carlcaulkett Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 I have mislaid my whammy bar on my Steinberger Spirit. There are lots of whammy bars available at Amazon but it would be useful to know the diameter of the hole. I'm guessing that it's 6mm since that seem to be a popular size, but if someone could confirm that, I would be really grateful 🙏🏽 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Be.eM Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 6 mm is correct, plain end, no groove, no thread. I've got these available, but they are not as cheap as the stuff you find on Amazon: Bernd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlcaulkett Posted March 16 Author Share Posted March 16 Thanks for the reply. It's weird! I actually got a 6mm plain bar but while it fits one of the holes, it doesn't fit the other, which seems to have some solid protuberance slightly reducing the effective width of the hole. Just to check, on a right-handed guitar, is the whammy bar supposed to go in the upper or lower hole? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Be.eM Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 4 hours ago, carlcaulkett said: …which seems to have some solid protuberance slightly reducing the effective width of the hole… Always in the lower hole, where you'd expect it. If it fits in one hole and not the other, loosen the little grub screw behind the hole in which it doesn't fit (hex key, 1.5 mm). These grub screws are part of the clamping mechanism which thightens/holds the trem arm in its hole, and if it's too tight you probably won't get a trem arm in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlcaulkett Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 (edited) Thank you, that did the trick! The thing that confused me was that the grub screw seemed to be aligned in parallel with the whammy bar hole, but loosening it definitely improved matters! Edited March 17 by carlcaulkett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Be.eM Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 6 minutes ago, carlcaulkett said: The thing that confused me was that the grub screw seemed to be aligned in parallel … Yes, you'd need to know the internals to understand how it works 🙂 The pointy tip of the grub screw pushes the ball, which pushes that plastic part against the trem arm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlcaulkett Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 Aha! I guess that the round ball is acting as a primitive universal joint, moving the adjustment through 90 degrees. I __do__ hope you didn't disassemble an entire mechanism just for the sake of demonstrating to me how it works 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Be.eM Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 4 hours ago, carlcaulkett said: I __do__ hope you didn't disassemble an entire mechanism just for the sake of demonstrating to me how it works 😉 I didn't… in this case, but I've done in the past. I'm the owner of this website and that website and I have been doing (and still do) such things for fun, research, and learning 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlcaulkett Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 Great! I've got those pages bookmarked. While we're on the subject of Steinies, I must mention a pair of chaps in North London who run a Luthier business, and who did a first rate set-up job on my guitar not long after I bought it, despite the Steinberger not looking like their normal jobs! If you or anyone else find yourselves in North London and need a setup done by a couple of very friendly and dedicated guys, check out https://www.laguitars.com/. No connection with them , just a satisfied customer 😃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.