Members kr236rk Posted June 28, 2018 Members Share Posted June 28, 2018 Hi, I have a s/h strat. I notice when I bend a string, all the other strings go down in tone, I notice that bending a string makes the bridge move. What is going on - I was told this was a regular bridge, it's unplayable for blues because you can't bend notes without detuning neighbouring notes. Bit fed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kr236rk Posted June 28, 2018 Author Members Share Posted June 28, 2018 So it looks like I've been sold a floating bridge - I WAS NOT TOLD. Is there anyway this can be converted so that you can only dive with the tremolo and not have the bridge floating please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted June 29, 2018 Members Share Posted June 29, 2018 I use 4 springs and have it decked. Here's a how to article. I hope it helps https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/23668-guitar-shop---decking-a-stratocaster-trem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted June 29, 2018 Members Share Posted June 29, 2018 What Gardo said. A strat trem bridge can float, but..... unless you are Jeff beck, it doesn't work for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Emory Posted June 29, 2018 Members Share Posted June 29, 2018 In defense of seller, a floating bridge is the regular bridge for a strat. If it is blocked so doesn't float, that info is passed on. I see you are a newbie.... I made plenty of goofs on assumptions when I started out too. Wish there were sites like this then! (there was no internet, BTW). May this event encourage you to seek out more info before parting with your hard earned dollars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kr236rk Posted June 29, 2018 Author Members Share Posted June 29, 2018 Thanks guys. Placed a piece of plywood, the exact dimension of the lesser tremolo block gap, inside that gap. Now I can bend properly without fighting the floating bridge - which stays put - and I can still lower the pitch with the wammy bar if I want to. It swings back into tune afterwards. Didn't mess with the springs, left them as I found them. Still plays great so I haven't messed up the action. How am I doing please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted June 29, 2018 Members Share Posted June 29, 2018 Try it for a while and see how it goes. Very easy to undo. Maybe next setup you can go the decking route Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kr236rk Posted June 29, 2018 Author Members Share Posted June 29, 2018 Well, now it's a strat that does what it says on the can - *rocks out*. Will talk to the shop tomorrow, but I think - surfing the net - I sorted it myself (hope) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted June 29, 2018 Members Share Posted June 29, 2018 That's called blocking a trem and is a standard thing to do, depending on your style. Neither is right or wrong, but blocked is a better option for beginners. A floating trem can be amazing, but requires a lot more experience to drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kr236rk Posted June 29, 2018 Author Members Share Posted June 29, 2018 Thanks, the shop says they can also adjust / 'screw in' the assembly to make it like a flat-tail bridge, so I'll take it over to them. Apart from that it plays great - do not want to part with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kr236rk Posted August 13, 2018 Author Members Share Posted August 13, 2018 Update - Took it back to the shop & the guy 'flat-tailed' the bridge, I could not see what he was doing & he wasn't letting on. Lot of messing with screws & springs by the look of it. What I did notice was he popped a spring into the tremolo hole before screwing the arm back in, and said not to remove the spring - not even to remove the whammy, that's a new one on me. The tremolo bar arm is now 'set', not like my Pacifica, where it flops about all over the place - no spring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted August 13, 2018 Members Share Posted August 13, 2018 I always use 5 springs on my trem guitars they're much more stable even on the nonlocking ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted August 13, 2018 Members Share Posted August 13, 2018 The spring with a little ball bearing in the trem bar hole is a standard thing to apply tension to the arm. Usually lost within the first year. In your case I'd just leave the arm off, since it's just in the way and might get snapped off if someone tries to use it with the trem decked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kr236rk Posted August 13, 2018 Author Members Share Posted August 13, 2018 Nope, you can still dive with this trem but its optimal position is about 5 to 4 o'clock, it won't go up to 12, too tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted August 13, 2018 Members Share Posted August 13, 2018 I can't use a trem that only goes down, so I float the trem on the one I use for that stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catscurlyear Posted August 13, 2018 Members Share Posted August 13, 2018 Yes they work ,i have one fit to one of my strats ,it does feel a little stiffer but it does feel like it is set up for a purpose and is still fully floating [video=youtube;Jvl0fLOzwi8] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted August 13, 2018 Members Share Posted August 13, 2018 I use 3 springs in my strats, never had and issue, It's a strat and strats play the blues just fine. 2 Springs is pretty touchie soft all around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kr236rk Posted August 13, 2018 Author Members Share Posted August 13, 2018 Different strokes for different folks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kr236rk Posted August 13, 2018 Author Members Share Posted August 13, 2018 But you can't unison bend with a floating bridge, the springs react to the pressure and pull the static note out of tune. On the A chord I held the G note (b7) on the B string while bending up to it with the G string, in classic blues style, the result was basically an out-of-tune guitar, then when the bend is released the floating bridge puts the strat back into perfect tune again. That bridge is not designed for old-time blues playing. Modern blues guitarists probably use the floating bridge-tremolo for (up-whammy?) bends, probably Beck does stuff like that as well, together with his faux-slide effects. I am permanently old-school, retro. Was told this is why Clapton has his tremolo blocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted August 13, 2018 Members Share Posted August 13, 2018 But you can't unison bend with a floating bridge, the springs react to the pressure and pull the static note out of tune. On the A chord I held the G note (b7) on the B string while bending up to it with the G string, in classic blues style, the result was basically an out-of-tune guitar, then when the bend is released the floating bridge puts the strat back into perfect tune again. That bridge is not designed for old-time blues playing. Modern blues guitarists probably use the floating bridge-tremolo for (up-whammy?) bends, probably Beck does stuff like that as well, together with his faux-slide effects. I am permanently old-school, retro. Was told this is why Clapton has his tremolo blocked. It's possible to do unison bends and play in tune. Some players bend the "static" note slighly to compensate. That's the way I do it. It just happens. I don't even have to think about it. Once you get a little more experience you'll see it's not the major obstacle you think it is. Other players gently hold the bar from moving with their picking hand while they bend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted August 14, 2018 Members Share Posted August 14, 2018 You can do unison bends but it requires a different technique . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kr236rk Posted August 14, 2018 Author Members Share Posted August 14, 2018 noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!! [LOL] taken me 40 years to learn how to bend properly ain't gonna change how I do it now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted August 16, 2018 Members Share Posted August 16, 2018 As mentioned above, I also "bend the static note." It's not a difficult technique to master. If you pay close attention to the pitch of the notes you are bending (something we should be doing all the time anyway) then you will get used to how much pressure you need to apply to maintain the pitch. After a while it will become second nature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kr236rk Posted August 16, 2018 Author Members Share Posted August 16, 2018 Thanks. 'The Fender tremolo system can be mounted either flush to the guitar top, or with a gap beneath that allows it to be used for increasing pitch and decreasing pitch.' My preference is for the former https://www.dawsons.co.uk/blog/a-guide-to-tremolo-bridges Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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