Noob question. Is the decked Cutlass trem supposed to knock when it hits the body.

[Emesem]

Never had a decked trem before. When it returns to zero is it supposed to hit the body fairly hard making a tap or knock sound. Can't I just mess with the springs so that it just barely touches?

 

[Fro]

You can loosen the trem claw in the back to your preference.

 

[Stephen]

I did a decked setup yesterday on my new SBMM Silo and followed the procedure "How do I set up my Music Man guitar with Vintage Tremolo?" from the Music Man FAQ (third from top).

It does work. And a very useful hint for me was to tighten the springs a bit further than just decking:

5. Set the tremolo spring claw
a. From the factory, the tremolo is set to remain flat on the body if a note is bent a full step or less.
b. Bend the G note at the 12th fret to an A, and check if the bridge is lifting.
c. Adjust the spring claw so the bridge begins to lift when this note is bent beyond an A.

Of course, Gilmour style bends will need a bit more.

 

[tbonesullivan]

If it's decked, and you let it go, it's gonna make a small noise. You can set it up to float slightly though, however then you won't be able to do bends as easily.

 

[Daniel]

Never had a decked trem before. When it returns to zero is it supposed to hit the body fairly hard making a tap or knock sound. Can't I just mess with the springs so that it just barely touches?

Hi Emesem,
If your bridge is decked, I don't recommend letting it go when depressed so that it slams into the top of the guitar. If you want to make the bridge float a little bit off the top of the guitar, it is possible to do so. However, it would require that you do a setup on the guitar as it will raise your action. You will probably need to add a shim under the neck, which we have available for sale. Email me at [email protected] if you have any questions.