Saddles, spring tension, fixed one-way vs floating bridge. A quality tremolo bridge is important for the sustain. Adjust your trem springs to counterbalance the tension of the guitar’s strings. If you want to put on a set of .010-.046 strings, you'll have to re-set up your tremolo. Gotoh Fender Floating Tremolo Install: The following is the DIY laid out step-by-step. Thanks for checking this out. The back of the bridge, 3/32 inch or a little less off of the body, for the typical floating bridge setup. Joined: Apr 2, 2008. Gotoh Fender Floating Tremolo Install: The following is the DIY laid out step-by-step. Tremolo springs. We find the sustain to be improved when tremolo springs are tightened so the bridge leans hard against the body. That included making sure that the six bridge plate screws were set evenly and the springs tightened to a proper tension. The actual work was done by a good friend of mine named Rod. Rod is a gifted engineer and if you're lookin… At this point, Gilmour preferred to keep the bridge plate in contact with the guitar body and not in a “floating-style” tremolo setup. The actual work was done by a good friend of mine named Rod. There are other good reference materials, including the Fender electric guitar manual itself. How to Block Your Tremolo. Since Fender manufactures its own strings, they are designed to perform well during extreme tremolo techniques. Special care was taken to ensure the vibrato worked properly. Here are the components important for the setup: All we need is a tuner, a philips screwdriver and some patience. So if you want to use your Stratocaster as God himself, Leo Fender intended, try performing the setup demonstrated by the kind Italian fellow in that video and it should increase the performance of your tremolo dramatically. You are attempting to make the springs in the rear cavity of the guitar counterbalance the tension of the guitar’s strings when they are tuned to pitch. How To Set Up A Strat Floating Tremolo | Two Pivots Tremolo Discussion in 'Luthier's Guitar & Bass Technical Discussion' started by binge, Feb 2, 2012. I got a Fender Jeff Beck Strat and I was going to give it a little set up and I found this very good video: I watched it and everything made sense and seemed easy enough. That doesn''t necessarily mean that you need to set your bridge to float - set it how you like it. One of the best ways to reduce string breakage is to lubricate the string/saddle contact point with a light machine oil (we prefer 3-in-1 oil because it contains anti-rust and anti-corrosive properties) every time you change strings. The art of getting a floating trem to work correctly is all about balance. The Strat I’m working with is set up with three springs, which is common for most floating tremolos. Fender designed the Jag and JM tremolo so that with a simple slide of a knob the “right” tuning is restored – the tremolo works downward only when the lock is engaged. Anyone who doubts that this is true should look at the patent drawings submitted by Leo Fender. You may consider getting MAKING YOUR ELECTRIC GUITAR SOUND GREAT by Dan Erlewine as a reference. Tremolo bridge. Step 1: This goes without saying, but first you need to take the back plate off so you can access the tremolo system. Rod is a gifted engineer and if you're lookin… Thanks for checking this out. Feb 2, 2012 #1. binge Member. This allows only for frequency drop with the tremolo, but it is worth it due to increased sustain. Messages: 1,406. Any questions or comments on the job will be forwarded to him. … Any questions or comments on the job will be forwarded to him. Pros and Cons A floating tremolo has both advantages and disadvantages.