Tremolo Covers- On or Off?

[DetroitBlues]

I've read about tremolo covers making a difference in tone.  Anyone ever try it? Any sound demo's?

[zagatron1]

They might, but I would think the difference would only be noticeble in certain playing conditions. I guess.

[pictoratus]

I leave mine off and I can tell a difference. Not much but some. The sound seems a bit fuller.

I can also tell the difference in sound if my tremolo is floating vs decked. I had it decked at first but tried it floating and liked the sound so now I keep it that way. Almost never use the tremolo, though. 

[creekster52]

This has always puzzled me and seem to go against logic. One would think that having the trem cover on would create more of a chambered body effect, and that having the trem blocked would result in greater transfer of string vibration...both resulting in a fuller tone. 

[DetroitBlues]

I keep the trem flat on the body, I had it float, but I noticed it would rise up just a little after using the tremolo causing the action to become too high.  There is a special device that can be put on a tremolo that makes sure the tremolo only travels so far back and fourth.  I believe its a trem setter?

[zagatron1]

Actually, I did have a hard tail that had a cover on it. Every Strat from that point didn't even have one, so I never gave it a second thought. On my main Strat I have the trem floating so I can pull up on it a half step if I want, or push down a whole step.  It comes back in tune every time. I've seen those trem things, but don't have a clue how they work.

[creekster52]

I installed a Trem-setter on a Peavey Predator (U.S.A.). It was a slight improvement, but not perfect. Locking trem is the way to go if you use the trem a lot. Most detuning occurs at the nut, so adding a locking nut may be a better option than a Trem-setter.