Tremolo springs

I bought my first electric guitar (Yamaha Pacifica) from a chap on gumtree for 50 quid the other day, and have cleaned it up and put some new strings on - it looked like it had been stored away for years, so plastics are a bit mellow yellow. When I took off the back cover, I noticed that it had 2 tremolo springs, but with sockets for a few more springs.

I was just wondering - are these springs a standard size, and why would you have more or less springs - does it make a difference?

Originally Posted by: TobesMusique

I bought my first electric guitar (Yamaha Pacifica) from a chap on gumtree for 50 quid the other day, and have cleaned it up and put some new strings on - it looked like it had been stored away for years, so plastics are a bit mellow yellow. When I took off the back cover, I noticed that it had 2 tremolo springs, but with sockets for a few more springs.

I was just wondering - are these springs a standard size, and why would you have more or less springs - does it make a difference?

Hey Tobes,

The amount of springs will change the tension on the tremolo. Add another spring, it gets tighter. Take one off, easier to use the whammy bar. If you don't ever want to use the tremolo / whammy bar, you could add more springs to keep it more locked down, but it might also mean adjusting the plate they attach to at the other end. Not 100% sure if all tremolo springs are standardized. I have occasionally removed one from my guitar but in general I've left the number of springs as-is. Also, I have sometimes put foam or rubber bands into them, to keep them from unwanted resonance. But that's only when they cause a problem.

-Carl.

Thanks for the info Carl