Cure for noisy tremolo springs

[HimuraAnimator]

So would material from a straw work?

[Kirkasradio]

2:18 Epic!

[marrerowski]

nice snap..........

[SamH980]

wouldnt it be easier to use a straw? :L

[pentagonoenllamas]

I just put a piece of paper between the springs and the body. Works for me.

[geokermarrec59]

Fantastic ! Gonna try this on my Musicman ! Many thanks.

[thechimpspanner]

Nice video man! Was thinking of something like this myself, but the other way around (a sleeve/jacket of foam around each spring). Inside makes more sense.

[ChrisVGuitarist]

NICE Malmsteen strat... and nice tone

[Shazeen82]

Its good for floating stuff too?

[BadFingerMotor]

DUDE YOU JUST SAVED MY LIFE THANK YOU!!!!

I will send you my firstborn child.

[zombielolocaust]

@BadFingerMotor I just ate! Send gold.

[wajang1000]

Does the tubing reduce sustain?

[maschoff69]

2:26 ... my favorite part ... could watch that over and over again :)

[tamayoholly]

Just did this to my G&L Legacy. Like a charm! :)

[DThrasher667]

You funny! Thanks for the tip!! :)

[ArmyRangerish]

is that a malmsteen model cuz it looks exactly like it and u even have the zebra strap lol

[Botdra]

@ArmyRangerish It's not a zebra... *Facepalm*

[Fenorn]

haha, awesome video

[xxguitarman47xx]

good stuff man thanks! and luv the edit :)

[SF1979fuckthisshit]

Great tip, thanks a lot. I just installed it on my guitars 5 minutes ago, makes a big difference, especially while doing dive-bombs and sweep- arpeggios.

Also, I couldn't find the 3/16" tubing, so I got 1/4" and just cut it through the length, then take off about 1-2mm more. The tubing tends to expand anyway, so once it;s in there, it'll stay there.

[SS67B1]

I just shoved a pair of old underpants in mine and it works great! :P

[wajang1000]

@SS67B1 ...thanks for letting everyone know just how small your underpants need to be to cover what you have.

[SS67B1]

@wajang1000 faggot, i didnt tell anyone how big they were

[wajang1000]

@SS67B1 Idiot, if your underpants can fit in a trem spring, it does not take rocket science to figure out just how much you're missing....literally and figuratively....duh.  Sounds like you could stuff your brain into one spring too.

[SS67B1]

@wajang1000 why dont you go back to sucking your moms dick, im saying you dont know if its hanging out of the guitar to the floor now. do you?

[wajang1000]

@SS67B1 The only thing hanging out on the floor is your momma when I'm finished renting her.....duh.

[SS67B1]

@wajang1000 true..

[Jetgui22]

Why should i block it ??

Whats the difference after getting it blocked? sorry im a newb

[cejason]

screw that, i just do it the easy way... snap a rubber band, then tie it as tight as it will go without breaking and then not it.... stops it rattling easy :D

[metadbz]

my god you made me laugh so hard at the end XD

[hecto95]

im a newb at this stuff, the black cable over there, how it works, or whats it is?

[zombielolocaust]

@hecto95 By the springs there? Bridge ground wire. Connects the bridge, strings, and tuners to electrical ground. Without it, the strings act sort of like an ariel for hum/noise. Hope that explains it! Thanks for watching.

[NickWeiland]

i just wanted to ask one thing because most of the resonance from a strat goes through to the springs. does it deaden the sound a little?

[TheLarsNorberg]

@NickWeiland It only deadens sound you don't want. Think of the spring resonance as an annoying reverb that just doesn't end. Now imagine having to play an A minor chord with a Ab minor still ringing. Then add destortion, and you'll quickly understand that spring resonance is baaaad.

Most of the sound from a strat is created by the body. It's made of very light wood, which is what gives it its iconic overtone-filled sound. Amongst many other things. But the springs are not factors.

[L2112Lif]

Sign of a good musician: That string snap was musical.

[ReasonableAssumption]

Very nice trick and it dampens the strings very nicely. The rest of the video is BS though, my hidh E was not any easier to break with the tubing in !!! Great vid :)

[Puppetpalbros]

lol the string snap was pretty funny. And cool tip!

[utnacmit]

Noisy springs is what gives me my patented tone.

[manifestgtr]

hahahahahhaha the sad face thing just made my life

[McTatzi]

haha your face at 2:19... cool vid thanx!

[dsi1]

Stay away from that triple high E note! Personally I think the spring noise is part of the Strat sound but you shredders probably feel it muddies up the notes and you'd probably be right.

[nilsdesperandum]

Or you could just wrap them in plumbers PTFE tape which doesn't add any friction inside the spring and does the same job.

[WoWintosh]

Why Yngwie didn't add a 22nd fret on his signature guitars is beyond me. I ALWAYS break strings on a Strat from bending up to that high E on the 21st fret (just like in the video)

[TheGuitarmasta1]

@WoWintosh yea that is my only problem with stratocasters, i like the extra range that a lot of their guitars dont give you

[carlmagnus9]

Just wondering, does it really matters what you put inside as long as it is somewhat round and fills the space inside?

[zombielolocaust]

@carlmagnus9 Nope, the tubing just fits the bill well. It's flexible but smooth, so it doesn't snag inside the springs when you expand and contract them by using the trem.

[carlmagnus9]

@zombielolocaust Okay, thanks, i will try this. Great vid!

[Cerebrectomy]

@9113cobra If you werent rough with it,It wouldnt have happened in the first place.Be a little more gentle with it.Trust me,Its happened to me before,And we had to cut a notch inside of the broken whammybar,So it works like a screw.Try that out if you can.

[BobBriessinck]

FAIL xD

[vindom01]

great tip and great ending..Thanks

[9113cobra]

How do u fix a whammy bar that's broke off into the bridge

[WoWintosh]

@9113cobra

Damn, how did you manage to do that? BTW I heard that SRV was tired of breaking the bars on his Strat so he had some titanium ones made.

[elpaoloxmaiden]

esta solucion es perfecta muchas gracias amigo :) !!!

[streetx1594]

Too much emphasis. LOL

[2SugarsPleeze]

Are those "Kinman" PUPS?

[zombielolocaust]

@2SugarsPleeze No sir, just the stock HS-3 and HS-4 that come in the guitar.

[biker5211]

I hate to completely ruin the point of this video, but just put 1 piece of Scotch tape laying over all of them!

[zombielolocaust]

@biker5211 And enjoy the gummy mess in a few months! :)

There are several ways: tape, foam, tissue, whatever. This is just the cleanest, most permanent method I've encountered, and still the only one that doesn't threaten to bind up in the springs if you actually use the tremolo.

[biker5211]

@zombielolocaust Yeah I understand. I've had it on there for a while and I haven't had any. But then again, my strat is pretty much hard tailed with 5 springs. I don't really use the tremolo much, but I guess if you do than the tape isn't such a great idea. =P

[AdamHaga]

Man... just fill them with toilet paper instead? :o

[bowslap]

Was researching YT for some ideas for sustain on the cheap for my old Strat(hey, married, mortgage and 2 kids still at home....ANYTHING'S on the cheap)......something other than tape across the springs or foam wedged in behind them. Saw this, and initially figured it was all a bunch of nonsense from some snot-nosed kid that hangs around Guitar Center too much....happy to report that I was WAY wrong.

THANK YOU...now to eliminate the "echo" from behind the nut.

[zombielolocaust]

@bowslap Ha ha, well, I'm glad you were pleasantly surprised. I use a couple hair ties to dampen the strings beyond the nut, btw.

[MultiStevieH]

do we have to get the scissors from ikea? coz if we do im stumped.....

[zombielolocaust]

@MultiStevieH The tone is in the scissors. Only Swedish steel will do.

[JSGayMusic]

I really liked the intensity with which you set down the supplies on the table! haha this video's great

Nice Yngwie strat btw...

[TheKuroH]

i saw this and was like yes i need this and it works also if your string breaks while playing it means your just to good for it.... or you suck at playing and the string is like EFF THIS SEEEEET *pop*

[Kingddd333]

@TheKuroH So am I really good or really sucky... because my a string popped [not snapped off] at least 3 times in the course of 3 weeks o.o

[TheKuroH]

@Kingddd333 no you just have bad luck! buit your really good better than me

[360bradp94]

OMG i want the spring break sound as my text message tone :L

[fulcher33]

I did this with all of my guitars. Great tip. My only negative comment is that the ruler isn't needed. Lay the tube next to the spring and cut to length. You're going to get different lengths depending on how loose or tight you have the claw set. Wouldn't make sense to make tubes really short if the claw is screwed all the way in, and vice versa. Thanks for this though. I love it.

[F0r3st12]

I did this with my Washburn, but with coated wire because none of the tubing I had laying around fit. It's a noticeable difference, thanks. My springs rang aloot lol.

[cydonianman]

if it were a gibson the string wouldnt have broken.

j/k

[zombielolocaust]

@cydonianman It's possible, though! Given the same string gauge, a Gibson would have less tension at the same pitch due to it's shorter scale... :)

[cydonianman]

@zombielolocaust lol :D

[tsafanyoh]

HA Great video and clever idea!! You should do a series of videos on guitar repairs/mods etc..

[SYNYST3RSHADOWS]

Lmao at the string break, great video, thanks.

[cumulo25]

why would I want silent strings. It helps with the feedback. I expect a little noise when I play! :)

[zombielolocaust]

@cumulo25 Of course! They add a nice little ambience. Read the description. This is only for guitars with problematic springs. (Or metallers who want to tighten up response.)

[puppetmasterman93]

@cumulo25 you're cool

[kuzurame]

2:18 CANCELLED DE LA RITUAL!

great vid, and tip for the fixing the springs. thumbs up

[Xstractor]

I usually play the strings, not the springs.

[zombielolocaust]

@Xstractor *facepalm*

[moe354sa]

just spray on wd40

[tellycastin]

Good tip, great video.

*Check my Floyd Rose Strat demo.

[BeerBottleSlide]

Great tip! I just picked up some of the 3/16" OD x 3/32 ID orange rubber fuel line tubing at Ace Hardware for $1.49 a foot. They had it in rolls that you could have cut to any length you needed, works perfectly. Love the string break, it was great that you caught it on video!

[zombielolocaust]

@BeerBottleSlide Thanks for this. People sometimes get in touch saying they can't find the stuff, so it's great to have another source. Ace Hardware, people, you heard the man!

[DaronStorey]

what can do u recommend to solve the "wolf tone" problem?

[rukulathegamer]

Really, putting some toilet paper behind them works bloody great aswell.

[UnluckyFett]

thanks



[snapascrew]

lol I can just picture as that string broke all you can possibly be thinking is

COCK...SUCKER!

[BUFFW]

does this affect the floyd rose function in any negative way at all?

[zombielolocaust]

@BUFFW No, that's why I use the tubing. It just lays in there but doesn't inhibit the springs from working, doesn't catch in them like tape or sponge can. I've used it on an Ibanez with an Edge trem. Thanks for coming by!

[MARTINBENITO]

jajajajaja! Thanks Man!

[EuphorbusBTB]

Once you do this or like I stuffed a small piece of matress fibre underneath springs, the tighness and difference in decay of muted highgain riffing is staggering.

It took that dissonant reverby WANG sound right out, can't live without it now.

[EvilHippy38]

2:19 makes me cringe.

[pwwilly]

@EvilHippy38 Oh my god I know! I know that feeling

[Pelleman666]

is this one scalloped?

[mattnara]

Haha, funny bonus scene.

[FuhrerKaiser]

nice trick and playing.

[fendermac]

A bit extravagant but I wanted to try it straight away....George L 155 cable works pretty well too,especially if you put a good kink in the middle to make it a snugger fit.Nice tip...thanks.

[race1717]

How can you make a tremolo unit more flexible? I can't get it to dive bomb like a Floyd Rose!

[zombielolocaust]

@race1717 Try losing the middle spring.

[race1717]

@zombielolocaust How can I do THAT?

[squid262]

I just put a paper towel behind the strings. guess this looks a lot nicer though.

[intrsoul]

I found a Home Depot that carries the "lawnmower fuel line" the author recommends. I stocked-up and now I use this in all my guitars. You have to be a little careful with the length you cut - if it's too short, the tube will actually catch inside the spring when you do dives, so have the ends sticking out of the spring a little. Thx

[steamlilly]

Wahahaha. Good one! How to snap)))

[trevrocks62]

i meant october

[trevrocks62]

octobeerguitaru2 your springs are painted so they wont make the sounds

[mixxmaster80]

Also I have found if use clear silicone glue works well also just a nice bead down the length of the springs and there you go ! And it's flexible !

[octoberguitaru2]

hold on, i actually like that ringing spring sound, and i cant figure out how to get it. i have a 1997 american standard with the american standard bridge and black painted tremelo springs. my brother has a highway one with a vintage bridge tremelo and bare metal springs. his strat rings and mine dosent. i think its because of the painted springs, but im wondering if its just the entire bridge design

[xorn95]

@octoberguitaru2 yeah, its the paint. Some companies actually sell coated strings as "non ringing" for crazy prices lol.

[brianwurst1234]

"you have d girly hands" Arnold Schwarzeneggars

[pleximanic]

I stuff them with neoprene rubber

[EvoPogo]

I love how you put a sad face after the string broke :)

haha!

[eddieboy1234]

lol that happened to me white playing far beyond the sun by yngwie lol

[SuperGuitarNerd]

Very well edited and fun to watch video. Thanks dude! I was just thinking about simply placing a folded cotton rag behind the springs, but I think your method might be less of a "sustain killer", plus, I dont think there's as much chance of the plastic tubing interfering with the actual operation of the trem.

Oh, and BTW, The only other person I've ever heard do Yngwie vibrato as good as yours is the man himself(!) Now you just need to work on being an arrogant prick! (lol)

[flattoprulez]

OMG THANK YOU!! !I LOVE YOU!!!

[EricAntonik]

Great idea. The string breakage at the end was perfect. Fantastic that you caught it on video too. Great job!

[dansterwerecool]

the e string breaking?maybe thats why the 24 fret ibanez behing would of been more sensible.good vid anyway. thats is a clever idea

[pcollenYT]

Personally, I like that latent reverb effect that the springs have when not dampened.

teh demo at the end is rather useless as it does not give a 'before' to to compare to.

[heenvalo]

So that snapping my e string thing didn't work :(

[Roukangas]

LOOOOL That one made me hit the floor xDD

[johnnycat65]

great tip, great video, great playing! you have every aspect of yngwie's playing down. even that awesome vibrato! thanks!

[jcallseven]

lol i was watching hthis and thinking well this guy has made a great simple video then u snap the string lol

[AceOnTheBass100]

Smart!

[vertig2k]

Thank you!

[acuity67]

How did you hit that note before your string snapped?!

[lizardfrogs]

if your in a pich say just before a show you can use a rubberband around the springs dosent work as good but hey its an option

[cocacolalight1994]

hey, when i bend my strings or use my trems the tuning gets fucked... what could i do for it? i really cant help it

thanks :)

[Typ6o6yp]

cool!)

[BlackAngusYoung]

Another thing that annoys me about my stratfake is that when the trem is floating, I feel like my string-bending is different. Like, I have to bend a little more because I'm moving the bridge slightly. It feels like some of my bending energy is just being absorbed by the springs (how I felt about springs on my mountain bike sapping my pedalling energy.)

Is this stuff real or is it just in my head? Is there a general feeling of instability associated with playing a floating trem?

[zombielolocaust]

Oh sure, it's well known. Floating trems only float because of a balance in tension between the strings pulling on one side and the springs pulling on the other. Increase that on one side (bend a string) and it pulls toward that side. Try hitting an open string, say A, then bend another string while that rings out. You'll hear the open string go flat. My vibrato and bends sound best on hardtails or vintage trems.

[woodwired1]

@BlackAngusYoung

I added the other 2 springs on my 72 Strat. I play 11-50 gauge strings so I needed the extra springs to pull the tremolo back down onto the guitar and keep it there. I also have a 79 hard-tail Strat which is a much better guitar. You can get a trem-setter installed which will also cure your tremolo problems. I found it much easier to just add the other springs. Good luck. WW

[BlackAngusYoung]

I have noticed the springs ringing annoyingly while using my Vox Amplug headphone amp. I can't tell if it's doing anything to the amplified sound, but I hear the springs over the sound in my headphones like it's traffic or something.

Since noticing it, it's kinda been turning me off of my guitar that has a tremolo, but I also kinda thought I was just being obsessive. This will help. 5*

[intrsoul]

Got it to work! For anyone shopping at Home Depot, ask for the "lawnmower parts" section and grab the fuel line tubing (3/16"). The plumbing section does *not* have tubing small enough. Works great - I can't believe there's almost zero noise.

[SuperPopcorn777]

nice video its pretty funny XD

[Danklin24]

How does this affect your sound when playing? i mean before you do the tubing thing, what do you notice?

[zombielolocaust]

The springs ring out while you play, making things sound out of tune and blurry. It's all over there in the side bar >>> :)

[alexjamess]

you do it in a quentin tarantino way, like it,, ahaahaha

[TrippleThreat03]

Nice. I was playing my guitar and my top E string broke, it went through my pinkie finger. :/ i pulled it out

[metaloutlander]

thats what you get for being a YRO.....haha

[intrsoul]

Hmm - no luck at Home Depot for this guage. tubing Any other place to find it @ retail? I tried running closed-cell packing foam through the springs a la Anderson guitars - made it quieter, but not completely dead like this vid. Hmmm....

[zombielolocaust]

If it helps, the tubing was being sold as a fuel line for a mower might help you find that size elsewhere.

[intrsoul]

@zombielolocaust  Thanks!

[ohyeahtotally08]

@intrsoul I twisted packing foam bits in poked two in each spring with a screwdriver, they untwist and bloat back up inside, worked pretty good i thought.

[woodwired1]

@intrsoul

Go to an electrical supply store and ask for spaghetti. They will know what you are talking about.

[ortzinator]

i just stuffed some tissues behind the springs lol

[XB0XFR34K]

i did too!

[amanuelamanuel]

LOVE this video! :)

[BigBabyJesus81]

How the hell did you pop that string anyway?

[BigBabyJesus81]

Nice editing work bro! amazing vid. I dont have this prob with my Ibanez RG yet. but I'll keep this video in mind!!

Dont know why I had 2 write that! Ive been drinkin with old no.7 sorry everyone.

[northbayguitar]

Nice Strat! Great video too - simple solution that works. Thanks!

[Audioslayer]

Duuun DUUUUUUUUUUU- peow!

Fucking awesome! :D

[niel8308]

what a beaut of a guitar! thats a yngwie malmsteen style strat, isnt it? are your frets scalloped?

[TrevorRules98]

helped alot man

[MoneyPieBoy]

love the little movement your sleeve does when the string breacks! :)

[EvoPogo]

HAHAHA!  :D

[Reignmansol]

lol thats awesome... does it work with Floyds do you know? Diving etc, wouldn't they potentially bind up or move out?

[zombielolocaust]

The claw and block seem to keep them in place. I have this on an Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge.

[FatKidCookie]

HAHAHAAHA BROKEN STRING

[zombielolocaust]

Wow, YouTube Featured Video today! I'm going to squeeze my eyes closed and enjoy my 5 minutes of fame nnnnnnnow!

[heliobluesrock]

Great video, dude.

[MightyPwned]

I remember one time when my highe string broke and the string made a huge freaking cut across my arm.

[Fartacus46]

oh man epic fail lolol. you look down like "what the hell???"

[torquemenistan]

epic end Bro!

[jagjaghuh]

drop c tuning never stays in tune

[jaroslavpirkl]

LOL :-) (:-()

[sirgerry]

I wonder if this adds to or substracts from the sustain?

[pimorules]

that sucks about the string at the end lol ill try it out later

[97warlock]

Just put on an 80s OFR, the springs will NOT stay in the little holes no matter what I do. weird. ...the Claw end of the spring I put the loop down on the claw which leaves the other end pointing down to go in the hole in the block.....I put it in all the way, it snaps back out. HELP. Aanyone?

[zombielolocaust]

There may some screw holes for a retainer bar, which some of my Ibanez use to hold the springs in. Not sure if the OFR came with these.

[ialvarez357]

@zombielolocaust

the springs are generally the same arent they? cuz ima try this on my jackson dinky...ill post something if 3/16" doesnt fit