I have a problem with my guitar. The guitar I have is an Ibanez SA160 (I believe) and the springs in the back are really noisy. If I hit the strings as hard as I normally do when I'm onstage, the springs ring out, and they also ring out whenever I play a C note (not 8th or 3rd fret on whatever-tuning, the note C anywhere) and it's becoming a problem because I have to crank up my noise-suppresor (sp?) to stop it from ringing out (and it doesn't even stop it all completely) and it takes away from my ring outs. Can anyone give me some advice on this? I think maybe it's because the springs are old, but I don't know. Help would be greatly appreciated.

thats a sad statement... your springs ring on the same herz range as a C.... just replace them... all of them... see if that makes a difference. It wont cost you much at all.

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are you sure its the springs and not sumtin else thats ringing along?? or maybe that some frets have a slight buzz or sumtin?? i mean it sounds realy unlikely to me that the springs are the problem.


have you tryd to play guitar and muting the springs with your hand or some tape/cloth whatever?? that way you should be able to find out if it realy is the springs or not.

EDIT: is your tremolo setup properly?? since those springs are attached to the trem...

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Yeah I wouldn't go and buy new springs until you try putting some cloth or padding in there first. I had a similar problem actually. It came when I'd play like a chord and then a rest. When I muted the strings with my fret hand for the rest, you could hear the springs.

cotton balls are a pretty common solution to this problem.

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that's exactly what's happening to me. I tried covering every inch of the springs with paper, though. I haven't tried cotton balls. that paper thing didn't work though.

id get this too, only i was really digging into the strings with some heavy palm mutes.
stuff some padding or foam (thin sections work best as you can vary thickness and damping) around the springs and the trem unit as well, and i also found stuffing the springs with foam helped alot as well, really dampened everything so now there is no noise whatsoever.

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Had the same problem...I devised a cure though. Take cotton balls (already mentioned) and stuff as many inside of each spring as you can. Use something to pack it in there

Also, I took a sock and cut it into a piece that would fit inside the floyd cavity and stuck it under the springs. (usually helps to remove the springs)

Finally, if you REALLY wanna get rid of that chime, get some of that foam shit that comes with Pickups (EMG's come to mind) and put it forward of your nut, but underneath the strings. Use some electric tape if you want as well.


The last idea I got from Dime...most of all experiment.

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I take a soft cloth and tie it around all the springs.