This is my experience. Your mileage might vary.

I decked my bridge and immediately found the tone very different from a floating tremolo. This guitar is Ash, so maybe that has something to do with it. Decked it is way to bright and dense at the same time. With a floated tremolo it sounds more Strat-like to me. There is more definition between the 5-way switch as well. Oh, and I can keep the back plate on and still change strings. My guess is this is why Fender makes those back plates the way they do, to encourage people to float the tremolo. Everything lines up better that way.

Like I said. This is my experience. To me the difference in tone is overwhelming. Might be worth checking out if you've always had your bridge decked. It does take patients to float. Tune, re-tune, re-tune...you're entire guitar will need to be checked for proper setup after you do it. You have been warned. For me, I can't have it any other way. This guitar just sings and sparkles.

What has your experience been?

_________________
-Kirk

GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
AMP
Vox ac4c1-bl
PEDALS
Compressor
Big Muff
Vox Stomplab 1G
Carbon Copy Delay

Same, I also found that once you have properly floated a strat's bridge, you can use it as hard as you like with no tuning issues. Its really all about string tension V.S Spring Tension. I also love the "flutter" effect i get with it.

_________________


1991 MIA Std Strat, Partsocaster, and a Blues Jr.

I don't use the tremolo.

I decked mine with three springs (going to add two more) AND blocked it using an aluminum block I found lying around the house. The amount of sustain is incredible.

_________________
Bill

Hi Bill,
This is not a question of whether or not one uses the tremolo. It's a matter of the significant difference in tone I get, floated v.s. decked. I'm wondering if anybody else notices the difference in tone. My pickups sound much more diverse from one another. The tone is sweeter. The guitar is more lively, more colorful.

Decked my guitar sounds dead, flat, with piercing highs. The pickups have more of the same tone across the board with the exception of extreme highs in the bridge and dull lows in the neck. It sounds more one dimensional to me.

Sustain wise I didn't notice much of a difference. When you say your guitar's sustain is "incredible", how does that compare when you float the bridge?

I guess what I'm trying to say is the bridge can be floated without use of the tremolo. It might change your tone, like it did for me.

_________________
-Kirk

GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
AMP
Vox ac4c1-bl
PEDALS
Compressor
Big Muff
Vox Stomplab 1G
Carbon Copy Delay

I think it depends on the particular guitar. Guitars are made of wood and no two pieces of wood sound alike. So I would avoid blanket statements that ALL Strats will react the same way yours did.

I've had Strats that didn't change tone when going from floating to decked (an unusually nice 2000 MIM Standard that happened to sustain like a Les Paul but with the zing of a Strat, I miss that guitar boo-hoo). I've had Strats that sounded dead when decked, but tons of sustain and lively when floated. Conversely, I've had Strats that that had tons of sustain and lively when decked, but dead when floated.

My one and only Strat now is set up to float because I use the trem often and it happens to like being floated. That's the fun in getting a new guitar, finding out all of its particular quirks and setting it up to accentuate its strengths.

_________________
Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

I've had the trem on my SRV decked ever since I've had it but since my '78 is a hardtail I've been thinking about floating the trem just for a bit of variety. I just need to find a trem arm.

_________________
Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

I've played Strats almost exclusively for over 35 years and have never had my vibratos floating as I only use the dive function.I find that having the bridge decked there are no tuning problems.If I want a note to go sharp I bend with my fretting hand or above the nut.

_________________
'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

This is exactly the discussion I'm looking for metro. This is my first Strat, so I'm a bit curious. Thanks to everybody who commented as well. Play on People!

_________________
-Kirk

GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
AMP
Vox ac4c1-bl
PEDALS
Compressor
Big Muff
Vox Stomplab 1G
Carbon Copy Delay

I only have one guitar with a floating bridge. Even my guitars that have humbuckers =Peavey Wolfgangs and EBMM EVHs only dive.

Your first post asked for our experience.

I don't like the sound of a floating bridge.

I don't use the tremolo.

So I decked and blocked it.

The sustain is longer and clearer now then it was with a floating bridge.

That is my experience and that is the sound I prefer.

_________________
Bill

Right on, Bill. I'm not sure if you took offense. None intended. I'm still curious. Is your guitar Alder or Ash? Do you consider it light or heavy, or in-between? My whole axe is about 8lbs. Heavy for a Strat. Maybe that has something to do with it. I'm just trying to figure out the Strat.

_________________
-Kirk

GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
AMP
Vox ac4c1-bl
PEDALS
Compressor
Big Muff
Vox Stomplab 1G
Carbon Copy Delay

No offense taken. Just wanted to clarify my comments.

My Strat (it is my first) is an Alder MIM. As I weigh about 250 lbs, anything seems light to me. In all seriousness, though, I am picking up the guitar for the first time after a 20 year hiatus. I played previously with various cheap solid and semi-hollow bodies, as well as classical and steel string acoustic. I guess compared to the two older guitars I still own (a Harmony steel string acoustic and Aria classical) the Strat doesn't feel too heavy. I think its compactness compared to the others makes a big difference.

_________________
Bill

If you float doesn't that mean you are a witch?

Deck!

CC

_________________
Fender Stratocaster (parts build)
Fender Telecaster 72 Custom RI
Fender Telecoustic Deluxe
Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet
Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
Gibson ES-135
Zenith Type-17
Marshall 70's JMP Superbass 100w
Blackstar HT-5

This is a cool thread. I kind of have my Strat in no man's land where its' not quite floating and not exactly anchored down. I do find it a bit annoying when I tune since my first 2 guitars had regular bridges. You tune down the strings or tune up and it's pretty much bang on when you go back and check after the initial tune. When I first got my Strat and I tried to tune it felt like it was taking me forever and when I switched from the 9's to 10's it annoyed me even more when my bridge was now at about a 30* angle from the body.

Don't use the talent lever. Deck all of mine............ Mike

_________________
The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.