My wife bought a used electric guitar not to long ago, and I noticed that the back panel
was missing and inside are three coil-like things. The problem is, besides the panel cover
that someone forgot to put back on, that there are two empty slots (one either side of the
three coils) that I think that perhaps coils should be? I'm wondering of this guitar was gutted
for spare coils or something. We don't have an amp yet to plug it in to test and it's primarily
a fool around guitar anyway, and to practice quitely as to not wake up the kids. I'm sure coil
is not the right word for the component I'm talking about, but it's the best way I can describe it.
BTW, the guitar is a Charvel by Jackson.
Cheers,
Arfinwulf.
Namaste.
The "coils" are actually mechanical springs that are part of the tremolo (more correctly vibrola, a.k.a whammy bar) system, and they have no electrical purpose. Three springs is the typical number for counterbalancing the force of light to medium gauge strings. The empty slots are there to accommodate two additional springs if needed to counteract the tension of higher gauge strings or higher tension tuning. You've got the normal setup.
-=tension & release=-
I wouldn't worry too much about the missing cover, either. The strings for a whammy bridge like that almost always thread through from the back of the guitar - attached to the top of the strings you'll see a metal bar with six holes drilled in it... that's where the strings go through.
The covers are slotted to allow access to thread new strings. In many cases, the slot doesn't give you enough room to get all six strings on, and a lot of players will get tired of taking it off and putting it back on for each string change.
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If you do want a cover you should be able to find one on the web. Try some place like Stew-Mac.
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You could probably make one out of some spare plastic.
GN's resident learning sponge, show me a little and I will soak it up.
In many cases, the slot doesn't give you enough room to get all six strings on, and a lot of players will get tired of taking it off and putting it back on for each string change.
That is why I took my dremel and bored out a larger slot. It only took me two times of changing the strings to figure out and fix that problem. :)
Not a big deal if the plate isn't there, but I like to have it on.... just in case. Just don't ask what the "case" might be, cause I don't know. :lol:
Thanks for clearing that up fellas!
Cheers,
Arfinwulf
Namaste.
