Comparing Fender Strat Tremolo Springs - Vintage vs. Aftermarket Springs

In this video, I propose that the type of tremolo spring you use can affect the tone of your Stratocaster. I experienced this first hand several years ago when I bought a Nash S-HX68 Strat with a Gotoh tremolo assembly with very tight springs. The wang bar was very difficult to move so I decided to install a set of vintage tension correct Raw Vintage springs. The tone drastically improved on the Nash. That opened my eyes to how much difference a spring can make. I had seen a quote from Eric Johnson where he had switched his springs and his Strat sounded bad to him. So, he immediately dug the old springs out of the trash and put them back on. Another goal here was to match springs that I inadvertently mixed up over the years. I wanted to be sure I had all of the vintage springs on my 1962 Strat. I devised a simple tension tester so I could determine the difference in spring tension. I used a cheap, digital fish scale for the job. In the chart below, I used a different test method to compensate for the slight length difference between a 39 loop spring and a 41 loop spring (approx. 2mm). I stretched each type of spring 1" and recorded the tension. They are an average except for the Candy Apple Red Strat which had a mixture of tensions. Interesting discovery was the pitch of the spring was directly related to the tension of the spring. The difference in pitch between an 10.4# spring and a 11.6# spring is 1 whole step (Ab-Bb) Callaham springs = 16# (lbs) Gotoh springs = 15# 1964 Vintage = 11.6# Raw Vintage = 10.4# C.A.R. Strat (red) = 13.5# 16.0# (1/2 step higher pitch) 13.7# 16.0# (1/2 step higher pitch) 14.2# Fender American Vintage = 14.2 # (added 7/11/2020) Mark Foley '60's. (2025 set) = 11.42# on all five Raw Vintage springs -http://rawvintage.com/eng/item_spring... I have not tried a set of Fender springs but for less cost, you can give them a try - but I guess they may be on the higher tension side of the spectrum https://www.musiciansfriend.com/acces... https://shop.fender.com/en-US/parts/b... https://www.callahamguitars.com/strat... To support my channel, please subscribe and like this video. You can also send a small donation to: https://paypal.me/Millstap I also just started my new Patreon page, https://www.patreon.com/user?u=24504462 bitcoin donations: 3QHM7M7WAjy1cxKtH8uiPNwzLVxEdbwhWJ You can follow me on Facebook, Millstap's YouTube Channel @  / millstap   And Instagram at Millstaps_Jimiisms @  / millstaps_jimiisms