solve all your mustang tremolo issues

Johnny Noir · Post by **Johnny Noir** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 9:35 am

if you get out of tune (or other issues) when you use your mustang tremolo, only 2 things to know, read that nice blog:
http://musicwrench.blogspot.com/2009/10 ... setup.html

NickS · Post by **NickS** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 12:34 pm

Nice article, I knew nothing about it as I don't have one.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 2:30 pm

Got to say this is some good set up tips but doesn't especially resolve tuning stability where you want the trem to have upwards action too. I love upwards action on my trems and no interest in locking the trem back for the sake of a steady zero point.

Cymbaline · Post by **Cymbaline** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 2:38 pm

How bout on TEH KURDTZ?

I whammied it just a tad, and boom, WAY out of tune.

Although the guitar stays in tune quite well, if you don't whammy it.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 3:39 pm

Cymbaline wrote:How bout on TEH KURDTZ?

I whammied it just a tad, and boom, WAY out of tune.

Although the guitar stays in tune quite well, if you don't whammy it.

Have you put Vaseline and graphite on all points the string contacts?

Johnny Noir · Post by **Johnny Noir** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 5:17 pm

mine: springs very tighten and trembar at a middle level.
stay in tune but i can't go more than 1/2 step down.

i think with a mustang you can't have upwards action and stay in tune.

Cymbaline wrote:How bout on TEH KURDTZ?

I whammied it just a tad, and boom, WAY out of tune.

Although the guitar stays in tune quite well, if you don't whammy it.

you may move the springs on the last spot to tighten them.

Jaded · Post by **Jaded** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 6:08 pm

Dave wrote:Got to say this is some good set up tips but doesn't especially resolve tuning stability where you want the trem to have upwards action too. I love upwards action on my trems and no interest in locking the trem back for the sake of a steady zero point.

+1 That's pretty much the only thing that keeps Mustangs from being my guitar of choice. I've found that if you angle the cigar tube so that the low E side is close to the plate and raise the high e side so the arm sits at a comfortable level, it's pretty stable for subtle usage. Nothing more than gentle surf-y wobbles and little dips though.

weeping_moon · Post by **weeping_moon** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 10:28 am

its easy!

1. dont whammy your mustang.

2. if you want to use the floyd rose buy a ibanez or a stratocaster!

Cymbaline · Post by **Cymbaline** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 2:29 pm

Dave wrote: Have you put Vaseline and graphite on all points the string contacts?

How bout a graphite nut.

I suppose it would be extra cute to put an Earvana nut on TEH KURDTZ

Cymbaline · Post by **Cymbaline** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 4:42 pm

Ok tonight I'm taking the plunge and going to "set up" my TEH KURDTZ. And I'm not even using the trem. I simply want maximum tuning stability. But I would like to not have to lock it down if possible.

1) lower cigar as low as possible to increase break angle
2) pull springs to top position to increase tension
3) Could someone explain putting the bridge in the "middle" position. Please be explicit.

If all of this doesnt do the trick then I will remove the springs, and lock the trem with bolts. Which brings me to the next thing, could anyone who has locked down their mustang's trem post pictures. I'm a little bit wary about the probability of finding a bolt that will fit, and a nut that is flat enough so as to allow the cigar to be low enough for a good break angle.

Please feel free to rant and rave, but when you do, please be explicit and detailed. For example would anyone by chance know an exact set of bolts/nuts that will fit the mustang perfectly, such as a part number from home depot, ace hardware, stewmac, ANYWHERE, don't care, but I want something that fits. I tried a week ago to find a screw at ace hardware that fits into a strap-lock since I stripped the head of the screw, and NONE fit. So I am expecting a similar debacle trying to find a set of bolts and nuts to lock down the trem, IF I have to go that route.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 4:54 pm

Cant you just buy a Mastery Bridge to solve everything?

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 5:11 pm

Cymbaline wrote:3) Could someone explain putting the bridge in the "middle" position. Please be explicit.

If you are not planning on using the Trem the easiest way of doing this is wrapping electrical tape around the posts so it is no longer free to move, but snug in the thimbles.
Check also that your nut, bridge saddles and string tree are lubricated where the strings pass over them. Simple graphite (pencil) does the trick.

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 5:31 pm

Cymbaline wrote:Ok tonight I'm taking the plunge and going to "set up" my TEH KURDTZ. And I'm not even using the trem. I simply want maximum tuning stability. But I would like to not have to lock it down if possible.

Half the trick is learning how to tune the thing properly. I find I get best performance by first stretching the strings, bringing it to tune, then diving on the whammy, tuning up, diving on the whammy, tuning up, doing this until diving doesn't affect it anymore. I also use a bit of grease on the saddles. Patience is key.

Thom wrote:
Cymbaline wrote:3) Could someone explain putting the bridge in the "middle" position. Please be explicit.
If you are not planning on using the Trem the easiest way of doing this is wrapping electrical tape around the posts so it is no longer free to move, but snug in the thimbles.
Check also that your nut, bridge saddles and string tree are lubricated where the strings pass over them. Simple graphite (pencil) does the trick.

That's not really relevant on an ABR-1 style bridge. I think on the Kurt Cobain, if you're not going to use the whammy, you should prevent the bridge from rocking by adding washers, nuts, or thumbwheels under the bridge until the thumbscrew and the entire assembly is completely flush and solidly in contact with the guitar. This is something a lot of Les Paul players do, especially using multiple thumbwheels. The bridge posts on the Kurt Cobain are metric M4 (4.0 mm) screws, btw.

Fran wrote:Cant you just buy a Mastery Bridge to solve everything?

I believe that Mastery increases the sustain and tuning stability. At the same time, the tailpiece is still a remaining source of headaches on a Mustang if you whammy a lot. That said, if you treat it like a Bigsby, it works just fine IMO.

Cymbaline · Post by **Cymbaline** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 7:18 pm

honeyiscool wrote:The bridge posts on the Kurt Cobain are metric M4 (4.0 mm) screws, btw.

Thank you very much, that is REAL information.

I've only seen one pic of a locked-down mustang trem, googling around, and the pic had a nut on top, directly under the cigar, but it was too thick and the cigar was still pretty high.

So Honeyiscool, if I spend a half hour whammying the fuck out of the guitar, and tuning it to kingdom come, she will stay in good tune eh?

The other thing I was gonna do is have the nut-slots filed out to accommodate fatter strings, or just have the nut replaced altogether with a graphite or tusq nut, and routed for fatter strings. My little E string seems not to want to respond to being turned, and the string is wound only once around the post. So I wonder if the nut is more of a problem than the bridge. And granted this is a NEW guitar so I assume after being made love to for several months, its attitude will improve

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:03 pm

On the split tuners, on the high E string, I like to put it through the hole (that's what she said), wrap it once around the split portion of it only, before wrapping it normally. This keeps the string from slipping and results in really solid tuning in my experience.

chrismakesgod · Post by **chrismakesgod** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:05 pm

Just bolt that fucker down. Whammys are for dicks.

Cymbaline · Post by **Cymbaline** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:57 pm

chrismakesgod wrote:Just bolt that fucker down. Whammys are for dicks.

I may. But my main concern is finding a nut that is flat enough so as to not make the cigar too high off the baseplate.

I've seen many of you say, install a bolt with WASHERS, one on each side of the baseplate. Now call me dumb, but would the cigar itself be holding the washers down on the top side, and with the bolt on the other side, that is enough tightness to hold it in place? I haven't actually seen anyone mention using a bold and a NUT, but a bolt with 2 washers, one on each side.

Again: if anyone has Pix of an actual lock-down job theyve done, please lets see the guitar pron.

MattK · Post by **MattK** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 9:47 pm

I don't have a photo but when I was mocking up my "Mustang VI" I had no trem routes so I needed to get the cigar held in place without the spring posts. I just put a couple of metric screws (M4 I think they were) from under the plate into the cigar. You can screw it down as flat as you want as long as there is still room for the strings to pass underneath - or flush, if you pass the strings over the top I guess.

MattK · Post by **MattK** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 10:50 pm

Here you go - it shows the M4 screws coming from under the plate into the cigar tube. I had to cut some little spacers out of a metal tube in order to stand the screw heads off from the plate, because the cigar tube threaded holes were not deep enough for the entire screw to go in. Excuse the strings going everywhere, I decided to leave them in rather than crack the cores by pulling them back through the holes. You can also see where I Dremeled the edges of the string holes to make for a shallower bend so as not to break bass strings there.

Here's the view from underneath.

Note - this held full tension on a set of bass strings and didn't budge even slightly. Tuning was perfectly stable. That said, I am going to experiment with the spring posts to see if I can get a trem on the VI.

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 11:59 pm

That is very smart, MatthewK.

If I were going to lock a Mustang, I would probably flip the cigar 180 degrees so that you can just pass the strings straight through, and lock the cigar as flush as possible to the plate, since you don't have to pass the strings under at that point and you get a good string break angle. Isn't that what Cobain actually did?