Spring Cavities: Covered or Uncovered?

[NedRyerson]

Over the last few years as I've grown to pay closer attention to guitar building techniques, one thing that's stood out to me is the choice to cover the spring cavity or leave it open. I prefer a cover because from my first guitar onward, "that's what you do." I'm curious therefore what you all like for yourselves and also why.

I certainly understand the convenience of easy access if needing to adjust spring tension, but does one do that frequently enough to where having the cover becomes a hindrance? I suppose if I was a more skilled and experienced player who does incorporate the trem bridge (ignoring the pedantry that it's vibrato, not tremolo but unlike "route" vs. "rout" I've given up that hill. "Rout" is to remove wood; "route" is the direction you travel to get there...but I digress), then it would make sense to me to leave it open and adjust it frequently.

Is that the reason? Or is there something else advantageous or convenient to leaving it open that I'm not considering?

 

[TBurst Std]

Leaving it off:
better access
Less time taking it off
Less time putting it on
Less time futzing around = more time playing and making coin or honing the skills

Not the mention a sit in gig and you find they detune. Less tiMe futzing around, just shove a spacer block in it to go hard tail and retune.

 

[teleme01]

Off, and no truss rod cover

 

[MoreSpaceEcho]

Uncovered, but it's only cause of pure laziness.

 

[u.9]

Uncovered, but it's only cause of pure laziness.

+1

Also:
* I never buy cover plates, they always came w/the guitar and didn't have the string-thru holes.
* Alternate tunings required adjusting the spring claw, which no plate I know of allows.
* They sometimes buzzed while playing unless I torqued the screws down to the point of deforming the plastic (and again, too lazy to bother with any other remedies).

Kind of a bummer since I spent so much time and precision mounting one on my first Warmoth.

 

[stratamania]

It depends, no vote for one or the other.

 

[musicispeace]

No covers for me.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

No Covers.
Makes quick adjustments on the fly more efficient.

 

[ruscio]

Strats uncovered for easy access. Ibanezes can stay covered because their covers have slots for screwdriver to adjust claw with cover on.

 

[TBurst Std]

I’m in a randy mood, so I’ll note:
So far it appears we prefer our spring cavities like our Johnson’s, uncovered.

 

[NedRyerson]

It depends, no vote for one or the other.

Care to expound, if for nothing other than sake of discussion & knowledge/experience-sharing?

 

[Strat Avenger]

Uncovered unless the cover has access slots for adjustments.

 

[ghostrider25]

Uncovered

1. It looks cooler
2. Easier sting changes
3. It looks cooler

IF you play with your shirt off a lot, have belly hair, and love to dive-bomb the trem, I will forgive having a cover. I’m not sure if that’s a real problem, but it’s fun to think about.

 

[Scab Pickens]

This is a timely topic for me. I'm just starting the process of building my first Warmoth with a tremolo bridge (Meadowhawk with Gotoh 510).

I'm leaning towards no tremolo spring cover for now. If I get things stabilized, I might consider installing one in the future. But ... most likely, not.

So, I guess I can't really vote 100% one way or the other. I'd go 63.7% in favor of no cover ... .

 

[mayfly]

Covered! It's just naked otherwise!

 

[stratamania]

Care to expound, if for nothing other than sake of discussion & knowledge/experience-sharing?

Usually, I tend to use covers, though in some cases, such as a vintage type of cover not lining up well with the six holes for the strings, it might get omitted.

Folks comment on not having a cover on for adjustment purposes. Which is a reasonable thing, but personally, I rarely find myself once a guitar is well set up having to do much for it often enough to be a bother to remove a cover.

Ibanez has some cool back covers that allow adjustments with the cover on, which is an innovative idea. Another clever idea for adjustments with the plate on would be the Schaller Sure Claw, which just needs a hole in the backplate to allow for adjustment.

No backplate can have an unfinished sort of look, and certain guitars where the backplate is recessed when done well is a neat idea.

 

[TheGreatRedDragon]

I have six guitars with trems, only one doesn't have a cover - I bought one for it, but I felt uncovered fit the hot rod vibe I was going for so I never installed it.

 

[cuthbert]

It depends...if the cover is recessed like in a Jackson then I leave it one, if it´s not I remove it.

 

[mrpinter]

Strats or Teles have a kind of "casual" look about them anyway, so uncovered is fine - and it is easier to get to the adjustments. On some guitars, however, a cover can be a design element, and I think all you really need to get at with any frequency is the strings for changing anyway - so we accommodate that with an open slot in the cover. This guitar would look unfinished without a trem cover - which also matches the pickgurard.

 

[aarontunes]

Uncovered, always! I hate trem covers.

Off, and no truss rod cover

...but you've crossed a line here, pal. What are we...savages?