trem help

[hollowbody]

So I don't really use my trem that much, except every now and then for the occasional Bon Jovi rock out session. I play an American Deluxe Strat, which currently has 3 springs installed on a 2-point trem. Would adding the other 2 springs increase the stability of the guitar, or add sustain? I don't really want to do anything that would limit my ability to use the trem if I really wanted to, so I'm not really looking at blocking the trem, maybe just making it a little more stable.

[Jeff Flowerday]

Is your trem current floating or flat against the body?

If floating you might not be able to keep it floating with more springs, too much torque for your string guage.

[hollowbody]

Is your trem current floating or flat against the body?

If floating you might not be able to keep it floating with more springs, too much torque for your string guage.

It's floating right now, but like I said, I don't use it too much, so it's not biggie. I guess I just wanted to know if there's any potential benefit to using more trem springs. What is the performance difference between using 3 or 4 or 5 springs?

[suttree]

go to 5 strings, if you want a down-only trem action (this is what i like, myself). you set the bride flat to the body, and you get a very stable setup for double-stops and bends and such. i feel you get more tone with 5 springs, others may not agree.

[fraser]

i never use a trem, but all my strats just use the stock tremelo bridge- i usually use the 3 springs, just tensioning them by tightening the spring claw, until the bridge is always flush. i dont block it at all. i own one old and rather messed up strat that needs 5 springs to stay stable, but thats because it was routed for another type of trem at one point.
leaving the bridge floating is pointless if you dont use the trem, and the benefit to having the bridge set flush are worth the effort.
id try tightening the spring claw to put more tension on the bridge, setting it flush to the body. if it wont do it on its own, then you can add springs, or use a block. i like more springs, as the block will change the sonic characteristics of the guitar, but you may like it.
a block is made by making a wedge, or triangle shaped block of wood, then tapping it in behind the trem block, until the bridge sits flat.

when i did use the trem, years and years ago, i still left it the same, downward movement possible only- a floating trem never worked for me, could never stay in tune, but as i said before, i lack a delicate touch.

basically, the more springs you use, the more stable the trem will be- always returning to full tension against the body- less springs, or spring tension, and it may not always return to its original place. usually 3 springs is enough, but if you use a trem occasionally, adding the extra springs may improve your tuning stability. a floating trem seems like a very ubnstable base for your strings-

i dont think the extra springs themselves will add sustain, but having the bridge set flush against the body will add sustain, to a point- may or may not be noticeable

[buddroyce]

If you want more trem stability you may want to look to get something like the ESP Arming Adjuster (hard to come across sometimes as it's not really sold outside of Japan) or the hipshot trem stabilizer(not a bad product but I personally use the ESP Arming Adjuster in all my guitars with trems). In addition to improved trem stability you also get improved resonance (ie. tone) as more string energy is being transferred to the body.

As for adding additional springs, adding more springs won't really stabilize your trem if you want a fully floating bridge. But if you want to rest your bridge on the guitar body, additional springs will help bring the trem back to the body flush.