Using Tremolo Stabilisers
It feels like we've taken a circuitous route to get to tremolo stabilisers but I think it was the right way to go. After looking at how to physically block an unused tremolo, we talked about at the problems with 'flutter' (and other issues) endemic to floating trem systems. Then a quick stop at stops (sorry) let us look at a couple of options to turn a floating trem into a dive-only system, thereby alleviating some of these problems.
And now we're stabilising things.
Back Box
There are heaps of tremolo stabilisers on the market. If you do a search for the term, you’ll find no end of devices resembling the Göldo Back Box. There are many similar devices (like the Ibanez Back Stop, for instance) but they work on the same principle. Of this type, the Göldo Back Box is the one I see most often so we’ll just go with it for our example.
The Back Box is not unlike the adjustable tremolo stop we looked at last time. Here, though, the bolt that contacts the trem’s sustain block is free to move back and forth in its housing. Well, free to move within the constraints of the captive spring that’s providing some pressure.
The Back Box tremolo stabiliser device
The device is screwed to the trem cavity floor so that the bolt touches the sustain block of the neutral position floating bridge. There's a little thumbwheel adjustment to fine-tune this contact point. After installation (as is common with most of these devices), you give the tremolo springs a little extra tension by turning the claw screws just a touch.
When you press down your whammy bar and lower the string pitch, the Back Box does nothing but provide a positive stop point for the sustain block to return to. It acts like the trem stop we saw last time.
However, pull up on the whammy bar, and now the block pushes on the Back Box's bolt. The spring compresses and you have its counteracting force to push the bridge back into position when you let go the bar. In theory, at least, this should provide a more positive encouragement for the bridge to return to neutral.
Where the Back Box helps with flutter and bending issues comes down to that extra turn on the spring claw. There's a little extra spring tension pulling the sustain block against the Back Box bolt. Not enough to overcome the Back Box's spring but enough to counteract some of the flutter causes. It'll stand up to a little more picking, bending, and vibrato without allowing the bridge to flutter about. There's a tension thumbscrew on the unit to add extra spring tension there so you can balance the Back Box spring against the tremolo spring tension to increase or decrease this effect and adjust the feel.
And, of course, we should talk about the change in that 'feel' here. Instead of a fully floating tremolo system, capable of going smoothly from lowering string pitch to raising it, now there's a little 'tap' of resistance as you pass through neutral. Some players feel they lose some subtlety in their trem use. Some don't care a bit about that and are happy with a little extra stability and a little less flutter.
Before moving on, I'll just talk about that tap. The bridge coming back to rest against the bolt does give the feel of a slight tap. Göldo, in an attempt to minimise this, install a piece of felt on the end of the bolt. Personally, I bloody hate felt in these sorts of devices (other types use felt in different ways too). Yes, it might make the contact less jarring but felt compresses and you lose some of the positivity I want in these devices. And felt can continue to compress, and even deform, over time. You might find you need to check setup now and then to make sure contact points are still contacting as they should.
Tremsetter
As far as I can remember, the Tremsetter was one of the earliest stabilisers. It looks more involved (and it's more hassle to install) but it works well if properly set up. Fender installed them in their posh Strats for years.
Tremsetter tremolo stabiliser device
The Tremsetter operates on a principle pretty similar to the Göldo unit we saw above, except it does its job the other way around. By that, I mean, while the Back Box's spring compresses when the tremolo-arm is pulled up, the Tremsetter's spring compresses when you press down to lower the string pitch.
The Tremsetter has a long brass rod (they call it a pull rod), enclosed in a metal bracket with a spring and and some collars/thumbwheels. One end of the pull rod is bent to slot into one of the spring receiver-holes in the bridge sustain block.
In one of the Tremsetter's biggest annoyances, the other end of the pull rod extends well beyond the rear of the unit. Installation requires you to drill a hole in the back wall of the tremolo cavity to accommodate the movement of the pull rod. It's a job that requires a long 'aircraft-bit' to gain access for drilling. Obviously, this also necessitates removing the existing (5-way) spring claw and replacing it with individual claws for each spring. That's got the knock-on effect of meaning you have to re-make the string ground wire onto a new claw. None of this is insurmountable by any means, but it can be enough to dissuade some players from DIYing it.
Operation will be familiar by now. First set it up for a neutral bridge position. Push down on the whammy bar and you engage the Tremsetter, compressing its spring. Release the bar and everything should return back to the zero position quite nicely with a positive stop at that point.
Again, all of this provides some stability (I don't think it's really right to call it inertia but it'll do as an explainer) against flutter. Because the bridge would have to overcome the Tremsetter's spring tension to react to player bends, vibrato, and heavy picking, it's more stable and flutter free. Again, there's a trade-off in feel but most players can get used to it without too much trouble.
I'll throw one more thing into the pot before moving on. That brass pull rod is made of brass. Obvious, I know but remember it's not super resilient or strong. It can bend or kink quite easily and, if it can't slide freely through the unit, you might as well junk it. Be gentle with it.
This article written by Gerry Hayes and first published at hazeguitars.com
