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Hi All,
I mentioned this in an earlier post but it was kind of buried so I
thought I'd ask more directly. My 2nd guitar is a vista jagmaster with
S.D. JM pickups which sound great. My problem is that with 13's on the
thing, the tension on the tremolo is really stiff to compensate for the
thick strings. I'm used to the silky smooth tremolo on my AV Jaguar.
Is this a result of poor set up ( I needed 5 springs just to get it to
within 1/8" of flat) or a low quality bridge? Or some other reason -
neck angle perhaps? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Danny Snyder
Danny,
With >5< springs on the trem block, it's probably
unavoidable to have that stiff(er) feeling. Putting
lube (i.e., "Nut Sauce") on the nut slots and saddles
might help make for a smoother feel, though it will
probably still feel "stiff".
Moreover, your Jagmaster may have a 25.5" scale vs. a
typical Jaguar's 24". The longer scale length guitar
will always have more tension than a shorter scale
length guitar using the same gauge strings. Now, if
you're talking about using 13's on a 25.5" guitar vs.
what you're used to on a 24" guitar (AV Jag) using
perhaps 10's or 11's...that's an automatic big
difference in feel.
~ Jonathan
--- wrote:
Date: Sun, 25 Dec 2005 14:00:03 -0800
From:
Subject: strat style tremolo too stiff
Hi All,
I mentioned this in an earlier post but it was kind of
buried so I
thought I'd ask more directly. My 2nd guitar is a
vista jagmaster with
S.D. JM pickups which sound great. My problem is that
with 13's on the
thing, the tension on the tremolo is really stiff to
compensate for the
thick strings. I'm used to the silky smooth tremolo on
my AV Jaguar.
Is this a result of poor set up ( I needed 5 springs
just to get it to
within 1/8" of flat) or a low quality bridge? Or some
other reason -
neck angle perhaps? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Danny Snyder
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--- In , snydr@s... wrote:
> My 2nd guitar is a vista jagmaster with S.D. JM pickups which sound
great. My problem is that with 13's on the thing, the tension on the
tremolo is really stiff to compensate for the thick strings. I'm used
to the silky smooth tremolo on my AV Jaguar. Is this a result of poor
set up ( I needed 5 springs just to get it to within 1/8" of flat) or
a low quality bridge? Or some other reason - neck angle perhaps? Any
advice is greatly appreciated.
Hi Danny;
Here's my take on your problem. If you go with strings thicker that 12-
56 you either have to live with a very stiff tremolo due to using of
five springs, or simply not use it (which is what Dick Dale does).
One thing that MIGHT help is if you tighten the spring claw in the
back of the guitar all the way down to the wood and use only four
springs - the bridge plate may be floating a bit higher, but you can
compensate by lowering the individual saddles. I would also recommend
using high quality tremolo springs - there ARE differences between
them.
However, are you sure you really want or need 13s? If you want stiff
strings that sound good and that'll allow you to still use your
guitar's tremolo, I'd recommend going with Gibson Nickel Wound Jazz 12-
56 strings - they're available through JustStrings.com, and they're
really great, thick but with a great feeling. These were originally
called Sonomatics in the sixties, and were the choice of the Shadows
plus probably many surf groups. I've started using them again on one
of my Strats and if I tighten the claw all the way back, the bridge
plate is just above the body, allowing a bit of floating action.
Hope that helps.
Ivan
Thanks Ivan, that's exactly the kind of info I was hoping for. I'll definitely
check out the strings you suggested. I had tried all-nickel Thomastick but
found they lacked the snap of the chromes. But I do like the fact that the
nickel is softer than stainless, and should keep your frets from wearing as
quickly.
Happy New Years to you and everyone else on SG101!
Danny Snyder
----- Original Message -----
From: ipongrac
To:
Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2005 7:28 AM
Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Re: strat style tremolo too stiff
--- In , snydr@s... wrote:
> My 2nd guitar is a vista jagmaster with S.D. JM pickups which sound
great. My problem is that with 13's on the thing, the tension on the
tremolo is really stiff to compensate for the thick strings. I'm used
to the silky smooth tremolo on my AV Jaguar. Is this a result of poor
set up ( I needed 5 springs just to get it to within 1/8" of flat) or
a low quality bridge? Or some other reason - neck angle perhaps? Any
advice is greatly appreciated.
Hi Danny;
Here's my take on your problem. If you go with strings thicker that 12-
56 you either have to live with a very stiff tremolo due to using of
five springs, or simply not use it (which is what Dick Dale does).
One thing that MIGHT help is if you tighten the spring claw in the
back of the guitar all the way down to the wood and use only four
springs - the bridge plate may be floating a bit higher, but you can
compensate by lowering the individual saddles. I would also recommend
using high quality tremolo springs - there ARE differences between
them.
However, are you sure you really want or need 13s? If you want stiff
strings that sound good and that'll allow you to still use your
guitar's tremolo, I'd recommend going with Gibson Nickel Wound Jazz 12-
56 strings - they're available through JustStrings.com, and they're
really great, thick but with a great feeling. These were originally
called Sonomatics in the sixties, and were the choice of the Shadows
plus probably many surf groups. I've started using them again on one
of my Strats and if I tighten the claw all the way back, the bridge
plate is just above the body, allowing a bit of floating action.
Hope that helps.
Ivan
.
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