Dremeling a Trem area to bare wood

[Elliot]

Someone (of a bloke down the pub type of reliability) told me that if you remove the paint in  trem fitted guitars under the bridge plate you get better tone and sustain.  Now sounds possible, but also sounds like the idea of a theoriser rather practitioner.  Any one have any experience of this? 

[FELINEGUITARS]

Someone (of a bloke down the pub type of reliability) told me that if you remove the paint in  trem fitted guitars under the bridge plate you get better tone and sustain.  Now sounds possible, but also sounds like the idea of a theoriser rather practitioner.  Any one have any experience of this? 

Potentially "UTTER BOLLOCKS" :arrow:

A strat trem rests on the trem posts and is not affected by the paint if set up floating
I can see if he meant that the trem was flush against the body that you might get a whisker more coupling between the two , but hardly that you would notice, and certainly not worth removing finish for


If he had said in the neck pocket I would be more inclined to agree

Paint on a body does affect tone , but that can be in a positive way  rather than just taking away from the sound of the guitar.
I know that often a paint finish will take away a bit of excess top end and add a bit of weight to the bass end
I kind of factor it in to my builds

[JustBecos]

I have read something similar, though can't remember where now. That was with strat hardtail bridges not the trems though. Which would make more sense inline with what feline has said above, you might need to have Eric Johnson be be able to heard the difference.

[Elliot]

Many thanks for your replies, thought as much - it'll save me carving up my strat  :D

[hunter]

The neck pocket in my Tokai strat was always super tight, until I removed the finish, now it's a bit lose and I am really pissed about myself having removed the finish.

[Matt77]

Doesn't Eric Johnson does this and have it done on his sig model?
Am I getting the wrong end of the stick?

[Philly Q]

Doesn't Eric Johnson does this and have it done on his sig model?

Doesn't look like it:

[gingataff]

Doesn't Eric Johnson does this and have it done on his sig model?
Am I getting the wrong end of the stick?

EJ has the paint removed from the top of the metal block (not that many blocks have paint on to begin with) to get better contact with the underside of the trem plate.

[gingataff]

If he had said in the neck pocket I would be more inclined to agree

I've wondered about this, wouldn't bare wood on the 'heel' of a bolt on neck give better transfer of vibrations? Or does having a smooth finish create a larger surface area and this is more preferable? Or is the difference so small that we would never have bothered to talk about this in the days before the internet?

[Philly Q]

If he had said in the neck pocket I would be more inclined to agree

I've wondered about this, wouldn't bare wood on the 'heel' of a bolt on neck give better transfer of vibrations? Or does having a smooth finish create a larger surface area and this is more preferable? Or is the difference so small that we would never have bothered to talk about this in the days before the internet?

That's the one.

[chisa]

Doesn't Eric Johnson does this and have it done on his sig model?
Am I getting the wrong end of the stick?

yes he does, he does it to help with tuning stability

[Philly Q]

Why would removing paint under the bridge have any effect at all on tuning stability?  :?

[FELINEGUITARS]

Why would removing paint under the bridge have any effect at all on tuning stability?  :?

+1

the internet effect again!

I'm sure EJ keeps these rumours going to reinforce people's opinion of him as an uber-guitarist
I'm not doubting his abilities - they are vast , but he sells himself well.
Same thing with Yngwie - even the being a bit of a dick - all adds to the reputation and keeps people talking about him.

It's the all news is good news sort of thing - like the Beckhams or Katie price keeping themselves on the front pages for very little reason but it all helps the brand (and the bank balance)

[ToneMonkey]

The neck pocket in my Tokai strat was always super tight, until I removed the finish, now it's a bit lose and I am really pissed about myself having removed the finish.

Ha ha, we've all had those moments.  How loose is it, something that could be fixed with thin vaneers?  You could pass it off as having done it on purpose then  :lol:

[gingataff]

The neck pocket in my Tokai strat was always super tight, until I removed the finish, now it's a bit lose and I am really pissed about myself having removed the finish.

Ha ha, we've all had those moments.  How loose is it, something that could be fixed with thin vaneers?  You could pass it off as having done it on purpose then  :lol:

I had a small blob of excess lacquer in the neck pocket of a Charvel, and when I removed it I found that the difference in angle meant that I then needed a fret dress  :(