Tremolo: Why is the trem bar so heavy??

[dreamyreality]

Originally Posted by Rich

All free floaters are affected in the same way. Guitars are designed to play perpendicular to the ground, not to be laid on your lags and played like a lap steel.

Yep, I tune the guitar in playing position but as I play I move around and that's when the angle changes and I notice the tuning being affected, especially with the trembar on. This is much more noticeable on the lower strings, especially low E string.

I think people might not notice this because they play mostly on the top three strings and this is supposed to be a lead guitar not a rhythm guitar so less emphasis in placed on chords? High E and B strings don't seem to be affected at all, of course.

Tryout for yourself.

I might be provoking for more rotten tomatoes, this is jemsite, anyway, but I have own several Strats, their tremolo units are not as heavy, or maybe there are some other reasons but this problem is much less noticeable on those Strats (although it is still there).

I use 9-42 by the way, dunno whether moving up the gauge scale would help much?

I appreciate concise, contributive and informative response, like that one from Rich rather than pondering upon the measurement of the trem bar girth, which does seem to be a bit trem bar crooked.

[Rich]

People don't notice it because most people play the guitar in the position it's supposed to be played in.

Vintage bridged Strats are not floaters.

Heavier strings and more springs would lessen the effect.

[waylay00]

I still don't see how, even with the lightest strings/springs, that the tuning would be affected THAT dramatically.

[taracatac]

Everything you know about trem bars is wrong....

[kotornut]

HMMM.

This is hard to believe. I don't think it's a big deal. But put an extra spring in the back ike rich said. I move a lot to when I play and I've never had a problem.

[dreamyreality]

You will definitely notice it when you try pulling an À la Angus move live. :P

Or try switching to a hard tail and play power / few first postion chords, listen to the bass sound. Don't forget to jump around or put your guitar behind your neck on your shoulders as a plus.

I will definitely change to a heavier low E, probably a 0.48 and see how it fares this time.

Thanks, Rich.

[kotornut]

Originally Posted by dreamyreality

You will definitely notice it when you try pulling an À la Angus move live. :P

Or try switching to a hard tail and play power / few first postion chords, listen to the bass sound. Don't forget to jump around or put your guitar behind your neck on your shoulders as a plus.

I will definitely change to a heavier low E, probably a 0.48 and see how it fares this time.

Thanks, Rich.

Well then it's definately not the bar, it's you acting like a crazy person.

How would you even know what the cause was when you're doing that stuff?

[Matheau]

Jumping around a lot and such can change the pitch a bit on the strings, doesn't matter if it is a tremolo or not. A poorly set up floating tremolo might provoke more, but especially if you are putting enough pressure on the neck to shift its angle a bit, it doesn't really matter what kind of bridge it has.

For this problem, the best solution is probably to use a neck through (the bridge is on the same piece of wood as the neck, so you can't change the angle by pulling on it).

[dreamyreality]

Originally Posted by kotornut

Well then it's definately not the bar, it's you acting like a crazy person.

How would you even know what the cause was when you're doing that stuff?

I don't do any of those stuff. Haha.

[RAI6]

Originally Posted by Matheau

For this problem, the best solution is probably to use a neck through (the bridge is on the same piece of wood as the neck, so you can't change the angle by pulling on it).

No, but you bend the neck, which still gives you pitch fluctuations....
Ever seen Billy Sheehan bend the neck on his bass?
He snapped it once.....

[Matheau]

Originally Posted by RAI6

No, but you bend the neck, which still gives you pitch fluctuations....
Ever seen Billy Sheehan bend the neck on his bass?
He snapped it once.....

My mistake then, I thought it was moving at the joint, I didn't realize the neck itself was literally bending. I don't do it myself, seems like a good way to damage the neck.

[Drew]

Originally Posted by dreamyreality

You will definitely notice it when you try pulling an À la Angus move live. :P

Or try switching to a hard tail and play power / few first postion chords, listen to the bass sound. Don't forget to jump around or put your guitar behind your neck on your shoulders as a plus.

I will definitely change to a heavier low E, probably a 0.48 and see how it fares this time.

Thanks, Rich.

Um, if you're doing Angus Young stuff on stage, you might want to go up to a set of 10's. Going from a .42 to a .48 E on its own won't give you much of a tension change.

I remember screwing around with this on an Edge-equipped 6 string years ago - I could get the tuning to change by at most a couple cents (like, 2-3) by holding the guitar in playing position vs. laying it horizontally on my lap. Obviously intertia and momentum can change the picture a bit too, but by definition neither should give you more than a momentary impact in your tuning.

If you're seeing more change than this, then there's either something else wrong with your guitar, or you have an unusually sensitive ear. And either way, at the end of the day if you want to play 9's and you throw your guitar around so much that it's noticeably shifting tune during your live act, maybe a floating bridge isn't the best idea for you...

[70Seven]

I use the same strings and same tuning and have the same guitar, and no its not doing it for me. 9-42 in standard on a 2006 RG2550eGK, Mine stays in tune perfectly, standing, sitting, in the case etc... your guitar seems to be the problem, not sure...

[bakerman]

My Lo-Pro Edge 7 and Floyd Rose with 3 springs and .009-.046 (+ .060) strings do this, changing pitch by 15-20 cents on the G string. It's gravity acting on the bridge; the bridge's mass and center of mass influence the amount of movement. Having the bar installed and pointing away from the neck adds about 5 cents.

If you have a floating tremolo with no additional stabilizing devices and no serious binding problems where it won't return to neutral, this should be expected. You may not get identical numbers, but it will probably be enough shift to sound out if you tune with the guitar in normal playing position then turn it face up/down to play something. Heavier strings or stiffer/more springs will reduce the effect but not eliminate it. As long as you keep the face of the guitar somewhat perpendicular to the floor, it shouldn't be a serious problem. Be careful enough when playing live and more careful (or stabilize the trem or use a fixed bridge) when recording.