Floating, decked or blocked tremolo?

I like floating, but whatever floats your boat!

 

I watched the entire video, and now know most of the procedural details of how to install "it", whatever "it" is. I never did see where to get "it", nor any demonstration of what "it" does, so how can anyone have any idea why they would waste their time watching.

 

One floating, two decked.

I like to change it around a bit.

 

Yep, that's the deal breaker for me. I prefer the feel and touch of it floating, the whammy of course works much better if the bridge is, but simple double stop bends are ruined. My (ex) guitar tech had my US Standard recently for a refret and asked me how I wanted the bridge setup. When I said decked he gave me the spiel about how it was designed to float blah blah and in response to my point about double stop bends, he smirked and suggested I need to work on my technique.

Right, so I need to get my technique to a level above Knopfler, SRV, Gilmour, Clapton, Mayer etc to manage things they can't/don't before I consider playing a Strat.

Life's too short, playing guitar well is difficult enough as it is. If I had lots of Strats maybe I would have a floating non-blues/rock one.

 

Brilliant! Being totally ear-trained, barely able to read, an accoustic (and visual) presentation shows me that it IS possible to bend some strings while the others "float" IN TUNE. I have not tried this yet, but I expect it does take some practice.

 

I farted around with my 6-screw trem for 2-3 years before I finally tweeked it to being useful. I started with buying brand new FENDER replacement springs and placing them STRAIGHT with two on the bass side and one on the treble. My thinking being that the purpose of springs is to balance string tension.
I have seen in several books and many, MANY videos, variations of "the perfect trem setup." Of all these, the simplest and BEST full-float setup method I saw was a video by Galeazo Frudua using only a Post-It pad and a #2 Phillips.

 

I float mine, its a 2013 Am Std with 2 point trem. Never had tuning stability issues. I got it set up once when I bought it, took it to a local luthier. I need to bring it in now I think as some of the washers underneath the tuning pegs have come loose and shake around a little bit, plus its been 8 years. But never had real tuning issues unless making HUGE divebombs and/or a divebomb straight into pulling it sharp. Even then, very minor tweaks needed in tuning after that.

 

It depends on the individual trem and guitar. Some trems will float, others will make a mess of it.

 

I deck mine. I would have bought a hardtail but I wanted a new strat in 2017 and I couldn't find a new american strat available. If one came out now I'd probably sell what I have to buy it.

 

No, not designed for flats. In the early years Fender offered exactly one set of strings for Spanish guitar, the "no. 10" set which was roundwound 13-55 and used pure nickel wraps. Fender didn't start selling flats until after the Strat had been on the market for several years. Also, flats cost more than roundwound, "giving away" more expensive strings would have gone against Leo's philosophy.

Flatwound strings were invented by the Italian company La Bella and would have been difficult to find in the U.S. before 1945. They caught on after WW2.

If any Fender was designed with flats in mind, that would be the Jazzmaster. Flats were popular among jazz players, and Leo desperately wanted his guitars in the hands of "serious" musicians.

 

I stand corrected. Thank you for pointing this out. My main point is the higher tension, though, which in my opinion makes both the Stratocaster and the offset vibrato perform better and more as intended.

 

+1.

 

This unit was designed to float and that that's why it behaves much better when it does. Decking creates an illusion of stability in many people's minds. That doesn't mean that it can't work when decked but I find it rather pointless.
if you don't use it you can either block it or get a hardtail. YMMV of course.

 

Tuning stability fer sure and if you do occasional alternate tunings, as I do, decked is a must. So why not get a hard tail? I still need some whammy action particularly when tuning the open-G and playing slack-key to get a steel guitar effect. I could do that with a slide bar but the Strat's 7.5" curved radius neck is not the best for slide (but I'll make sure not to tell Bonnie Raitt about that - she's amazing).

 

Definitely floating. I admit I am not a dive-bomb guy, but I do use the trem quite a bit. If the nut is cut properly and the set-up is good, tuning remains stable. I think the trem is just part of playing a Strat!

 

Floating. I have 4 trem guitars, and play around with springs & decking occasionally. I always seem to end up with 3 springs & floating about 3/32"-1/8". There's a natural feeling "springyness" with little effort.
I also use TUSQ nuts and nut lube on any contact points. I've tried locking tuners, wasn't impressed, and won't bother again.

 

Deck'd AND use the trem (I tend to do double-bends and combos of bent note and fretted note, floating makes that a PIA).


Fight me.

 

I use to think a humbucker on a strat was a mortal sin.
50 years later I just cringe when I think of how I used to think.
The Stratocaster is the coolest guitar ever made IMHO and one of the things that makes it so great is its versatility to be the guitar that you want it to be.
My experience with them is from childhood. My first real guitar and while I do have a couple of humbucker guitars. I have different models.
There is only one guitar that I have more than one of the same model. Guess?