Springs

[mark74]

@vjmanzo thank you for your efforts in recreating the springs! Truly a labor of love at this point, but it is very much appreciated.

[Musikron]

This is the aspect of my fly obsession that keeps me up at night. Literally everything else I can do a work around for and stay up and running. But if I run out of springs, my Parker just rots in its case. Yes I could block it off, but I just don’t get on with hard tails, and the fly trem is just sublime.
Tick Tock

[vjmanzo]

Absolutely, @mark74; thanks for the kindness.

I'm not prepared to make a full update now, unfortunately, but I'm happy to share that, a few months ago, we made some major breakthroughs with our simulations and, later, confirmed with tests on actual springs that our simulation environment represents an accurate model of the Fly spring in its best possible state (e.g. unused, unworn, etc.)! In non-technical terms, this has given us what we need to meet and improve the function and durability of new springs and capture the same (or different, if desired!!) "feel" of the original spring; in our simulation environment, we can now substitute materials, perform tweaks, etc. and understand, to some degree, how those changes will play out in the real world. Whew!

Our goal, just to restate it, is not only to produce more Fly springs, but to understand, with clear, empirical data, what the current Fly springs are doing, what they ought to be doing, and, with that information: produce Fly springs that “feel” the same and perform better overall. We've got A LOT to share in terms of technical data and analysis of the original springs, and things are going really well, so I'm not losing any sleep, @Musikron and neither should you!

[Musikron]

Well, as an avid fly trem abuser and luthier of 20 years, feel free to send me some prototypes for testing once they’re ready!

[reverend-kansas]

I'm very happy to hear about the trem news! I can't wait to get my hands on some 11s.

[vjmanzo]

Thanks, everyone; yes, I don’t want to sound over-confident, but we’re in good shape.

I promise that, when we get further along, we’ll put out an announcement for beta-testers! We’ll definitely need some Fly trem abusers, @Musikron!!

[Vantasner]

@vjmanzo

Can you contact me in a PM about this. I have some technical info I can share about the springs...

Cheers,
VDM

[vjmanzo]

[JeanD]

I have an extra coveted spring for 10’s.....
If my 9 spring breaks I’ll have finger cramps!
Keep up the good work VJ et. al.

I have a spare 9 spring I would trade for your 10 if you are interested, by post though I am in Denmark.
cheers,
Jean

[mtopel01]

Hi All. I would love to buy a collection of various spring weights should they become available. Please add me to the waiting list!

I do have a #9 that I would like to trade for a #10 if anybody has a 10 in good shape.

Thanks!!

[mark74]

Interesting to see so many asks for 10s, makes me wonder if the 10s are just more popular, more prone to failure, etc. Given the age of these instruments and the fact the 9 came installed from the factory, I could see how the extra 10 spring could have been lost, so perhaps they are just rarer overall.

I love the light strings and super low action of the 9s. I tried to see if I could make a poll but I don't see how here, would be interesting to see peoples' preference!

[mmmguitar]

I’d wager that most Flys bought and sold since the brand was shelved have only had the factory 9 spring removed due to breaking.

I’m one of those guitar hoarders who, every time his preferred string gauge or brand changes, has to spend $100 putting the same strings on all his guitars so that they feel “right” when he picks one up. Thanks to some of the gentlemen in this community, I have my preferred springs (and some spares) for all my Flys, now.

[vjmanzo]

Interesting to see so many asks for 10s, makes me wonder if the 10s are just more popular, more prone to failure, etc.

Good thought! It turns out that all springs will eventually get a microscopic (literally) tear at some very specific points, which, ultimately, will cause them all to fail with repeated use.

every time his preferred string gauge or brand changes, has to spend $100 putting the same strings on all his guitars so that they feel “right” when he picks one up.

I love this! I’m the same way!

[dspiffy]

If anyone needs a 9, and is willing to trade a 10, eMail me dspiffy at gmail dot com.

[alfonsobarrios]

Hi everyone,

As one of many, I'm totally looking forward getting a replacement spring, my 10 gauge broke and only have the 9 now, not only I feel better with 10's but I don't feel safe with just one spring, hopefully you will have these available soon!

Alfonso Barrios
Dominican Republic

[rmora88]

Thanks for the update, @InsideInfo. Please keep me/us posted!

Part of the difficulty, as I mentioned, is in assessing that what you have when you’re handed a new spring out of the box is actually suitable for your guitar with a given gauge of strings; it’s not just enough to have a stamped piece of metal, it absolutely must be tempered and that complicates the process. Before we even address manufacturing tolerance issues, there’s a roughly 20lb tension differential between a set of 9s and a set of 10s, and, you need a spring that works for each; if you’ve ever tried to float a Fly bridge with 9s using a 10 spring, you know it doesn’t really work. You noted that, a short while ago, I sold off some spare springs of mine that were presumably new; I wish I had more springs to give to every Fly owner, but, unfortunately, even if I had a box of “new old stock” springs to sell, there is no way to properly assess if those springs are still “springy”, and that’s part of the issue. Remaking any springs (even the ones Parker was ordering) without knowing exactly what they are doing is, in my opinion, just putting a band-aid on the spring-shortage issue.

To that end: the recipe for the springs, without a doubt, can and should be improved; the tempering, the bends, the actual material, etc. can all be altered to produce a spring that, all around, operates better, so that’s what our sights are set on. Thanks to your generous support, we’re on our way!

All this to say: keep in touch!


And just to restate it for everyone: if you are looking for stock OEM springs right now, we strongly recommend that you contact Mike Gallenberger at Gman.music on Reverb or wiguitar on eBay to see if the springs you need are available in his stock.

Did you guys ever start selling new springs? I just saw this!



Thanks!


- Ricardo

[vjmanzo]

I promise: the whole community will know when we are ready to start public-beta testing the new springs and then when we are ready to start making them available.

I will personally send out the emails to every registered user as soon as we have verified that these springs are exceptional in every way.

[rmora88]

I promise: the whole community will know when we are ready to start public-beta testing the new springs and then when we are ready to start making them available.

I will personally send out the emails to every registered user as soon as we have verified that these springs are exceptional in every way.

Thank you!! Can't wait!! Definitely buying some 10's... seems like the most popular gauge spring.. 10's man!

[alfonsobarrios]

I think the 10's are the most popular cause it gives you a nicer fuller tone when you are using the piezo, but you can still bend easily. @vjmanzo was kind enough to answer me privately and he still on the development of this new springs, we are hoping for the best, definitely on the waiting list!!

[vjmanzo]

Thanks @alfonsobarrios and @rmora88; please pardon the delays in updates: we are hard at work on this despite the pandemic setbacks and the good weather coming in

I just want to encourage everyone that my team and I don’t believe this to be a matter of if, but a matter of when; we've learned a lot about the springs that have been used and, while we want to retain and replicate the best aspects of their function, we are taking our time to understand more about vibrato springs in general and specific to the Fly's needs so that we can also improve upon the original design where possible.