Hey Guys! Float or no - what's your vote? For tips to keep your trem in perfect tune watch here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FUTJD8j4HoU.html
Floating is awesome, as long as it's not a Floyd rose :p used to have one, IMO it's too much to maintain especially if you want to go into other tunings, I've also broke strings immediately after stringing a Floyd rose which is really annoying.
Darrell, you are the first person I have encountered who mentioned how far in tone the float shift/trem works. Setting up my Strat as per Fender gets me that 1/8 inch gap at the back of the trem plate but I have never heard what this equates to in tone shift. does that make sense? Do you have to reset intonation upon claw screw adjustment as well?
Hi Darrell, first off sorry about the dumb S/H question. As a Harley mechanic retired I learned early in life not to mess with things that I didn’t know about. But after watching your videos I felt comfortable enough to take that stratacaster apart. LOL to my surprise, after market parts all over inside. Now mother is mad because I’m buying more tools, however she understands that learning is an ongoing thing even for old dogs. LOL. So far I have not broken anything bad enough to take it to Ron down at the local music store So all of your tricks and information have been spot on. Who knew another hobby. Luthier in training. LMBO. So far this hobby has cost less then reloading. Thank you son and God bless. Keep up the wonderful work. You are great at what you do. Thank you, POPs
@@andrewp8641 with all of the videos out there on setting up a strat, it's looking like wrenching on a HD would be tons easier than setting up this rig. ..... and I've never wrenched on a motorcycle.
after 40 years playing (you wouldn`t believe how badly after THAT long) single cuts with no tremelo, I bought my first S-type (Vintage V6 Icon) copy last night, the string height, intonation & bridge are all needing set up, thanks Darrell, for those of us starting with a tremelo from scratch here, you are a great help!
I tired floating the bridge on my guitar. So the last time I went fishing I brought the bridge and threw it in the lake, it didn't float at all. Now it's just bridge under troubled water...
This has been the most helpful video on floating a trem in all of RU-vid. There are long videos with long explanations, but you kept it short and straight to the point. I've tried the other methods and it's left me frustrated. This works beautifully Thanks, Darrell!
I got brave after 20 years and decided to float my bridge, and I’m a guy who breaks everything. lol Thank you, Darrel, for your guidance. Really love your dedication to teaching us less courageous guitarists.
Leo Fender has this covered. he has the exact specific requirements to float the Trem on his Stratocaster. This is for 6 and 2 screw systems. It's actually in "Print" in a manual and is a written specification for floating the tremolo of his Stratocaster electric guitar.
Just bought a Mexico strat 24 years old baby needs a set up but someone put in the time it’s wine red has all gold hardware different background looks psychedelic and has a floating tremolo. Video helped out since I’m setting it up right now giving the hardware a good clean up thank you
There are way more complicated ways to do this and you kept it simple and for the most part this is all that needs done. Worked perfectly for me on my Ultra Strat. It came from the factory with 9-42s and I put on 10-46s and the trem raised a bit. Simple adjustment of the 2 screws, retune etc and it works and plays perfectly. Bravo.
I watched 3 other videos about adjusting the bridge on a Strat, including 2 from the Fender Custom shop. Your procedure is the one that worked best for me. Every other video requires making some kind of wedge to keep the trem from moving. Thanks and excellent job as always.
I just now came across this video as I was searching for ways to stabilize my Strat style trem for tuning issues. Needless to say, this was the most informative video on the subject (by far) that I have seen. Thank you for your excellent instruction and a great channel!
1) Watched eight videos on this, you're the first one to say that a) yes, you do loosen the six screws and b) by how much. Thaaaaank you! 2) Owned a Squier for 25 years. Only learned YESTERDAY that the bridge can float. And that trem-bend to slide? Ooh that's tasty. 3) Damn your first guitar is purdy. Bunch of good info, quick, well-explained, to the point. Thank you so, so much!
Thank you for this video. Ive always felt like I was gonna screw something up. You explain this so simply that I excited to go perfect my tremolo. My mexican strat is getting better everyday just by watching your channel. Thank you.
Step1) Put some playing cards under the back of the bridge, use as many cards as necessary for desired tremelo float height. Step2) Tighten the spring claw screws all the way till they stop, don’t break them. When you do this, the back of the bridge will hold the cards in place. Step3) Install you strings, tune and stretch strings 3 times. Step4) Loosen the spring claw screws until the cards fall out. Done, the tremelo is set😉
Thanks for the advice! I saw someone else do this with a small square of rubber like material and I wasn’t sure what I was gonna use. Playing cards are perfect! Also thanks for the tip about stretching the strings, I didn’t think of that :)
after searching for a very long time to find a well explained setup of the tremolo of a guitar this video was far and away the best explanation and presentation i've seen ..excellent sir .
claw screws change the tension on the strings and the resting angle of the bridge. _bridge_screw_looseness_ determines how far back the bridge will tilt. adjust the bridge screws, not the claw screws to get that one semitone max tilt on the bridge.
I know this is an old post but I happened on it because I was in fact thinking about floating my tremolo. I was talking to my nephew who just recently bought a guitar with a tremolo and he felt uncomfortable using it because he thought he might break it. He had never had a guitar with a tremolo and from the videos he has seen he wasnt sure why his tremolo didnt move like what he seen on videos. So I explained to him about the different types of termolo systems and how some allow for more movement like a Floyd Rose does and will remain in tune better. Once he understood that, he opted not to eliminate the tremolo use. He was actually going to just put the tremolo bar in a drawer and not use it. Instead I looked for a video such as this one to show the best way to float a stratocaster bridge so I could float mine and then let him give it a test when I visited. I too had never floated a bridge but at the same time for the type of playing I do the subtle movements of the tremolo works fine for me, although trying out a little more movement could prove to be fun so why not. Anyway to make a short story very long, I'm good at that.......I really appreciated this video it really helped me out a lot! Where I took forever to tell my story, your video was pretty much to the point and easy to follow, and at my age I really liked that. Thanks!
Thank you so much for this video! I bought a Strat in November and here it is the end of March, and I feel like it's the first time I've played it as a fully realized Fender Stratocaster. I'm not he very experienced making changes to my gear, but with your help l got the floating trem to work just right, and set the intonation myself too. Super excited, man. Cheers!
Thanks, this is just what I needed to see. I'm expecting a delivery of a Squier Standard Strat. I can't wait to float the trem. I also watched your tips on keeping a Strat in tune.
Thanks for the video! I have an American made Tele and have got used to pushing strings for vibrato. I was pretty ill for a while last year and a friend gifted me a cheap Strat. I think it was made in Indonesia. The guitar is a lot lighter and the curves meant I could sit in bed with it comfortably. I noticed right away that you could not bend the notes up with the whammy bar as there was no space on the guitar to bend up. I was reluctant to experiment with the hardware. I watched your video yesterday and told myself to try it today. I was surprised how far I had to back the screws near the springs! I covered the opening with my free hand in case the mechanism failed! Well, I think the high E string bends up a half and the B does a full step. SO I am pretty stoked! My wife keeps closing the door to my room so she may be on the fence about my new sounds!
I love your vids Darrell - thanks! Funny, this one popped up tonight, as I used this method this afternoon to set up the tremolo on my new Daphne blue Squier Deluxe strat like the one in your videos. Only I learned this technique from watching Carl Verheyen's (Supertramp guitarist) video from a few years ago showing this same process. He added that you should tighten the the thicker gauge strings side on your claw to balance the tighter tension on that side so that your claw is at a slight angle, so I did that as well. A floating tremolo is the right way to go! Surprised you didn't also suggest putting the small spring down in the tremolo hole to reduce the play in your tremolo bar - I did that as well today and it made a huge difference. We're all learning from each other (but mostly from you☺️).
when I got my first electric guitar, a chinese strat, I didn't know the difference between a floyd style bridge and a strat one, so I used to raise the bridge a little to play squealies like Vai or Dimebag Darrel, later on I learnt that those guys were using special brigde systems :) Now I set my G&L legacy for pseudo floating bridge also :) great video
I recently bought a Harley Benton ST-20 HSS, and floated the bridge/tailpiece. Also bought a set of locking tuners. Thanks for the vid, Darrel, very helpful! The trem works great!
See Dave's world of fun stuff to do it. Put an 1/8" spacer between the top of the body and the bottom rear of the bridge, tighten the claw screws to hold the bridge down on the spacer, tune the guitar to pitch then slowly undo the claw screws until the spacer just falls out, job done. It can also be done by putting a block in the back lifting the bridge añ 1/8" off the body , it's an equilibrium between the strings & springs.
Thank youuu. I was just about to float my first strat trem and was just abt to search on youtube and you posted this. I was just thinking wouldnt it be great if darrel did a video on this, and there it was !
It is scary though. Ive avoided strat and trems bcs ive been so obsessed with the looks and tone of a les paul but a few years have passed and i am finally ready to admit that the most progres i made was on my brothers strat when he taught me the basics
I've had a few Strats over the years up to my 4th now and eventually I end up floating the bridge. I thought that it's just a matter of course, just watching Jeff Beck play should show us that. I'm being smug and I shouldn't be, sometimes we take the advantage that the years give us for granted and think that what seems obvious to us isn't obvious to others. A floating bridge may cause tuning issues I guess the number of springs can alleviate this. The more we use the more stable our trem will be I guess.
I have had mine blocked for about 10 years. That said I have been wanting to unblock it for the last 5 or 6 months. I am intrigued by that hipshot you installed in your super strat. That brass block on it has to make it sustain better. That said I think I will just unblock what is in there right now to see what I have before spending money. Nice very timely video for me Darrell. Keep up the good work.
+fingers magoo Thanks! Yeah, the hipshot bridge is super nice! Like you said, it's a good idea to get a feel for a floating bridge before you spend money ☺
Thank you. I have a 1981 Tokai Strat with a decked trent, which I never use because it can only do dives. I've been thinking of set it up floating instead, and actually start using it. I was wondering how to do it in the most useful way, and you just showed me. Thank you. 😊
I will have to give this a try with my strat. Never had the best of luck with floating bridges, most everything I own has a locking system. I tend to use my trem a little harsher then most, but my strat has locking tuners, so we will see. Thanks!
Great video. Will do that in near future. ' I was always setting trem way up and this idea is just dead on. Never seen anyone making Strat play like that.
jari koskenniska me too and I have a two point trem. But the last few months I’ve set up my float with just enough tension and it’s not as bad as I thought it would be keeping it in tune. No super dive bombing here tho ;)
Interesting that so many dont float their bridge and have it hard against the body considering the recommended rear gap by fender is ⅛ in. This is a bit much I have found but a good starting point.
Yeah, I always set mine to 3mm or so. I find that gives a good balance of upward/downward mobility. Added benefit is that it allows for lower action as your saddles have less chance of bottoming out when setting string height.
Great video and there is one thing I would suggest. Angling the spring claw. The 1st E, A and D strings have more tension than the G, B and 6th E strings. If you use the claw adjustment screws to angle the claw , keeping the intervals discussed on 6thE, B and G intact, to put greater tension on the 1stE, A and D strings you balance the tension on all strings. This will help the Strat stay more stable and stay in tune better when using the trem. I have my Strats set up that way and noticed the improvement once I did that Strat hack.
I watch your video and with a little time and patience I was able to float the tremolo on my Squire Standard cherry burst. Just did it today along with a string change and polishing the frets and fret edges like you showed us in another video. Let’s hope it holds tune! Thanks from a fellow Canadian. 🇨🇦
Thanks for sharing this information. I have always wondered how to float my trem. Mine is a two point trem on a jackson js-22. I am definitely going to try it! More power to you darrel.
Thanks for making this video. I feel like you made it just for me haha! You’re right there are some obviously important aspects to the instrument that we overlook and never talk about. Great job as usual!
Excellent and well taught... many make this simple task so complicated. It's not so much about how high the tremolo plate is, its about "just a little, and simply re-tuning it. I have a 2 mm action so i will be fine with this minimal change. Great vids thank you!
Thank you so Much Darrell! Your Squire Affinity vs the Pacifica made me buy my First Guitar! And Since than I had a Blast. I am not Floating the TREM! Thanks for making my life so much BETTER! BLESSINGS from Windy Germany! Dario
I've tried to set my CV strat up to float but the tuning stability is terrible. My mim strat doesn't have the same tuning issue, but they're basically same parts except for the block. Idk?
Noob: "You can't float a strat bridge!" *shakes fists angrily at the sky* Everyone else: "Apparently, nobody told Jeff Beck when he started doing it...50 years ago." *rolls eyes*
This is about the hardest way there is to setup a strat trem. You can use post it notes or business cards to get your intervals right and then remove them, then just adjust your spring tension until you're back to standard pitch. Also, setting up a 2 point tremelo and a 6 point tremelo is exactly the same, you loosen the 4 middle screws a full turn then use the two outside screws to set the angle like you normally would then you can gently screw the middle screws back in until they're roughly the same tension as the outside screws.
I own my first strat this year. The trem was flushed when i bought it brand new. There was thinner strings on it. I changed em cause they where dirty and sticky and put on standard gauge strings. Then the trem float itself. I thought it was a default but she was playing great and the action is okay. Now i see that this is a thing and my trem is doing fine i guess
I find that when the bridge is tight against the body the strings are very tight and my guitar is harder and not very fun to play but when I set it up so the bridge is slightly raised and lifted forward it is so much easier to play
My darn tremolo doesn't go back to being "tuned"... sometimes it seems if I push it back to "seated" after using it, it kind of clicks or is hung on a sliver or something, but either way it goes out of tune. 1983 Charvel Jackson, I think type 2. With a black Kohler Tremolo system. And my other Jackson with a chrome one like yours. I don't know much about that guitar, or obviously parts and guitars in general. So far I am one of those, I just play types. But mostly because I can't find information on these guitars.
I don’t understand why anyone would think you can’t float a stray trem or non-locking trem, I have always had all of my tremolos floating. However I never actually considered setting the trem for a specific interval, I’ve always just set the trem up for comfort and used my ear I guess.
They think its to unstable (too hard to keep in tune), will have intonation problems and the action will be too high. There is a luthier on another RU-vid channel that says always set up a Strat with the bridge flat on the surface.
keep trem plate tight to body and tune it - put capo on 1st fret - tuning is now a semi tone high on all strings - shim trem plate with post-it notes until it's back in stock tuning on desired string - then remove capo and retune to Standard Tuning - adj spring claw screws until post-its fall out - a little micro tuning and you have a semi tone of up-float built in - - this saves a lot of back and forth
Any Strat can be a hardtail, just tighten all the screw that hold the bridge/Trem system. Then also Make the spring tension in the back of the body kind of tight so as to further resist a movement by the trem system. Then at any time you can make changes and adjustments so that the Tremolo can be one way and also two way (floating).
I just followed this video and did this to my Chapman ML1 Legacy. This is actually my first guitar with a tremolo on it and it actually makes the guitar feel better. The trim was flat against the body and the strings seemed extremely tight. Now that I have floated the bridge, I have the functionality and it feels better. Thank you so much for this tutorial.
I’ve floated the bridges on my regular strat bridge, and my Rose. I use my right hand for vibrato on those guitars by resting my hand on the bridge, without using the whammy bar.
I always float my trem. On all my stats and strat style guitars. The first guitar I had I didn't know what I was doing and I chiseled out wood under the bridge.
Trem set up, just put an 1/8" block under the back of the bridge to body on the front of the guitar , tighten up the springs to hold block in place , set relief, string action then tune up, now slacken the springs off slowly until the block just slides out, that's it, it'll stay in tune. Regards from uk. 3 or 4 springs depends on you.
Successfully floated the trem on my brand new amer pro ll strat just perfect thanks to your video. Thanks so much for keeping it simple compared to all the other youtube videos I watched on the subject 😃🎸🎶
To be brutally honest, I absolutely hate floating bridges of any kind because so far they've given me nothing but headaches as far as tuning stability and intonation accuracy is concerned (all the more so that I change tunings and string gauges quite often), so I prefer to block the trem block on my guitars with a small piece of wood. However, there is one particular song that I want to cover which has some of those "cricket" sounds, and it looks like I can no longer escape having to use the whammy bar. Which is what brought me to this video, as I needed to know how I'm supposed to set up my trem block once I unblock it. Wish me luck getting this done to my PRS SE Custom 24 :). Thanks for the video, too!
Yup . Floating bridge was tough to use for switching between alternate tunings as well as blows when you break a string ... entire guitar goes out of tune . Doesn't work for me in live situations .. too scary
Missed a critical step here, the action will change as well, so after doing this to the bridge you may have to adjust the action of the strings at the bridge using the small hex screws risers for each string.
Hank Marvin was the first to fully utilise a floating tremolo over 50 years ago, it gives the guitar so much more expression in the right hands, Marvin can make a Strat sound like its singing!!
Hi Darrell! I'm a Tele guy but I'm willing to buy a cheap squier strat. Will this work for any strat or only the more expensive ones? And is it possible to set up the trem properly on the cheapest squire strato? Cheers!
my problem with floating trems is that it’s hard to change tunings :( also if i break a string live it throws the rest of the guitar out of whack :(( any tips? or unavoidable
I have "semi-hardtailed" the trem system on my strat. You can lower the tune by pushing down, but you can't pull the trem bar up. To make the strings go higher, I bend 'em. That's my solution and it works for me, because I don't use the tremolo as much. Maybe you'll find something else! :) Tip: I did the "semi hardtailing" by tightening the screw in the back. Watch out for your action however.
get a back box or black box, its like a 10 dollar gadget that you put in instead of a spring and that lets you float it and still not go out of tune if a string rips, it makes using the trem a little harder though
What I think would be great is to see you play the way you did at the end and then see each string note on a tuner so we can know what to expect, since I notice everyone has a different idea on what is in tune. Also the fact that some players are good enough to make a slightly out of tune guitar sound in tune, seeing the tuner afterward would be a nice touch.
@@popoye12343 so far maganda naman at safe, ginagamit ko na ang floating, yon nga lang pag mag full bend ka talagang ibi bend mo ng husto kung single string ang bend kasi bahagyang sumasama ang trem sa bend mo kaya medyo konting dagdag effort sa pag abot ng nota pero ok din naman
+Tyler Steinis Yes, it's best to check once you've got it floating and stable. Play on it for a few hours until you are happy with it, then check your intonation ☺
I just got my GST from Glarry, 03/18/2021 named, of course Glarrycaster I am going to do t his to it the trem feels to tight to me anyway so I think this mod fits the bill. All my guitars are cheap I have the JameHa US built Jameson Thinline, first guitar purchase from Amazon warehouse $70 as "damaged" (I have yet to find this damage) and the Gibsiphone (good story behind this one's name) Les Paul Standard Purchased used for $200 (OFFERUP) and the latest from Glarry for $79 including delivery insurance ($4) I am a beginner and when I listen I know what guitar tones I like from each type and style but I don't know what style I will like to play. for less than a Fender starter strat I have three different guitars to try. Your videos have helped me choose what and how to try over the past couple years. Thank you
Bought a used AXL AS750 today, and was listening to this on the way back home. Did the adjustments as soon as i got back. I didn't know this was possible. Muchos Gracias!
Did the same thing on my MIM '70's RI Strat by going "what if?" one day. Loosening the screws worried me that they might pull loose from the body over time, but mine has been like this for several years now and all is still OK. As you said, it was trial and error, and if you change string gauges, you have to redo the spring tension too. I use .010 - .038, which have less pull on the vibrato springs. I simply leave my bar in the forward position and either pull up or push down on it to change pitch. This way I always know where it is to grab it. But to be honest, I am not a whammy person, so I don't use it a whole lot.
I always set mine like this but not upto that semi tone pull up, Now I just did a bit of adjustment. Thank you! This inspired me to set mine up the same as yours!
Nice guide. It is good to have some specific instructions for how to do such set-ups. I have previously managed to get such tremolo systems to float but I didn't know about setting it up to raise by a semi-tone on the high E string.
This totally worked on my starcaster with the thinner black bridge inside the back of the guitar! It didn't do anything when I first losened the screws, but I left it losened all night, and the next day my bridge was floating I $#!+ you not. I though it was broken when I picked it up this morning lol. (Here's my assumption as to why it didn't float until the next day) Someone had tightened all the possible trim screws (pawnshop guitar probably to keep better tune and disable the whammy). Also my springs were in a different position than yours. On the two outer ones, the rings were one notch inward towards the middle spring(really made sure that bridge was solid on the body) So losened the 6 front trim screws like you had in the video, then I losened the 2 back trim screws, pretty much as much as I could, but my bridge was still only going one way and locking to the body. I thought it just simply didn't work, but at least I could do five bombs now. ( That whammy bar was effing solid stif in the before set up). So I put the guitar on the hook called it a day, hoped tomorrow we'll tune and play. But to my amazement the next day the trem was just floating when I picked her up. I think because everything was so tight for so long the bridge and the springs were just kind of locked in at there tension, over night I'm assuming everything relaxed from years of tension. Now I'm going to adjust my trem until I get the correct tones as you did in the video. Thank you so much. My dad had a strat and of course I went starcaster cause I'm cheap. But Thanks to your channel this guitar shreds like a dream. Thank for the best guitar tech guide on RU-vid! This guy will have you playing like jimi by tomorrow.
