If you are upgrading a cheaper foreign-made Strat (like a Mexican or, in particular, a Squier Strat), the tremolo weight is more than twice as heavy in this bridge, giving richer tone longer sustain. Just be sure to use the whammy bar that comes with it since the bars differ in width (and in screw count, which might not be noticeable at first, but will wear on the system in time. Intonation action settings are solid. If you're replacing the cheap tremolo on a Squier, note that this tremolo weight is longer than the Squier's you won't be able to put the back plate on again (no grief since most pros keep them off for quicker string changes on stage or in studios). Use only three of the springs, placed left, right center on the bar claw. Note: for a true floating bridge that you can pull up as well as swoop, put a popsicle stick (say 0.08 thick) between the back end of the bridge the body before adjusting intonation action. Then with the strings at their playing tension, start loosening the screws on the claw from the back a quarter-turn at a time counter-clockwise until the popsicle stick slips out easily. The combined tension of the strings the internal springs will hold the bridge in the proper floating position.I would also suggest replacing your nut at the same time if you have a plastic one. You can use bone, but the best is the self-lubricated Tusq material, which doesn't wear on the strings so much at the nut when you do bends tremolo. While you have the strings off to do your installation, take advantage of it to clean oil the fretboard sand down the frets to evenness, using finer finer sandpaper, finishing off with Meguier's non-compound polish for the smoothest bends. For Squiers, you can also get a $5.00 grit sponge from Home Depot to smooth off the edges of the frets at the sides of the fretboard, which are often not as finely finished as on an American Standard Strat. Rub up and back on the side edges of the fretboard at about a 45 degree angle to get a bit of a rounded edge to the fretboard too, which will make sliding up and down the neck easier. You want both the best tone the best playability out of the guitar. Take a little time you can make your guitar much better in both areas. If you want to go whole hog and have a Squier that's better than a $2,000 Fender, have a luthier install handwound pickups with Alnico 5 (or 3 for mellower) poles instead of the cheap ceramic magnets Squier uses. Don't forget to wire in new 250K pots. If you can't handle basic soldering, let a technician or luthier install the PUs pots. You can even have it wired so the middle switch position enables both the bridge neck PUs use a push-pull blender pot to be able to blend in all three pickups for some very different sounds no stock Fender can produce.
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