Strat Problem

Okay, today I decided to do a little maintence on my strat. Though there was nothing wrong with it, I figured it would be good to give it a nice full cleaning and change out the strings.

I took the strings off, and even took the bridge off to clean it totally out because there was dust all in it and crap. Anyways when I finished putting my guitar back together I noticed that there was a little gap between the bridge and the pickguard... The guitar still plays good, but it seems that my whammy bar really isnt working all that great, as it is now harder to get any vibrato going.

Just wondering what the hell happend. Also could this be because of the new strings? My previous strings where .13's and I just put on a set of D'addrio .10's

Dropping two full sizes in your string gauge means that there is now a lot less string tension pulling on your bridge. In order to return the bridge to its former position, you will need to reduce the counter-force provided by the springs inside the guitar.

Remove the back cover. The springs go from the bridge to a 'claw'. Two screws adjust the claw position, setting the spring tension. With .013" strings, there are probably 4, or even 5 springs. For your new .010" strings, 3 springs should do the job. Remove any extra springs, and store them where you can find them if you ever decide to change back to heavier strings.

The screws adjust the claw position, changing the tension on the springs, which counteract the string tension on the bridge. Turning the screws clockwise will move the claw further away from the bridge, applying more spring tension. Counter-clockwise reduces the spring tension. Be sure to adjust both screws evenly.

The 'standard' setup sets the bridge plate flat, allowing the trem bar to only move towards the guitar body. If you want to be able to pull up on the bar, you will need to adjust the spring tension so that the bridge is raised slightly.

It will take a while to get things balanced properly. Each change in the spring tension will require re-tuning the strings. If your strings were not stretched properly as part of the installation, they will gradually slack off, requiring another spring-adjusting session. Once it's set up, though, it should be fairly stable.

Ahh, cool, thanks man. Yes previously I could only make the whammy bar go towards the guitar, I just changed it so I can pull away from it too, its much better now.

Thanks!