PRS Custom 22 - Can't remove tremolo spring

[Riplead]

Just got it today. Googled it and someone said PRS puts a bend in the hook side of the spring? Holy cow, I've tried needle nose pliers, screwdrivers (carefully). I can not get the frickin' spring out. This never took me more than 2 seconds to do on any other guitar. I'm ready to get my Sawzall out.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I know it’s maybe not what you want to do, but you could loosen the trem claw screws, which might help removal of that pesky spring.

 

[Riplead]

Thanks. I have it unhooked from the claw, and actually rest the guitar on my lap pressing the bar down so there's plenty of room. I wiggled the spring back and forth a bunch of times but it won't budge. I can't help but think how stupid this is. I never had one pop out in my nearly 50 years of playing. I've had Ibanez guitars where they have a metal plate that screws down over the springs to ensure they don't pop out, but once you remove that, they come out easily. I gave this a lot of force with 2 types of needle nose pliers, and I'm a pretty big guy. I can't believe this is so difficult.

 

[Riplead]

OMG I just got it out with a pair of end nippers. They look like fret end cutters or something. Holy cow. I buggered up the brass block a bit. PRS really needs to rethink this. God forbid I have to take them all out to mess with the trem. Sheesh.

 

[Riplead]

I'll tell ya one thing, if I had to pull out all the springs, I'd replace them with regular springs that don't have a bend. That's just overkill.

 

[dogrocketp]

The bend is there to insure that those of us with whammy madness don’t pop a spring while playing and lose pitch altogether, which I’ve done with an SE Tremonti Custom. I’ll like to bend a note, and the use the trem bar to take it up a fifth or so from the original note. I also buggered up the trem block removing a spring from a DC3. It was an otherwise mint guitar.

 

[Bill SAS 513]

I've never been a whammy monster, and I've never had springs get stuck while removing/rearranging them...that's weird. Glad it finally broke loose for ya'.