Dub-T-123 Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Hey guys! Some of you may recall that I acquired this Strat from my father after he passed away last year. (I think it is an American Deluxe?) Since this guitar is the only one I have with a vibrato, I have been abusing it quite a bit. I have to say the vibrato stays in tune incredibly well. I can really go crazy on it, I just have to give the vibrato a little shake and it will be back in tune One thing that's bothering me is that I can hear a knocking sound when I use the vibrato. Basically the arm fits into the hole a little bit loose, and as I pull the arm up, it knocks into the back of the hole. As I depress the arm it knocks into the front of the hole. All of this knocking noise is audible through the amplifier. Since I'm not really a Strat guy I have no idea if this is normal or not. Do I just have the wrong sized vibrato arm? (it came with my American Standard Tele.. No idea why since the Tele is a fixed bridge but that's where I got the arm) Or if that's normal, I guess I would just wrap something around the threads of the arm to make it fit more tightly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 You've probably lost the small tension spring that goes in the hole before the trem arm. You can buy a pack of them from any guitar store for a few dollars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Try wrapping some plumbers tape around the threads of the trem arm. Wrap as much as you need to get it to fit good. I had a problem with my Strat trem that was similar. Don't remember a knocking noise however. Fixed the problem right up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 You've probably lost the small tension spring that goes in the hole before the trem arm. You can buy a pack of them from any guitar store for a few dollars. Wow thanks that was quick and insightful! I had no idea there is supposed to be a spring in there. That must be it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 Try wrapping some plumbers tape around the threads of the trem arm. Wrap as much as you need to get it to fit good. I had a problem with my Strat trem that was similar. Don't remember a knocking noise however. Fixed the problem right up. I had thought about plumbers tape too but wanted to get some advice first. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 She has the S-1 switch, and in case this is stock she must be an American Deluxe. You already got good advice here, so I just want to add that I know the trouble with the loose arm and the knocking noise from an Ibanez Strat copy I owned for a short period in the early 1980's. I had bought it used and didn't know about a tension spring then. Though it had the six-screw mounted bridge and was made by Ibanez, I guess it would have been the same basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 All good advice, and here's one more bit; There are different sized tremolo arm thread designs out there. Sometimes somebody will thread one in there that is too small for the trem hole. It's worth checking to see if your Dad had the wrong sized whammy bar mounted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 All good advice, and here's one more bit; There are different sized tremolo arm thread designs out there. Sometimes somebody will thread one in there that is too small for the trem hole. It's worth checking to see if your Dad had the wrong sized whammy bar mounted. As he wrote, he currently uses one needlessly supplied along with his American Standard Telecaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 As he wrote, he currently uses one needlessly supplied along with his American Standard Telecaster. Yes the arm came with the "case candy" of my American std Tele. I don't know if that's normal or if they gave me the Strat package instead of the Tele one by mistake It does thread in nice and tight but in the position where my hand can use the bar it gets a little looser. I'm thinking that spring makes perfect sense, I'm going to try that first, then a bit of tape if still needed Thanks for the help guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingarmadillo Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 As he wrote, he currently uses one needlessly supplied along with his American Standard Telecaster. Since it came with a Tele it may not be the right one. Fender lists 16 different trem arms (not including leftys): http://shop.fender.c...s/tremolo-arms/ the correct one would be the one for the American Series. If I remember right in addition to the spring, there's also an adjustment screw on the Am Delexe to set how tight the arm fits if you have the snap in trem arm. If the arm had never been used the screw may be all the way in which keeps the arm from engaging completely and it will rock back and forth. It took me a while to get mine set properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 As he wrote, he currently uses one needlessly supplied along with his American Standard Telecaster. Yes, I got that. And thank you for reiterating that point. What I didn't read was whether Dub-T-123 had loaned that Tele trem arm to his father at some point in the past before the gentleman passed, whether he had played with his father at all or not, or whether the Stratocaster was inherited with no trem arm at all. This is a bit of mystery, admittedly. We all offer pieces of the puzzle. Your piece is shaped like so, and it has fragments of trees and autumn leaves on it. My piece is shaped like something else, and it is a piece that appears to be the edge of a road with a guardrail. Brad, Cookie, valuable pieces of blue sky with corners of clouds. Dub-T is going to figure it all out, and he will piece it all together. And we will all learn from it, I reckon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 You've probably lost the small tension spring that goes in the hole before the trem arm. You can buy a pack of them from any guitar store for a few dollars. Timing is everything. What a coincidence. Just this morning I accidentally bumped my new MIM strat knocking it off its stand. It didn't hit the floor completely. It was still resting on the neck support but was turned backwards resting on the floor. I set it back in place. Later I found this little black spring on the floor. I had no idea where it came from so I set in on my desk in case I found where it went. Thanks to you Cookie I now know where it goes. Thanks a bunch for that. Damn that's awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted July 18, 2016 Author Share Posted July 18, 2016 You've probably lost the small tension spring that goes in the hole before the trem arm. You can buy a pack of them from any guitar store for a few dollars. Hey guys! Just wanted to check in to say that I got the springs from guitar center and that fixed my problem right up. The arm stays in place much better now too. Thanks cookie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Hey guys! Just wanted to check in to say that I got the springs from guitar center and that fixed my problem right up. The arm stays in place much better now too. Thanks cookie! Glad to help Dub. I can't tell ya how many have helped me on here with their experience and knowledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyMoon Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Your Dad had good taste in guitars... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted July 23, 2016 Author Share Posted July 23, 2016 Thanks! Now I just need to do something about the non working bridge pickup and it will be perfect. I think the problem is with the selector switch since the pickup has randomly started working a couple times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryUK Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 I'll add something to this. All players should learn how a guitar works. By understanding how a trem/pickup/tuner etc works it makes you understand the instrument better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 True, but in this case... I would imagine very few father's last words to their sons are "work hard, take care of Mum... and don't forget: there's supposed to be a spring in the trem arm pocket of the Strat." (OP: I apologise if you were offended, certainly didn't mean to make light of your loss.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10K-DB Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 Try wrapping some plumbers tape around the threads of the trem arm. Wrap as much as you need to get it to fit good. I had a problem with my Strat trem that was similar. Don't remember a knocking noise however. Fixed the problem right up. + 1,,although at times Ill use low stick masking tape. Beautiful Strat BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 1466965273[/url]' post='1780325']Hey guys! Some of you may recall that I acquired this Strat from my father after he passed away last year. (I think it is an American Deluxe?) Since this guitar is the only one I have with a vibrato, I have been abusing it quite a bit. I have to say the vibrato stays in tune incredibly well. I can really go crazy on it, I just have to give the vibrato a little shake and it will be back in tune One thing that's bothering me is that I can hear a knocking sound when I use the vibrato. Basically the arm fits into the hole a little bit loose, and as I pull the arm up, it knocks into the back of the hole. As I depress the arm it knocks into the front of the hole. All of this knocking noise is audible through the amplifier. Since I'm not really a Strat guy I have no idea if this is normal or not. Do I just have the wrong sized vibrato arm? (it came with my American Standard Tele.. No idea why since the Tele is a fixed bridge but that's where I got the arm) Or if that's normal, I guess I would just wrap something around the threads of the arm to make it fit more tightly? Hi Dub T. Just wanted to say, That's a Gorgous guitar! Other then that, just reading posts and learning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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