There are many different guitar bridges out there, but their construction can actually be narrowed down to just two types. 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). Problem 1: the nut . Vintage59, Sep 2, 2010 #3. houseguitarshop Strat-O-Master. If the strings don’t move freely in the slots, they’ll bind up when using the tremolo and won’t return to pitch when the bar is released. 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. Even with the springs back this far, the guitar's bridge is still not level and I believe it affects how my guitar plays and how well it stays in tune and plus the strings height towards the bridge is pretty high compared to the top of the neck. Have a floating bridge on your guitar and sick of being stuck in one tuning? Trem-tuning problems have as much to do with what goes on at the peghead as what goes on at the bridge. i have an ibanez sas36fm with the sat pro bridge which is floating. The "ping" sound is a string binding somewhere and that's not good. It was, in fact floating, but not in the way in which I set it up. Nut slots are the primary culprit. If the guitar is setup properly, these issues become so minimal, they go virtually unnoticed. Messages: 780. The only thing that is different is that the bridge is completely removable and is held in position by the tension of your strings. How can I get it to level without needing to order extra springs and risking it becoming broke at the adjustment area? While this might be a nifty addition, the non-locking tremolo bridge is not without its problems. Wanting to change tuning without having the hassle of adjusting springs and tricky tuning techniques? First off, strings can lose their tune pretty easily the more the tremolo effect is used as the stretching and releasing of the string will cause a small amount of stretching in their length, thus bringing it out of tune. However, their construction fits into two anatomies. I can safely say I know the difference between a floating bridge and a decked bridge. And, I’ve never seen a Strat, right out of the box, set up with bridge floating parallel to the face of the guitar. Setting up your archtop guitar with a floating bridge is generally the same as setting up a normal guitar. I will show you how to make a bridge lock cheaply and easily using a single scrap of wood and some tools from around the house! Joined: Nov 5, 2009 Location: USA. Whenever I buy a guitar, I always count on having to spend extra on a good setup. Fixed Guitar Bridges vs. Tremolo/Floating Bridges. Want a fuller guitar tone? Then this Instructable is for you! These are fixed ones and tremolos, which can also be called floating bridges. I’ve been playing guitars for forty years and working on them almost as long. The Two Guitar Bridge Types (Fixed Bridge & Floating Bridge) There are many different types of guitar bridges out there.