How to stop a Stratocaster from making spring noises

Springs in Stratocaster guitars make noise, and this is how to stop that noise.

A Stratocaster guitar can, amazingly, have up to 11 springs in it. Two pickup springs per pickup and up to 5 tremolo springs in the rear.

I'll cover the tremolo spring noises first, then the pickup spring noises.

How to get rid of Stratocaster tremolo spring noise

The easiest way to muffle tremolo spring noises is to snake a piece of paper towel through it.

Take the tremolo spring out first.

Take an old guitar string (a wound string like a low-E, A or D works best) and bend it in half so it looks like this:

Push the bent point through the tremolo spring, then rip a piece of paper towel about twice the length of the tremolo spring and put it through the bent point of the string, like this:

Pull the string so the paper towel goes through the spring, like this:

Cut off any excess paper towel you have, then tuck the ends into the tremolo spring with a pen, so it looks like this:

Reinstall the tremolo spring in your guitar. Can you guess which one has the paper towel through it? No you can't, because when you do it right, it's completely invisible. It will look like this:

All tremolo spring noises are now 100% gone. The paper towel not only muffles the spring ringing, but also allows the springs to work completely normally.

Now let's move on to pickup springs.

How to get rid of Stratocaster pickup spring noise

You have two options for this one.

Option 1: Teflon tape

The very cheap and easy solution is to use Teflon tape. Yes, the same tape you use for shower heads, sink filters and so on.

Option 2: Picking mounting tubing

If you ever wanted to know why upscale Fender Stratocaster guitars don't have annoying pickup spring ringing noises, it's because many don't use pickup mounting springs at all. Instead, they use picking mounting tubing.

Are the tube pieces expensive? No. It will probably be the lowest priced official Fender part you ever buy. As inexpensive as they are, they do absolutely work. These tubes stop pickup spring noise 100% since they're not springs.

Does this work on Telecaster guitars too?

Indeed it does, specifically on the bridge-side pickup. If you've got annoying ringing coming from that rear Telecaster plate, chances are it's pickup springs making the noise. Tape the springs up with Teflon tape or use the tubes, your choice.

On an end note, DO NOT use masking tape or any type of tape with adhesive on it on the pickup mounting springs. Not only will it not stick, but also won't stop ringing noise and fall right off. Use Teflon tape or the tube pieces, as those are the two that absolutely will work to stop pickup spring noise.

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