The Two Guitar Bridge Types (Fixed Bridge & Floating Bridge) There are many different types of guitar bridges out there. Floating bridges (also called pontoon bridges) are not equipped with sailing masts or outboard motors of any kind. After drawing up a couple of ideas, I settled on a design that would allow me to make a bunch of them at once. There are two main methods to convert a Stratocaster with a floating tremolo bridge to a hardtail Stratocaster. On the other hand, I'm impressed with the new design Fender put together and I don't want to mess with the purity of it. No drilling or screws required and it's reversible! The Stewart-MacDonald Bridge Fitting Jig is for use with a two-piece "floating" bridge for an archtop guitar or mandolin. Learn how to change your electric guitar strings on a floating tremolo style bridge guitar like a pro. How to intonate a guitar with a floating bridge. The ramp bays, which have one sloped side, will connect to each shore. De-tune your guitar strings. Gretsch Adjustable Bridge Base … My definition of a floating bridge is one that is not fixed into place. I feel like the holes would be covered unless the intonation is extremely different. Floating bridges are more commonly referred to as tremolo bridges – you can thank Leo Fender for that. Floating vibrato systems are generally described as any tremolo system where you can both adjust the guitar’s pitch up or down with the bar. The first documented floating bridges were found on jazzboxes made in the 1920s. 21/02/19 5:00pm - 5 min read . Difcuy 6Pcs Double Locking System Strings Saddles Replacement for Floyd Rose Guitar Tremolo Bridge Instrument Accessories Black. A real floating bridge. It holds the bridge base while the bridge feet are sanded to match the instrument's top curvature. Some guitar players prefer a floating bridge, as it allows them to manipulate the whammy bar in both directions instead of only forward. String the guitar the same way you normally would. FREE Shipping. 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. Here's how I laid it out on a piece of maple 1-3/4" wide by 3/4" thick. However, their construction fits into two anatomies. It is structurally less rigid than brass bridge posts screwed into a block of wood. However, a Fender Stratcaster bridge that floats too much can damage the bridge, as well as put too much tension on the neck, causing it to bow or bind in a way in which it is not meant to. I have an archtop guitar with a floating bridge. More tutorials are added all the time. This is the first time I used this guy for a setup so I'm not sure the rationale. He was not in when I picked up the guitar so I couldn't ask him about it. A floating bridge allows you to adjust the intonation and use a wooden saddle for different string sets. A floating tremolo means that the bridge is balanced between the tension of the strings, and the tension of the bridge springs. showed the customer how to put it on. 1. I have small rubber sticky pads I can insert on the front of my trem block and then I tighten the spring claw to make sure it stays if I lose tension from a broken string. One involves “blocking” the bridge by wedging a wood block between the trem system and the body of the guitar. While the floating bridge guitar is not that tough to manage compared to the usual ones, you will need to know how to use the floating bridge to your music rather than leaving it as a white elephant. Floating bridges have an additional feature, the tremolo arm, which allows you to change the pitch of the strings by bending or pulling on it. 95. This tutorial is for your floating tremolo bridge guitars such as our AG Series. While it didn't really fix the finicky beast, it certainly made it easier to live with. The following bridge designs can be custom ordered for a Vorreiter guitar: The traditional bridge, the scalloped bridge and the floating bridge (the floating bridge does not need to be glued to the top, but it is useful for the string changing process to have it glued). When utilized well. You can make all sorts of weird and wacky noises diving and raising the whammy bar. It was like 10 years ago. There is a great list of sounds and how to do them in Peter’s article on Five Fun Floyd Rose Tricks. So although you can't go joyriding through the ocean waves with them, you actually can go joyriding on them in your car. The other is to “deck” the tremolo by adding extra springs and tightening the spring claw to deck the bridge against the body. However, a Fender Stratcaster bridge that floats too much can damage the bridge, as well as put too much tension on the neck, … And, you know, on this particular guitar in the given moon phase, and with a Republican administration, I could not hear any difference in tone from the .012 phosphor bronze strings. Gonna try to find a pic of that thing. I read that a floating bridge can put additional pressure on the neck and may also case some tuning issues. But frivolous fun takes a backseat to the more utilitarian purposes that floating bridges serve. Then you'd need to angle the neck back so that the strings and the neck would still be close to each other. I've been told that it's important for the bridge to have maximum contact with the face of the guitar, but I'm seeing a gap between the bridge and the . I was out of two sided tape. Check back to see what's new! This stems from a conversation I had in email recently, and it does make for a good article since not too many guitar players know about this. I just worked on am old Kay with a floating bridge. LOL! The layout drawing shows 4 bridges, but the piece is twice as thick as it needs to be so I'll get 8 bridges out of it. The first, guitar bridge construction type is the fixed bridge, whilst the second type is floating bridge type (also known to be the tremolo bridges). $1.38 shipping. I didn't see the guitar in front of me (it was in a catalog) but i think the bridge should go only downwards due to the guitar body. Setting up your archtop guitar with a floating bridge is generally the same as setting up a normal guitar. From simple pitch variations to harmonic squeals, car engines revving and fluttering noises, floating bridges provide hours of fun. The solution here is pretty simple: secure the floating bridge. Has anyone tried this? Top Floating Bridge Guitars. A vibrato system on a guitar is a mechanical device used to temporarily change the pitch of the strings. This Video will help ANYONE who needs a quick, concise tutorial on changing the strings on floating bridge archtop guitar. you can actually make a crowd go wild! Once you tune the strings, check the bridge to make sure it's floating level. I was not asked my preference, but the bridge was flush when I dropped it off. Those bridges are floating, or at least have to be floating to intonate. How do you restring a floating bridge on a guitar? Everyone has a preference when it comes to a type of guitar bridge. Stack Exchange Network. This is the easy way to keep an archtop bridge from sliding around when you bend or change the strings. $9.95 $ 9. Some guitar players prefer a floating bridge, as it allows them to manipulate the whammy bar in both directions instead of only forward. The result is a reduction of weight, since the lightweight spruce wood can be used for these braces. So my question is, could I just unscrew the current bridge and throw on a floating bridge? The only thing that is different is that the bridge is completely removable and is held in position by the tension of your strings. The problem is, great, old-school style bridge blanks—the kind players have come to expect on their guitars for decades—have been harder and harder to find. Believe its Peavey, i don't remember. $14.99 $ 14. I'm a bit torn on what to do about it. Therefore, keeping with tradition, we’ll carry on using the word ‘trem’, but you can change that to ‘vibrato’ in your head, if you like. This means the only thing holding the bridge down is the strings and absolutely nothing else. Floating bridges are usually only held in place by string tension, and as they’re very easy to knock out of place, it’s easy to throw your intonation all out of whack. (he needed the guitar) So I did n't have time to go buy some and put it on for him. This is my number one complaint I get fro customers that have a jazz guitar with these bridges. Cian Hodge. In these setups, the guitar’s bridge is actually suspended, or “floating” in the guitar’s body when the bar is not being used. I do this only because if you break one string while playing on a floating bridge, the rest will go out of tune and I just never wanted to risk that while playing live. On bridge materials, I went to a TOM on a Wu guitar because intonation was giving me fits. Even though the effect produced by a floating bridge is called vibrato, Fender erroneously used the term tremolo for the bridge on its brand new Stratocaster guitar way back in 1954, and the confusion has persisted ever since. A floating bridge is a term that refers to a guitar bridge that is raised up and not flush against the body of the guitar. Remove the bridge's top and thumbwheels. To find out the general area where the bridge should be placed, measure the length of your neck from the nut to the 12th fret. I could add some springs, tighten the screws and force that sucker down so it doesn't move on me. My guitar has a "floating tailpiece" as I believe it's called, in which the strings pass beyond the bridge to the tailpiece. The bridge is one of the most important "braces" on the entire guitar, so it's important to make sure the quality of your bridge stock is absolutely top notch! ULTNICE Ebony Archtop Guitar Bridge Bone Saddle Luthier Jazz Guitar Part. But I do have one new guitar (2014 Am. Fixed bridges have a saddle and bridge where the strings pass through and this acts as the end point of the strings on the guitar. View Cian's Profile When you buy an electric guitar, the choice between a fixed bridge and a floating bridge is a major factor. Std. 5.0 out of 5 stars 5. Advertisement. Floating bridges are great. Check out how to change other styles of guitar strings here. Can't find a pic. 99. Both floating and fixed variants have their pros and cons - exactly why we’re going to explore what the best choice is for you. 4.7 out of 5 stars 8. The semi-hollow will certainly sound different with a floating bridge but the thing is this: will you like it and can you make it work for you? Any improved ribbon bridge is made up of two types of bays, essentially big floating rectangles. The 5129 I purchased is one of the very early models, and it has a fixed post bridge instead of a floating bridge. If you took a flat top guitar and set it up with a tailpiece instead of bridge pins, you'd need to make the bridge, or its saddle, really tall to get enough of a break angle to hold the strings down tight. If the bridge is leaned backwards, you'll need to loosen the claw screws in the bridge cavity and retune it. Advertisement. Strat) that has a floating bridge. Labs / Electric Guitars. 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