Well I have not perfected tremoloing yet, but was told that by fixing it against the guitar body you get better sustain. I guess it could be a true statement.
Floating bridge
Fixed bridge
I like to have my tremolo bridge floating, so I can pull the bar up as well as push it down, to make tremolo effects. The drawback is it goes out of tune easier, and I also think the sound might be a little thinner. I guess that's why some people prefer the "hard tail way", a fixed bridge so you can only push the tremolo bar down.
Which do you prefer?
Last edited by Robert; May 10th, 2007 at 01:13 PM.
The Law of Gravity is nonsense. No such law exists. If I think I float, and you think I float, then it happens.
Master Guitar Academy - I also teach via SKYPE.
Well I have not perfected tremoloing yet, but was told that by fixing it against the guitar body you get better sustain. I guess it could be a true statement.
Guitars:
Electric: Washburn HB-30, Squier Tele Custom Deluxe, Jay Turser Strat.
Acoustic: Seagull S6.
AMPs: VOX AD30VT, Peavey Envoy 110.
Modelers: V-AMP 2, Digitech RP-100A.
Pedals: Boss RC-2 Loop Station, Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble, Digitech Bad Monkey, Ibanez DE7 Delay/Echo, DOD VFX40B 7-Band Graphic EQ, Ibanez CS-5 Super Chorus.
The claw screwed down tight and the bridge resting on the body........
Guitars: 2008 Gibson SG Classic, 2006 Gibson Les Paul Standard LE, 2002 Gibson SG Supreme, 2001 Gibson Les Paul Studio Plus, 1996 Les Paul Studio Gem, American Deluxe Double Fat Strat, Bluesville "Super" Strat Copy, MIK Fender "Limited Edition" Tele, JD Bluesville "Night Pilot", Yamaha AES 820, Steinberger Spirit GT Pro, Taylor 355CE, Ovation 1897 Adamas, Ovation CC057 Celebrity
Amps: Axe FX centered rack rig, Mesa 4x12 cab. Germino Club 40, Johnson JM150 Millennium, Johnson JM250 Millennium, Gibson Titan Medalist Frankenstein.
Effects: Tonebone Trimode, EH Holy Grail, Boss CH-1, Dunlop Crybaby Classic, Framptone Amp Switcher, THD Hot Plate, Yamaha AG Stomp Acoustic Processor, Boss BCB-60 Pedal Board.
I´m really a hard tail player (non-trem that is) but I really love to play on a floating Floyd Rose trem sometimes. But I would probably not want a floating trem on my "main" axe.
I can't say that I've given up on a flanger cause I've never liked the effect either. I also can't say the same about Tremolo. I hate them both equally. - Tone2TheBone 2009
Mine is slightly floated. About a nickel thickness from the body. I too like to swirl chords and notes up or down. I don't feel and hear any difference between closing it flush cause I've tried that on my guitar and it sounded the same.
Guitars/Bass - MIM Fender Classic 50s Strat, MIM Fender Standard Strat, Squier Classic Vibe 50s Tele, Gibson Les Paul Studio, Epi '56 Gold Top Les Paul, Martin DSR acoustic, Sigma Martin Auditorium electric/acoustic, Squier Jazz Bass.
Amps/Cabinets/Modelers - Model 2558 50 watt Marshall Silver Anniversary Jubilee combo w/ Celestion Vintage 30s, 4x12 Marshall cabinet w/25 watt Greenback Celestions, Fender Blues Junior w/ a couple of Billm mods, Line 6 POD 2.0, Roland Micro Cube
Pedals/Effects - Cry Baby Classic Wah, Boss TU-2, Boss NS-2, Boss RC-2 Loop Station, Ross Compressor, MXR Micro Amp, Danelectro FAB Echo, Danelectro FAB Chorus, Danelectro Chicken Salad, Marshall Guv'nor Plus, Marshall Echohead, Duhvoodooman's Zonkin' Yellow Screamer, Digitech Digiverb, Digitech Bad Monkey, Dunlop Fuzz Face, Homemade Loop Bypass pedal, Duhvoodooman's Sonic Tonic (Maxon SD-9 clone +), Voodoo Labs Superfuzz
Mine came with the float adjusted down tight by the prior owner, and I have not changed it. I do not use the whammy bar yet, so don't know if I will change it later on. I will probably play around with it on the Fully, then maybe adjust my Strat if I decide I want to. I like how my Strat plays now though.
Steve Thompson
Sun Valley, Idaho
Guitars: Fender 60th Anniversary Std. Strat, Squier CVC Tele Hagstrom Viking Semi-hollow, Joshua beach guitar, Martin SPD-16TR Dreadnought
Amphs: Peavey Classic 30, '61 Fender Concert
Effects and such: Boss: DS-1, CE-5, NS-2 and RC20XL looper, Digitech Bad Monkey, Korg AX1G Multi-effects, Berhinger: TU100 tuner, PB100 Clean Boost, Line 6 Toneport UX2, Electro Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi, DuhVoodooMan's Rabid Rodent Rat Clone, Zonkin Yellow Screamer Mk. II, MXR Carbon Copy Delay
love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart. . .
- j. johnson
When I'm in a mood to use the tremolo, I like it floating. I like being able to use full vibrato on chords, and it sounds weird to me if all I can do is bend them downwards. On the other hand, when I'm in a mood to stay in tune (which is most of the time) I put another spring on so the bridge is set against the body and put the tremolo arm in my case.
For me it depends on the guitar. Ones that have good sustain and projection I'll float slightly. Like Tone I like to swirl my chords and notes a bit. If the guitar lacks a little in the tone department I'll put the bridge on the body and it does enhance the tone and sustain a bit.
"No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi
Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.
All three of my guitars are hard tails, so I can't really comment. Oh, crap, I just did.
But seriously folks, someday I will have a Floyd-equipped guitar.
Axen: Jackson DK2M, Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster, Reverend Warhawk 390, Taylor 914ce, ESP LTD Surveyor-414
Amphen: Jet City JCA22H and JCA12S cab, Carvin X-60 combo, Acoustic B20
Effecten: "Thesis 96" Overdrive/Boost (aka DVM OD2), Hardwire DL-8 Digital Delay/Looper, DigiTech Polara Reverb, DigiTech EX-7 Expression Factory and CF-7 Chorus Factory, Danelectro CF-1 Cool Cat Fuzz
"I wish Imagine Dragons would be stuck in an Arcade Fire for an entire Vampire Weekend."--Brian Posehn
I love the full floating. Tuning seems to stay more stable for me with it set this way. And if you have a real steel block it doesn't thin your sound out like a cheap zinc block will.
"It's funny the way most people love the dead. Once you are dead, you are made for life." - Jimi Hendrix
I have one of the Strats setup with a slightly floating tremolo and the other flush with the body. I haven't noticed any degradation of tone or serious detuning with the floating approach.
To tell you the truth, for full floating operation (and appropriate tremolo effects) I prefer the original Floyd Rose in my old Kramer. It simply refuses to go out of tune and in fact it's the most "musical" tremolo unit I have used.
Note: we should really call it "vibrato" and not "tremolo"
Ab - good point on the Floyd.
Trem - I concur. A steel trem block resonates just as loud and full no matter if you close it shut to the body or float it.
Guitars/Bass - MIM Fender Classic 50s Strat, MIM Fender Standard Strat, Squier Classic Vibe 50s Tele, Gibson Les Paul Studio, Epi '56 Gold Top Les Paul, Martin DSR acoustic, Sigma Martin Auditorium electric/acoustic, Squier Jazz Bass.
Amps/Cabinets/Modelers - Model 2558 50 watt Marshall Silver Anniversary Jubilee combo w/ Celestion Vintage 30s, 4x12 Marshall cabinet w/25 watt Greenback Celestions, Fender Blues Junior w/ a couple of Billm mods, Line 6 POD 2.0, Roland Micro Cube
Pedals/Effects - Cry Baby Classic Wah, Boss TU-2, Boss NS-2, Boss RC-2 Loop Station, Ross Compressor, MXR Micro Amp, Danelectro FAB Echo, Danelectro FAB Chorus, Danelectro Chicken Salad, Marshall Guv'nor Plus, Marshall Echohead, Duhvoodooman's Zonkin' Yellow Screamer, Digitech Digiverb, Digitech Bad Monkey, Dunlop Fuzz Face, Homemade Loop Bypass pedal, Duhvoodooman's Sonic Tonic (Maxon SD-9 clone +), Voodoo Labs Superfuzz
I keep mine floating about 1/16-1/8" on all my strats, depending on the string gauge I'm using. I prefer the sound from the floating trem and never really noticed a big difference when it was flush. I've never had tuning problems with a Fender and floating trem. I lubricate the nut with graphite, set it up to Fender specs, and stretch the strings real good when I change them. It seems to work.
Guitars: 2003 and 2004 American series strats, Squier Classic Vibe 50's Strat, Squier Deluxe Strat.
Amps: Line 6 Spider IV 120, Vox AD50VT 212, and Peavey Transtube Bandit 112.
Pedals: Digitech Bad Monkey.
My Hamer clone is set up so that I can only press down. I don't do heavy diving, because it's not my style--I just use the tremolo to give a nice shimmer and singing tremolo to sustained notes.
Play your guitar daily!
I thought religious threads are not allowed in here *lol*
I prefer a fixed bridge. I have never really experimented much with the trem and as I do not use it I fix the bridge. Soundwise I guess the tone develops more direct than with a floating system, but this is subjective feeling only.
"A lot of people in the industry want to blame downloading for the state of the business. But I think if most music wasn't shit to begin with people wouldn't be downloading it for free," - Corey Taylor (Slipknot)
On my ibanez superstrat it's floating
on my fender I had it floating some time, but now it's fixed because I don't really use the fender tremolo on stage with my band so it's useless, but I liked to use it at home, maybe I'll make it float sometime...
Guitars: Ibanez RGT42DX loaded with Dimarzio Air Norton (neck) and Dimarzio x2n (bridge)
MIM strat /w maple neck. new pickups soon
Amps: ENGL Screamer 50 1x12 Combo
Effects: All I use now is a dunlop wah and a big muff.
too bad i dont know how to float the bridge on my strat
I had the bridge on my Godin SD fixed, then floating, it's back to fixed now.
gee...I dunno.
I pick a moon dog.
can you float the brigde on a squire