Silent / Noiseless Springs for floating Strat "Tremolo"

How to "fix" high-gain resonance generated from noisy tremolo springs?

  • Replace springs wirh "noiseless sorings"

    Votes: 1 7.7%

  • Insert foam or another dampening material inside the spring

    Votes: 9 69.2%

  • Do nothing because it's part of the Strat experience

    Votes: 3 23.1%

  • Other (reply with details)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    13
  • Poll closed .
gearJunkie

gearJunkie

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I'm trying to tame some unwanted trem spring resonance on my Strat with high volume, high gain sounds. Looking to our community for ideas.

Please reply with any additional details or alternative suggestions.

:beer

NOTE: unable to correct spelling in first option "sorings" to be "springs" :facepalm
 
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This is hella janky, but all of my trem-equipped guitars are blocked, so I’ve just applied some electrical tape to the springs to dampen them. I haven’t had any issues with the tape falling off since the trem is blocked.
 
eggpl@nt said:
This is hella janky, but all of my trem-equipped guitars are blocked, so I’ve just applied some electrical tape to the springs to dampen them. I haven’t had any issues with the tape falling off since the trem is blocked.
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Thanks for the suggestion, but my trem is floating. I don't think this would work for me.

I updated the thread title to reflect the "floating" aspect of my query.
:beer
 
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I covered my Cutlass springs in rubber surgical tubing.

It works, but holy crap was it hard to get on because the fit was a little too tight and there was a lot of friction.
 
In general I go with ‘don’t because it’s part of the Strat experience’, but then I remembered at the last band practice I had with the over band, there was some spots where it was driving me crazy, so had I kept playing in that band I most likely would have went apeshit with tissue paper inside and under the springs.
 
DrewJD82 said:
In general I go with ‘don’t because it’s part of the Strat experience’, but then I remembered at the last band practice I had with the over band, there was some spots where it was driving me crazy, so had I kept playing in that band I most likely would have went apeshit with tissue paper inside and under the springs.
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Up to this point that has been my take as well. What has changed is I'm using my strat more and more with much higher gain (JVM 410H, Ceriatone KK50, Badlander 100 + Mr. Scary).
 
jellodog said:
but holy crap was it hard to get on because the fit was a little too tight and there was a lot of friction.
Click to expand...
IMG_1588.gif
 
gearJunkie said:
Only thing that worries me would be trapping fibers between spring coils changing the "effective resting spring length" over time. The actual affect would probably be very minimal, but my engineer brain gives me pause.
:beer
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Look how many players leave the cover off. How much crap gets into the cavity over time in those instances?
Spring steel is tough as hard as nails - cotton fibers aren't going to hurt or impede anything.

This doesn't work in all cases but it's a cheap solution to at least try - skip the glue until you're certain.
 
gearJunkie said:
Up to this point that has been my take as well. What has changed is I'm using my strat more and more with much higher gain (JVM 410H, Ceriatone KK50, Badlander 100 + Mr. Scary).
Click to expand...

Yeah, I’d most certainly silence them in that case. If I’m just doing stereotypical Strat tones then the springs are fine, it’s part of the charm for me, but anything requiring high gain palm mutes, nope!
 
gearJunkie said:
I'm trying to tame some unwanted trem spring resonance on my Strat with high volume, high gain sounds. Looking to our community for ideas.

Please reply with any additional details or alternative suggestions.

:beer

NOTE: unable to correct spelling in first option "sorings" to be "springs" :facepalm
Click to expand...

High volume and high gain leads me to ask, "How are you hearing the springs?" :unsure:
 
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