Strat bridge lifting up? It's quick and easy fix...
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- Опубліковано 19 сер 2017
- How to fix a strat bridge raising or lifting in the back.
If the bridge is lifted in the back you will have a hard time keeping your guitar in tune.
It's a quick and easy fix, simply loosen the screws on the front of the tremolo.
Why take your guitar to the shop when you could set it up yourself at home for free?
If want to learn how to setup your own guitar check out the link below.
The Complete Guide to Guitar Setup
• Complete Guide to Guti...
This happened to me today and I got freaked out. Your 2017 video still helping clueless guitarists like myself. Thank you.
lol same, i changed the strings and the next thing i know the bridge is sticking out really far, i thought the screw for where the wammy bar goes fell out but i couldnt find the screw
Thank you for your comment, it means a lot. I'm glad it helped 😎
😂 one year later and I’m right there with you. Especially embarrassed with how long I’ve owned this thing 🤦🏽♂️
Same dude just got new string wanted to set em up and noticed my bridge jus taking off
Mine did the same thing today also, 2021 almost 2022 and this video is still helping us out.
And that is how a 2 Min video saves us from a lot of time trying to figure something out or having to spend money in a guitar shop! Thank you for saving me from both!
and thank you for saying so 😀
My strat’s bridge lifted way higher than that when I was putting brand new strings on. I got scared immediately loosened the strings
That's pretty normal when you put new strings on - especially if you change the string gauge to a heavier gauge - like going from 9's to 10's ... You probably just need to tighten the trem springs on the back of the guitar.
The way a floating bridge works is the springs act as a counter balance to the strings - so as you tighten the strings to tune, the springs are getting tighter in equal proportion allowing the bridge to "float" so you can get a tremolo effect.
It should be a pretty easy fix too...
Put the strings on your guitar, tune them, stretch the strings (pull on them while they are in tune - pretty hard, but not hard enough to break them)
Do this two or three times, or until the strings stay in tune after you stretch them.
Then take off the back plate and get a philips head screw driver and tighten the screws the springs are attached to, you should visibly see the bridge start to go back down into place.
The screws will be fairly tight, it will be putting more tension on the back strings.
You might also need to add more springs to the trem claw - many of them are set up for 3 strings, but some can take 5. I recommend using all 5 if your guitar can take them because it helps with tuning stability.
You will need to add springs if tightening the screws doesn't bring the bridge down all the way.
You can buy them at any guitar shop for $15 or less I think they typically come in a 5 or 7 pack, make sure you get stainless steel ones... this isn't a part you can get away with going cheap on.
When adding new springs, make sure the guitar is de-tuned... you won't be able to put them on easily if the guitar is in tune.
If you need me to be more specific or have any other questions here please let me know. This is pretty simple, but it can be a bit overwhelming the first time you try to do it yourself.
Find Your Next Guitar
Tl:dr setup is not equipped for heavier strings, compensating with current set up
thanks for the reply.
When I first put the strings on the bridge lifted to about 70° from the body! That’s an insane lift.
So I adjusted the claw. Tightened the screws as much as they physically could go. And the bridge still won’t make complete contact. So I will have to buy some springs.
I fiddled with my setup for a few hours trying to compensate for the heavier strings. Got it close, a few mm’s off (3 or 4). And it reverbs like you wouldn’t believe. So I’m going to try and get to the nearest guitar shop now
@@Skhruffy They sell heavier gauge springs for drop tuning and if your using something like 12's or thicker - look for those.
Worst case scenarior you can find them online...
These are what I'm talking about
reverb.com/item/2319786-guitar-parts-set-of-3-tremolo-trem-springs-heavy-tension
If you've never made a purchase on Reverb.com you can get $10 through this link and get your springs for free
reverb.com/refer-a-friend/david-p-524
Find Your Next Guitar thanks for the help bud!
Find Your Next Guitar update; I bought trem tension springs and the problem has been fixed
The strat was made to have a floating trem, being raised up like it was,is actually the right way to have it, of course it doesn't look good to some people,but you have to notice how everything looks when it is raised, the strings come off the saddle straight, reducing the tension,makes for a more slinky feel, allows for upward trem too not just down.
Hi are you sure about this? Cause my guitar sounds amazing but I’m concerned this isn’t proper
@@jcon654yes the stratocaster was designed to have the bridge sit up off the body (free-floating). There is no undue stress on the neck because the tension of the springs on the bottom offset the tension if the strings on the top when the spring claw is adjusted properly. There are many videos from people who actually know what they're talking about that will help you get the springs vs strings set up properly. Remember that these adjustments will change your action and intonation and these must be adjusted as part of the entire process, and if you swap to a different gauge string set in the future then you will have to tweak the bridge setup again.
This didn't work for me initially,but after tightening the two screws on the back that adjust tension in the three springs, I managed to get it fixed. Hope this helps anyone else who had the same issue I did
Thanks for this. My old MiM Strat has always been like this, since I bought it. Just getting back into guitar. Tried tightening it and nothing. Saw this video, tried loosening it and nothing. Tightened up the springs on the back and it came together.
THANK YOU!!!!
Thank you! This is just what I was looking for. I had purchased a 24" scale SX strat from Goodwill to practice setting up instruments. Bridge was at a 45 degree angle or more. The claw was in pretty tight, so I thought the bridge screws needed tightening, but they were already bottomed out. This really could have gotten ugly. Thanks again.
Fender float most of their Stratocaster bridges 1/8" (3.2mm) off of the body at the factory, that particular type of tremolo system is designed to do that (float). Apart from overtightening the screws on the bridge plate, having a raised bridge within manufacturer spec is not going to damage anything. It's all personal preference, and mine is to deck the bridge to the body for better tuning stability and increased sustain.
I find it varies on each guitar - for the one I used in the video, more likely due to the all maple neck - when that's not screwed down all the way it won't stay in tune at all. Granted the neck is also new and I live in Pittsburgh where we have wild temperature and humidity changes. There are a lot of "what if's" but it's also a lot of personal preference. There isn't really a right or wrong way to do it with in the specs - but once you leave the specs your probably going to have problems on most guitars.
Find Your Next Guitar I was commenting on the fact that you said it was bad to have the bridged raised, which it isn't. The way the whole video is worded could make someone with little experience suspect that they're guitar is incorrectly setup, when in fact it could simply be setup to factory specs, which again isn't a bad thing. Tuning stability with a floating bridge can be tricky and there's tradeoffs whether you float or deck, but a maple neck has absolutely no bearing on tuning stability, my money is on your specific tremolo setup, either too much spring tension or not enough. Getting the right spring to string tension is critical, and a slight variation on either side could throw your tuning out.
@@josephlopez9585 Did you even watch the video? At 1.14 in the video I specifically said I purposely over tightened the screws to for demonstration purposes so the problem could be clearly and easily watched.
Can you please point out what specifically you think I said that was incorrect? I made no mention of kiln wood fluctuating anywhere? I also completely agree with you that a proper neck adjustment, bridge setup, and intonation is all you need for a good setup, but that's not the point of this video.
Many people have contacted me saying their bridge is lifting up asking me to make a video on how to fix it so I did.
The sole purpose of this video is to solve that specific problem - the bridge lifting up - almost always its because the screws are over tightened.
@@Findyournextguitar at/between 12 and 24 seconds you say having the bridge raised as pictured could damage the guitar. The bridge is designed to do that so you can bend the tremolo down or up. The way you explain it makes it sound like the bridge should be flat against the guitar. At the end you say you 'solved the problem' and mention damage potential again . . . It's not a problem really, just personal preference. You can set up your way or keep it as is. No risk of damage.
@@mdonchek The bridge is absolutely not designed to be tight against the body of the guitar, it is not a personal preference, it will cause crazy tuning instability and over time it can warp the neck because it's putting un-due stress on it any time you press the trem or tighten the strings.
Their maybe some guitars designed to rock back as well, but not this style bridge, this is just the stock fender style bridge, it's designed to float, not be flush against the body, this blocks it from floating so if you press the trem the strings will not re-balance back into place because the bridge can't move backwards since it's flush against the body - you're using a lever force on the neck so it'd be rare that it would damage the neck in all honesty, but I have also seen people do dive bombs and it rip the neck out of the body...
At the very least, your guitar will never stay in tune if the bridge is screwed down against the body because it's preventing it from being able to "float" and this design is a "floating" trem system - it can't tremolo if it doesn't float... and if it doesn't float it can't float back into tune, so it puts excessive force on the strings causing them to stretch more than they normally would, as well as break faster. it will wear everything out of the guitar faster, the strings, the nut, the bridge, the saddles - this is just the design for this particular guitar.
If you don't believe me - then listen to the head Fender tech on how to install the bridge... ua-cam.com/video/KvEPJTyZM3w/v-deo.html
If you wanted to block it off all the way you have to block the trem with a wooden block on the other side of the guitar, you can't do it with the bridge screws, it doesn't work, not to mention the bridge screws could rip out as well.
Thank you for this. Just had a MIM strat upgraded with new pickups and the shop neglected to fix this issue. Can't wait to try it.
when you do play it, play around with the pickup heights - no matter what everyone says there is no real right or wrong pickup height, adjust for you personal preference. You can bring them closer to the strings and make them a bit hotter with more output or you can lower them to the point of being really muddy - it just depends on what sound your trying to make.
Just make sure you don't unscrew them all the way and make the spring pop out, they are a pain to get back in :D
Adding my voice to the chorus! Your tips in the video (and in a comment about the tension on the bridge block) came in handy. Thanks very much!
I'm glad to hear it :)
Thank you! I was scared that I was going to mess up my brand new strat so I loosened the strings but this fixed it.
I'm glad to hear it, thanks for sharing - Dave
Thanks! Fitted a replacement tremolo bridge and couldn't figure out why the back was lifted up. Thanks again for one of the quickest most useful bit of information I've ever had!
thanks I'm glad it helped :)
Thanks for the video! Just by explaining how the system works I saw that I had to tension the rear springs to lower the bridge. Now it holds a tune!
That's awesome man! I'm glad this helped, I used to avoid floating bridge guitars at all costs until I figured this out. I could never get mine to stay in tune either.
Locking tuners, and know how to lock your strings without locking tuners helps a lot with tuning issues too.
If your not sure how to do that, check out this video ua-cam.com/video/j0Rcs1BK3Dg/v-deo.html
Thanks. My "logic" kept telling me that i had to tighten the 6 screws of the bridge. Never thought of the opposite being true.
Now i finally can play with my high frets tuned ❤😂
I had exactly that problem today and like others though I had broken it. I have done exactly what you have shown and it looks like it should do. So thank you so much for your help.
Thanks Mike, I'm glad it helped :)
Thank you so much for this video... This is almost counterintuitive to a mechanical mind...because we are so used to tightening things down to resolve an issue. Again, thank you for this "Golden Nugget."
Hey George - thanks for your comment - I made the mistake myself a few times and had crazy tuning stability issues - it was the exact reason I made the video :) I'm glad it helped - Dave
Thanks! my D string snapped and i almost got one-eyed, changed strings and now that i know this, it plays wonders
String snaps are the worst! I'm glad this helped.
Mind if I ask what kind of strings you were using? I've never had any Ernie ball or Daddario strings break, but cheap ones tend to break fast and sound bad.
I've heard good things about elixir and clear tone too.
Thank you, love videos like this , straight to the point , exactly what I was looking for
and thank your for your comment :)
This is an amazing video. Thank you very much for your awesome advice
This video is a lifesaver! Ben stressing about this since yesterday until I saw this video!
Thanks, I'm glad it helped - Dave
So dang helpful, fixed my tremolo tremendously.
I only had to turn the 6 screws a quarter turn and it entirely fixed the lifting :) thank you so much!
Edit: my guitar original was meant for 9-42’s but i strung it up with 11-48’s and it didn’t lift for a while, only after a few years of playing it started to occur but I bet it would happen much faster if you had heavier strings on there like 13 gauge strings, but I’m quite surprised at loosening the trem actually fixes it, kinda reverse sounding but now that you explain why it makes complete sense.
I'm glad it helped, a lot of times you only notice stuff like this when you switch string gauges.
If you're using anything heavier than 11's most manufactures recommend using heavier gauge springs.
if you want to try heavier springs they are somewhere around $10
If you do NOT yet have a reverb.com account you can use my referral link they give you $10 in reverb bucks and me $10 in reverb bucks - it should make them just about free.
Just search for "heavy trem springs" and look to which sellers accept reverb bucks
reverb.com/refer-a-friend/david-p-524
Thanks for your comment - Dave
Great video, solved my problem immediately. Thank you!
Thanks man. This happened randomly after I adjusted my truss rod a little bit. Never had to fix it myself tho, but I've had happened before I knew about set ups and string gauges
Leo fender designed this bridge to float.which is How for example Jeff Beck and Carl Verheyen set up their guitar bridge and that's why they can bend up or down.It won't hurt the neck in anyway .I may prefer mine flat as you have your but it's strictly a preference.Check out Carl Verheyen video on UA-cam on setting up a Strat tremolo.
Are you serious?
except your guitar won't stay in tune
The bottom line is there are tons of ways to setup your floating bridge - but the point of this video was to help someone who is a beginner solve a really annoying problem...
I haven't seen any quick and clear ways to solve this issue so I created this video.
I'd also like to point out that those guys are using much heavier gauge stings and to an extent that will mitigate the tuning issues - as well as you can play around with springs in the back to make it stay in tune and prop the bridge up.
Best of all these guys are using custom built guitars - built to their specs and probably have other mods that mitigate the tuning issue.
This is exactly right. A floating bridge is not a problem and it is not dangerous for your guitar. It's a choice and a good one for many players.
@@Findyournextguitar You say that it's dangerous and bad for the guitar. You say that you need heavier strings or a custom guitar. Those statements are just not true. It's a legitimate choice in setup; you can do it with a regular strat and .09 gauge strings. If you set a floating bridge well, it stays in tune reasonably well. You are correct in saying that the way to do it is by adjusting the trem springs.
I think you saved the life of my guitar. Thanks!
I'm glad it helped, thanks for your comment
I used 1052 strings, now I just realised why my strat's bridge becomes like that. Thx man you saved my life
If I change it to 9 42 will it be back to normal?
@@shehzadshahab3872if you are using strat the answer is yes, better use 9-42
@@hehe1680 oh okay thank you
That’s not an issue but a preference. Strats are meant to float. Happens a lot when you change strings. Even if they are the same gauge, not always the same.
3/32 off the body is preferable to some.
DJ - I very specifically am talking about an issue many new to strat or new to guitar adjustments have - and that is the tendency to go around the entire guitar and tighten all the screws - if you scroll below you will find hundreds of comments on here thanking me for helping them solve the problem - which was they over tightened a screw which they were not supposed to scewed in all the way - which if you did not know, you might do by accident.
This is one of those things which was a personal mistake for me as well after I built my first strat, because I tend to like fixed bridges more... I over tightened the screws and then a good friend of mine said dude you tightened your screws all the way down - this guy happened to also run the repair and returns department for a major guitar company and he explained to me that many of the guitars they get back as returns actually have this issue because a lot of guitar tech don't even know how to properly set up the 6 in a line bridge. They tend to break strings and not stay in tune so ppl take them back to the store - a lot of companies have moved to two post bridges or bridges which are flat/flush against the body - without the rocker lip this vintage style bridge has - those bridges can be screwed all the way down and don't have the issue I'm showing in the video here.
This issue is ONLY on VINTAGE style - 6 in a line bridges with a rocker lip, the issue does not occur on the other style bridges.
What I'm showing in the video is the front "lip" of the bridge is fully screwed into the body, so not only are the back springs putting excessive force on the bridge screws and neck, but the guitar won't stat in tune, you will need to adjust the truss rod more often, the trem will be really stiff and un-usable, and you will break strings like crazy.
Under no circumstances would anyone want to essentially "deck" their strat bridge at the front lip of the bridge.
I am very specifically showing in the video backing off the screw as little as a 1/4 turn - which then you might say is where some ppl like their strat, I'm one of the ppl who prefer it a bit more on the high side myself, but you don't want the thing sticking up in the air - It's not 3/32 off the body - in my video it's at least a solid 1/2" of an inch off the body - that is a 1/4" thick pick guard for reference.
Now if you wanted to block off the trem and remove the springs, then that would be a different story, and you could get away with screwing them all the way down, but only if you like your action really high, even if you block off the trem you really wouldn't want to do this because it's drastically changing the break angle of the saddles - that's why it will cause you to excessively break strings if you don't block it off - but I'm not referring to a blocked off trem here, I'm showing and accidentally "decked" bridge - which more often than not - the person doesn't realize they have done this and there are very few tutorials which go over this problem - most guitar building courses and what not just assume it's common knowledge or ppl build a lot more 2 post bridges so it's more of a very specific 6 in line vintage strat problem.
Honestly had I thought this would ever get over say 5,000 views I'd have done a much better job explaining it and I would've shown it with a ruler - this was originally a teaser video for a guitar setup course I was creating (which is now also for free in the playlist section) I do explain in a lot more detail - in the course which is almost 4 hours long...
Not looking to argue or anything, a few ppl have posted this and a few others have then asked me and got confused - so I'm just trying to eliminate any possible confusion for the ppl new to guitar setup. I hope this explains my position here - and thanks for your comment :) - Dave
Link to The Complete Guide to Guitar Setup course if you wanted it:
ua-cam.com/play/PLrSYW7_mqXddxQHNljZAY7uK-FAi37uaI.html
THANK YOU FOR THIS!!! just helped me out big times!
I'm glad it helped - thanks for letting me know :)
- Dave
Sorted my Strat out with this video! Thank you man!
no problem, I'm glad it helped - thanks for your comment 😀
This was really helpful, thank you!
Great video. Was having the same problem with the bridge lifting and loosening the screws did the trick.
Thanks for your comment Bob, I'm glad it fixed your problem :)
When i adjust the bridge height on my stratacaster i place a popsicle stick under the bridge because a popsicle stick is the perfect height block at ( 2mm) this allows for the half step pitch in wammy wack in either direction... up and down. This of course can be increased by coupling a popsicle stick with a thinner object to raise bridge more than 2mm. But 2 mm is my favorite adjustment height. Lubricating all points on the guitar where the string make's physicle contact with the surface of the guitar. such as : string tree rollers, nut slots and bridge saddles. This will increase the effectivness of the action and tunning for maximum operation.
Hey!Thanks for making the video,actually my guitars bridge has come out after changing the string with new one, any idea about that
Dude if you are still out there (6yrs,) I just saw this, thanks a Bunch! 😮
thanks man - glad it helped :) I have a few other things I'm working on - should have them uploaded this year.
you saved me 50 bucks taking it to a shop, thank you
glad to hear it, thanks for your comment :)
thanks , I was messing around when I put new string on and actually tightened these screws up cuz I thought they were loose lol, this helped alot
I did the same thing with my first strat... they seem like they are loose and you don't realize you just created a problem lol, then you guitar doesn't stay in tune anymore. I'm glad it help :)
Thanks lol i was putting in a lot of work and started to actually have fun practicing on my guitar after having put many hours of adjusting the neck and intonating it all. Its a relatively cheap guitar and my friend who sold it to me had me play on his guitar aswell wich is why i wanted to get the lowest action possible. But after adjusting it all i noticed my bridge lifting in various angles so to have low action without string buzz i had to settle on a still pretty high action for the setup. Pretty sure i can set it up so that i wont have to crush rocks everytime i want to tap a note now thanks to you!
You see, my thing is that i wanted to have a nice feeling guitar and had to get crafty with it lol
yeah - it's for sure best to start with a cheaper guitar - the only thing you really need to pay a lot of attention to is before you adjust the truss rod - make sure it's a single action - dual action you've got to be a lot more careful with it's a lot easier to damage the guitar - single action you can turn the thing maybe 6 times on some guitars - either way the only thing you really have to pay attetion to is to not be foolish - when it feels really tight stop turning (with in reason) sometimes you can get stuck on the fret board glue if it hasn't been adjusted in a while or if there is high heat + high humidity or sometimes even just high humidity...
That's how I learned - I made a lot of mistakes - which is where most of my videos come from lol - I figured I probably am not the first to make that mistake, won't be the last... in this case - I was the one who tightened my bridge down too much lol. All my other guitars are stop tail so you want the bridge "in" all the way or you will have major problems, but it happens to be the opposite with this style of 6 screw bridge.
@@rinisboosted2002lol - my first guitar was a behringer V-tone - one day I decided I wanted something "cooler" looking that plain black - I painted it with a rustolem hammered metalic finish 😂 It was literally textured and I thought it'd look great on the neck, it was like playing a piece of sand paper and it made the neck have pits and ridges all over it... great learning lesson lol
then I tried to swirl dip another guitar and I forgot to attach the body to the holding stick (your supposed to screw something into the neck pocket to hold it) you don't want to swirl dip the fretboard or get it that wet or it'll peel off from the neck... but anyways I forgot the holding stick and then once I had it to exactly how I wanted it - the body flipped over and shot out of my hands and it was ruined and I had to start all over lol...
I might have that one on film actually I'll have to dig through those and put together a "fail" reel the look on my face has to be just priceless - it was like all the suddnen I realized "ohh wood can float"
Thank you! So easy but so helpful!
I'm glad you found it helpful :)
Dave. You saved my life.
Worked a treat thanks 👍
Great, glad to hear it worked for you :)
done! youre the best..thank you!👍🏻
No problem! I'm glad it helped - I made the video because it's such an easy fix and a really common issue.
Thanks a lot, after putting new strings on alltough i use almost always 11/48 or 49 on my strat, last time it really messed up my bridge, i used to have it a little bit floating as i use the trem both ways but afterwards it floated just too much and tightening the springs on the back didnt fix it either...but the problem was that the screws were just too tight at this point. Now it really flattened out and i can adjust it to my preferences again. Thanks mate! :)
@Tonu Rehela - and thank you for this comment!
I get a lot of people saying I should take this video down, or the video will confuse people, or even saying the screws are supposed to be tight - but I just ignored them because I knew someone, somewhere - would have the bridge screws too tight and this would solve their problem - I'm really glad it helped :)
@@Findyournextguitar Yeah it makes perfect sense, not confusing at all I must say, first time someone put it out right xD Now I also understood how the back-springs and the bridge screws are related to each other closely :) intonation and sustain never have been better on this strat, I never had tuning problems but I had a lot of tension on the strings cause the screws were lifting the bridge up and the springs forced it somewhat down... Ah I was so wrong 🤣 but now I know why.
quick video, quick solution, good job ma friend
My strat’s stuck in half step down because the bridge keeps making it out of tune in standard hahahahaha fixed now! Thank you so much!
No problem man, make sure you lock your strings in place too it will help with tuning.
Thanks you very much. My raised bridge was driving me crazy.
no problem thanks for your comment :)
I bought a new Mexico strat and it came like this. thank you!!
Cooper - No Problem, I'm glad it helped. Thanks for your comment!
It's actually supposed to be like that it's a preference on whether you want it flat or not
Typically if you're going to use the tremolo arm a lot you would want it to be floating
Funny I have that issue, and I never imagine that simple solution. Thanks
It's just one of the things you pick up after playing for a while and playing with other people - watching the guitar tech do your setups...
It was very noticeable for this guitar because I built it and I wanted to make sure the screws were down all the way - in this case "all the way down" isn't the same as all the way screwed in
A floating tremolo is an issue!?!? Maybe for you lol youre calling a function that fender actually makes "an issue". Its not an acoustic guitar, haha when a bridge lifts on those, THATS A PROBLEM. Haha Good video though
Thank you man , just put on 13s and the bridge was high as a kite :)
lol I freaked out the first time I put heavy bottoms on... I though I broke the bridge :)
OH MY GAD THANK YOU SO MUCH I HAD THIS PROBLEM AND YOU WERE THE ONLY ANSWER
No problem, I'm glad it helped :)
Tried this and the front of the bridge lifted up. I didn't like that. So I took the back cover off and tightened the two screws to increase the spring tension. Perfectly flat against the body now. I'm not going to use the tremolo anyway.
This is how we should do it, I guess.
@@HengkiDwiyanHermawan yes if the screws aren't too tight, then it's the trem springs
Remember the tremolo is suppose to be flat not leaning back or forward like in the video
Why not use the trem? That’s what the genius envisioned when he designed it.
How is the tremolo supposed to be flat? I’ve always seen it floated
Oh man you just saved my strat from flying out the window 😂🙏
😂 yeah then it would've been a flying "v" ... after the neck broke lol
Thank you for this video!
thanks for your comment :)
Dude... thank you!
2023 and this is saving me a lot of trouble. Thank you. :)
Wow, this saved me from buying a new bridge. Thanks a lot!
Hello! I bought my first electric guitar - the fender player strat a month back. It comes with the floating bridge. Whenever I lift up the bridge using the whammy and then release it the bridge doesn't get back to its original position. I have to again slightly push the bridge towards the body to get back to the original pitch. Moreover I need to apply a great amount of force while using the whammy to lift and push the bridge back( in both directions as it is a floating one). Would you help me out with this plz?
The player strat comes with a 2 point trem system. If I wish to deck the trem, do I need to tighten the springs or just loosening the 2 screws on the bridge will do?(the bridge is 5 mms away from the body).
Hope you'd help me out:)
So based on what your saying - the bridge gets stuck up after you use the trem and you have to push it back down, but also that you have to press very hard on the trem to get it to move at all It sounds like the bridge doesn't have enough room to move properly *** or the lacquer was a bit thick when they installed the bridge and its creating some extra friction there impeding proper movement of the bridge***
If you are savvy with tools and can figure out how to take the bridge off I'd recommend unscrewing the bridge and then lightly sanding down behind the bridge with 200-250 grit sand paper - it's a spot which is not going to be visible and if you sand down the lacquer a bit and it solves the problem then your done.
If you don't want to take apart the bridge you can try to tighten tighten the trem claw screws on the back of the guitar - just a little bit (not the bridge screws).
You could also get some graphite lock powder - not the liquid spray... it's a lock lubricant - microsecond graphite powder - and it normally comes in a small tube and puffs out of the tube -
I'm doing a video on this stuff for lubricating your bridge it will be out soon if you're not sure what I'm talking about... puff a tiny amount behind the bridge - where it's touching the body. It may or may not help pending on how thick the lacquer is.
It seems to be the best fix would be to just sand it down a small amount.
If you do sand it down - it would be in your best interest to rub a small amount of bees wax where you sanded or even directly on the back of the bridge - I'm talking about the back side of the metal block inside the guitar NOT on top of the bridge where the strings go - carnuba, or any car wax should work as well. It will help remove any friction from that area of the guitar letting the bridge freely "float"
What your describing sounds to me the like the bridge is stuck on something and can't properly move freely.
Let me know if I need to go into more detail here, if you need more help - and for sure let me know if it solved your issue.
Based on all the comments this video gets I'm going to do a short video series about how to fix the issues you guys are all asking about so really let me know what helps/what doesn't so I can make the most helpful content for you - Dave
Thanks this video was great
Thanks Jim!
HI. So my mexi strat has really tight string action because as I tune the bridge keeps coming up and detuning the strings so I keep having to tuen higher and higher and end up with way too tight strings.
Any ideas how to solve this? thanks
I ended up taking it in to a gutiar tech who sorted it for me. Nice low action now. The tremolo is pretty tight but I can live with that. @Kool- Aid
Tighten the springs on the back of the guitar...
I decided to make this free - it should answer any other questions you have about how to setup your guitar
The Complete Guide to Guitar Setup
ua-cam.com/play/PLrSYW7_mqXddxQHNljZAY7uK-FAi37uaI.html
@Kool- Aid I'm glad you figured it out, the course goes over a full guitar setup / intonation...
Everything from truss rod adjustment to setting the action / pickup height / string height - anything you need to know about how to setup a guitar with a floating bridge or a fixed (tone pros style) bridge.
It's probably worth checking out if you don't know how to do everything already + I've added in some tips which make it a lot easier that I've figured out over the past 10 years or so...
Iknow im late, but my brandnew strat’s bridge lifted extremely high after trying to tighten the strings to tune them after changing the strings.. is this the same problem? With the same solution?
I have the opposite problem
I have an Ibanez Gio with a similar bridge that only has 2 screws holding it to the body
I haven't played for roughly 3 days, aknd after tuning it, the bridge has completely dropped. It has tilted onto the body, I adjusted it a week ago by tightening the spring's screws so it is level to the body.
What happend? Should I be worried?
Hi, my strat bridge is lifting up, but instead of all the philips head screws I’ve got two big flathead screws. Is it the same process?
My fender Showmaster floats with 2 springs and has the 2 screw post bridge and never had this issue, My new Mexican strat has the 6 screw post and I was trying for the life of me to float my bridge enough to get a +1/2 on High E but I kept having to tighten the shit out the springs and add 4 springs to lower it but as soon as I lossened the screws the suckers ass end just dropped with ease and thanks to you I can now press light and float with 2 springs instead of 4
Nice, I'm glad that worked for you - a lot of ppl don't realize they over tighten those ones...it's such an easy thing to do and typically the last thing you think to check.
Thank you!
Really helpful
I have a Kramer Assault 220 with a floating bridge. switching from 10-48 to 12-56 made the bridge almost 45 degrees. i tightened the pins behind the board, but it doesnt do enough. I have 3 springs and can fit 5. i think i'll try to have 5 for this. usually playing in Eb.
Hey Jordan,
If you’re using 12’s and a drop tuning you might want to upgrade to heavy gauge springs. Using all 5 springs might not quite be enough - get heavy gauge springs.
They shouldn’t be much more than about $10...
Almost all trem systems use the same size spring (in length) so you shouldn't need to search for a Kramer specific spring. I mean if you want to get OEM ones from Kramer you can, but it's probably not going to make any difference.
If you do NOT yet have a reverb.com account you can use my referral link they give you $10 in reverb bucks and me $10 in reverb bucks - it should make them just about free.
Just look to see if the seller accepts reverb bucks (you can filter your search by that as well)
reverb.com/refer-a-friend/david-p-524
If you need help finding the springs let me know and I can do a quick search for you - I typically don't post links here because they die after the sale and it'll just go to a dead page after some time.
I can say with 99% certainty it's your springs, heavy gauge springs should give it a lot more stability, but it might make the trem a bit more stiff - it's really personal preference. I use 5 springs on all my guitars, but my trem style guitars are all standard tuning setup with 9's - I'd go heavy if I was using 10's or higher just for the added tuning stability, but I'm also not really hammering no the trem. I actually take the rod off - I'll bend the neck a bit instead pending on what effect I'm trying to get, I just kind of always hated the trem setup, it never felt great to me, but a lot of players love it. It's all really personal preference and your playing style.
@@Findyournextguitar I added 2 fender springs and my bridge now is absolutely flush where it needed to be. ty sir.
Thanks. I notice if the bridge is down the tone is heavier because it touches the guitar body and there's vibration.
But palm mutes in some frets sound thinner than palm mutes in other frets and can't understand why
When the bridge is functioning properly it will be more resonant - as in the strings will ring out a bit longer - which according to physics and all of the sound analysts - the longer the string rings out - the better it sounds/the more clear it sounds.
This might be what you are noticing.
You sir! Just saved my ass. Thank you
and thanks for your comment - glad it helped - Merrry Christmas!
I’ve had this issue ever since I got new strings but it doesn’t seem to be a problem. Usually don’t go out of tune and I use it as a whammy sumtimes.
The first thing that jumped out at me is the height of his bridge and bridge pickup. I've never seen them set so high before on a Stratocaster...
Hey lee - you caught me... I had just installed new pickups right before I shot this and I didn't adjust them yet. I forgot to adjust the height before the video. Though I do typically keep my bridge pickup higher than most people run theirs - I use a .01 capacitor on it as well it gives it a really hot twang if you roll it back all the way you can get something that sounds like Eric Clapton's "woman" tone.
the outer 2 bridge screws keep the bridge on the top firmly enough and the bridge pivots on the outside 2 screws only .... the middle 4 are only for alignment
Thank you,sir.
and thank you for your comment :)
Gracias, justo lo que necesitaba
Do you adjust the claw screws when the strings are tightened? Or will the strings snap?
I wouldn't recommend it - the strings should be de-tuned or at slack when you tighten the trem claw screws.
If you're talking about the actual bridge screws like the ones I loosen in the video - for those you will want the strings tuned. It's important to note I'm only backing them of a quarter turn of the screw driver - if you un-screw them all the way the bridge will fly off and hit you in the face - it won't be a very nice time if you do that...
I thought I was going crazy. I picked it up and was like has it always been like this? I played with it for like a week and was like no way it looked like this before. found your video
Hey Kevin, thanks for your comment - you aren't going crazy - I had a similar problem - I changed my strings and tightened the bridge a bit too much - I figured snug was better, but then I had all kinds of crazy tuning issues and it was driving me nuts.
You can also block off the trem if you want if you don't use the trem at all - I tend to prefer fixed bridge guitars for what I play.
Rob Chapman has a great tutorial on how to block off your trem if you wanted to block it off.
ua-cam.com/video/xkj8p4Z3Rjg/v-deo.html
Turns out it was the trem screws was causing this.
thank you so much man
and thank you for your comment😎
Thank you very very very much.
You are very welcome
Does this fix lower the action? I bought my guitar and I love it but noticed it'd be in tune then suddenly not. Looking at bridge I noticed its back end up in the air like you are showing! This has got to be what my issue is. Can't wait to try your simple fix. My action is really good so I'm assuming it might be too close when I fix this. Did this fix lower again?
it can, but sometime you will also have to re-adjust string height afterwards because it will have been moving around a bit
I got my tremolo blocked with a wooden block by a guitar tech. He left only one spring on for grounding, and the bridge is a bit lifted (not resting on the guitar's body) and tilted (more elevated on the bass side).
The guitar stays in tune and otherwise plays fine. The tremolo is certainly blocked and unusable. What should I do? Should I try to bring the bridge down? Do I unscrew the screws as shown in the video to see if the bridge comes down?
I would try to unscrew them a bit and see if it drops - if it doesn't drop - it could be the guy didn't do a very good job blocking the trem - the one spring shouldn't really be able to pull or move the bridge at all if it is truly blocked off.
If unscrewing it doesn't drop it back down let me know - my guess is that maybe one screw is a bit tighter than the other so it's lifting it on the one side?
Since I don't know what the guy did - he might have purposely set it in that position with the block to account for intonation or some other reason.
I wouldn't tinker with it really at all - so long as it plays fine and stays in tune - I mean if you don't have tuning stability issues and you don't have buzz, probably just leave the screws alone, because I don't know what the other guy did to block off the trem - this video is really more for if you have a specific issue with a floating trem and it creates tuning stability issues - but if your trem is blocked off it doesn't really apply to your guitar and if you mess with the screws it might change the intonation he set on purpose.
Most guitar bridges have a bit of tilt, but trems lay more flat so it could be he just did a really good job with it and your shouldn't move it, unless that you have tuning issues or other problems with it.
I bought a used vintage Strat and bridge was lifted like that. Being a newbie, I thought the previous owner simply set it up that way , only having 2 springs underneath, I thought he made it lighter for using tremolo back & fort 😂 So i left it as is ever since. It didn’t came with trem bar so haven’t tried if my guess is correct.
it's possibly - some guys like a really light trem or you want to have a specific effect for a specific song, the only problem is if you leave it that way - you will likely have tuning stability issues - at least over time - most strats are designed to have 3 springs for 9 or 10 gauge strings - if you go up in string weight - like if you switch to 12's you would either need to run 5 springs if the trem claw will fit them (some will take only 3, some will take 5)
or you will need to switch to heavy gauge springs - anything higher that 12 I'd suggest 5 heavy springs for stability or even blocking off the trem altogether.
Thanks man
Thank you for the I fo and you now have a new subscriber
Thanks for your comment and for subscribing!
Find Your Next Guitar I will be doing this tomorrow if all goes thru. Doing a trade for a tele for a strat that has its tremolo bridge way too off the body so I’m gonna turn it into a hard tail as I don’t use a whammy bar anyway
@@zebdoz333 I think that's a great idea - although you might want to just block the trem instead - it will save you some time and money and you don't have to go through the hassle of aligning the new bridge with the nut...
Blocking off the trem is literally turning it into a stop tail w/o replacing the bridge - essentially you just put a block of wood behind it, it's very easy, very cheap, and I think it would be good to try before replacing the bridge.
Rob Chapman has a great video on how to do this you can check it out here ua-cam.com/video/xkj8p4Z3Rjg/v-deo.html
@@Findyournextguitar lol oh o wasn't replacing it just turning the tremolo bridge into a hard tail with 5 springs and maybe a new claw I won't know that part till I see it up close, interesting deal is now I haven't seen serial number but headstock sure looks old but will know more when I get it in my hands
@@zebdoz333 You never know until you see it - I got a AAA flame top Gibson les paul standard this year for $1000 - a 2018 model.... the guy didn't know what it was and didn't play guitar someone gave him two on trade.
You can find really good deals if your patient :)
Thanks, man!
and thank you for your comment :)
I have the american professional strat and there's only 2 screws where yours are. Is it those I'm supposed to loosen?
yes, but it's much more likley that you need to tighten the trem claw on those type of bridges.
I have quite a few people who have asked about this.
If you can't find the answer in the first few comments let me know and I'll walk you through it - Dave
I loosend it to the point where its not even touching the screws arent even touching the board, any answers? (Ive just put new strings in and its my first time if that explains anything)
Hey James, your probably just need to tighten the trem claw on the back of your guitar - if you flip the guitar over there will be a backplate - you'll need to take it off - there are really one of 3 possible issues - the good news is they are all really simple, easy to do fixes.
First - see if any of the springs have popped off - if so, just put the sping back on the trem block - youll need to loosen the strings a bit or it will be very difficult or impossible to re-attach the spring.
Second - you need to tighten the trem claw a bit - the other part the springs at attached to - it might need a few turns or even simply a quarter turn of a screw driver towards the neck of the guitar - it will be obvious which tighten and loosen the springs.
Third - if you are useing a really heavy guague spring or very low drop tunings then you might need to get stronger springs or more spings for the trem claw
It's very likely the 2nd problem - that'd be what it is probably 90% of the time.
Let me know if this helped - if it didn't fix the issue let me know and I'll try to help you fix it - Dave
THANK YOU KIND SIR
and thank you for your comment - I'm glad the video helped :)
Please help
So when I bought new it shouldn’t have been flushed? Just lone my mim Strat to friend and saw him play live. He returned it with broken 2nd string. Next day I check bridge and is now flat. It used to float. What happened?
When you bought your guitar new - it should not look like the thumbnail image for this video - it should look how it does at the end of the video - specifically if you fast forward to the 2min 30 sec mark - that is how your bridge should look if the guitar is properly set up.
That could be why your strings broke - over time from normal wear the saddles are going to become abrasive and get little metal burs which can break strings and cause them to wear faster.
If the front part of the bridge (the side closest to the pickups) being completely flush against the body - it changes the angle of where the strings sit across the saddles, which also changes where the pressure from the strings hits the guitar neck and can cause tuning issues and you might need more frequent that normal neck adjustments.
When you say the bridge is now flat - this might be a dumb question, but you put a new set of strings on right? If the guitar is missing some strings that alone could cause it to be rest flat. The reason it's so important to have all the strings on the neck is because they are a counter balance for the springs on the back of the guitar. All 6 strings in standard tuning = about 200lbs of pressure if your using 10's. If you're even missing one string that will cause everything to be off and you shouldn't make any adjustments with out all the strings on and in tune.
If you have all the strings on here's a few things you can check:
Are the 6 bridge screws too tight (like in the video) - if they are, just follow the steps and loosen them a bit.
If the screws aren't too tight, then check the springs on the back of your guitar. Are they too loose?
Perhaps you need to use all 5 springs instead of just 3 - or perhaps you need to tighten the back place - hand tighten both screws with a Philips head screw driver so that the springs stretch out more, causing them to pull the back of the bridge down making it more flush with the guitar body.
If that doesn't fix the issue, you might be due for a neck adjustment. Also it's important to note, changing the string gauge can also create this issue - for example if you switched from 10 gauge strings to 9 gauge - or 11's to 10's it could also create this issue.
***If you shot a short video (with good lighting) so I can see specifically what you talking about I might be able to quickly walk you through how to fix it. - Just upload it to UA-cam and then reply to this with a link to the video.***
I'll answer it as best I can and if it's a more complex fix, I'll just make another video showing you how to fix it.
Al Complaint
Bro you gotta learn how to set it up.
This is only one aspect of the strat set up
Think about this.
The strings pull on the trem and the springs pull on the trem
Its floating between the tensions
So if you tighten the claw in the back by the springs it will make the trem go to the body if you loosen the claw it will make trem go up.
If you loosen the strings or pop string it will go to the body or down.
Whwn you change strings take off all the springs.
Then before new strings go on set the trem hight like u want it
And use like a few credit cards or picks to put under the trem to hold it the height you like then tape the cards to the body with masking tape to make sure they dont fall out.
Now put your strings on and continue the process with no springs.
Tune up and do all that.
Then put your springs back with it in tune.
So now your trem is the hight you want and the cards still taped down on there under the trem ,strings are tuned and your springs are in ,now you get philips screw driver and do this video .
Then take the screw driver and loosen or tighten the claw (by the springs in the back,slowly ,little by little until the cards are barley loose enough to fall out.(tapes off of course) and then its balanced and floating by it self
It works fantastic
Use pencil lead on the nut to make sure the strings slide and make sure the strings are pulled up good all over.like tug on them by the bridge by the nut etc.
And your trem will work like jeff becks.
He uses stock set up from fenders owner manual.
It works great
should you do this with strings in standard tuning? (do you not loosen the tension at all before doing this)
Another question: Is there an alternate method for this by tightening screws in the BACK of your guitar. (Next to the springs below the backplate) i ask this because my good guitar friend told me I should fix my bridge that way... but after watching this I'm unsure.
Any help would be greatly appreciated yall :)
It really depends on what the issue is - The strings need to be a full tension to see how much the bridge is lifting up - if it's too much because the screws are over tightened then it doesn't matter if there are stings on the guitar - it will stick up because of the front lip on the bridge.
If the bridge is lifting up and it's not because those screws are over tightened then you need to adjust the back springs with the guitar fully tuned - doesn't matter what tuning you use - the springs should be adjusted in the same way your going to play the guitar so it functions properly when you play.
This was happening when I was re-stringing my two point bridge strat. Does something different need to be done?
typically with the 2 big fat screws vs the 6 small screws - this will not be the issue - the bridge posts aren't designed to tilt as much.
More likely than not you just need to tighten the trem springs on the back of your guitar.
I have a 2013 American Standard and I only have 2 screws at the front of my bridge. Does the same fix apply?
Hey Shane, yes it does - it's the same system, the back of the bridge is supposed to be almost flush with the guitar body... It's less common that you will have over tightened screws with that type of bridge - if the screws aren't too tight, then tighten the trem strings on the back of your guitar. Thanks for asking - let me know if I didn't fully answer your question - Dave
Thanks!
Nice video I'm do this to mine
Legend
Does this work on the newer fender pro strats that on have two screws. Or will I need to make a claw adjustment to bring the back down?
Yes, the same principal applies, though it's much less likely to happen on the ones with two posts, on the type in my video some times the middle screws wiggle loose and many people tend to over tighten them.
More likely than not, you'll need to adjust your trem claw in the back - and/or add additional springs.
I recommend using all 5, in general I feel it gives more sustain and less tuning issues all around.
If you back off your screw a quarter turn and the bridge doesn't drop back down, then it's for sure the trem claw.
@@Findyournextguitar Thanks for your advice and help. Just ordered a pack of 5 Raw Vintage tremolo tension springs today. Can't wait to put them on tomorrow and make the necessary adjustments.
@@scotthouk6578 if your using 12 gauge strings or higher, or drop tunings you might need heavy tension springs... sometimes 5 just doesn't cut it, but if your using 11's or lower you should be good to go.
@@Findyournextguitar I use Ernie Ball Super Slinkies. I think they're 9.5 or 10 gauge. Should be good to go.
It's definitely a tremolo claw issue with my fender pro. I loosened the two bridge screws but to no avail.
You just save my life:))
Thanks, reading this made my day 😀
I find the Fender strat sounds the best when the bridge is lifted up. The string action is just right and there's no buzz or fretting out
if its properly "floating" yes I agree - it also has a lot more tuning stabiltiy - this video was made because I found a lot of ppl have the tendency to tighten all the scews on their guitar the first few times they clean and ajdust it - it's a mistake though with this particular bridge with the 6in a line scews because there is a lip and it will screw the lip down to the body essentailly blocking the trem partly - so it will create some stiffness as well as make the guitar have horrible tuning stability - like literally you'll need to tune it every other song pending on how hard you strum.
This isn't saying don't float the bridge, but to actually unlock the bridge from being screwed too tightly to the body - the situation becomes like a blocked trem, but without the stability of actaully blocking off the trem - so it will float someitmes and let the strings go to slack but then snap back down to the bridge so the tension springs on the back can't function properly and float back to tune - if you've played enough on one you'll know what I mean here
Can i ask a question, i'm new to electric guitar and i'm curious is it normal if you bend a string and the bridge kinda float a little?
yes, that is normal - with in reason - if your bridge is flying up really high and your guitar isn't staying in tune then that's not normal...
Does that help? Please let me know if you have any more questions - Dave
@@Findyournextguitar thankyou for answering
@@matt8831 No problem! The main reason I created this channel was for people like you - I appreciate your question - feel free to ask anything you want and I'll help you the best I can - Dave
I have a player strat with only 2 screws ( o e on each end) . Does it work the same way?
If it has a lip which tilts at an angle towards the neck then yes the screws can be over tightened on some models, but it's a lot more rare on the guitars with 2 screws, typically the bridge will have a lip which prevents them from being over tightened. It's very rare to see this issue on bridges with only 2 screws.
Is your bridge lifting up or is there something I can help you with - Dave
@@Findyournextguitar Just got my strat. Bridge was ok. Restrung it with 9 gages and bridge lifted considerably. I have no issues with playability or intonation, but I am a little concerned about doing any damage to guitar.
My guitars bridge is completely fine but I've just changed my strings and all the strings are buzzing and not really making any noise, don't know what I'm doing wrong.
Ever had issues where it never leveled even after loosening screws and heavier tension on claw or springs. I bought a cheap squire I’m trying to get to float like my usa. For the hell of it and just wondering.
Maybe I need to try harder or something else.
Any suggestions. Heck I may get a Wilkinson 2 point bridge. Idk.
Hey Paul, that's a tricky one...
Are you using a drop tuning or heavy Guage springs?
It's possible that it's just a poorly built squire. It could be bad bridge, it could be the trem claw screws are strippped and pulling out of the wood (that would be my first guess) I've seen some of those bodies disintegrate and the trem screws slide right out.
If it's not an any of the above I'm stumped?
Let me know if it was any of those. If it's a newer (less than 90 days) I'd call fender and see if they would give you a new one.
oh no Why would the body just disintegrate omg? I hope you mean regular wear and tear caused by wood screws. Or poorly rushed drilling holes with wood screws. Like I use a small drill bit to prevent splitting wood and I avoid backing them in and out when possible. So I hope it’s not just some cheap wood issue. .
Anyways , It feels like 10-40 g. Strings I didn’t put them on. And I don’t really get into much drop tuning. And it’s not dipping back into the hole. It leans forward too much as if the 6 screws are over tightened. Even when I tighten the claw. And I popped the trem claw screws cherry on that by the way . Nice and sooo tight.
The previous owner probably had those 6 set screws pretty tight. Or maybe he bought it like that. And The bar is very close to the strings because of it. And the previous owner never even learned to play. So idk.
It’s just something that I bought used for 45 bucks. And minus the bridge It’s a actually one of the nicer 2000 era squires I’ve played. It was my opportunity to buy a guitar to practice upgrade and project stuff. Not a bad guitar at all.
I guess if I’m going to have that bridge level back. I’m going to need 5 springs for it to sit level . Or maybe high tension springs. Bad thing is. It will never flutter if I get it to sit level like that. . So It will probably handle some David Gilmore tremolo type work but I doubt that bridge will ever be able to get the newer Jeff Beck tremolo effects with all that tension.
But it’s funny how a lot of people say. I wish I could get my bridge to flutter but they can’t Because they own a fender.
Must be a lot of fenders that can’t pull off Jeff Beck. Idk. My USA fender vintage bridge floats flutters stays level and in tune , it’s just a vintage style vintage bridge as far as I know. . so I just assumed that they are all capable of pulling off Jeff beck style cricket chirping and what not. But I hear otherwise. So Idk.
I can let you know how the new or more springs work out if you want. If I could get it to level and stay in tune better is one thing. But was also hoping to float better.
I don’t know if it’s by chance some flutter and some don’t. I don’t know the key factors. Or what to expect with a new vintage fender bridge maybe it’s chance. Idk. Maybe I’ll buy a new knife edge fender bridge and throw it on there. I just don’t want anymore Floyd R guitars.
But for now I guess I will settle to see it sit level and stay in tune a bit longer for now . If it’s possible ? Thanks for responding. .
@@rokinrandy I mean from abuse (the trem claw pulling out) like doing five bombs with it and stuff like that. The bridge is a tremolo system, meant from playing tremelo, not dive bombs lol... I've seen people abuse them to death literally...
I think I miss read your first comment - absolutely go with 5 springs, use heavy guage if you need to. It's never going to hurt to use all the springs, it might raise up if you don't use enough. I think the squires use cheaper lighter springs stock to save cost. The previous owner may have changed them as well... The American strat springs are pretty stiff... You probably can't put them on by hand without first loosening the trem claw.
You might also try screwing the clew in further. Be very careful with this, you don't want to strip out break off the screw head. If you feel any extra tension stop screwing it in. It sounds like you're pretty handy with tools, but incase someone else reads this I felt the need to mention it.
Find Your Next Guitar Yea unfortunately the less I bragg about trades or knowing tools the better. Lol. Peace.
My bridge was fine but I dropped it from two feet high and it fell face down inc trem arm. The bridge's lifting up now like in your video. Will i need to get a new bridge or is it fixable.
It really depends on what's wrong with it - is the bridge bent? is the body cracked? did any of the screws strip? My guess would be the fall pulled some of the screws up a few threads or possibly stripped the holes making them too big - you can get a toothpick and stick it in the hole to make it tight enough again and it shouldn't effect how it sounds too much and it will be easily removable.
Just don't force it if it doesn't fit in the hole. You need to get something that will act as a fairly thin shim, but if it's too tight you can strip the screw head or crack the body.
If the metal bridge is bent or warped, you'll need to get a new bridge - although from a two foot drop that seems highly unlikely. Even if you had a really cheap guitar bridge, most a made from cast aluminum so it would probably crack before it bent.
It could also be that the screws simply need to be tightened. If that's not the case, I don't know how much more I could help with out actually seeing your guitar.
Thanks for your full explanation. I appreciate it.
Do all 6 screws need to be inserted? How do I know if they fit correctly and how tight to screw them?
It was a Guitar Fetish bridge with steel block called"shortly" because block is small enough to fit Squier Bullet. I don't think it's the screws. The bridge doesn't look damaged to me. Im not sure. I've ordered a Fender MIM Bridge from eBay. Only problem is that the block will poke out from behind but that's not a big issue.
If I have same issue with this then it must be the screws or screw holes I guess