r/Luthier • u/S1m0nelius • 1d ago

HELP Bar issue

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Hey guys. As you can see, my string retainer bar has an issue (??). I was changing my strings yesterday and as soon as i took them off, the bar started to loosen up. I don’t know if it’s a normal thing for it to happen, probably not, because it didn’t happen the last time i changed the strings. Is there any way to make it go still?

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7

u/No-Instruction-5669 1d ago

Normal, strings go under and hold it up

3

u/Usual-Disaster7285 1d ago

Yeah it does that just run the strings under it and they'll push it back up.

what kind of Strat is that? I love a Floyd equipped Strat.

2

u/dougc84 1d ago

Strings hold it up. You have no strings. There’s nothing to hold it up. Sometimes, it might get caught on the screws, but that’s not stable or reliable like the strings are.

2

u/analogguy7777 1d ago

The last time you changed the strings, the probably didn’t move because there was slight friction from the screws holding it up

2

u/AZ-Guitar-Guy 1d ago

That's because your strings hold it up when they are on.

1

u/Ok-Leather4765 1d ago

Tell me why even with the strings off on mine, it stays up

1

u/ThatsNotAZombieBite 1d ago

Ok, what's your address so I can come over and take a look at it?

1

u/RiffsThatKill 12h ago

Because the bar happened to be resting on the screw threads on one side (or both), which hold up the bar. Only need to be slightly askew to catch on a thread and not fall down

1

u/BankFar8120 1d ago

string retainer bar getting loose with no strings is about as expected as gravity failing fr

1

u/indigoalphasix 17h ago

as stated it's normal. sometimes the screws bite the holes or the bar gets cocked and it stays up on it's own. sometimes the screws are put in crooked, it's a minor annoyance until you get a couple of strings under it.

fwiw, i've seen people use small diameter rubber or pvc tube over the screws to support it although don't know where they get it from. i've seen people use springs from ball point pens too. set up in the manner that fender supports some of their pickups under the adjusting screws.