fender squier strat whammy bar Q: ?

[jives11]

Hi,

my son got a fender Squier strat, but it came without instructions. It
included 2 allen keys and a whammy bar. The whammy bar appears to
screw into a small hole . How far do you tighten it ? perhaps I'm
missing something but it does not seem to do anything ?

any pointers gratefully received

[Nil]

Post by jives11
my son got a fender Squier strat, but it came without
instructions. It included 2 allen keys and a whammy bar. The
whammy bar appears to screw into a small hole . How far do you
tighten it ? perhaps I'm missing something but it does not seem to
do anything ?

The Allen wrenches are probably for adjusting the truss rod (the larger
wrench) and the bridge saddle height (smaller wrench).

The whammy bar should be screwed in just barely tight enough that it
doesn't swing around, or maybe slightly looser than that. If you screw
it in hard, you run the risk of stripping the threads on the bar (bad,
but it can be cheaply replaced) or the those in the bridge assembly
itself (worse, because it's a more expensive part to replace.)

If the bridge seems immobile, it may be blocked - check inside the back
cover to see if there is some material in the way. Or, it could just
have all the springs installed and tightened down all the way. Again,
look inside the compartment - it's pretty obvious how to adjust it. You
will find instructions on the Fender web site.

If your son is a beginner, you might be better off leaving the bridge
blocked and not installing the whammy bar. They are tricky to maintain
and can cause tuning instability. Their use is almost a separate art
than playing the guitar itself, and I think a beginner should
concentrate on other things for now.

[jives11]

Post by Nil

Post by jives11
my son got a fender Squier strat, but it came without
instructions. It included 2 allen keys and a whammy bar. The
whammy bar appears to screw into a small hole . How far do you
tighten it ? perhaps I'm missing something but it does not seem to
do anything ?

The Allen wrenches are probably for adjusting the truss rod (the larger
wrench) and the bridge saddle height (smaller wrench).
The whammy bar should be screwed in just barely tight enough that it
doesn't swing around, or maybe slightly looser than that. If you screw
it in hard, you run the risk of stripping the threads on the bar (bad,
but it can be cheaply replaced) or the those in the bridge assembly
itself (worse, because it's a more expensive part to replace.)
If the bridge seems immobile, it may be blocked - check inside the back
cover to see if there is some material in the way. Or, it could just
have all the springs installed and tightened down all the way. Again,
look inside the compartment - it's pretty obvious how to adjust it. You
will find instructions on the Fender web site.
If your son is a beginner, you might be better off leaving the bridge
blocked and not installing the whammy bar. They are tricky to maintain
and can cause tuning instability. Their use is almost a separate art
than playing the guitar itself, and I think a beginner should
concentrate on other things for now.

Many Thanks Nil for the very full answer. I'll take a look inside the
back cover
and take note of your comments about the whammy and when to learn it
.
Thank you

Jonathan