STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

[SoCalSteve]

Bought a new MIM Strat and setup from store has the vintage style treolo bridge up off the body about 1/8 inch. Is this correct or should it be flush. I'm thinking it might be correct because I've read strat players say when you use the whammy bar you should pull back up on it to get it back in tune.

 

[Robert S.]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

The 2 point trems on the MIAs should be 1/8" off the body at the trailing edge, the vintage style on the MIMs should be flush. If your nut is properly cut and polished, you shouldn't have to to much of anything to keep your Strat in tune.

At least thats the theory.......

 

[southadc]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

I've heard that some people do float the strat-style trems a little, to allow some up-bend. Don't see much point myself but hey, different folks, different strokes.

 

[Mincer]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

I float mine to allow about 1/4 step bend up- this is with a vintage saddle. It works well, and stays in tune.

 

[Scatterwound]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

On my Strat (MIA) I had the springs tightened up so that the trem is flush with the body....Cuz I never use the trem.....Well maybe at the end of a song but that is all.................. :smack:

 

[StratoGuy]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

i have 2 mim strats and i have had 3 pro set ups on each both have the trem flush with the body...doesnt bother me i never use whammy bar anyway. I say if it works for u....use it

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

Depends on what you want the trem to do, when they float they are good for making chord shimmers, classic Strat sound.
If you want more body to your sound flush it...and you can still make the chords shimmer but not as prominent as before, Gilmoure has his floating, Van Halen had his old ones flush, Jeff Becks is floating wildly...da man is insane
But he also uses rollernuts and locking tuners.

 

[Kent S.]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

The 2 point trems on the MIAs should be 1/8" off the body at the trailing edge, the vintage style on the MIMs should be flush. If your nut is properly cut and polished, you shouldn't have to to much of anything to keep your Strat in tune.

At least thats the theory.......

No offenese meant Robert, but *why* is a MIA, supposed to be set-up differently than a MIM ... Not saying, that you are wrong, I'm just curious ...I've always (except for beginning students) set them up flat [referring to a six point], later on floated them to where the high *E* string can be pulled up to a *F-sharp*... well a descent Fender vibrato, if set up properly, will stay in tune [ providing the strings are properly strung,and stretched] for everything except divebomb madness. What's the reason there? As most 6 point trems are set up a bit floating, at least that's what Fender designed it to do. Just curious? :cool3:

 

[Bludave]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

Pros and Cons to both: IF the bridge is floating, if you rest your hand to agressivley on the bridge it will raise the pitch! If you break a string with a floating bridge you are dead! the guitar will go completley out of tune, regardless of any type of nut!
If the bridge is flush, you cannot raise the pitch by resting your hand on the bridge, and if you break a string you can at least get through the song! It will stay in tune. I prefer mine resting on the body(most of the time), and I use 5 springs!!! The bridge moves ONLY when I want it to! I do have One strat setup with it floating for certain tunes!

 

[Robert S.]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

Kent, they are different styles of bridge. The 2 point trem is meant to float a little and is sort of a cross between vintage and floyd. The vintage style are usually flush from the factory and I believe thats what fender recommends.

Of course you can do anything that works.

 

[Kent S.]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

Kent, they are different styles of bridge. The 2 point trem is meant to float a little and is sort of a cross between vintage and floyd. The vintage style are usually flush from the factory and I believe thats what fender recommends.

Of course you can do anything that works.

Ah, okay ... I was getting the mistaken impression that you were talking about the same style bridge, just a difference in set up according to where they were made or some other such thing. I see, I shoulda read you post a bit more closely ... :smack:

 

[Kent S.]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

Pros and Cons to both: IF the bridge is floating, if you rest your hand to agressivley on the bridge it will raise the pitch! If you break a string with a floating bridge you are dead! the guitar will go completley out of tune, regardless of any type of nut!
If the bridge is flush, you cannot raise the pitch by resting your hand on the bridge, and if you break a string you can at least get through the song! It will stay in tune. I prefer mine resting on the body(most of the time), and I use 5 springs!!! The bridge moves ONLY when I want it to! I do have One strat setup with it floating for certain tunes!

Very true this ... I've always loved the idea of a vibrato bridge that floats, but has a lock to treat it as a fixed bridge ... There was a post on the old forum about someone who was working on something like that, that would be part of the arms action ... Forget who it was though.

 

[SoCalSteve]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

Thanks for all the replys. I think I'm gonna leave it slightly floating like it is. Nice for vibrato and it seems to be staying in tune pretty well.

As a post script, it's funny how I've come full circle back to a Strat. I started about 15 years ago with a Harmony strat copy from JC Penney ( you can laugh), went to humbuckers and now I'm really liking the Strat's tone.

 

[Norman_T]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

On all of my strats they are all flush against the body (that's just personal preference) and as they have vintage trems can be done this way. I have had them floating but loads of problems with tuning stability and breakages. I don't use the arm so it does not affect me. On my EC strat there are no springs attached to the trem block, just good old fashioned block of wood.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

The original fender patent drawing for the stratocaster tremolo has a profile drawing that shows it set on a slight angle for a floating operation. That's how strats were set up back in the day, and that's why new strats are set up floating from the factory. Guitar Player's 50th anniversary of the Strat issue from a few months ago has a picture of the drawing.

I set mine flat, personally. I use the bar quite a bit, too.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

I, like Robert, prefer my 2 points to float, and the 6 point vintage to be flat.

 

[strat_master]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

GUys i own a MIM strat and my tremolo bridge is popping up a little bit ti does affect the tone or aNTYHING but is something wrong with my axe?

 

[strat_master]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

BTW i never had this trouble until i switched fomr ernieball regulars (.10-.46) to skinny top and heavy bottoms (.10-.52) after that i noticed it does come up but extremely litle. Sorry about stealing the topic but its close to my situationa s wella swe both own the same type of guitar.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: STRAT OWNERS:Should my trem be flush against body?

The higher string tension is stretching your springs farther than usual. BTW, I keep my six point strat floating about 1/8". I also back off my middle four screws quite a bit, in effect making my six point trem into a two point. I also took a countersink bit to the screw hole to make a knife edge on them.