Floating Bridge

[nate_dennis]

Is there any benefit to having a floating bridge? They seem like a bit of a PITA so there must be some reasoning. Any thoughts?

 

[Opivy]

well, you can either bend the pitch higher - or lower. You have the choice =0

Also, you will be able to get the "Cricket" sound - (i'm not sure what it's actually called)

It's in the solo of the Dream Theater song "under a glass moon".

And umm - in the youtube guy Jerry C's song "Rock On" somewhere in the middle.

edit -hmm, I might be confusing a floating bridge with something else. I assumed you were talking about the tremelo

 

[Washburn100]

Wiki is your friend:

"Most locking tremolo systems currently in production are "floating" bridges, a concept first popularized by Steve Vai. Vai, wanting the ability to both lower and raise the pitch (by pulling on the bar) had a carved "lion's claw" cavity behind the bridge to allow the bridge to be raised further than normal. Guitar manufacturers prefer this type of configuration because mounting the bridge in this way is both easier for builders (because the neck does not need to be mounted on an angle when mounted within the body of the guitar) and because it increases functionality."

 

[miroslav]

Mmmmmm...I may be wrong, but I think nate_dennis is talking about the bridges with wooden bases that are not attached to the body via holes/screws...they just "float" on top of the body and are held in place only by the string tension.

You often see these types of bridges on hollow body guitars...as there is no room to drill into the body to anchor the bridge like on a typical solid body guitar.

 

[TetraFish]

Yes, in my opinion they are a PITA. If you change string gauges you need to dick with the springs in the back for three hours. You can't just simply tune down to a drop d or some other tuning. I'm shure some peoples playing styles require it but for me they are a complete waste of time.

 

[muttley600]

A floating bridge is as miroslave describes. A floating tremelo is a completely different beast.

A floating bridge is a historical hangover from the violin family and allows you to set the intonation by slight movements forward or back. You definitely do not want it glued in place. If you have one change strings one at a time. If you have to remove it for any reason mark the position with a piece of masking tape so you can get it back where it came from. Often you can see tell tale print lines in the finish where it has been sitting.

 

[nate_dennis]

You often see these types of bridges on hollow body guitars...as there is no room to drill into the body to anchor the bridge like on a typical solid body guitar.

Yeah, that makes sense. I guess it's just a necessity (or however you spell it.)

A floating bridge is a historical hangover from the violin family and allows you to set the intonation by slight movements forward or back. You definitely do not want it glued in place. If you have one change strings one at a time. If you have to remove it for any reason mark the position with a piece of masking tape so you can get it back where it came from. Often you can see tell tale print lines in the finish where it has been sitting.

Good info mutt, thank you. I'll do the one string at a time thing next time. Sounds much easier.

 

[mixmkr]

because you can't glue them to banjo heads??

btw...the "super-vee" is making (or has) the Floyd obsolete for a floating trem.

 

[ggunn]

Wiki is your friend:

"Most locking tremolo systems currently in production are "floating" bridges, a concept first popularized by Steve Vai. Vai, wanting the ability to both lower and raise the pitch (by pulling on the bar) had a carved "lion's claw" cavity behind the bridge to allow the bridge to be raised further than normal. Guitar manufacturers prefer this type of configuration because mounting the bridge in this way is both easier for builders (because the neck does not need to be mounted on an angle when mounted within the body of the guitar) and because it increases functionality."

Trust Wikipedia to get it wrong. Floating bridges (the tremelo variety) have been around since long before Steve Vai chopped his guitar, maybe even before he was born (I don't know how old he is). Any Strat that has the bridge strings tensioned so the the rest position of the block is not against the inside wall of the block cavity has a floating bridge. Also, if a tremelo is "locked", it is not floating.

I have played a Strat with a floating bridge since the 70's. Yes, it can be a PITA to tune (every string you adjust affects all the rest), and if you don't deal with friction issues in the headstock, your tuning will be all over the place every time you use the bar. But if you use the bar to add vibrato ('tremelo" is a misnomer, as is "vibrato" on a Fender amp) on a floating bridge guitar, the center point of the pitch variation will be on the pitch of the note you are fretting, while on a guitar with the tremelo set to return against the body, it will be flat of the pitch.