Strat Six Hole Bridge: Drilling/Positioning

[Silence Kid]

Background, I'm drilling/positioning for a vintage Strat vibrato.

So positioning the trem block in the cavity; should it be slid all the way forward, RIGHT up against the cavity "front" toward the claw? Or should there be some small amt. of gap?

Occurs to me a small, prob. 1mm gap maybe beneficial for stability? Or does this put too much load on the six screws, without pressure being relieved by resting the block against the cavity? Well I guess that "relief" benefit is undone if I float it anyway...

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Strat Six Hole Bridge: Drilling/Positioning

Can't pull the vibrato arm up/sharp if it's against the wood. All my strats let me pull both directions.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Strat Six Hole Bridge: Drilling/Positioning

^ Floating the trem lets you pull up by definition - you have the plate sitting on an angle off the body, and the block also sits on an angle away from the shallow rout ledge.

Position the trem decked - the trem needs to be positioned fractionally away from the wall so it can freely return to the 'flat to the body top' position. I have had a few of mine against the wall and they had poor setup until the 6 screws position was moved away

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Strat Six Hole Bridge: Drilling/Positioning

Cool, that was what I figured; close/not touching the cavity.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Strat Six Hole Bridge: Drilling/Positioning

I always set up my Strat to float, as Leo intended. With proper setup and maintenance it will stay in tune just fine.

Bill

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Strat Six Hole Bridge: Drilling/Positioning

I think I worded the original question poorly, but Alex seems to have gotten it; all my Strats are set up to float and stay in tune very well. I was wondering whether the block of a flat Strat bridge should contact the front of the cavity, or whether the (again, flat) bridge should retain a gap between the front of the cavity and block; floating would of course cause the block not to contact that part of the body anyway.