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Vintage threads from the first ten years

Trem-Setter vs Stock Springs

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10/1/1999 2:51 AM
Joe Movich	Trem-Setter vs Stock Springs Several years ago I had a Strat plus stolen that had standard springs and claw installed. The Strat plus I replaced it with has a trem-setter. The first one really had a great sound, any opinions as to the tone qualities of the trem-setter vs stock springs/claw?

10/1/1999 3:30 PM

Hi, Joe. I had an American Standard strat a few years ago into which I installed a tremsetter. IMHO, it helped the tone, more solid lows and a more "powerful" tone. However, it made the action stiffer as it did not have the give of the springs. I also installed one in my PRS custom and it had the same effect. I have removed the tremsetter from the PRS and now use five springs.

I found it was hard to get a smooth light trem bend with the tremsetter, but I might have had it set too tight. BTW, I dislike the tone of a guitar when the springs are sounding, I always use foam to dampen the trem spring vibrations. In other words, I am not too fond of tremolos in general but I liked what the tremsetter did for the tone. I hope this helps and isn't too confusing!

10/1/1999 4:33 PM

I added a Hipshot Tremsetter to a strat-plus, to make it a strat-plus-deluxe a few years back. After fine tuning the adjustment (it's a weird device, isn't it?), it actually perfomed as they claimed. I was mainly interested in having the remaining unbent strings stay at pitch while bending one of the strings. There is a "clicking" sound coming from the tremsetter when the trem arm is used, but I was able to minimize it with careful bending of the rod. You sometimes have to give the trem arm a slight tap to return strings to proper pitch after using the trem. I'm still not 100% sure how this device operates. It's a mind-twister. If you need the floating tremelo, need to pull back as well as dive, then you need to set the bridge in a balanced floating position. On the AmStd tailpiece, the tremsetter helps. But if you can get by with only dive bombs, the best tone & tuning stability is achieved by tightening the trem return springs until the bridgeplate contacts the body. It makes a BIG difference in tone.

I wouldn't have tried a tremsetter/stabilizer on a PRS. Doesn't the PRS tremelo bridge have a pair of closely stacked knife edges on each pivot, rather than the usual single knife edges on most (except vintage) other trems? That's what's special about their trem, why it works better than anyone else's.

When the PRS trem is set correctly, about level with the guitar top, both knife edges contact the pivot post forming a stable triangle. When you either push down or pull up on the arm, the tailpiece rocks and causes one of the pair of knife edges (same scenario for each pivot post)to break away from the post and the bridge pivots on the remaining single knife edge. On pull-up, it pivots on the lower edge; push-down it's the opposite. When you release the bar, it returns to the double edge contact position for precise tuning stability. The key is, the bridge has to be adjusted properly. A Hipshot Tremsetter won't do it.

10/2/1999 2:31 AM

Hi, Doc. I agree with you on the PRS-tremsetter issue. The PRS doesn't really need one for tuning stability. I mainly put it in to sort of "block" the tremolo, yet leave it still working when needed. The tremsetter is pretty much a non-destructive install, and I must have been a little bored that day. Plus I had one laying around. In other words, don't put one in your PRS, i.e. don't fix what ain't broke. However, it was interesting that it had the same tonal effect in the PRS and the Strat. And, it does cure the detuning during bending problem, which I hate. My $0.02 FWIW.

10/2/1999 5:14 AM
Hi	Actually, I've always thought that the springs in the trem cavity on strats had a lot to do with the "strat sound", it gives the guitar a sort of residual reverb-like tone. Just my opnion, but it's why I never cared for hardtails no matter how many people have told me "the tremelo cavity robs tone from the wood"... Hi

10/4/1999 12:10 AM

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions, I've felt that the springs in a strat a largely responsible for the "strat sound" too. My newer strat plus is nearly identical to the first one I had, rosewood board and gold lace sensors, but It doesn't sound quite as "strat like" as the first one. I am putting on a standard spring/claw setup and see what happens. One thing for sure the trem-setter makes tuning easier.

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