Are tremelo bridges usually brighter?

[Dills]

Are tremelo bridges usually brighter sounding than standard fixed bridges?

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Are tremelo bridges usually brighter?

Keeping everything else fixed, the tone to my ears is more metallic. A LP might be brighter, yet bright and metallic to mea are different things. I am talking about that ear piecing, icepicky tone. (relatively speaking of course)

B

 

[Majestic]

Re: Are tremelo bridges usually brighter?

The tone I get from the Floyd-equpped EBMM has more sustain, more bass, and more toothy-treble than my vintage tremolo equipped EBMM.

What's interesting is that although I EXPECTED the vintage trem to offer warmer tone, I didn't expect it to have LESS bass, and slightly less sustain.

But maybe what they say about stainless steel frets (more sustain, more treble) is true for stainless steel Floyds, as well.

Either way, the only time I've heard a Floyd suck bass away from tone, is when it's floating, and not blocked-up against the body.

 

[Dills]

Re: Are tremelo bridges usually brighter?

could you say its more metalic and less woody(meaty) sounding?

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Are tremelo bridges usually brighter?

yes.

 

[kap_x]

Re: Are tremelo bridges usually brighter?

Do you guys think a Dimebucker would help solve the metallic (nice description, by the way) tone?

It's almost like the strings are just..dead. Even with new strings.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Are tremelo bridges usually brighter?

The metallic sound isn't really quite as apparent when you're playing as you'd think

The problem with the sustain is in the trem blocks themselves. Many use zinc or other bad metals to save money.

I'm ordering a Callaham steel block for my Gotoh 1088 vintage trem. That should bring out better response in my strat-style guitar and increase sustain. I've heard miraculous things about simply changing the block and it makes perfect sense to me.

 

[kap_x]

Re: Are tremelo bridges usually brighter?

The metallic sound isn't really quite as apparent when you're playing as you'd think

The problem with the sustain is in the trem blocks themselves. Many use zinc or other bad metals to save money.

I'm ordering a Callaham steel block for my Gotoh 1088 vintage trem. That should bring out better response in my strat-style guitar and increase sustain. I've heard miraculous things about simply changing the block and it makes perfect sense to me.

Where could I go about finding replacement blocks that are quality, and what would the best quality blocks be?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Are tremelo bridges usually brighter?

I think a string thru design would tend to have the "warmer", pluckier tone...and that the vibrato style would tend to have the more bouncy but steely tone.

I think that shimming the neck, so that the action has to be raised, increases the string angle behind the bridge saddles (between where the string comes out of the top of the bridge baseplate and the back edge of the individual string saddles ) and that seems to deepen and improve the tone of my Fender guitars.

So, "properly" set-up, a vibrato equipped Strat might actually sustain better and have a deeper tone than a string through body or "standard fixed bridge" Strat or Tele guitar that's not "properly" set up.

I think that a refret with bigger frets will usually deepen and improve the tone too. I don't know why. Maybe for the same reason a Les Paul sounds deeper than an SG: more mass. In this case, more mass being added by the bigger, heavier frets.

So I guess I'm saying that all other things being equal: "I think a string thru design would tend to have the "warmer", pluckier tone...and that the vibrato style would tend to have the more bouncy but steely tone."

But that my Strats with vibratos and with medium jumbo frets and the proper string angle behind the saddles sustain better and sound deeper than most fixed bridge Strats and Teles.

And the body and neck wood have a big influence on tone too.

Lew

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Are tremelo bridges usually brighter?

I think a string thru design would tend to have the "warmer", pluckier tone...and that the vibrato style would tend to have the more bouncy but steely tone.

I think that shimming the neck, so that the action has to be raised, increases the string angle behind the bridge saddles (between where the string comes out of the top of the bridge baseplate and the back edge of the individual string saddles ) and that seems to deepen and improve the tone of my Fender guitars.

So, "properly" set-up, a vibrato equipped Strat might actually sustain better and have a deeper tone than a string through body or "standard fixed bridge" Strat or Tele guitar that's not "properly" set up.

I think that a refret with bigger frets will usually deepen and improve the tone too. I don't know why. Maybe for the same reason a Les Paul sounds deeper than an SG: more mass. In this case, more mass being added by the bigger, heavier frets.

So I guess I'm saying that all other things being equal: "I think a string thru design would tend to have the "warmer", pluckier tone...and that the vibrato style would tend to have the more bouncy but steely tone."

But that my Strats with vibratos and with medium jumbo frets and the proper string angle behind the saddles sustain better and sound deeper than most fixed bridge Strats and Teles.

And the body and neck wood have a big influence on tone too.

Lew

lew...Do you like your bridges to float then,or do you like the bridge sitting on the body? If you do prefer the floating bridge,how high is the rear of your bridge off the body,how many springs,and what gauge strings? Curious how the other half lives....

My blue strat is setup different from my norm in that I Put 4 springs and have the bridge flat on the body..Normally I use 3 springs and adjust the bridge off the body and measure about 3/32 back there....I use .010s....All 3 springs angle from the bridge into a smaller V at the claw..

John

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Are tremelo bridges usually brighter?

lew...Do you like your bridges to float then,or do you like the bridge sitting on the body? If you do prefer the floating bridge,how high is the rear of your bridge off the body,how many springs,and what gauge strings? Curious how the other half lives....

My blue strat is setup different from my norm in that I Put 4 springs and have the bridge flat on the body..Normally I use 3 springs and adjust the bridge off the body and measure about 3/32 back there....I use .010s....All 3 springs angle from the bridge into a smaller V at the claw..

John

Flat against the body. I rarely use it, and I think flat against the body stays in tune better and sounds more solid. I have it blocked on some of my Strats. Lew

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Are tremelo bridges usually brighter?

Flat against the body. I rarely use it, and I think flat against the body stays in tune better and sounds more solid. I have it blocked on some of my Strats. Lew

Lew...See,that was my mindset with this strat..I figured the guitar would stay in tune better and that maybe I'd get more sustain..Sought of like a non-tremolo bridge...All of my other strats have the floating bridge though and I'm accustomed to it..

John

 

[Inge Malmstein]

Re: Are tremelo bridges usually brighter?

I wonder if a chrome pickguard does also affect the tone? I use one in the Explorer and one in a strat.