Top loading like a Les Paul

How do you feed it through the bridge?

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

Top loading bridges have the holes for the string ball-ends at the back of the bridge.



rather than having holes in the base of the bridge, and then through the body:



The second picture is the bottom of the bridge. the strings feed through holes in the body and through those to the saddles.

In the first picture the strings feed through the holes in the back of the bridge plate, not through the body.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

I never really understood why Fender doesn't offer the Strat with a choice of hardtail or trem bridge. They also don't offer rosewood or maple on all models. I'm not an artist series fan, although I do like the set up on the Robert Cray model...but it's not offered in Maple.

I also don't get why the Clapton models (not offered in rosewood) have trem bridges on them? I have never seen him play ever with even the trem bar installed no less use one. I can't ever recall seeing John Mayer with a bar in either, although his model has a trem bridge as well.

This option should be nothing for Fender to offer...they make both already. I never use the trem on my Am Deluxe, never even had the bar in it, and the guitar has no problem staying in tune, although if you break a string it's pretty much game over.

Noodles

Thanks Twelvebar!

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

Clapton prefers the maple neck.

And he buys guitars with the trem, and blocks it in place. he says that he thinks the metal inertia block is a vital component of the Stratocaster sound.
That's why they have a trem, even though he doesn't use it for vibrato.

and to voodoo no problem. Sometimes a few pictures can easily show something, when words don't quite get the idea across.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Twelve

I also prefer the maple fretboard, and EC certainly does as well. I was responding to Grum27's comment that hard tails should be an option like rosewood and maple...which are not always options.

The "metal inertia block" thing is interesting, but I don't really understand it. If the bridge is blocked (which I do understand) how does that have any more effect than a fixed bridge? It is effectively fixed when it is blocked.

Noodles

Love 'em. And I do block all the tremelos I have.
The stability is pretty important.

Well the idea is that the metal block having more mass than just the bridge plate has a dramatic effect on the tone , and sustain of the guitar. I actually agree, it does sound dramatically different. the effect of that dense block of steel is definitely noticeable. much moreso to my ears than the different fretboard woods.

Hard tails don't have the big cavity in the body, nor do they have the chunk of steel to put the strings through. they just have the thin bridge plate, and some metal ferrules (little almost washer like inserts, to protect the wood where the string's ball ends sit.) so having that hunk of steel is important to eric for his tone.

To my ears, the couple hardtail strats i have played had a little less of that trademark snapiness and bite, i associate with a strat.(but tele's are plenty snappy, and they don't have trems, so who really knows? not me that's for sure!)

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Twelve

Sorta starting to make sense...your explanation was fairly clear...what I might still be missing is if they used the same bridge as the trem setup, used the cutout as well, but just screwed the bridge fixed into place rather than on the surface of the body, would this maintain the sound enhancement and still be fixed as well?

Thanks for the info
Noodles

Oh I get ya now. yeah, that's sort of what blocking the trem does, so i would guess it would still have the same sound, as long as all the pieces were the same.

But the hardtail strats they have made eliminate all the parts you don't see on the top of the guitar. It is just the plate, and not the block, so that was what i was comparing.

i have actually thought a little along those lines. I was thinking about getting a warmoth body cut for a hardtail, so with only the 6 string holes, rather than the big cavity. then routing out a snug pocket for the trem block, and fitting it in. thus keeping the trem block, but not having the cavity with the springs and claw. sort of the best of both worlds.

it actually seems to me that the EC model has a lot of wood missing that doesn't need to be, if you never ever plan on restoring the trem to function.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Twelve

That's where I was lost...that's pretty much what blocking the trem does, so you would think it would require the least amount of mods by Fender if they just screwed the trem bridge down into the cavity? Instant hardtail.

Then there's that sustain, tone thing. That has been the subject of one or two conversations in my past. There is a train of thought that says...(and I'll try to state this somewhat clearly) that where the string contacts a "mute point" like the bridge saddle or the nut...that's it, dead, done and no effect on sound anymore. Locking Nuts sort of support this theory. Any opinion on this concept.

Thanks again
Noodles

Noodles I tried to answer this, but each time, I ended up embarking on a novella. I am, by nature, longwinded.

So i will say, that i disagree wholeheartedly with that concept.


If you want to hear why, let me know, but be forewarned it will be a long long manifesto, and yet still be too oversimplified!!!

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Twelve

Thanks for the heads up on the long-windedness..I have been accused of that a time or two myself. I'll try to give you my thought and if you feel up to it, I appreciate your feedback.

I have many guitars with several different bridge configurations. The hard tails eg. Les Pauls (with stop tail piece & fixed bridges) sustain forever. The Strats (with synchronized trems) come next, and the Floyd Rose effects sustain the most.

If I understand correctly...(and I know that there are other contributing factors) but just speaking bridges...the fixed bridge absorbs the least amount of vibration from the strings, thus allowing the greatest amount of sustain. The floating bridges absorb the most amount of vibration thus hampering the string sustain.

This is partly why EC blocks his trem, hence reducing its ability to absorb vibration and take it away from string sustain. This seems to be physics more so than opinion, although opinion is all that I am attempting to discuss.

Remember that we are only discussing bridges, and only on solid body guitars. All things being equal...If we have two of the exact same solid body guitars...the fixed bridge version will always sustain longer.

Your input will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Noodles

I am a dyed-in-the-wool hardtail strat player. My two 2004 American Standard hardtails hold tune thru days of my bending the absolute heck out of the strings and using alot of attack with a hard pick. They sound great and each weigh about seven pounds.