Whammy bar is forcing back!?!
Question: I have a Fender Squire Strat and the whammy is a little tight. I've seen (and played) guitars that let the bar touch the guitar while mine barely lets me move it 3 millimeters. The tip of the bar is about 3 fingers width from the body. The bar also resists my push a ton. Is this just the design of the guitar or does it need some fixing?
Answers: I have a Fender Squire Strat and the whammy is a little tight. I've seen (and played) guitars that let the bar touch the guitar while mine barely lets me move it 3 millimeters. The tip of the bar is about 3 fingers width from the body. The bar also resists my push a ton. Is this just the design of the guitar or does it need some fixing?
For my Fender Strat (Circa '71), I have five (5) springs on my tremolo. Since I rarely use it, this is great because it will stay in tune longer. Take the tremolo cover off of the back of your Strat to see how yours is configured. Some have springs and tension control adjusters for those strings for 'fine tuning'. If you have five springs, I suggest that you start by taking one spring off at a time (carefully, as not to damage them, in case you want to put them back). Check the tension to see if this is what you want, if not, take another spring off. When you do this, make sure that the springs are spread evenly across the 'tensioner' rack. Therefore, if you only need four springs; then leave the middle spring spot open so you have two, a space then two springs. I hope you can get where I'm going here. The tension, no matter how many springs you use, should be even across the whammy bar set up. The way most are configured, you can figure a spring scheme for all scenarios. Below I have included a Fender link, thought old, it gives you great details about how to go about this. Good luck, and drop me a line if I can answer any questions.