ive always wanted a musicmaster (or duosonic). but vibrato is neat. i have a cheap squier bullet strat and if you so much as breath on the tremolo it goes out of tune (which is too bad because it holds tune wonderfully otherwise!).
so i really like the trem on my buddys jazzmaster, but how does the mustang trem compare?
Tell Me About Mustang Tremolo
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letsgocoyote
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Sort of halfway between the Jazz/Jag and the strat. In between in terms of tension, range, smoothness, etc. It stays it tune well if you take the time to set it up properly and lubricate the nut and such. My favorite thing about the Mustang trem is that you can do a small amount of vibrato by pushing on the tailpiece, so you don't really "need" the bar if yr only doing little surf dips.
A few things to be aware of:
1. A lot of people will tell you to replace the Mustang bridge with a tune-o-matic. This is stupid and will only make tuning stability worse.
2. The mustang is short-scale, so you'll probably want to use heavier strings then you would on a strat. This will also improve tuning stability.
3. Any non-locking trem will go out of tune if you dive-bomb (a locking nut on a mustang would be interesting, though).
Probably more then you wanted to know there. Mustangs are really great - they get tons of love here.
A few things to be aware of:
1. A lot of people will tell you to replace the Mustang bridge with a tune-o-matic. This is stupid and will only make tuning stability worse.
2. The mustang is short-scale, so you'll probably want to use heavier strings then you would on a strat. This will also improve tuning stability.
3. Any non-locking trem will go out of tune if you dive-bomb (a locking nut on a mustang would be interesting, though).
Probably more then you wanted to know there. Mustangs are really great - they get tons of love here.
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dodgedartdave
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Ninja Mike 808
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NEVER LOOSE THE REVERB HANDLE!dodgedartdave wrote:Mustang trem sucks. Most folks throw thier bar in the shit can.
The Bronco trem I feel is the most usable trem ever felt. Bigsbys and Jazzy's are second best but have a totally different feel.
I like it, but sadly, I don't think you can go up and down on a Mustang bridge...
If you think of god as a pair of pants, a spiritualist thinks he needs pants, in fact he wants pants but none of the conventional types of pants seem to fit just right, so he makes his own pants and is happy that his knees are no longer cold.-fibus
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robert(original)
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my j.s. features the mustang trem and is a favorite of certain styles.
i can go up about a half step and down almost 2~!
but its a bit flat generally.
anywho, it is very sturdy, no matter what gauge.
i have used 10's-13's on it and it has preformed wonderfully on all variations, granted i had to give it a good setup every time.
the jag trem system is probly my favorite but the stang trem is close behind.
i can go up about a half step and down almost 2~!
but its a bit flat generally.
anywho, it is very sturdy, no matter what gauge.
i have used 10's-13's on it and it has preformed wonderfully on all variations, granted i had to give it a good setup every time.
the jag trem system is probly my favorite but the stang trem is close behind.
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Jagermeister
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It's hard for me not to say it's the best trem ever.
It has range enough to slack the strings (even when set up for a bit of upbend), mine never goes out of tune no matter what I really do with it, it's silky smooth... perfect
I really don't get people who don't like them. MUCH more range than a strat trem, stays in tune undeniably better when set up well. Jag trems probably are a bit more stable, but they tend to leave me wanting a bit more range (though a Jag won't sound like a Jag without the trem...)
PS: I believe a chief reason for people claiming these go out of tune is the overlooked fact that if you put the bar too far into the tailpiece, it binds on the plate. So don't.
Also silly people try to adjust the trem to float by making the tailpiece stick WAY above the body of the guitar rather than repositioning the springs, as was meant to happen. On top of that there are people who string them in all manner of stupid ways, tape the bridge down, have sucky nuts (with that much range a bad nut really stands out), or otherwise don't know what they're doing with them. Though when it comes down to it it's simpler in operation than a strat trem, but people just don't take the time to figure that out.
It has range enough to slack the strings (even when set up for a bit of upbend), mine never goes out of tune no matter what I really do with it, it's silky smooth... perfect
I really don't get people who don't like them. MUCH more range than a strat trem, stays in tune undeniably better when set up well. Jag trems probably are a bit more stable, but they tend to leave me wanting a bit more range (though a Jag won't sound like a Jag without the trem...)
PS: I believe a chief reason for people claiming these go out of tune is the overlooked fact that if you put the bar too far into the tailpiece, it binds on the plate. So don't.
Also silly people try to adjust the trem to float by making the tailpiece stick WAY above the body of the guitar rather than repositioning the springs, as was meant to happen. On top of that there are people who string them in all manner of stupid ways, tape the bridge down, have sucky nuts (with that much range a bad nut really stands out), or otherwise don't know what they're doing with them. Though when it comes down to it it's simpler in operation than a strat trem, but people just don't take the time to figure that out.
that doesn't make sense. shortscale guitars have a shorter distance between the nut and the bridge. why would you compensate by putting bigger strings on?
smaller strings require less tension than heavier strings to reach the desired pitch (try tuning your low e to match your high e). and shortscale guitars naturally have more tension than full scale guitars. if you were to tune a shortscale and fullscale guitar to the same tension, the shortscale would have a higher pitch. to compensate for this, you tune the guitar to less tension. which is why smaller strings are better suited to shortscale guitars.
smaller strings require less tension than heavier strings to reach the desired pitch (try tuning your low e to match your high e). and shortscale guitars naturally have more tension than full scale guitars. if you were to tune a shortscale and fullscale guitar to the same tension, the shortscale would have a higher pitch. to compensate for this, you tune the guitar to less tension. which is why smaller strings are better suited to shortscale guitars.
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh what? I've got a little half sized travel guitar strung up with 10s and I can do like 5 fret bends on it when it's tuned to standard.bubbles_horwitz wrote:shortscale guitars naturally have more tension than full scale guitars
One thing that was not mentioned and may be a key consideration is the string tension based on scale length; at least indirectly. The longer the scale, the greater the string tension.
It appears many internerds are in disagreements with you.As the scale gets shorter, the tension needed to get the string to concert pitch decreases. So a short-scale guitar tuned to standard has relatively loose strings. These guitars would need a higher gauge to match the same tension of a full-scale guitar
Warning: some science here.
Rayleigh's wave equations give you:
2f= sq.root(T/uL2) where f= frequency, T= tension, u = mass/unit length and L= length
Therefore, to maintain f and T constant, uL2 has to be constant.
Thus, if L reduces, u must increase. Therefore to maintain same tension and same tuning, a shortscale requires a string with greater mass/unit length, i.e. heavier gauge.
Rayleigh's wave equations give you:
2f= sq.root(T/uL2) where f= frequency, T= tension, u = mass/unit length and L= length
Therefore, to maintain f and T constant, uL2 has to be constant.
Thus, if L reduces, u must increase. Therefore to maintain same tension and same tuning, a shortscale requires a string with greater mass/unit length, i.e. heavier gauge.
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Fran
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Wrong.dodgedartdave wrote:Mustang trem sucks.
What you meant to say is most people dont know how to set one up.
If you fully tighten the tension screws it returns back to point zero everytime, its the only place it can go. If it still goes out of tune better check your nut and machine heads.
You can bend your arm accordingly to put it back in a comfortable position.
Any early tremelo system set in a floating position is going to cause you problems especially using more modern techniques, they were only designed for shimmers and vibrato.
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dodgedartdave
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Well, that's my opinion. I've messed with them a fair amount. I find them willy-nilly. A bronco trem works exactly the way I want it too.Fran wrote:Wrong.dodgedartdave wrote:Mustang trem sucks.
What you meant to say is most people dont know how to set one up.
If you fully tighten the tension screws it returns back to point zero everytime, its the only place it can go. If it still goes out of tune better check your nut and machine heads.
You can bend your arm accordingly to put it back in a comfortable position.
Any early tremelo system set in a floating position is going to cause you problems especially using more modern techniques, they were only designed for shimmers and vibrato.
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Mike
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Yes. But people tune their guitars to pitch, not tension. So this is not something that a guitarist can readily compare.bubbles_horwitz wrote:ok, so i was wrong about tension.
but if i'm understanding that equation correctly, i was right about pitch. as you decrease the scale length (L), the frequency increases (F). assuming all others are constant. is that right?