Carl Verheyen: Whammy Bar Setup Secrets

What people said

Recommends Halmony · 2011-03 · Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange · on “Do floating bridge springs need changing ?”

There are closely guarded methods to setting up a floating vintage tremolo (non Floyd Rose) so that it stays in tune. I've done quite a bit of research on it (hunted down interviews, videos, books, and asked techs) but I've not seen any solutions/explanations blaming the problem on old springs. Often keeping a floating tremolo in tune has to do with how you setup the guitar. It can involve more obvious methods like lubricating the nut to reduce friction & stretching new strings, to less obvious ones like adjusting the bridge claw to a specific height. Anyways, here are two great videos showing two different ways to keep a floating trem in tune: [this video] [LINK] Over time, I've learned to use a

Recommends Dave Jacoby · 2011-03 · Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange · on “How can I minimize going out of tune when using the whammy bar?”

Beyond the tricks mentioned above (to recap, nut lubing with graphite, proper nut slot cutting, winding up not down to reduce the angle), there's one I've seen that sounds good is Carl Verheyen's trick of setting the claw in back to parallel the tension of the strings. He goes into it on [this video] . I'm a Tele guy, so I don't really know from tremolos, but if it works for you, I'm happy.

Recommends Valentin Grégoire · 2014-08 · Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange · on “Do I need to have my guitar re-set up if I change the string gauge”

Yes you will need to set that lovely Strat up again. Don't worry, you can't screw your guitar up. Take a look on youtube, there are many videos that explain how to do it. The hard thing on a Strat is finding the perfect balance on that tremelo system. I like the Carl Verheyen technique a lot, I use it constantly! Make sure to work with already stretched strings or you will have to redo it completely!!!

Recommends Dave Jacoby · 2021-01 · Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange · on “Electric guitar bridge lifted too much, intonation problems”

To get the Jeff Beck floating bridge thing, you need to be able to go both up and down, and I think you've used up all the down. Here's Carl Verheyen explaining how to set up a Strat so it floats [this video] , which should guide you. I would tighten the claw and retune to balance. That should make it behave more nicely and allow intonation. Best of luck.

Recommends John Belzaguy · 2021-05 · Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange · on “Is my guitar's neck too soft? How do I keep open string notes from wobbling when playing chords on lower frets?”

Not knowing much about your instrument I have some ideas. The neck may be loose, or even damaged. Check it thoroughly. If it’s a bolt on tighten the screws. If it’s a set neck see a repair person. You may have very light gauge strings which are more susceptible to pitch shifting. Your whammy bar springs (if you have a whammy bar) may be too loose/badly adjusted. Here is a great video by Carl Verheyen that explains how to set up a simple claw like the ones on a Strat: One other thing, mahogany is used for necks but not for fingerboards. It is too soft. Typical fingerboard woods are hard woods like maple, rosewood and ebony.

Cites Dave Jacoby · 2020-09 · Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange · on “Can't properly set up floating bridge in strat”

There are systems like the Steinberger Trans-Trem that are supposed to allow a chord to be in tune through a dive-bomb, but for the Stratocaster, it isn't in the cards. In a video for Musicians Institute and Guitar World, Carl Verheyen describes his setup for a floating Strat bridge [this video] , giving him a minor third on the G string and a whole step on the B. I think knowing the intervals possible in each step is the best you can expect.