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Zero, blocked my trem off with a 9v battery.

Ankhanu wrote:Three, straight, with .011s and set to float. Quite functional with fairly stable tuning.
Technically not a Strat, I suppose, as it's a 2-post G&L Legacy, but should be basically the same.

If we're opening this up to "guitars that have Strat trems," my Super-Sonic trem is set up to float with three straight springs and 10-52s. It's pretty stable if I keep it in standard tuning, but it goes apeshit with the change in string tension if I need to play something in drop D, and then I have to spend 10 or 15 minutes tuning and retuning.

5 springs, screwed all the way in

theshadowofseattle wrote:

DanHeron wrote:

benecol wrote:Like using 3 in an arrow formation too, though.

This might be a bit of rubbish but I've read if you use 3 springs they should all be equally spaced and straight. Having the arrow formation means the 2 on the outside are stretched more than the one in the middle and therefore the 3 springs aren't under equal pressure. Probably makes little difference but just a thought.

Why would equal pressure among the springs matter? The pressure is balanced against the pull of the strings and distributed symmetrically, so no one side is floppy, which is the important stuff.

Springs are rates for weight (force) over distance. The arrow formation is like 3 and a fraction, since they are stretched a bit and are at a higher rate when in the state of equilibrium with string tension. That said, it's not a big fraction, I haven't figured it out yet, but if it's more than the equal of 3 1/4 springs, I'd be surprised.

i use 9s on my strat and i've only got 2 springs on it for easy trem use, although i screwed the claw all the way in to keep it from floating. it works great for me, i can do some real nice gliding guitar with it.

Three springs on all my Strats, and my Supersonic. Most have the two outer springs slanted, but some go straight across. I put five on my Jagmaster , keep it floated 1/8" off the deck, and it stays in tune better than the ones with three springs. Currently using 9's on all, but plan to eventually change them over to 10's.

daftsupernova wrote:i use 9s on my strat and i've only got 2 springs on it for easy trem use, although i screwed the claw all the way in to keep it from floating. it works great for me, i can do some real nice gliding guitar with it.

Why don't you want it to float?

Last time I had a Strat, I had it set up with gauge 10 strings and five springs, the trem was set to float. I think having it screwed down making contact with the body makes the guitar sound a little shrill. I've since moved to 11 gauge strings on a 25.5" scale guitar though but haven't owned a Strat since then.

timhulio wrote:

daftsupernova wrote:i use 9s on my strat and i've only got 2 springs on it for easy trem use, although i screwed the claw all the way in to keep it from floating. it works great for me, i can do some real nice gliding guitar with it.

Why don't you want it to float?

The floating trem is the main reason I don't like strats - I spent the first 10 years or so of playing using hardtail guitars, mainly a Les Paul, so my playing style means I have my hand resting on the bridge most of the time, which pushes the trem down a little and means I end up playing slightly sharp.

with .13's on my duocasters i would use 6 or 7 springs if i could fit them in there

2. Because that's what Adrian Belew had and he looked cool with that cover off.

honeyiscool wrote:2. Because that's what Adrian Belew had and he looked cool with that cover off.

this. got 2 in mine now. thing ain't very functional though. first guitar innit.

timhulio wrote:

daftsupernova wrote:i use 9s on my strat and i've only got 2 springs on it for easy trem use, although i screwed the claw all the way in to keep it from floating. it works great for me, i can do some real nice gliding guitar with it.

Why don't you want it to float?

I tend to change tunings a lot, mostly from standard to drop D, to double drop D, and then sometimes I use standard but with the high E down a semitone. And i just don't like floating strat trems. I have no use for the float.

daftsupernova wrote:

timhulio wrote:

daftsupernova wrote:i use 9s on my strat and i've only got 2 springs on it for easy trem use, although i screwed the claw all the way in to keep it from floating. it works great for me, i can do some real nice gliding guitar with it.

Why don't you want it to float?

I tend to change tunings a lot, mostly from standard to drop D, to double drop D, and then sometimes I use standard but with the high E down a semitone. And i just don't like floating strat trems. I have no use for the float.

i always thought gliding sounded better with a floating trem no clunk as the trem hit the body on the way back...

i dont get any clunking noise when i glide, i dunno how youre doing it.

Just always seems to happen when I let go of the trem arm, no matter how gentle I try to be... However for gliding I prefer to get a little upwards movement in the pitch.