The ShadowMusic Web Community

I tried to find an earlier message that deals with sawing off a piece of the vibrato arm;
do you use hot water to remove the plastic tip?
Is the tip glued on? How do you get it back on?

They are normally screwed on but some may be pushed on, don't think glue is used.

I've found that it can be difficult to remove without damage, the problem seems to be air pressure (or lack of it ) on the push on ones, the tip is such a close fit that as you try and pull it off air can't get into the void being left and keeps pulling it back on.

In the past I've tried heating the tip, cooling the arm, and a combination of the two, in the end I've just gripped it with plyers and twisted if off but it damages it so badly that it has to be replaced, but seeing as they're only about a pound (£) I now regard them as disposable and if I'm removing it for any reason replace it with new.

Geoff

Oh and as far as getting it back on heat it in some boiling water, place the tip on the arm, point it into a carpeted floor (it'll skid all over the place on wood or laminate ) and push down hard and quickly, you'll probably hear a squeak as you do it.

You have to be a bit brutal, done too gently or slowly the air trapped inside keeps pushing the tip back towards the end of the arm.

Why a carpeted floor? the carpet holds the tip in position and being on the floor you can get your weight behind it.

Of course if you have the correct jig and a fly press....................

Thanks, your info makes me hesitate...
I should probably try to find a shorter arm.
13,5 cm would be good; any suggestions where I could find one?

negninegaw wrote:Thanks, your info makes me hesitate...
I should probably try to find a shorter arm.
13,5 cm would be good; any suggestions where I could find one?

Callaham do a slightly shorter one, a la Hank, called the 64, it's 5 1/4 inches long.
They also do a much shorter one like David Gilmour's, this is 4 1/8 inches.
(Standard is 6 inches.)

Distributed in this country by Charlie Chandler's Guitar Experience.

http://www.guitarexperience.co.uk/calla ... arm-s.html

Here is a link to a website, from which I bought a few tremolo arms. I was very happy with my purchases. If you're only buying something light-weight like a trem arm, you won't have to pay a lot for postage.

Cheers,
Donna

http://www.stratcat.biz/hardware-tremolo-arms.shtml

I just managed to pull the trem arm tip off my Squier CV 50s Strat by hand. I want to cut about 1/2" off the length of the arm. It has a plain (no thread) end, with just a small fluted section about 3/4" down the shaft, for grip. Of course, I can't speak for other models of Strat.

Tony

Cutting off the excess is no problem: just place the unwanted end in the vice and cut through with a junior hacksaw. There's certainly no need for specialised engineering workshop facilities.

You can round off the burrs with the arm just held in your hand - any small medium rasp file will do it.

JN

Thanks for the useful input.
In the meantime I used a much too long vribrato arm that was laying around (from a Japanese Fender?)
and made a bend or two in it. It got me an 'easym*te' and the right length.
See photo.
The tip of the arm is looslely held by the pinky side of my fist.
I saw that Hank holds his vibrato arm in a relatively steep angle upward.

By the way, do you also hit the Strat's pickups with your pick all the time? very annoying.
It does not matter how long the vibrato arm is
I don't have that with my LesPaul. Any cures?