finishes, pickguards, fingerboards, bridges, tailpieoes, and metal pans ofall kinds, Used lightly on a rag (more dry than wet itwon't hharma delicate lacquer finish, and certainly not polyurethane or polyester finishes, Naphtha leaves flat, cry haze on finish, but it’s gen- erally used first in the cleaning process, so guitar polish ora dry’rag brings the sheen right back. 18 Guitar polish. The creamy stuff in the lite plastic sprit jars isa cleanerbecause i's a liquid with an extremely fine abrasive. The liquid washes, and the abrasive lis dirt. t'sa ‘polis because there's wax init that protects and shines, The right polish won' scratch a finish, Martin makes a good polish/cleaner, and ‘you can tus them to recommend! something safe for high-quality guitar finishes, especially Jacquet. 1B Swirl-mark removers similar to liquid polish, but without the was; its actually a leaner with an extremely mild abrasive. Switl- mark removers used in the auto industry for the final polish of newly-sprayed finishes. A ‘good bran is Mror Glaze #9 —it'sa delicate, excellent cleaner that even without wax leaves nice shine, Ihave Found that #9 does not give good results on water-base finishes. It may dull them—not the desired effect 1 Liquid cleaners are ight duty butfing compounds made with a mill abrasive but no ‘wax. Cleaners are best for der finishes, since the absence of war allows unlimited cleaning time without the wax drying (along with the dit) at every polish-stroke. The abrasive is coarser than swirl: mark remover or guitar polish, sit doesa good job of removing heavy dit buildup. Cleaners won't leave scratches, but assoon asthe dit ifs, switch toa milder polish Cor swil-mark remover—you don't want to nub away more finish than needed! Two good cleaner brands are Mirror Glaze #7 and Martin Seynour's Buff-cez 26355. 18 Lemon oil, while not on the is, is highly touted by some asa polish for guitar finishes, but avoid it because it feels as though I'm ‘wiping kerosene onto the finish, I believe that Jemon oil works its way into and under the finish, especially on older vintage instruments, with a lovely checked patina. This could cause the finish to lift and the wood to become saturated with oil—possibly dampening tone. Lemon Pledge should not be used on guitars! I Silicone is definitely not on the list, but its added to some polishes and cleaners, Polishes ‘orcleaners with silicone should be avoided! ArmorAll, which has silicone, i used by many music stores to keep guitar cases looking spiffy, but they should avoid it. Lacquer, glue, stain, and all sons of guitar repair items just dont get along with the slippery aftermath of silicone, and subsequent repairs to an instrument ‘exposed to silicone will be a hassle 18 Warm water, used sparingly (your cleaning rag should be slightly damp—not sopping ‘wet!), works wonders, Don't force water into checked, dry, or weathered finishes. Saliva isan excellent cleaner, 00 (Seriously) —but only if you're working on your own guitar. Elbow grease needs no introduction, sole’s get on with the work. Polishing is what you do toa guitar that isnt really dirty, and the process doesnt have to involve polish atall. A clean, dry rag may be all you need to keep a new guitar’ finish in shape by wiping off sweat and oil before they getachance to build up and oxidize. Occasionally use the liquid guitar polish for its protective ‘wax coating —but only on newer finishes which aren't weather-checked. Before polishing or cleaning, be sure to wipe, vacuum, or blow any rity particles from your finish; otherwise youTl =muted note)tension ofthe Aand Btunings. So only se G ‘on four or ive songs night. Luse specilic gts for specific songs, because they sound andl play liferent in different keys. Ifyou play in five tunings and only have one or two guitars, youll be tuning up all night. Besides, a guitar properly set up for open tuning wont play just right if you drop it to open G. And the tring ‘gauges area litle different for each tuning.” John uses bronze-wound D'Addario mediums ‘or HS Boomers. For open-Guuning, his gauges are 016, 018, 024 (plain), 034, 046, 059. For open Aor open E, he uses 016, 018, 024 (plain), 032, 04,058. Guitars tuned standard are strung 013, 016, 019 oF 020, 030,044,058. Allof John’s guitars have a ridge saddle radius that’s quite fat (ranging from 14°10 209, even on the 7 vintage raciused Strats. To get good contact rom one string to another with the slide (especially on the treble strings), he flattens the radius on the treble stings by puting the high-Bstring at almost the same heightas the G string and the high F as tall as the B, so it’s not as round asthe fretboard radius would dictate. He flatens the bass side a litle {00, “The National ste! has fany fat fret- board radius—about a 16'—and that's what Tm used to So setting the high-E’ and Bssrings a litle higher than the radius cals for kts me hit them really hard and get better tone. And using a.016 for an E, you can really lay into some stuff. [think Bob Brozman uses an 018% ‘The 016 works good for me. Even on my standard guitars, Iset the high B up a bit because I hit itso hard,” Mooney’s fretboard’ bridge radius combinations on the National arch-tops are 10" board, 14" bridge. On the Fender Strats, i's 7/° board, 12" bridge. The Artex have 416" board, 20" bridge All of John’s necks have some relief, and he sets up his standard-tuned guitars litle lower than the sliders: “When you tune upto Aor E tuning with fairly heavy tings," he points out, “the truss rod really has to work to keep the neck straight. In time, a neck can even take a ‘set from the string pressure—they all pull up into at least.010" of relief, an sometimes as much as 018", That extra up-bow gives good BULL SHIMS, IIT NECKS, AN! let's take a look at how to insall a fullsize, gaping shim between the neck and body, at ideas for mounting a new kit neck ona body ‘you already have, ant tps for fixing sipped rmounting-screw holes in a vintage neck, Firs, here's a reference for the dil sizes used in this section: For the four holes in the neck that the screws thread into, use a #30 bit. For the clearance hole where the screw passes through the guitar body, use a eA #13 bits sed to enlarge worn-out neck hols in pre= paration for plugging, Use whatever snugly matches the body clearance holes (usualy a Yt bit) as a centering marker for layout of the four holes in the new neck, ‘The small neck shim described earlier leaves an air space in the joint. This gap may cause an ‘upward warp, kink,” or “hump” in the neck ‘And many players feel that they suffer a loss of tone unless frm contact is maintained between the neck and boxy. For these two reasons, a full-size shim tht fills the entire gap is often preferred. I make these full shims out of mahog- any, which is soft enough to shape easily and hard enought to ansmit tone. Before making the ful shim, frst shim the neck with a smal sliver of wood as described earlier. This gives you the proper thickness ofthe new shim at its thickest part, Measure this test shim with a pair (of calipers that read in thousands of an inch, or use a fecler gauge. Next, trim and fita piece (of cardboard to ft the cavity perfectly (see drawing, left), Hold it in place andl mark out the four holes from the rear, using a Ys dil bit Use this cardboard template to mark out the mahogany shim Sart with a piece of wood that’s "thick and slightly larger than the cardboard template, ‘The grain should run lengthwise with the body. ‘Trace around the template onto the wood, drill cout the holes, and fle, whittle, oF sand to shape, Use afew strips of douiblesstick carpet tape to fasten the shim to apiece of hard, fat wooed that’s as wide as your shim andl about 6" longer. ‘This will be your backing support while sanel- ‘ng, wit the extra lenggh serving asa handle Before sanding, lay out the taper ofthe shi with a sharp pencil, matching the thickest ‘measurement that you made earlier at one end, and tapering the other to nothing, Ths ine is ‘your sanding guide, Hold the suppor block. ‘withthe attached shim in one hand while using ‘your free hand to press it aguins.a belt sander ‘equipped with a medium- or fine-grt elt, Al though it may take several tres, you'll end up ‘witha sliver of mahogany matching your thickest measurement at one end and feathered cout to zero atthe other end—very fragile! Replacement or kit necks often ative with- cout the four mounting screw holes already drilled. | prefer ordering them this way, since it allows me to really line things up properly before diilling the holes myself. Set the neck {nto te cavity and lamp it while you install the two outside £ strings for alignment. When the strings are in line withthe fingerbord’s edges, run the proper drill bit Qi") through the hole. Youll feel when it touches the neck Rotate the bit with your fingers to start the holes; then remove the neck and change drill bits to #30. Finish drilling the holes, using the starter marks as guide, Most neck-mounting screws are standard- sie, and the hole they thread into is smaller than the outside ofthe thread, which leaves ‘enough wood for the sorew to bite into, Use an ‘electric hand drill ora dill press and be surefrom absorbing into the tongue, which can cause swelling or hump in the wood and frets. While you're tit, remove the fruss-rod nut and seal up the hole bored inte the end of the neck, too. you drill perpendicular holes. Ifyou measure the amount of screw showing throngh the cavi- ty with the neck plate in place, you'll know how deep to dail without going through the finger- board. Wrap a piece of masking tape around the drillbit shank as a depth guide, After Ailing the holes, prethreadl each hole with a ‘mounting screw used as tap. Rub the serew against some beeswax, paraffin, or paste wax 10 lubricate it before pre-threading each hole. [Now mount the neck with the backplate and all four screws. It should line up with the strings. the four mounting hoes in a used neck are stripped, ty coating them with Hot Stiff Super T glue (the yellow bottle). This provides grip for the sorew thread. Use a toothpick in each hole to spread the glue around, and let it dry for an hour or use Hot Shot aocelerator to speed up the cure, Repeat this operation several times, and then you can try rethreading the holes with wwellwaxed mounting screws, This usually solves the problem, Ifthe holes are too stripped, you need to dill cach hole oversize, plug it with a hard-wood dowel, and redril from scratch, Most worn hholes may be plugged witha (or less) wood dowel (above, right). To ensure a snug fit, you need to dil the oversized hole inthe neck slighuly smaller than the wood dowel; this is ‘why you use the #13 bit, which i afew thous- andths smaller than the dowel size. Whether you use adil press or hancl dil, remember that the neck is usually Aare! maple and mary cause the drill bit to nn off line, causing the hole to be died oversize or out of round. Always clamp an object that you are abot to daill—especially maple Alter driling the holes, cut four pieces of Ye maple or hardwood dowel (use a larger wood cowel and corresponding dil bi ifthe hole is really bad) approximately %" deep, or what- cever depth you have drilled into the back of the neck’s heel. Coat the holes with Super T or carpenter's glue, and slowdy press the dowels into the holes, one a atime, with a small hammer. When the give fas dred, trim the dowel ends if they arent flush, and then clamp the neck back into the cavity and proceed as you would when installing a new neck with no holes. If you've been careful with your work, dsp 1 2 3 4 the neck will tighten home snugly and serve for many years of playing BOLT-ON QUIRKS Tm definitely a Sat lover, and I basically agree with vintage experts who advise players not to alter old instruments. But many Strat lovers are caught between the vintage purists and the modern high-tech mechanical marvels. ‘We appreciate the locking nuts and tremolo systems, and we can dig the high-tech sounds offered by electronic advancement, yet we don't want to see that stuff on our Strats. But ‘we also find a need for certain repairs, and in some cases alterations, on guitars that we play and never plan to get rd of. Thousands of players own good but not exactly “vintage” Strats that woul be more playable if they allowed their guitars fret job, for example. Forgetting twists, serious warps, broken truss rods, sripped truss rod threads (it's usualy the easily replaceable nut that’s stripped) and other subdle but hard to-fix problems, we are left with two common Strat neck complaints: buzzing in the upper frets caused by a kinked neck or “rising tongue,” and a fingerboard thats too radivsed for bending strings without noting out. I, for one, dont think isa sin to do fret work on a ‘workingman's guitar, and Il tll you why. First off, [assume that you'll tke your axe 10the best repaisperson you can find—someone ‘who's capable of adjusting necks, removing frets, planing out humps, and refretting with barely a trace of the work showing when done. Second, [know that some guitars ust can't he played unless some “surgery” is performed. IF ‘Your guitar is comectly adjusted and set up, yet youre still not satisfied, then the only thing standing between you and great playability «forgetting the electronics, of course) has to be the neck, andthe fingerboard in particular. Here's how to go about solving these problems Buzzes up the neck are often caused bya swelling or hump that begins anywhere past the body joint. Many bolt-ons have a kink ‘where the neck joins the body, due tothe length and slimness ofthe neck, which is fastened abruptly to the body and placed under constant up-pressue from string pull, Some= times these forces ae more than the truss rod can comect.Albo, the neck absorhs moisture through the four mounting-screw holes, as well as through the end-gran of the maple at the body edge. While lacquer is sill my favorite finish for the neck andl body, it doesn't impede the absorption of moisture as well as some ther finishes, This moisture absorption can cause a slight swelling, noticed more often with rosewood fingerboards because of the extra sivelling ofthe glue joint between the maple and rosewood. Ive encountered fewer humps, swelling, of rising tongues on the ol, pre-59 maple necks ‘Aw pages back we mentioned that shim placed under the neck to change the tilt can ‘cause kinks, 100, The thin strips of fill material that are commonly used as neck shims create an air space that allows the pressure of the four mounting serews to act as a clamp, forcing a rising tongue! Combined, these forces—string pressure, moisture absorption, anc neck shims, —ean cause the last 6 or frets to be higher than they should be, since the wood has risen. ‘This doesn't always happen, but it’s reasonable to expect it with guitar made of wood. These problems can be corrected with ether a fret which will remove the buzz from the frets, or by a partial reff, in which the last «ight ets oF so are removed the rise is scraped and sanded from the fingerboard, andl the original (or replacement) frets are reinstalled. I you're a novice and any fret work is involved, take the job toa professional. You may be advised to do.a complete fret job as long as you're at it 10h 12h 15th Fret Fret Fret A hump, kink, or rising tongue can be detected by placing a 12" straightedge on the fingerboard alongside any given string, The guitar should be strung to pitch, resting in the playing position, with the straightedge running from around the 10th fret to the fingerboxard’s high end. When viewed from the side, the fingerboard should appear flat, with the frets level with each other. If you see any gap or relief on this portion ofthe fingerboard, the tongue is probably high, The drawing above shows two necks: the top neck shows the upper part of a flat fingerboard; the lower one shows the same part of a neck with tse, Pt a sinall straightedge on the two diagrams andl see for yourself—then have your neck checked bya pro. COMPOUND RADIUS FRETBOARDS On vintage Strats, bluesy bends that fret out co buzz with a medium-4o-low action setup are caused by the very curved 74! radius of the vintage fingerboard, Many players like the feel and comfort of the curve when playing barre cords, and country and jazz guitarists Find less ‘need for farstretching blues bends. Most blues and rock players, however, un into bending problems—especially on the high-and B strings, and usually in the upper registers 10th to 2Ist frets, Sometimes the easiest solution is to have metal dressed off the frets in the tongue area under the second and third string—where the high-Fand Bstrings end up when bent to their peak. But often this dressing solution is barely acceptable at best The real answer lies in having a complete refret by an extremely good repairman experienced in tapering the Fingerboard radius, gradually and subtly razor saw cut several length- wise slots in the dowel to let the and excess Ive escape— it will go in much easierELECTRICS & MINOR REPAIRS from the early inlaid sound- hole, and an ebony bridge ‘and fretboard — compound radius fretboard which began at 512" by the nut and tapered gradual 12” at the end of the fretboard! flattening it out as it goes up the neck and ending up witha 12" or 16" radius tthe fingerboard’ end. Ths is commonly known as a “compound” radius. On a 7! rai fretboard, take a good look ata bend on the firs string (at least a whole- step bend), The string is moving at an ypbill angle towards or over the middle of the finger- board radius; it hasto buzz! IF you really need proof, remove the top strings and set a staight- «edge on tat same plane—it will rock on the spot that would cause a buzz. Since the strings rise on a long angle up and away from the fingerboard as they head toward the bridge, the fingerboard’ radius need not be totally Hat to be buz-free, but 74" is pushing it. This is why Fender has begun using a 9" and 12" radius in recent years (only the vintage model sil have 071" radius), So, if you play on a vintage Strat (ora copy) your action mustnt be too low, if you want to play the blues, Repairmen were pleasantly surprised when. the Warmoth brothers came out with *Warmoth Radius,” compound fingerboards on their re- placement necks. Afier years of manufacturing necks wit 10" radius fretboard, Warmoth switched entirely to the compound radius fretbourds, The Warmoth Radius neck starts at 10" atthe nut and tapers to 16" atthe finger- board's end, While these new necks cant help vintage guitar’ neck problems per se, they can save a lot of worry for players who question, “Should Ido that to my Stra” You can now buy a direct replacement neck with a compound radius, usually for less than a high-class fret job, and ty out its blues-bending capabilities while keeping the original neck stock. This can either be done as test run before having a much- loved neck taper-adiused by a top Fretman, or as a satislying replacement that allows the “original neck to be stored, unaltered and mint, until its needed. | highly recommenc| the ‘compound tapered radius for blues playing Ken and Paul Warmoth, along with their father, originated the non factory replacement neck many years ago, and from the ‘urtset they perceived that players had some problems with a 74" radius. After discussing the situation ‘with many repairmen, they decided to go with a fingerboard radius of 10%, which is between Fender's and the Gibson 12. This 10" radius has since been the standard for amos all kit necks —s0 much so, in fac, that most locking nuts are made to match that radius. Therefore, if you plan to convert any guitar fora locking nut, ‘check the fingerboard radius. You may find that ‘youl need to plane and refret the neck for ‘optimum results, The ares dawn above offer @ ‘comparison of different finger-board radi Caution: For more detailed information on the compound radius, see the Freting chapter, and think carefully before flatening, tapering, ‘or altering in any way the fingerboard on a vintage piece!Tuner basics ‘There are many devices designed to help tune a guitar and keep it in tune, Electronic tuners andl locking nuts have flooded the market, targeted especially at guitarists who use a tremolo, Many players never realize that ‘one of the easiest ways to get in tune and stay there isto replace old, worn-out tuning ‘machines that no longer hold their pitch, Fist ‘well look at tuners in general, and then deal with their installation ‘Tuners have three main parts: plate or casting that holds the gear and shaft together, the drive shaft that's turned by the key or button, and the string-pos shaft thats turned! by the drive shaft. The drive shaft has a worm gear con one end, which drives the crown gear on the string post. The gears’ housing s either the less- ‘expensive, stamped: plate type made of steel, or a solid-metal enclosed unit known asa die-cast. ‘The number of tums needed to cause the string postto go around one full turn indicates a ‘tuners gear ratio. Today most guitartuners have 4 14- oF 150-1 ratio, while higher ratios of 20- (or Mto-1 are used on electric basses, which ‘need the finer tuning capabilities due to their Jow-pitched, heavy stings (a higher ratio makes fine tuning easier). Judge a tuners quality by its “backlash’—the amount of fee play felt when a pegis turned in an opposite direction without the string post ‘moving, Also check to see if the post moves— thereby changing the pitch—without the tuning key being touched. Backlash is especially noticed by players who bend stings or use a tremolo since when the constant pressure of the string atthe post is altered, the tring may ‘ot return to the original pitch. The locking nut isa good solution to backlash and post move- ‘ment, but for vintage guitars, fee that the tuners should be replaced before a locking nut is even considered. By eliminating backlash, you might solve most of your guitar's tuning problems, Better tuners have low amounts of end play (up-and-down movement ofthe string post) and shaft wobble (back-ane/-Forth stringDon’t blame the pe ‘movement in the bushing, washer, or grommet con the headstock face). For years all tuners were constructed with either open gears ora semi-enclosed, stamped sheet-metal housing, Kluson, Waverly, and Grover were the big manufacturers, with Kluson leading the field. Kluson's Deluxe was not only the most widely used, but often the tuner most in need of replacement. They were notorious for backlash because their gears ‘were made on a screw machine rather than a specialized, more accurate tool known as a gear hobber. Also, they made the worm gear from bras, when steel would have wor longer (all tuners today have a brass crown gear but use steel for the worm), Kluson tuners had a backlash the day they were bor, but no one knew enough to complain, There wasnt anything better, so players put up with them until Grover came along withthe Rotomatc, the fist high-quality tuner. Its die-cast housing enclosed well-machined gears that were lifetime lubricated and completely sealed. in addition, a threaded bushing with extra length replaced the press-in grommet to better support the shaft (righ. This tuner became the replacement choice of repairmen around the country —much tothe owner’ clight—as wel as factory-installed standard on many higher- ‘end guitars, Years later the Rotomatic was copied, then improved upon, by Schaller and Gotoh. Between Grover, Schaller, Gotoh, ancl the lesser-known but equally high-quality Sperzels, youll find a size, shape, and stylet fit any guitar or bass. ‘While die-cast tuners are no doubt the most precisely made an offer the least amount of backlash, they are also more expensive. And because oftheir larger size, you'll have to do some drilling in orderto use them as replace- ‘ments forthe old-style tuners with a smaller string-post diameter. They may not be a wise choice fora valuable vintage guitar or bass. In the good old days, players had few choices ‘when it came to solving tuning-key problems You'd either install a set of die-cast Rotomatics cr buy a new set of stamped factory replace mens that were no better than the originals, ‘Today's replacements for those old, low-priced Kluson Deluxe tuners re excellent, Modem Modern Klusonstyle replacements: nole Fender she sloted “SaferPost ond rimmed pote By ‘Modern Rolomatic diecost tuner. Note the threaded bushing for ext shaft support H ser SeeS EE La Sperzel tuner withthe solid crown gear housing, Deluxe styles offer a 14- or 15-t0-1 gear ratio, ‘compared tothe old 124-1, which means ee Here's how to guarantee that the nut-sot bot toms end up 010" higher than the Fret height. MAKING THE JIG Clamp a lat, uniformly thick plate of wood, metal, Plexiglas, ec, tothe fist two frets, with its front wall flush tothe original nut slot (above). Now, the bottom ofthe clamped plate islevel with the fret tops, sof you use dial calipers to measure 010" short of the bottom, thats where you want the nut-slot bottoms t0 ‘end up. Next, ac the one nut measurement we took (mine is.208", yours could be different), and you'll have the distance from the top of the clamped plate tothe nut bortom this isthe ledge to be routed ‘The plate is more than a surface to measure from, however. With its front edge in line with the nut slo, itacts asa “fence” to guide the Dremel router base, keeping it from cutting into the end ofthe fingerboard, And routing the end of the fingerboard would change the overall string length—a disaster The locking nut’ front should be flush with the fingerboard end, with the nut bottom at a 9-degree angle t it Complete your installation jig by clamping a second platform of uniform thickness to the headstock face. This raises the Dremel Moto- ‘Tool above the surface to be routed, allowing the cutterto be lowered into the wood by degree. You now have a usable facsimile of the jigI made, which isa single unit made of dear Plexiglas (the upper and lower plates are joined swith threads and cap screws). The lower plate has routing hole machined into it, and a built in clamp holds itto the neck. There are two types of headstock: the straight, Fender style, and the angled, tit-back Gibson type. With citer, ou remove the tuners in order to clamp ‘on the platform (forthe tlt-head, shim the table level with the fingerboard) ROUTING Use only a #115 Dremel router bitfor the cutting, Rout no more than Ys per pass, and be sure that the bit cuts flush with the routers base cee. lf the bit cuts more than flush, it could trim the fingerboard end. (I this happens, Toosen the two mounting screws and wigale the base into line, or put a couple strips of masking tape along the base edge to shim it away from the fingerboard). ‘Measure often from the top plate as you rout, and when the ledge is cut, lightly glue the nut body (with string clamps removed) to the ledge. Spray Hot Stuf accelerator on the nut bottom and put two small drops of Hot Stuff Special T super glue on the newly routed ledge. ‘Thiny seconds’ drying time will set the nut firm. ‘Then use itas a drill guide fora #30 dri bit Usinga layer of wax paper in between, place a thunk of modeling clay under the near ofthe sadstock area and press the neck into the clay to form it. The clay support the wood, allowing your bits to punch through with no splinters! Drill down through the two mounting holes, right through the neck—the nut will hold the bit square, Now tap the nut loose using a block of wood and a hammer. Enlarge the #30 holes with an '%" bit, again drilling from the top side: “The countersunk holes are most safely drilled by using a step-bit, Stewart-MacDonald makes a step-bit with an. pilot to follow the "i" hole drilled earlier, and a Ys" outer bore that dlls shallow flat- bottomed hole for the bolt heads Extra care must be taken to avoid the bits’ grabbing ortearing the wood by accident. Prom the rea, countersink the holes until three or four threads protrude through the ledge when the bol is inserted. This plenty to hold the nut tight— any more, and the bolt could come through the locking nuts top and touch the string clamps, Go ahead and mount the nut. IFyour nut ends Uuptoo low, ifs common to shim it up tothe right level, Good shim materials inchuded 3M ‘wetordry sandpaper in the 400,600, and 1200 sgfits, or mesh-ike drywall sandpaper with a good grip (check your humberyard), we ae" ast of all mount the retainer bar. Locate it I" 10 16" from the front of the nut, andl centered from side to side as at right. Drill the two serew holes with a "bit marked with masking tape his provides visual depth sop to prevent dlilling through the headstock! Put your strings, ‘on, and check your work. You're done with the ‘worst part, Now well troubleshoot any prob- lems, cover setup and fine-tuning, and look at the recessed top-rout made popular by Steve Vai and the Ihaner Jem 777, Setting up the Floyd Rose Now you can refx, since the ob of setting up your tremolo is easy ifyou lear these simple setup basics: Level the tremolo to the body by adjusting the springs and spring claw, set the string to-ingerboard height by adjusting the ‘hwo pivot studs, and adjust the intonation, Guitar Player magazine ran Mark Lacey's "Fine ‘Tune Your Foye? in its Sept. 8 issue, and 1 suggest you read i; your library probably has a copy. Action and intonation ane discussed inthe earlier chapters ofthis book, so [ won't bore ‘you with repetition, I'l just skim through the ‘simple stuff, making a few important points as wwe go. This will lave some space to take look: atthe optional recess rout mae popular by Steve Vai and the Ibanez Jem 777 series Leave the locking nut unclamped while you do the following work. Fis, level the tremolo parallel with the body by adding or removing springs in the rear spring cavity. Using a Philips sorewelrver, adjust the spring claw in or out Until the units level. Mast players use ether two or three tremolo springs for string gauges beginning with 08 or.008, and usually three for.010.and up. Experiment until you get the right fel. Next, the string height from the Fingerboard should be set before adjusting the intonation, Most players look fora low action that shows around 4" between the bottom of the strings and the top of the 12th fret, How- ever, most players settle fora slightly stiffer action than this—say, Ys". How low you can 'g0 depends on the adjustment of the neck andl the concition ofthe frets. Set the string height by simply raising or lowering the two pivot studs that the tremolo ‘mounts on; this is much easier than with the individual saddle height adjustments common. to Strats and many other guitars, Unless your tremolo uses machine thread studs that adjust with an Allen wrench, use a fla-blade serew- diver witha sharp, well. ground tip that fits the stud slot snugly. This eliminates slippage that can not only marth slot, But also cause theYou may need extra clearance in the spring exvily exaggerated here) Note the tapered back wall: the shallow end may be 5h" 103, while the deep end may be "ie" 10 !/o" Chute plating to lit away. Asa general nile, most players adjust the tremolo so thatthe underside is from 4 to %" off the face of the guitar; this provides plenty of forward dump anda Fair amount of up-pul Keep in mind that a tremolo set close toa _auitar’s Face has litle clearance in the rea for tup-pul on the bar. A tremolo that’s set high off the top may require shinning the bolt-on neck to keep the strings lose to the fingerboard (for advice on neck shimming, see the bolt-on neck section of Electric Adjustments). Also, a high-set tremolo may seem uncomfortable for players accustomed to resting their picking hand on or near the body (one solution, the recess rout, is ‘explained later). And, depending on the cavity clepth, a tremolo that’s mounted high off the body may cause the springs to rub the bottom ‘of the spring cavity, Ibanez and Kramer use a tapered cavity to solve this problem (first drawing, top of next page). loyal Rose saddles are made in three lifferent thicknesses or heights. The tallest is used forthe Dand strings, the medium for the Aand B, and the shortest forthe two ‘outside Bstrings. Ths saddle-height combina- tion creates a curve in the bridge sales that matches the radius curve of most electric guitar fingerboards. Many players find that the “med- ium” saddle curve ofthe Floyd Rose plays ‘comfortably with most necks. Customailoring the saddle heights possible by shimming the inserts with thin metal shim stock available from ‘most automotive suppliers, or by carefully ‘grinding the bottoms of the saddles to alter their height (this grinding isa tricky operation and should be eft toa professional). If you wish to ‘experiment, replacement saddles are avaiable directly from Kramer Setting the intonation of the Floyd Rose bridge sldles works on the same principle as any other adjustable bridge—ifa string notes sharp, move the saddle back away from the nut; Insert bridge jock Felt pod Va"-7he" ifthe note is fat, move the sale forwar toward the nut. Since the string is camped into the saddle itself rather than into.a separate tailpiece, the saddles tend to side forward from string pressure when you loasen the Allen bolt that holds them in plac. This ean be annoying if your intention isto move the sade back, since you have to loosen (detune) the sting in ‘onder to do so. Try “dumping” the bridge forward and inserting a bridge jack (above, right) to hold the tremolo up, keeping the strings slack while moving a saddle back or forth. I macle my jack out oF two scraps of hard ‘maple and covered the bottom with felt asa protection forthe finish Of course, an elec- tronic tuner sa help for setting the intonation. When your setup and intonation are correct, clamp the locking nut tight. Here are a few tips on recess routs, which involve the removal of wood under the tremolo (below the surface of the guitar face). This allows the tremolo to sit fairly lose to the top (Yeti common) while sill having clearance in the rear for up-pull. Aso, many guitarist keep their palm, hand, or entire arm on or close to the top while picking, and the recess rout keeps the bridge closer tothe body for this type of picking comfon. Recess-outing templates are available from some guitar shop suppliers. Most recesses are from "toe deep in the front portion of the rout, andl deeper C4" to i!) toward the rear for up-pulling (above). Since you can always rout deeper, start with the shallower measurements and follow the ball bearing routing techniques described earlierShorten block to 15/14"-1 7/16" Recess routing may require shortening the tremolo block to keep it ftom sticking out of the guitar’ back. The amount you shorten it «depends on how close to, or deep into, the top you want your tremolo, The Ibanez Edge block measures 1, while Kramer's shortened block for their guitars with factory-equipped recess routs measures 17. I shortened the block on my Floyd Rose-licensed Schaller to match the Ibanez Edge tremolo, Here's how to doit: With a Yt dil bit, deepen the five spring holes by the amount you plan to remove (up to 24, Using a hacksaw, remove up to "from the block’s bottom, and then filet smooth toa length of Dis" or 1%", et, Drill and tap the ‘wo spring holes on each side ofthe center- spring hole to accept a machine screw; I used a 10-32 trussrod tap that had handy. Finally, make a 4" x 2" x Ye! flat spring retainer bar (4! screen-door aluminum stock purchased atthe harciware tore and hacksawed and filed to shape) with two dearance holes for mounting the barto the tapped holes in the block, This will Keep the springs from popping out when the tremolo'sin use, especially on up-pulls ‘where the springs go slack, Well, that’s about t for the Floyd Rose tremolo, For more information, read Mark Lacey's Feature and check the Mar/Apr. 8 issue of Sing fnstrument Grafisman for Chris Piles’ aticle on Floyd Rose setups. TUNERS AND TREMOLOS Kahler installation and setup I chose the Floyd Rose tremolo to teach measuring, layout, and routing basies; not only because it’s popular, but because its the hardest to instal. you can mount Floyd, you'e good with a routerand can definitely handle any other installations. The most popular and readily available tremolos on the market are the Floycl Rose, the Schaller-licensed Rose, and the Kahler flat-mount. The las section covered installing the stuc-mounted “floating” tremolo; ‘now watch how you can apply those same skillsto installing another excellent and popular tremolo: the Kahler 2300 series, cam operated, flat-mount tremolo, The 2300 series isthe ‘original Kahler tremolo that became popular in the early 1980s. Several features set the Kabler apart from stud-mount “floating” tremolos. tequires a much smaller body rout (removing less wood, and therefore less mass), and the rout doesn't need to go clear throuigh the body, since it doesn't use a rearrout for tremolo springs, Instead, the Kahler achieves its smooth opera tion by way of two smal factory-insalled springs, ball bearings, and a cam. Not having to rout clear through the body makes for an easy, _g00¢-Jooking installation on bodies that have never had a tremolo before, such as Gibsons, hand-made guitars, Teles, etc, Here's how the Kahler’ installed, but first a word of advice before you turn on that router. My friend and one-time apprentice Charlie longstreth helped me compile this Kahler information, and he emphasizes a good point frst question that should occurto anyone bout to install the Kabler or any other tremolo is: Should the installation be done at all Itd be tragic to modify a pre-CBS Strat, and many Kahlers are mounted on Stats. f your'e lucky enough t own one of those rare birds, pick up a newer Strat and putt Kahler on it—and even then, remember that Sats that are new now vill be old someday. Maybe you should build a guitar from kit pars.” Okay, let’ begin,TUNERS AND TREMOLOS While Kahler makes version of is famous flat-mount tremolo that can be installed on the tailpiece studs of a Gibson E5335 or Les Paul, ‘well use the Stratstyle guitar for this instal tion, First, be sure that your neck is ined up to the body the way you want it, especially with reference to the bridge and pickups, Read the section on bolt-on necks carefully, and then remove any pars that could get in the way of your router, such asthe pickguard, pickups, bridge, and the volume and tone controls. Next lay a strip of masking tape over the sx factory bridge mount holes, ancl lay out the centerline of the body using the same method described forthe Floyd Rose. Another way to find center isto use a straightedge long enough to lay along both sides of the fingerboard and extencl ‘out onto the body as far down as your masking tape. Mark the straightedge line onthe tape ancl Find the center between the two marks, With each tremolo, Kahler supplies a heavy ‘eardboard template to use asa guide for laying cout the area tobe routed an to locate the mounting screw holes. To ensure comect lengthwise placement and good intonation, this template is located on a line measured out from the nut and marked at right angles tothe body ‘centerline. Note: This cardboard is nok a routing template; it’s only for locating the tremolo, If you're using a Plexiglas routing template, the cardboard piece can be omitted, since the Plexiglas template will work forthe layout as well asthe actual routing The fon two mounting holes in the base- plate of the Kahler fat-mount 2300 bridge Cand the layout templates) are intended to line up with, and screw into, the outer two mounting holes of a standard Stratocaster bridge. You can mount the bridge this way, but you do, the roller saddles will not be centered with the centerline ofthe neck Cand more importantly the strings). The saddles will be closer to the ‘neble side than they ae the bass side because the centerline of the two mounting holes is not the center line ofthe roller saddles! I'm unsure why Kahler designed it this way, and it not ‘way off, but there is difference ofa healthy ‘atthe saddle. To avoid problems, lay out the correct center line of the sides onto the tem- plate and then center tothe neck’s center line— ‘ignoring the original Strat mounting holes. Here's how to doit right Allthe instructions Pve seen for installing a Kahler recommend marking centerline on the template between the two front mounting holes and then centering the template on the guitar. {Ignore that incorrect centerline andl makea new centerline on the template which is 1.132" from the center ofthe bass side hole—not between the two holes, 1.132" not on center] Measure 1,132" from the center © of the boss side hole for the tue center of tremolo. ‘When you center the template onto the body's center line, the original outside two Strat ‘mounting holes will not line up. They'll be close, but not right, so plug the two holes and redrill them. (Or you can use the two rearmost holes at the back edge of the template to locate the bridge laterally, because they are centered to the bridge sacles). In either case youll sill have to plug the original Strat mounting holes if you want to be perfect. had the wrong bridge ‘centering information in the fist eclition ofthis book, and I apologize. My error was pointed ‘out to me by Koenraad Strobe, a repairman in Belgium, Thanks, Koenraad! ‘Three other considerations when trying to center the Kabler correctly ona traditional Strat are: 1) The pickguard may have tobe trimmed (on either side of the tremolo, 2) When the tremolo is lined up properly, a small bit of the original tremolo rout may peek through on the treble side. 3) Really, the above centering, {formation is the most helpful for thase about to installa Kahler on new work—where there's ‘no good reason nos to center it corecty in the first place.° ox Original ° = Flyer 4 |e t+ Either Rout the shaded area to o depth of 1/2:" The rest of the cutout is routed fo 1". All holes ore countersunk. ‘So ona Strat you can: 1) plug the holes, fine the template on the body centerline, and redill the holes, or; 2) go with the two factory holes and ignore the centerline you lid out. The safest way to guarantee an accurate placement {sto ignore any pre-illed holes and measure yourself, Here's some help: ‘To correctly place the Kabler in regard tothe string length, measure from the nut’ front (where it meets the fingerboard) down tothe masking tape on the body, drawing a line at right angles to the centerline. This new line is {orlining up the two mounting holes of the template; later these holes will be used to mount the actual tremolo, since they're the same holes. Ifthe original tra tremolo mount- ing holes don’ line up with this ine, plug the ‘outer two and redill them, Fora long Strat scale (25 4"), measure 25 4" from the nut. For a short (24 7") Gibson scale, measure 24 Ys Once you've located this line, attach the routing template to the guitar body using double-stick tape, or screw the template tothe guitar's face with wood screws, The Stew-Mac template that use (above) has countersunk mounting holes and can be used for either the Kabler Flyer or the Standard fla- mount. The front two holes are forthe Original, and the rear front holes are for the Flyer the back holes are the same for either tremolo. Mount the template with wood serews that ane smaller than the final mounting screws, and make sure their heads are recessed and wont interfere with the router. After the template is. mounted, seribe around the finish along the inside edge witha sharp scribe or X-acto knife. ‘You'll be touting right up to this line, so scoring the finish frst helps prevent chips when you remove the template Now Ican take a break, and you can work ‘The routing’s easy; just follow the directions given a few pages back for the Floyd Rose. The Coverall depth of the Kahler rout is 1°, although many of us prefer to rout only" deep on the front part (the shaded area at left, which gives Clearance for the two springs) to avoid taking away unnecessary wood, mass, and tone. When you've routed the cavity and vacuumed up the chips, lay a couple coats of clear lacquer on the bare wood to seal out moisture; you can even do this witha rag ora brush. Ifyou want to get fancy, you can tape off the area and spray the new cavity with a matching paint. Sometimes use black Magic Marker to darken the rout before the clear lacquer. That way, any part of the bare-wood cavity that you could see from the outside can no longer be seen. If your guitar requires ground wire mounted to the bridge, runthat wire now (on new work, you may have to drill long hole from the tremolo rout tothe control cavity, using a long 4" “aircraft bit). You can get an adequate ground simply by screwing the tremolo base plate down ontoa ground wire bent up the side ofthe cavity and ‘wrapped over the edge, Keep this wire away from the workings ofthe tremolo! Go ahead and install the tremolo now, just to see how everything ines up, and then go on tothe Jocking nut, But don't start playing with that wang bar yet! Kahler offers the three nut styles shown above, plus one for their 7-string tremolo (not pictured), Two of them, the original Standard and the Deluxe no-wrench, fip-lever nut, are behine!-the-nut locks that work together with a real nut. The third is called a Nut-Lock ands similar tothe Floyd Rose, which requires that ledge be routed for instalation, We've alteadycovered the Floyd style, so let's briefly discuss installing the behind!-the-nut style; is easy. With a Sorat, the only real work involved isin ‘making a shim to suppor the nut at the proper height for geting good string angle through the nut slots, As with any nut, t00 steep an angle causes string binding or breaking in the slots, while 100 shallow an angle allows the strings to flop around, causing buzzes. Kahler recommend sirng angle of 11 degrees between the string lock and the real nut; check this angle with a protractor. Make the shim from a hardwood such as ‘maple, rosewood, or ebony. Trace around the ‘nut forthe outside shape, mark the holes, and. then drill em before shaping the shims this climinates sping the delicate shim once it’s shaped. Kahler offers pre-shapedl and drilled Polystyrene shim that come in wo shapes: flat shim 068° thick (part #8450), and a curved- bottom one (#8460) that measures 068" atthe thickest part of ts center but tapers quite thin at the edges ofthe bottom curve. In certain situa tions you may wish to stack lifferent combi tions ofthese shims together. The string-lock should be as close tothe real nut as possible, ‘while sil keeping the right amount of angle to hold the strings in their slots (about "to 9" from the rear ofthe nut). Too much distance between the lock and the real nut tends to store more slack than necessary. To keep from going clear through the headstock, use masking tape ‘wrapped around yourbit asa depth guide ‘while drilling the four mounting holes (this is illustrated inthe section on over oiled tuners in Miscellaneous Repairs), If you pick witha strong atack and are looking for big sustain, you may be interested in recessing your Kahler into the body. John Subr, of Rudy’s Music in New York City, inlays (or recesses) a Kabler flat-mount 4" deep into the body. This allows you to raise the roller bridge saddles to their highest point in order to seta strong string angle over the roller (sacle), ‘without having overly high action, Asat general rule, Kahler recommends setting the bridge saddle roller height so that a minimum of 475" and a maximum {625" shows from the bottom ofthe outer two Bstringsto the guitar body. ‘With the recess method you get the maximum height (and more if you want, but sill retain a normal string-to-body relationship, avoiding the necessity of shimming the neck in the body to keep up with the high rollers. Raising the saddle rollers really high creates beter response and tonal quality, but the trade-offs more variance ‘in uning because you introduce more friction to the rollers with the increased string angle. This doesnt bother most players, though, sorry itl Note: If you recess the tremolo ¥, you must move the bridge forward 9", since as the rollers are raised they also move backward— away from the nut—incteasing the sting Jength (just raise a roller saddle up and watch how much it moves), An alternate to recessing the Kahler isto raise the sadlles high and then shim the neck to meet the strings; of course, the pickups have to be raised, too, and some- times you just cant get them high enough. [ should point out that Kahler doesn't recon mend setting the sides this high. There's nothing wrong with trying all these different setups and deciding for yourself; that’s the whole idea of this book! Kahler includes a pamphlet called Adjust ‘ment And Setup with each tremolo; it does a 00d job of teaching you how the tremolo works, They've also published a “Trouble Shooting Guide” and “Service Tips and Adjustments.” Even if you're not experiencing any trouble, ask your dealer to get you copies of these pamphlets, because they'll come in handy some day. For acktional reading on Kahler tremolos, check John Carruthers’ columns inthe Feb, and Mar. 84 issues of Guitar Playerand read Chris Piles’ setup tipsin the May/June '88 issue of String Instrument Craftsman. Fine-tuning a Strat tremolo With its slab-style body, bolton neck, ancl ttomotive"-style construction, the Stratocaster is easy to work on from the repairman’s point of view—there’s nothing to break! How often have you seen a Strat witha broken peghead?And even though the “Ten Steps” isan excellent approach for basic Strat setup, there are stil a few points I'd like to make which are particular to Stratocaster. Understanding Strat quirks and knowing a few tricks ofthe trade can be a great help in adjusting your guitar for maximum playability, TREMOLOS ‘Tremolos have been the rage since the early "80s, when Floyd Rose hitthe guitar world with «locking nut and string-clamp “floating” trem- ‘lo system which eliminated most ofthe tuning problems long associated with tremolo use Sill, for many, the most desirable tremolo is that usec on the Fender Strat—especialy the two- piece unit made from 54 until late 71. Fender has introduced several Stat tremolo designs since then (most notably the "American Stan- dard”), and when used with a properly set-up nut, they all work well. The nut is where most tremolo problems occur, as well seein a ‘moment. So if yout a traditionalist not wanting to disfigure your fvorte axe, you may wonder, “How can I keep my vintage Strat playing in ‘une, without installing a locking nut and modem bridge?” I spent some time with my fiend Doug Philips, a guitar repairman from Norfolk, Virginia who isa Strat man all the way anda serious blues player. was impressed by his four unaltered Stats that play beautifully and stay in tune, We spent many hours discussing the fine points of setting up the standarel tremolo, and came up with the following ‘mociificatons and adjustments that not only help the guitar stay in tune but improve its sounel as well. An all this is possible without installing any of today’s locking nut/bridge systems, all of which require alteration of vintage Strats. These tps wll be a help to vintage Strat lovers who are trying to keep up with the modern music world, SMOOTH TREMOLO ACTION AND BETTER SUSTAIN Before setting the tremolo, adjust the six mounting screws tat fasten the bridge plate— if they're screwed down too tightly, the tremolo ‘won't have the proper freedom of movernent 1's good idea to loosen he screws slightly and then retghten them slowly until they just touch the plate, Sometimes fiction between the plate and screws causes joting, catching, and sticking, One wary to track down that problem (and often its just ane or wo screws) isto remove the four center screws, Actually, the ‘nwo outside screws alone are able to hold the bridge sufliciently for playing, Stevie Ray ‘Vaughan sometimes used only two—proof of their strength, considering his high action, heavy strings, and hard-hitting blues atack, Test the tremolo function with only the outer two screws holding the bridge down, and then by replacing the screws one ata time, youl find the problem. You can remedy this by carefully filing and iting the holes to the screws; With the bridge removed, inspect the six holes from the underside. You can increase the bevel by using a +4 counterbore (above). This increased bevel gives more of a knife-edge pivot point to the bridge where itrocks against the mounting screws, and therefore noticeably increases the sustain. Many bridges are beveled property and need no modification, butit wont your axe for @ hhurtto have a look. The bevels should be the while to see same. Concentrate on the rear edge oF the what you hhole—the edge that bears against the screw: Bevel (countersink) the underside of the holes ‘nt the remaining rim is approximately to 44 thick on each hole, When replacing the bridge, tighten all six serews smugly, and then back off each screw a quartertum; this keeps the bridge plate flat to the boxy while allowing. enough room forthe tremolo when in use. different approach i to hold the tremolo forward in the tited positon, and then tighten the screws against the plate, preventing undue pressure on the screws when the tremolo isin use, Use whatever method suits you. Ive known some players who prefer using womounting screws, yet would rather keep the middle four screws for looks. This can be accomplished by drilling clearance holes in the plate so thatthe screws aren't actully touch ing or holding anything. The instrument is altered, however, which could affect its value. ‘SPRING ADJUSTMENT Adjustment of the standard two-piece trem- clo involves much trial and error. In the end. you must please yourself, and there is no one ‘way to doit Some players prefer thatthe bridge come to reston the body asa positive stop or return point after being “dumped! (pressed downvvard to lower the strings pitch). These hard-hitting, string-breaking players often like a positive body stop, so thatthe remaining strings donttall go instantly out of tune from the lifference in string pressure caused by a broken ‘tring, The standart factory setup, however, is with the tremolo plate raised slightly off the body at its rear" as mentioned previously), ‘enabling players to cause te pitch to go slightly shagp by pulling up on the arm, The tension adjustment ofthe tremolo springs lepends on string gauge and desired tremolo action—a personal choice. Many players want the plate to return to the guitars face after use, but keep more tension on the springs than is necessary. Here's a good test for proper spring tension: Phuck the open low-E string and, athe 15th fre, immediately bend your top Bstring one-and-a-half to two steps. IF the low-Eholds true, the spring tension is probably comect. it goes lat due to the adltional pressure caused by bending the top string, tighten the spring claw until the low-Eis close to remaining in tune. Experiment to find, the springs that best suit your style, Not all springs are the same length, size, or material, so shop around, Players using sets beginning with an.008 10.09 hgh-Eshould experiment wit ‘two or three springs; 010s and up play best for me with four springs. Properly adjusted springs should ring clear when plucked, with no dull, plunking sound. A good spring tension and tone are important to a Sirat’s ‘unique sound, since they create a natural reverb chamber, No absolute rule exists regarding the number Of springs used and onto what claw hook and into which tremolo block hole they should be placed, Some guitarists who favor light-gauge strings beginning with an 08 use only two springs with the claw backed most of the way ‘ut; .009 players often use three springs with the claw sill backed out quite abit. Most players, however, end up using ether three or four springs and adjusting the spring claw to get the desired tremolo feel and return point. Some Use five springs with medium or heavier stings (Stevie Ray, fr instance, uses strings gauged (012, 015, 019, .028, 038, 058). feel that five springs are too much, ancl I don’t like the way a tremolo plays this way. Sting gauge is ex- tremely important when adjusting tremolos, and you should decide on a favorite gauge before making any adjustments ‘When experimenting with the numberand placement of the tremolo springs, try two at firs, placed on the second and fourth hooks of the claw and extending to the two outside holes of the block (lef), IF you want to add another spring—and most players do—place it in the center of the claw and block but relocate the ‘other two springs to the outside hooks and holes. With four springs, simply omit the center ‘one—the idea isto keep the springs balanced Here's a common tremolo setup trick that pleases most players: With the strings tuned to Pitch, adjust the spring claw tension so thatthe bridge leans slightly forward, with the plate slightly off the face ofthe guitar (" maxi- mum), Fretan Aat the Sth fret on the high-E siring, and pull up on the tremolo arm until the plate hits the body and stops. Adjust the spring tension until the note played! tthe Sth fret is Bb ‘when the plate hits the body. After this “hal step sharp” tes is completed, you'll be able to pill up on the arm slightly. Of course, if you change string gauges or alter the number of springs, you have to start all over again. ELIMINATING FRICTION This information applies to any Fender ‘instrument, but in particular to Stats with, tremolos, If you eliminate the friction which causes strings to bind, you'l have a better playing axe—with or without tremolo. ‘The moclemn locking nu/bridge system is so popular because it basicaly eliminates theFor tremolo: Normal (round oe flatter bottom ‘ring slot problem of slack storage—strng tension that “hangs up" atthe friction points outside the playing area in between the nut and bridge. When you tune a sting or run it through the nut and string tree by depressing the tremolo, the friction points (nu, string trees, and less often the bridge) can make the string hang up, Causing itto return sharp and throwing the guitar out of tune. The stored stack is held temporarily and usually releases the next time you make a bend or use your tremolo. Ifyou retune this “shagp” sting, twill be fat when it releases. Most slack storage occurs at the mut, at the string tree hold-downs behind the nu, ancl toa lesser degree atthe bridge. Ifyou eliminate these friction problems, your guitar will say in tune. Start withthe nut For nut-making, I preferbone over man- made nut blanks of Formica, phenolic, or plastic. Graphite can bea good choice for tremolo nuts, but I don't like the black color and it seems to wear quickly. The string angle, ‘which comes from the tuner or sting tree ancl breaks over the nut, should not he 100 steep ‘when viewed from the side. A proper angle fs between 5 and 12 degrees off the fingerboard pplane—no more, no less (above), The nut’s grooves or string slots shoul be ceep enough to hold the string and keep it from popping out when played, but no more than hal the diameter ofthe sting in depth. Ant slot should have a round bottom, and the slot S il, “dressed away" sides should ear slightly away from the sting, so asnotto bind, On tremolo guitars, some repairmen prefer a slightly flattened bottom for the string slot so thatthe slo's round! shape doesn grip the string as it moves (above, lft Cceasionally repairman or manufacturer will has ile mats with too sharp a back angle This puts all the load and friction at one very small point at the front ofthe nu, While the string should ‘take of? at the nut’ front (where it meets the fingerboard and the actual string length begins), it should have some “meat” or backing behind it and gradually slope up to the front edge. The nut sidewalls should also be slighty dressed away from the sting on the back sie toallow free movement, and so that they dont pinch the tring and keep it from returning to pitch (or cause « muting effect) Slots that re t00 shallow don't hold a string ‘when is bent from side to side, plus they can cause a string to pop out when least expected. Asa final step when you finish any nut— especially one designed for remolo use—give lossy polishing tothe stringslot bortoms with Gt least) 1000-grt wet-or dry sanclpaper, this, relieves friction and improves tone. litle lubricant in the nut slot doesnt hurt either, ‘Common nut lubricants are pencil lead, pow- dlered graphite, Vaseline, oa Teflon lube stich NERS AND TYREMOLOS probably seom harder to bend.as Magik Guitar Lube. (The Teflon typesane the least messy!) A welL-it and lubricated nut allows the string to travel lengthwise without binding, ‘You may be wise to have a troublesome nut replaced by'a repairman who understands tremolo problems and will shape one carefully froma hard material, such as bone. Or, be adventuresome and try it yourself afer reading the "Nut Work" chapter: STRING TREE PROBLEMS Eliminating the slack storage occurring at string trees can be done ina variety of ways, but the removal of them alone is nota solu- tion, because then there will he insufficient own-pressure, or angle, atthe nut, and the strings may pop out when struck, Also, with- ‘out a decent angle atthe nut, a great loss of tone occurs. Roller trees are available from a variety of sources (check your music stone — ‘Wilkinson makes severaD). These are an easy ‘efrofit for the originals, allowing the strings to ‘move smoothly when the tremolo is used, Al Strats havea string tee forthe Band high- stings; on models made after'59, this tree is supported by a plastic or metal spacer. Often players remove the spacer and screw the tee down tothe headstock fuce—dont do that! The angle becomes too steep, and the spacer isan improvement. Be sure thatthe string tree is debuted and polished, and use it. Strats made since 71 also have a tre forthe Gand D strings. The trees and spacers put enough angle con the nutto keep the string from popping out, but not so much that they cause the string to bind from friction and not return in tune. Combat fiction atthe trees with Teflon gun oil or Magik Guitar Lube—justa drop on the underside isa help. With the fourhighest strings, two or three ‘windings around the tuner maintains a proper angle between the tuner and string tree. Ifyou remove the tre that holds the Gand Dstrings ‘or own. pre~59 one-ttee Stat, experiment with the number of downward windings (toward the bottom of the tuner post) needed to achieve the comrectstring-to-nut angle. On the low-Fand Astrings, any more than two downward windings cause too great an angle, and the stings will bind when the tremolo's in tse. A neat trick i to wind the sting up toward ‘Wedge is 6" t long by 3/8" wide, ‘ond tapers from 1st to 3/16! the top ofthe post, to let you contol or alter the angle, You can eliminate the tees entirely by using replacement tuners with graduated shaft heights (above), Sperzel and Schecter offer sgacluated shaft pegs, so check with your dealer tofind what's curently available. install these pegs, however, involves enlarging the tuner shaft hole. Instead of enlanging the holes com his 62 Strat, Doug made a tapered harel- ‘wood! wedge, drilled clearance holes forthe tuners andl screws, and slipped it between the tuners and the back of the headstock. This “wedge” solution works well, doesnt disigure a vintage instrument, and isa simple way out if sgractuated shaft height solves your problem, Wilkinson also offers machined aluminum ‘wedges just like Doug’s, which work great. I ‘you remove your sting trees, expect to make an adjustment in your playing style, because the ‘upper two strings may seem a litle harder to bend; you may have to push furtherto get the desired note, You'll be pleased, though, that the string has a litle more resiliency atthe top of the bend. Also, this extra resiliency results ina Jot less string breakage, since the strings tend to give more STRING BREAKAGE Breakage usually occurs where the string angles over the bridge plate. You can radius (Caper) these holes witha small fle and sand- ‘paper, or by grinding a radius on one end of the #4 counterbore mentioned earlier and using itinan electric dil o bevel the hole evenly above, right). This type of counter-bore is ‘generally used by machinists and is available at 10s inclstil supply sires; any machine shiop can quickly grind a radius on it. Besideseliminating string breakage, this bridge-plate ‘moeification also helps eliminate binding that ‘occurs at the same point. An easier solution isto cdo what Stevie Ray Vaughan dic Slide a piece of plastic wire insulation over the string atthe point of contact atthe bridge sacle. This must inhibit some tone and sustain, though yout cant prove that by listening to Stevie Ray! |y0u follow these tips, you should find that your guitar stays in tune nicely and has marked improvement in tone. For many years, the Strat tremolo has heen a great invention; it simply needsa litle understanding and care. Tightening up a loose ‘Strat tremolo arm Here's an interesting idea from Roger L Scruggs of Lynchburg, Virginia: "In regard to Sirat tremolo arms going limp, I have a remedy that works well on my ‘63 Strat removed the center spring from a smal die punch cutter and ground a YMlong piece off from one endl This spring isabout "in diameter and very sf then dropped the spring into the tremolo atm. hole and screwed down the arm until hitthe spring (righ). By tightening the arm slowly until it met with resistance from the spring, there was ‘enough up- pressure onthe bottom ofthe arm to keep it from rotating Being extremely sf, this spring keeps the tremolo arm from being either too tight of to loose. bought my punch/spring from Holiday Steel Rule And Die in Greensboro, North Carolina, but you should be able to find one at any die-maker’s shop.” Roger's idea works great. Note that this will only work on oletstyle Strat tremolos (made before 1970) that have a bottom tothe hole; otherwise the spring would simply fal out Readers can avoid having to buy a die-punch, cette by finding a hardware or insti supply store with a good selection of springs; any slff spring works, Wear safety glasses when. using grindes, and be sure the wheel isnt cracked, Read the strict grinder safety pre Cautions given in "Making your own fret files.” A Strat tremolo modification Richard H. Ruth of Oklahoma City wrote to me: “I converted my tremolo froma face-mount toa semi-floating, knife-edge type. To do this, I bought some brassat a local hobby shop, bent it into shape, removed the tremolo, and mounted the new brass plate to the mounting holes onthe body. Since the brass was bent to more than a 90+degree angle, ithe the ‘knife edge’ ofthe tremolo when I replaced it.The only non-revensible alteration to my guitar came when filed the underside of the bridge's leading edge to a sharper contact point. This modification changes the tremolo's pivot pointost from the mounting screws tothe front edge of the unit. The guitar eturns to pitch almost as ‘well asan expensive locking tremolo, and the tone is much improved, The only tools used \werea vise, a hammer, a" electric drill For drilling and countersinking the mounting holes, aa hacksaw for cutting the brass to length, and a file. replaced the original mounting screws ‘with a countersunk variety having the same thread asthe originals. The brass plate is thick and around 7s to 1" wide, and [only needed to cut itto length, Fora dollar got «enough brass to make two—and that was a ‘good idea, since I messed up the first one (ome experimentation was required to arrive atthe proper bending angle so aso retain, but not restrain, tremolo movement)” asked Richard if could borrow the guitar to try itout, and he sent it to me the nextday. It ‘works smoothly, and seems to return in tune well. Another nice thing about the conversion is that he enjoyed doing it. Many players love to customize their guitars and are looking for new jobs to-do, Richard's idea is fairly easy to perform, and it doesn't really alter the guitar much. If you're squeamish about filing on your stock bridge, buy a replacement bridge/tremolo and use that insteacl—especially if you have a Vintage guitar. A "floting” tremolo is one that doesnt come in contact with the body ofthe guitar when it returns to pitch, since is raised up froan the surface. This enables the player to pull up as well as push clown on the tremolo arm, In some cases, the neck may have to be shimmed in its pocket to accommodate the shimmed-up tremolo unit Thanks for the tip! The Trem-Setter Before concluding this chapter on tremolos, its appropriate to say a few words about the ‘Trem-Setter, a device that helps keep a tremolo guitar in tune, Designed by David Borisoff of the Hipshot Company, this tremolo stabilizer ‘was first introduced in 1988, Since then thousands have been installed—not only by repair shops on a custom basis, but also at the Fender factory on their Stat Plus, Strat Plus Deluxe, and Ultra Strat guitars. Some players misunderstand the Trem-Setter’s use and ‘expect too much from it. So lets look first at ‘what it will and won't do fora wang bar, and then fl present some tips o make the install tion even easier than italeady is, ‘The TremSette is an adjustable, spring- loaded device that replaces the center tremolo spring on locking or standard tremolos. It installs inthe rear spring cavity, replacing the standard fiv-spring tremolo claw with two individual outer spring claws, This leaves the center spring area open for the Trem-Setter, ‘which mounts on a hook (or ‘hinge-clip,” called) screwed to the cavity bottom. A brass ppll-tod connects the Setter tothe sustain block, soit moves with the block as the player works the tremolo and helps return the tremolo to the same spot after use. Italso keeps even tension ‘onthe tremolo so that bending or tuninga string doesn't cause the other strings to drasti- cally ater their pitch, The installation and adjustment instructions supplied by Hipshot and Fender are accurate, but litle too technical; they don't say enough abentt what the ‘Trem-Setter does, or how it’s done, So talked with David Borisoff and Fenders George Blanda, both of whom had a lotto say rs “The main reason I designed the Trem- Sette, says Borsoff, “was to getaway from the equilibrium, or balance, ofthe strings and springs controlling whether a guitar’ in tune or not, The standard tremolo is like a bathroom scale—you can get on the scale twice and get two different readings. Or if you stand on the scale and shake, lke shaking or bending astring, you'll make the dial futer on both sides ‘of your actual weight. This is what happens oa tremolo bridge when you bend notes, play certain notes with a strong atack, or even hit certain open strings: You upset the balance, and the tremolo flutters back and forth. The Trem- Setter’ ikea car's shock absorber; it stabilizes the tremolo,” According to David, the unit accomplishes, the following: ‘improves the guita’s tone by controlling flrter.Itstops the tremolo from absorbing or ‘wasting te string’ energy ast pases on tothe body. Bieips the tremolo return to its zero point in tune. This is not tue, however, if the guitar has poorly made nut, inadequate tuners, or improperly mounted strings Locking tuners and the Wilkinson roller nut work well with the ‘Trem-Setter, of course. 3 Keeps the remaining strings in tune when youbend a string. String-hending adds tension nd causes the tremolo to “sag,” or lean for- ‘ward, which lowers the pitch ofall the other strings. The Trem-Setter keeps sagging toa ‘minimum, 4 Makes string-bending easier. Since the bridge isnt sagging toward the fingering hand, lowering the pitch, you don't have to bend nearly so far to get a note. Players who don't like tremolo guitars may have a change of heart if they ry one with a TremSetter. 5 Keeps the strings in better tune if you rest your hand on the bridge or intentionally mute the strings. Its nota big factor, but the Trem- Setter can be set up with this in mind, 6 Helps make up for wom knife edges at the pivot point Letme point out the one thingt won't do: Itwon't keep a guitar in tune if you break a string, Itwas never intended to. The amount of tension needed to compensate fora broken string would detract fom the Trem-Setter’s sensitivity 1 asked Blanda fall temolos have bridge fluter: "At Fender we call t'warbling’ when ‘you get the bridge flutter that David's talking about. Any well-balanced tremolo guitar wwarbles litle, bu thats the trade-off for having a sensitive tremolo that’s fee from friction and returns o pitch. The tremolo moves toaccommodate the different tensions it receives from the oscillation ofthe strings. Tis _movement is less pronounced with vintage Strat tremolo, since the bridge plate has a solid reston the bodys it's not delicately balanced on two knife edges lke the American Standard. I ‘you want to make a two-point tremolo warble, justo know what we're talking abot, pick the Gsiring hard atthe Mth fret, or pluck itwith ‘your bare fingers, and listen—you'll hear tif its there. At Fender its easy for us to take two brand-new identical Strats, one with and one without aTrem-Sette, and compare their sound, You can really hear the difference, The ‘guitar with the Trem-Setter has a better, more solid tone, and any warble s stopped.” [ve heard that Leo Fender called the tremolo's sustain block an “inertia block” in the original patent drawing, showing that he knew that something was needed to smooth out the string-to-bridge vibration and put the energy to good use, How much does the Trem Setter change the feel of tremolo asi’ being dumped or pulled ‘up? Blanda responds: “Not too much, andl not at allwhen you pull up, because the pullso ‘moves through the spring on an up-pull, ‘without affecting the tension at all. The tension of the Trem Sette’ spring is comparable to that ‘of a normal tremolo spring, But rather than the spring stretching when you dump the tremolo, itcompresses. A factory setup fora Strat Plus uses three springs and usually 009-012 or (010-046 strings. A player who wants to use ‘only two springs and 008 strings coulda't benefit rom the Trem Setter, since i's three- spring system, Besides, we don't recommend using two springs on a tremolo in the first place. | should point out that al springs are not the same tension; springs used on locking tremolo systems are typically stifer by as much as 15%. Ina repair shop, extra springs end up laying all over the place, and ifthe wrong springs end up, being used along with the Trem-Setter, the tension won't be right when you dive-bomb.” Sometimes I feel, or almost hear, a litle drag when I press the wang baron a Strat Plus. “This, Playing outfitted with a Trem-Settor feels more like playing a non-tremolo guitar. The kalfe edges on anew tremolo are sharp, and returning to #0" isnota problem. As wear causes the ‘edges fo round off, It may no longer provide the frictionless movement needed fo return to absolute “0.” ‘The Trem-Setter overcomes that friction.{snot norma,” Borisoff explains, “but it can happen. Overtime we discovered that ift00 much grease was used on the brass pull rd it actually vacuumed around the small stop-collar \washeras it moved, creating a suction effect Dismande the Setter, clean off any grease, and ‘when you reassemble it, eave the washer dry or lightly lubricate it with WD-40, Be careful not tolose the washer when you take the device ‘apart—the pants want fo pop all over the place. ‘We may switch toa fiber washer that not only ‘won't vacuum onto the od, but will also ‘compress less, eliminating any possibilty of slop. If you do take the unit apar, once the small slack spring that pushes against the stop. collars removed, you can see how the brass collar bears against the end of the threaded brass tube that the pull-tod slices through.” How much can the nylon thread nuts be tightened or loosened when the tremolo's tension is being adjusted? “You can tighten it lot," says Bland, *but you won't want it 100 tight. You'd never want to see more than Ys" of exposed thread on the brass tube: experiment till you find anadjstmnet that fees ight. As for loosening it, by temporarily removing the lock collar spring as we mentioned, you'l see that Toasening the nylon thumb-nut counter clockwise too much causes ito hithe brass stop collar—you don't want that! The whole trick in setting up the Trem Setter isto get the brass stop collar to make perfect contact with the washer atthe end ofthe threaded brass tube ‘when the tremolo is siting a its balance point, ‘Then any lowering ofthe tremolo arm puts the ‘Trem-Setter into operation instantly. You can Joosen the thumb-nut tension as faras you like as long as itdoesnt touch the collar Hold one nylon thunnb-nut while you tighten orloosen the other, otherwise they'll just rotate together, sand nothing happens.” I asked Borisoffif he thinks there's atone improvement when a Tiem-Setteris installed: *L dont think there's an improvement, know it ‘When the string’s energy hits the bridge, you ‘want itto transfer instantly to the body so that the sounel comes from the bridge and body together, When a tremolo flutters at the balance point, the tremolo block and springs cancel out and absorb much ofthe string energy that you're working hard to getto your amp. The player puts aot in, but not enough comes out Irs ike running in sand, where half the enengy just pushes sand behind you, with only half left to push you forward. Get on solid ground, and ‘you can take off with a one-to-one transmission of energy and no waste.” Blanda adds, “There's better coupling between the tremolo block and the body, which produces a difference you can really hea.” ‘One of the big questions, of cours, is how ‘well does the Trem-Setter work with a standard, Sirat tremolo? "Quite well the guitar is set up right,” insists Borisoff. “A vintage Strat has friction atthe six mounting screws of the bridge plate, as well as.at the nut slots, non-locking tuners, and string trees. Comparatively speak- ing, a Strat Plus looks pretty good with ts roller ‘nut, two-point pivot, and lack of string trees and locking tuners. $0 setup is crucial on vintage Strat. All friction points must be smoothed and lubricate so the strings cant hang up and store any slack.” INSTALLATION TIPS {Installation instructions come with the Trem- Sete, so rather than going through the whole operation, Pl just add my notes to what you already have, The installation only takes about a half-hour, an! the tools needed are an electric hand dil, a small ruler, Phillip screwdrivers, and such, Adjust the stock tremolo to suit your tastes before you begin the installation, and. take the time to set your guitar up right Since the original five-hook spring claw is replaced with two individual outer spring claws, you'll be setting the tremolo balance point with two springs instead of three; the ‘Trem Setter has no effect or spring tension ‘on the tremolo until you depress or lower the strings. This enables you to tighten the spring claws closerto the end ofthe cavity than you could with three springs ‘The hinge-

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