BJFE / BearFoot fx Guitar Effects Community

I should note that I do float my bridges and that the spring trick may have far less effect if you dock the bridge. But, where is the fun in that?

Typically lowering the pickups will mellow the tone a bit and get rid of string pull. I run my Strats lower than most along with high string action and get a big sound.

I have never tried the TI strings since the Mangan strings are made right here in Colorado and they are a great bang for the buck verses other boutique strings.

I remember mention of the Curt Mangan strings a while back on another thread. I ordered a couple of the pure nickels and the softer tone of pure nickel should sound wonderful with the bright Strat. Funny thing, my Carvin with the Stormy Mondays now really sounds like an old les paul (but lighter) with the strat as comparison.

UPDATE: I put on some TI "Sliders" today - really terrific on the strat. Mellows the highs without loosing the harmonics. If the Mangan do the same, I will be thrilled!

thesjkexperience wrote:I know this sounds insane, but if you get different springs you can tune that brightness. I picked up some Raw Vintage springs and they are designed to be a bit softer, so most people can use all 5 springs instead of 3. That didn't pan out for me, but I did notice a huge increase in fullness. So, I went back to my usual 5 springs (I use Curt Mangan 10 pure nickel strings that pull like 11s) and swapped out one Raw Vintage spring at a time until the tone was perfect. Some used none, some one, some two. It also helps adjust the "feel" of the mechanism.

I found the spring swap a better option than turning down any treble because that is where the extended harmonics and crunchy goodness lie.

This is the craziest thing, but you are really onto something with the springs! I put three RV in (kept two calaham on the outside) and immediately you can feel a difference in the resonance of the guitar. My American strat has acoustic qualities of some of the best custom strats I have ever played. Monday and Tuesday totally suck for me, so I haven't had a chance to plug in, but the acoustic difference alone is astonishing. Thanks for the tip!

UPDATE: After a long lunch I came to the conclusion that the Callaham saddles and a combination of 2 Callaham springs and 3 RV ones sounds bad a$$! Restored the thick sound I wanted and the sustain is definitely better. Very cool and cheap mod for a strat.

I told you it was crazy, but it works! When you do get a chance to plug in you will also notice you get a little extra reverb out of the guitar! The springs should create enough vibrations that you will hear it through the amp. Texas reverb lol!