In the hunt to buy (or build) an ideal super-strat, I spoke to a luthier about a two-way tremolo for a regular Stratocaster, as the Floyd Rose variant is not available here. He too suggested against going in for Floyd routing, and mentioned alternatives such as Kahler for the same action, as they're easier to set up. I hear some two-way trems can be set up on Strats without the routing. What would you suggest? I felt it's a nice alternative to the extra two frets on those metal guitars.

Hi Arjun_M,

What do you mean by "two way"?

A properly setup Strat trem (6 screw or 2 screw) can be used to raise and lower the pitch equally well with no additional routing required. Note that the rear of the bridge is raised from the body about 1/8" for the factory setup, allowing movement both ways, and this space can be increased or decreased for personal preference. The bridge can even be setup flush with the body, allowing only lowering of pitch, but this is not the factory setup.

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Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Two-way, like the Floyd Rose and Edge Zero- that I can raise and lower the pitch. I haven't had any experience with a genuine Strat trem, and thought all of them just lower the pitch. I'll speak to a local luthier about it. Maybe I can keep off the edge and avoid the Floyd?

This is a rather useful bit of information. Tell me more about it.

In the rear cavity of a Strat, there is a claw with hooks for one end of the springs, and the claw is held in place with two screws. The other end of the springs connect to the bridge block to counter the tension of the strings, holding the bridge in position. The two screws on the claw can be adjusted to set the height of the bridge plate off of the body, also depending on the number of springs used. On the front of the Strat, insert a bar (arm) into the hole on the bridge to move the bridge up or down. When adjusted just right, pulling the arm up away from the body will raise the pitch of the strings, and pushing the arm down towards the body will lower the pitch of the strings.

Even the best setup on a Strat will have some tuning instability with trem use, and can not give you the rock solid tuning stability of a double-locking system such as a Floyd Rose. The two screw Strat bridge is better than the six screw, and using locking tuners and a roller nut is even better, but there is still some tuning instability with trem use. That is the advantage of having a FR, tuning stability. Most people that use the trem on a Strat have little tricks to compensate for the tuning instability, such as making sure to push (or pull) the arm back to proper pitch after use.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Thats what is so cool about the strat bridge. It can be setup so many ways depending on preference. I have mine setup to go up and down, tuning has never been a huge issue for me, but you do have to keep an eye on it.

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"Where would rock and roll be without feedback?"

+1 Arnold Layne, nothing more versatile than a Strat.

I actually deck the bridges on my Strats and screw the claw screws down tight (ala Clapton). When I do use a Strat with the bridge floating, I use the heel of my hand without the bar inserted, for some slight vibrato effect, and that works very well with the one-way movement.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Hello!

Is that bridge you're looking for?