Fixed bridges vs trems for bending etc.

[Andrew W]

You can set up a Fender trem (or even a Floyd) with extra spring tension so it sits flat on the body and doesn't move when you bend strings.  But it means you have to be a bit more heavy-handed with the bar when you want to use it.

This is what Mr Van Halen does I believe.

I really like hitting big open string drone notes and bending notes on another string against that so this has always been an issue for me.  I have two guitars, a strat and a Charvel Eddie VH super strat with a Floyd and D-Tuna.  The trem lies flat against the body on both guitars. In the case of the EVH, that's how it came set up from Charvel.  It only has two springs and I don't find it offers uncomfortable amounts of resistance when I dive-bomb it so that's a possibility perhaps?  This is what it looks like:

My other guitar, the strat, is also set up with the trem flat and on that I did add a couple of springs to the trem block because it helps my tone.  The way I set it up was to play an open string and then bend a note against it and listened to hear if the open string went flat.  If it did, then I screwed the trem claw in a bit and repeated until the note stayed steady against the bend.  That way, I hoped, that I'd get the stability I wanted with the minimum amount pull from the trem springs.  It's worked for me so far.

[Philly Q]

My other guitar, the strat, is also set up with the trem flat and on that I did add a couple of springs to the trem block because it helps my tone.  The way I set it up was to play an open string and then bend a note against it and listened to hear if the open string went flat.  If it did, then I screwed the trem claw in a bit and repeated until the note stayed steady against the bend.  That way, I hoped, that I'd get the stability I wanted with the minimum amount pull from the trem springs.  It's worked for me so far.

I believe Jerry Donahue does something very similar so he can still do his Tele-style bends when playing his Strat.

There was an interesting little clip I saw on YouTube of Carl Verheyen* talking about how he adjusts his spring claw to fine-tune the pitch-change on each string when using the bar.  So the claw ends up at an angle rather than being parallel to the end of the spring cavity.  I think he was talking about up-bends though, it would be difficult to be that precise with down-bends!

(* thanks to forum member elavd for pointing it out to me)

[Andrew W]

There was an interesting little clip I saw on YouTube of Carl Verheyen* talking about how he adjusts his spring claw to fine-tune the pitch-change on each string when using the bar.  So the claw ends up at an angle rather than being parallel to the end of the spring cavity.

This one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZnQt9yiBMg

[Philly Q]

That's the chap.

[Madiac]

Thanks, sounds like great ideas, but im still not convinced, still sounds like its a slight compromise. I mean, i  do REALLY wide bends.

[AndyR]

You never know...?

At least now you know the issues you'd be looking for - I'd suggest go and try a few out and see how they feel (otherwise it will bug you forever!) :D

[Vlad89]

This guy claims that the strings do not go out of tune on his OFR-equipped guitar when bending -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K350onEl1o&feature=channel_page

[dave_mc]

Free floating trems will hamper your vibrato and heavy bends, unless you get in the habit of pulling up on the trem as you bend, ala Jeff Beck.

what? no they don't. the problem is ONLY if you bend and then need to hit a note on a different string before releasing the first, bent string.

Thanks, sounds like great ideas, but im still not convinced, still sounds like its a slight compromise. I mean, i  do REALLY wide bends.

wide bends aren't a problem at all- unless you're planning on hitting a note on a different string before you've released the first bend, as i already said.

don't get me wrong, i'm not a floating trem fanboy, i'm just not keen on faults being attributed to them which are incorrect.

as already said countless times in this thread, don't make your mind up until you've tried some. that's the obvious way to go, unless there are no guitar shops near you or something.  :)

[Zaned]

This guy claims that the strings do not go out of tune on his OFR-equipped guitar when bending -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K350onEl1o&feature=channel_page

That was not the case in this thread. This thread was about the pitch of other strings dropping when you bend one string. For example, bend the g-string on a floating bridge -> the pitch of E,A,D,B and high-E will drop.

In the video, it's about the string NOT returning to pitch after bending. Actually, probably all the strings that were bent went out of tune.

Off-topic, but about the video. That guys Kahler-equipped guitar (at least in the way it has been setup) would be totally useless for me IN COMPARISON to a vintage style strat bridge. It can be easily setup so that it returns to pitch after you deck it. But it will go out of tune when you bend a string, just like in that Kahler in that video :)

-Zaned