Re: I can't understand not floating a strat bridge i have a highweay 1 strat, and i have the bridge flush agains tthe body. cavity, adjust the bridge to your desired angle (on most free-floating systems, it is recommended that the bridge sit parallel to the body). Strat Bridge Not Flush With Body... Sign in to disable this ad Hi all. This adds more tension to the neck and subsequently pulls the bridge up out of place. Don’t tighten them too much, otherwise the tremolo will rock forward on its beveled edge. BTW: I have tried the wood block method before and was not very happy with it, but opinions do vary. You desired a vibrato bridge that did not stick out more than the original bridge, and here it is. This'll mean you no longer have any pull-up on the trem, but it'll make switching from E to Eb a lot more simple, and it'll keep your country bends in tune as bending one string will no longer cause the bridge to dip and make the rest of the strings go flat. A 5-cent drop would be around 99.5% of the fixed-bridge deflection force, etc. After years of having so many guitars with different strat floating vibratos, I've found not all the springs are the same. I know this has something to do with the trem but it seems it was seated closer to the body before I restrung. To raise the overall bridge. Since I don't use my vibrato bar very often and like to rest my hand on the bridge, I would like to make the bridge flush against the body of the guitar. The most well-known bridge is the vintage-style "synchronized" tremolo. Stratocaster guitars can have four distinctive types of bridges. 10 years ago. DISCUSSION I recently got a Music Man St Vincent, and while it plays and sounds great, I noticed that the front of the bridge (where the two bridge posts are) is floating off the body completely. use two pivot screws. If it's free-floating, we recommend that you place a block or stop-piece under the bridge to prevent it from collapsing when removing strings. Generally when a Strat with a 57/62, 2 7/32" spacing hardtail bridge is properly setup the G & D saddles will have one full 360 degree thread and a bit more protruding above both saddles. Leo Fender insisted it leave the factory floating (raised up in the back) while designer Freddie Tavares preferred it tightened flush for full bridge plate/body contact resonance. The other three are the American Series bridge, which is a modern-day two-pivot bridge; the non-tremolo hardtail bridge; and a locking tremolo, such as the American Deluxe or Floyd Rose® locking tremolos. [QUESTION] Keeping Strat trem flush with body I read through the floyd setup under the useful stuff section, but I don't have locking stuff. https://diystrat.blogspot.com/2011/08/setting-up-or-adjusting-stratocaster.html You might try your old Fender springs as well, to see if they have more ‘give’. Floating bridges are more commonly referred to as tremolo bridges – you can thank Leo Fender for that. The first documented floating bridges were found on jazzboxes made in the 1920s. I ve been trying to tighten the screws at the back of the coil, but I end up not being able to tighten them any more and the bridge … and i have tichtened the screwsa tthe back slightly so if you bend the bottom 2 strings you can see a bit of movement but not ALOT. The other three are the American Series bridge, which is a modern-day two-pivot bridge; the non-tremolo hardtail bridge; and a locking tremolo, such as the American Deluxe or Floyd Rose® locking tremolos. There are springs in the back. For the flush-mounted bridges, you might want to adjust the bridge … Sounds like you have a floating tremolo, which balances between the string tension and spring tension inside the guitar. My bridge is flush and I can do subtle trem dips, but they are just that - dips as you DO lose the ability to put trem on what you play that goes up and down in pitch, as you can only go down. As with any adjustments that you make on a guitar, every time you make an adjustment, you should always tune it back up to pitch. When flush with the body I find it alters the tone slightly and decreases sustain. How do I go about doing this, and what are the implications of doing it? [Discussion] How do you set up your tremolo bridges? My experience with Strat trems is to always keep it floating about 5 mm above the body. Can you guys post pics of your trems/bridges? With this kind of bridge, I recommend two upgrades to improve tuning stability: A floating tremolo means that the bridge is balanced between the tension of the strings, and the tension of the bridge springs. I just got my first strat, 94 MIM, and when I tune it the trem will not stay flat to the body. Amps: 66 Fender BF Pro Reverb Combo,1973 50 Watt Marshall Head,Marshall 4x12 A/V Cab,Vox ToneLab LE,Vox VTH Valvetronix 120 Head,Vox AD 2x12 Cab,Roland Cube 20X Guitars: Several Stratocasters,2 Fender Telecasters,Gibson SG Standard,Tokai Love Rock Les Paul,Dean Acoustic. A floating setup that drops about 10 cents* requires about 99% of the deflection force of a fixed bridge (or dive-only setup that doesn't move in this example). We are going to walk you through the steps in order to set it up correctly and alleviate the headaches and frustrations you have probably already experienced just trying to restring your guitar or … And if you want to ever use your vibrato you can just install your whammy bar and lift up and let the block slip out. Some players prefer these trems flush with the body, others prefer them half floating, while others still will block off the trem entirely. Note that the bridge does not have to be completely flush with the guitar's body, if up to 1/8 inch of the bridge floats, that is not a problem. The most well-known bridge is the vintage-style "synchronized" tremolo. Pioneered by Floyd Rose, the design has since been adopted by non locking bridges.They’re called “floating” because they sit above the body and can be both pushed and pulled for an extra-wide tremolo range. He floats the trem 1/8″ off the body. Just re-strung my new strat and now the bridge is at about a 20 degree angle to the body. my account | view cart | partner login | partner application ; GUITAR TREMOLO AND FIXED BRIDGES . I installed 5 tremolo springs and tightened the bridge plate down flush to the body. How well the nut is cut is crucial as well as string guage, number of springs used, locking or non-locking tuners, 6 screws in front of bridge plate must be of correct height. So now we've raised this post. it'll mean the bridge is flush against the body, no longer floating. Will I need to do a complete setup on my guitar after I remove the floating bridge? While the floating bridge has unique advantages for wavering pitch upwards (like Jeff Beck), the functionality of the "floating" has been widely accepted, yet disputed by some musicians. the bridge of my guitar is not flush with the body it is sticking up every time i try to tune my guitar how can i fix this. Mine is currently floating...with the front of the trem plate off of the body as well. a little bit tend to back up the pitch, but yet the bridge is still flush to the body on the back side. Determine if your bridge is free-floating or flush-mounted to the body. Floating means that the bridge is not touching the body apart from at the pivot point ... here Stratocaster nerds may argue about 6-screw vs 2-screw trem styles. Stratocaster guitars can have four distinctive types of bridges. The time has come to dive in to the world of the Floyd Rose double locking tremolo system. Its a cool way to stop any tuning issues with those strat vibrato systems. Several years ago, Mike Spitzer, Yngwie’s ex-manager, was nice enough to send me a lot of measurements taken from Yngwie’s guitars. Okay. Very few Stratocasters were built with hard tails, but some guitarists prefer them.Eric Clapton, for instance. This makes it a 'non-floating' bridge… The official home of the authentic Floyd Rose Tremolo System, Upgrades, Parts, Accessories, Audio, and more You imagined total freedom of movement and a whammy bar that never caused bother and here it is. If you have the trem 'decked' (not heard that one!) I prefer the tone of a floating Strat bridge, too — more open and springy. reply #4. On my strat I simply take a pencil and shave it off into something then pull string out of nut( tuned tension) and pour in a healthy dose then wipe off excess.I've heard two schools of thought on whether strat bridge should sit flush on body. The B, A, E, E will fall in place with both E saddles not being too high or too low; setup is based on a Pro neck using taller 6105 wire, 10/16 radius, notes clean acoustically. The bridge pivots around the attachment point (either two posts as in the modern bridge type or 6 screws in the vintage style, see below for examples of Strat bridge styles) which is the only physical connection the bridge has to the body of the guitar. STAY CONNECTED . That's when you actually deflect the string enough to drop the pitch 10 cents. For me, it is more important to keep the strings from going flat when I do pedal steel type bends, so I keep my trem flush always. And you're good to go again. It stops the bridge from floating and I don't lose that whole trem block/spring chime that Strats are famous for. You wanted a floating bridge that did not force you to drill into or modify your beloved ST guitar, so we did it. I play a Standard Stratocaster with a six-screw (“vintage”) floating tremolo bridge. Stringfellow. Vintage-style bridges will be at a slight angle, as they are not truly floating, with the back raised some 3-6mm, while the front is making contact with the body. You can tighten them so the bridge is flush to / touching the body. Floating tremolos aren’t for everyone though, and many players through the years have opted to “lock down” their bridges, including, Eric Clapton, who had his favorite Strat, “Blackie” set up to have a hardtail (non-tremolo) bridge. But you’ll hear the term whammy bar, vibrato bridges as well. You'll need to re-tune periodically to get the right balance between the strings and the springs. A floating bridge is commonly caused by adding higher gauge strings to a guitar. Next, turn the guitar over and make sure the six mounting screws holding the tremolo to the body are all adjusted flush to the bridge plate (Photo 5). Take it to the bridge! I use four springs. I just switched to Ernie Ball Beefy Slinky strings (11-54) and since changing them, my Strat s bridge floats like crazy, it s at least half an inch off from flush with the body! Hey all, Well I own a Fender American Deluxe Strat...just wondering how you fellow Strat owners have your bridges/tremolos set up? I have a Fender Stratocaster with a floating bridge. Modern “floating” bridges. Pickups: SD SSL2,SSL5,Twangbanger,Antiquity Surfers,59N,Seth Lover N/B,Dimarzio Fred,Dimarzio … Flat Mount; Stud Mount I practically never use the tremolo arm, and I’d like to experiment more with alternate tunings, so I’m thinking about “decking” the bridge – making it flush with the guitar body. The block must have soft foam or cloth on the underside to prevent damage to the finish.