- #1
cmmcnamara
- 121
- 1
Hi all,
I have a bit of a practicality problem here I was hoping I could get community consensus regarding. This question revolves around vibration throughout a mechanical setup and I haven't exactly studied said topic in any sort of depth in my schooling yet (coming up winter quarter).
Essentially my problem revolves around a springs ability to carry a vibration. I am an avid guitar player and I constantly am shopping and browsing different guitar modifications. One of the modifications I have seen advertised seems to violate my intuition regarding the nature of springs. On a guitar the travel of the string vibrations go as follows:
Strings-->Bridge Saddles-->Bridge Block-->Tremolo Springs-->Spring Claw--->Wood Screws
There are many modifications revolving around the bridge block by replacing it with a denser type metal or just a larger massive block both with intention of increasing the length of the vibration throughout the chain once the player has stopped picking a note. This difference is subtle but is an excellent solution. However one other modification revolves around the same idea of heavier/denser metal being used in the spring claw to continue that vibration. My problem with this modification however is that I feel that once the vibration hits the tremolo springs in the chain, that most of the vibration is dissipated or negligible once it exits the springs. Now like I mentioned, intuitively it does not make sense to me that the springs would carry much or any of the vibration energy; in fact many recording studios suspend microphones by springs citing that very reason, so that the amount of room vibrations causes less interference with the microphones. However, intuition as we all know isn't always correct. I feel that this particular upgrade is just playing off the block upgrade's physical principles while really providing no advantage in the area it is intended. Can anyone who has a better understanding of this phenomenon set me straight on this? And as always the mathematics is always appreciated.
I have a bit of a practicality problem here I was hoping I could get community consensus regarding. This question revolves around vibration throughout a mechanical setup and I haven't exactly studied said topic in any sort of depth in my schooling yet (coming up winter quarter).
Essentially my problem revolves around a springs ability to carry a vibration. I am an avid guitar player and I constantly am shopping and browsing different guitar modifications. One of the modifications I have seen advertised seems to violate my intuition regarding the nature of springs. On a guitar the travel of the string vibrations go as follows:
Strings-->Bridge Saddles-->Bridge Block-->Tremolo Springs-->Spring Claw--->Wood Screws
There are many modifications revolving around the bridge block by replacing it with a denser type metal or just a larger massive block both with intention of increasing the length of the vibration throughout the chain once the player has stopped picking a note. This difference is subtle but is an excellent solution. However one other modification revolves around the same idea of heavier/denser metal being used in the spring claw to continue that vibration. My problem with this modification however is that I feel that once the vibration hits the tremolo springs in the chain, that most of the vibration is dissipated or negligible once it exits the springs. Now like I mentioned, intuitively it does not make sense to me that the springs would carry much or any of the vibration energy; in fact many recording studios suspend microphones by springs citing that very reason, so that the amount of room vibrations causes less interference with the microphones. However, intuition as we all know isn't always correct. I feel that this particular upgrade is just playing off the block upgrade's physical principles while really providing no advantage in the area it is intended. Can anyone who has a better understanding of this phenomenon set me straight on this? And as always the mathematics is always appreciated.
