Locking Mustang Tremelo

[Mike]

lozzle.

That lasted long eh? I had a muck about with the vibrato and it's just not happening for me - I've never used one on any guitar I've owned and never missed it on the Telecaster, so I'm going to lock it. I did this back in the day on my Jag-Stang but I've completely forgotten. Treat me like a n00b.

I suppose I'm also going to tape the bridge so it doesn't rock as that would not be undesirable?

[stewart]

i did it with mine temporarily, as the twat who had it before me removed the springs... but didn't bother locking the trem bar.

take it off, flip it 180 degrees, take off the posts, stick on a couple of metal washers and tighten the posts back up. hey presto! and obviously the strings just go straight through the back of the trem bar, not underneath.

[Mike]

Sounds exciting. So I have to unscrew the whole plate etc? Why do you flip the bar, just so the string end holes are at the back? Why does that need to change?

[stewart]

Sounds exciting. So I have to unscrew the whole plate etc? Why do you flip the bar, just so the string end holes are at the back? Why does that need to change?

you have to take the plate off to get rid of the springs. because the plate is between the bar and the washers, the bar gets locked flat against the plate, so the strings can't go underneath.

[Mike]

So you put the washers underneath the plate where the springs used to be? Why couldn't they go on top of the plate between the plate and the bar?

[stewart]

So you put the washers underneath the plate where the springs used to be? Why couldn't they go on top of the plate between the plate and the bar?

i suppose you probably could do that, now you mention it. you'd just have to get some thick ones or put a few of them on so you still got enough height on the bar to let the strings through. when i did it, it was really just a temporary fix to get the damn thing to stay in tune until i got new springs for it, and i used whatever washers i had lying about. they were quite small so i had to use a couple to get the posts in tight enough.

[rodvonbon]

Let me dig up an old thread I posted. You don't need to take anything apart.

[rodvonbon]

Well the post is gone, must have been lost in one of the melt downs.
Essentially the way I do it is this:
1 - Cut a piece off of a reverb handle about 3/4" long
2 - Put it in the tail piece where the reverb handle goes
3 - Use a screw driver to lift the tail piece
4 - Let the 3/4" stub make contact with the trem plate while lifting
5 - Tighten grub screw

Thats it. The tension of the springs keep it in place. I keep a cheap Strat trem bar just for this.
fwiw, I was ridiculed the last time I posted on this subject. Board members said I didn't know how to set up a Mustang.

[Doog]

1 - Cut a piece off of a reverb handle about 3/4" long

hahaha

I'd leave the tailpiece the stock way round- even with the taipiece all the way down, there's not gonna be a lot of angle over the bridge with the strings going straight through. Leave enough of a gap to feed the strings under, enjoy the beef.

[stewart]

i dunno if the new springs i fitted to mine (from allparts) are particularly tight, but i find the bar doesn't move at all unless the vibrato handle is used. i can't move it with my hand even if i try, it's so firm, so i don't have any need to lock the trem (otherwise i would).

[Mustang Melx]

Interesting, I was just about to post something similar...as I'm kind of having problems setting my mustang trem up...

firstly after taking the trem unit off, I realised there is no way to adjust the tension on the springs, so when you go up string gauges (12's) you can't balance it out so the whole trem piece moves forward making the angle of the arm really close to the body...mmm maybe it's time for some new heavey springs?

also what height to you guys have the tail piece? logic tells me I should have it low, but unless it's pretty high the string angle over the bridge is such that the strings hit the back of the bridge....is this normal???

it all seems like a pretty shitty setup to be honest....any help would be appreciated, or I think I'm just gonna do what ever mike does and hardtail it.

[Jagermeister]

Melx, you can in fact reposition the springs on the trem if you take it off to a place where it can be set for either floating or downward only motion... Open it up again and you'll see. No one, for some reason, ever realizes that you can do this.

The holes on top of the bar can be used to fine tune the tension, just adjust them until you believe it is correct for you.

I have 11s on mine and can set it for either floating or downward only (currently downward only, because Mustang trems have amazing range) with no trouble at all, and the tailpiece can be very low by using the above method.

[Mustang Melx]

Melx, you can in fact reposition the springs on the trem if you take it off to a place where it can be set for either floating or downward only motion... Open it up again and you'll see. No one, for some reason, ever realizes that you can do this.

The holes on top of the bar can be used to fine tune the tension, just adjust them until you believe it is correct for you.

I have 11s on mine and can set it for either floating or downward only (currently downward only, because Mustang trems have amazing range) with no trouble at all, and the tailpiece can be very low by using the above method.

lol, I certainly never realised!!!! 'just downwards' would be perfect, that would definatly help tuning stability too...

thanks alot.

I guess I'll just have to have a play around with it until I get it sorted out right, cheers for that.

[Mustang Melx]

So you put the washers underneath the plate where the springs used to be? Why couldn't they go on top of the plate between the plate and the bar?

hey Mike, I've just hardtailed mine.....I used 4 small nuts (i'm pretty sure they are off those small 'alpha' pots) 2 on top of the plate and 2 under seemed the most solid (it still semmed a bit flappy without the ones underneath) then just tightened it right up, solid as a rock. I haven't fixed the bridge in position yet but I'm gonna get some tape around the legs of that in the morning.

I left the tail piece the 'normal' way round so the strings still thread under as usual....even without fixing the bridge it seems much more solid, tuning is great and it seems to sound better even!!!!

anyway, it's an easy job...go for it.

[DGNR8]

Functional or not, they still look hotter than most guitars. Once I put my blue Bronco together I realized I was missing the key trem part. But I still like the bridge.

[robert(original)]

fucking newb!
(sorry man, i had to)

[robroe]

stop all this fucking nonsense.


you don't need to lock this fucking thing down.

just take the bar out. mine NEVER goes out of tune. the 65 even has the bigger saddles so it doesn't buzz either

[rodvonbon]

I never play the trem so locking it is a good option for me. On a tight stage my shit gets bumped into quite easily.
I also don't want to take it apart the guitar to do it.

[astro]

stop all this fucking nonsense.


you don't need to lock this fucking thing down.

just take the bar out. mine NEVER goes out of tune. the 65 even has the bigger saddles so it doesn't buzz either

+ 1,000,000

Both my jap and amureekan mustangs stay 100% in tune. This despite the fact that I tend to bash my strings pretty hard. No need to lock the trem, and certainly no need to put tape around the bridge posts.

My Jap one is the '69 with the gaps between the saddles, but it never, ever gets the buzzing that other people often report.

The one problem that I do have with the trem on both my mewstangs is that I can't get the reverb handles to stop falling out! The Jap one isn't so bad, but the Ameereekan one always falls out no matter how tight I tighten the grub screw. Although, now that I think about it the trem bar for this one is not stock, it's a replacement I got off of ebayz. It was labeled as being for US mustangs, and it's twice as thick as the Jap reverb handle, so I don't see why it wouldn't stay in place.

[aen]

WHAT THE FUCK IS A REVERB HANDLE?