Tremolo claw
The metal bracket screwed into the spring cavity to which the tremolo springs are attached and which sets their tension.
The claw is what makes the tremolo adjustable: its two screws can be driven deeper into the body to stretch the springs, raising their pull and tilting the bridge back towards the body. Setting it correctly is the first step in any tremolo setup, because the bridge should sit level or slightly floating at pitch before fine tuning begins. It is a simple part, but a stripped claw screw or a badly placed claw is a common cause of a bridge that will not sit parallel to the strings.
Example: Adjusting a floating bridge by turning the two screws that hold the spring bracket in the back cavity is adjusting the tremolo claw.
See also
Related
- PageTremolo spring
- PageTremolo cavity
- PageFloating bridge
- PageAction
- PageArchtop
- PageB-Bender
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley