Strat lovers, I have succeeded!

[Stevepage]

So this isn't very interesting to most people but for me it's amazing. I've had a 68 reissue Strat since I was 14 years old (I'm 25 now) and while it sounds great and plays just how a Strat does, I've never been able to keep it in tune when using the tremolo.

Now I've been using my PRS' for a year or so now and I love them and they keep their tuning well. So today I thought I'd go about trouble shooting everything on the Strats trem. It's been set up for 11-49's so the nut it cut and filed correctly (though the Low E is a bit too low) so I focused on contact points.

So big bends nut sauce really helped with this, bit of sauce in all the nut slots, where the strings touch the saddles and under the string trees. I also stuck a little spring in the trem arm hole to keep the arm in place and I'm using 4 springs in the cavity with the bridge floating a touch. I also adjusted the 6 bridge screws. The 2 outer screws are just flush on top of the bridge plate and the other 4 are 1/16th (1.6mm or there abouts) off the bridge plate.

So finally after 11 years I've finally succeeded in keeping the Strat in tune! I've tried dive bombing, wiggling and every thing in between to get it to go out of tune but it stays in tune fine. I'm so happy that I thought I'd share it with you guys just in case any Strat guys are in here and they're having trouble with their trems. Thanks  :D

[Telerocker]

Good piece of information. My American Series HSS-strat stays in tune very well. It's one of the most stable guitars I have, and I use the trem a lot. The ABM-trem on my MXG-strat can't compete with the Fender, despite rollernut and Sperzels.

[d1dsj]

That's great Steve, glad you've finally sorted it out.... but don't wait so long next time! Any excuse to buy a guitar or 2 eh? "Darling, I need a new guitar because this one won't stay in tune".  :D

[AndyR]

Nice one - I'm one of the folks who appreciates what this means :D

It happened to me a couple of years ago. It's an amazing feeling when you finally get one of the old 6 screw trems working like that, isn't it? (After everyone's told you it can't be done with that outdated kit and why do you think they invented more modern/stable systems)

And when you've done it once, you discover that you can fix them (almost) at will - I sorted out a nephew's Pacifica for him (not that he has learnt to appreciate the finer points of having the guitar in tune yet anyway! :lol:).

Who needs locking nuts and assorted iron-work on their geetars anyway?! :D

[FernandoDuarte]

big bends nut sauce? what is it? graphite powder?

[Philly Q]

Good work!  What are the tuners?  Regular split-post types?

[Stevepage]

Yes Phil they're the typical vintage split post tuners.

And Fernando it looks like this



It's some sort of lubricant mix of Teflon and some sort of grease. Very good stuff.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Yes Phil they're the typical vintage split post tuners.

And Fernando it looks like this



It's some sort of lubricant mix of Teflon and some sort of grease. Very good stuff.

We use this a  a lot in the workshop and we sell the small tubes too!
IT'S GOOD STUFF

[AndyR]

I misread this first time!

We use this a  a lot in the workshop and we smell the small tubes too!
IT'S GOOD STUFF

 :lol:

[FELINEGUITARS]

I misread this first time!

We use this a  a lot in the workshop and we smell the small tubes too!
IT'S GOOD STUFF

 :lol:

Ah - you found me out......
Actually it hasn't really got a smell worth noting

now the smell of freshly sawn timber on the other hand.......