At a glance
| Bridge | Pitch-bend range | Tuning stability | Sustain | Setup complexity | Common on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardtail (Tele/fixed) | None | Excellent | Excellent | Low | Tele, hardtail Strat, Music Man |
| Tune-o-matic + stop-bar | None | Excellent | Excellent | Low | Les Paul, SG, ES‑335 |
| Wraparound | None | Very good | Very good | Very low | Les Paul Jr, vintage SG Special |
| Synchronized tremolo (vintage 6-screw) | ~±1 step | Good if set up well | Very good | Medium | Vintage Strat |
| Two-point tremolo (modern) | ~±1 step | Better than vintage | Very good | Medium | Modern American Strat |
| Floyd Rose floating | ~±2 steps | Excellent (locked at nut & bridge) | Good | High | Shred & metal guitars |
| Bigsby | Subtle (~half step) | OK with roller bridge | Slightly reduced | Medium | Hollow/semi-hollow, rockabilly |
Pick a fixed bridge if your music doesn’t need a vibrato bar — it removes a whole category of tuning problems. Pick a tremolo if you want the expression and are willing to set it up properly.
Fixed bridges
- Telecaster (3- or 6-saddle) — ashtray bridge plate, strings through the body. The 3-saddle vintage style is iconic but compromises intonation; 6-saddle versions intonate perfectly.
- Hardtail Strat — same body as a tremolo Strat but with a fixed bridge. Tighter response, better sustain.
- Tune-o-matic + stop-bar — Gibson’s 1954 invention. The bridge intonates each string; the stop-bar holds the ball ends. Tilt the stop-bar (top-wrap) to subtly soften the break angle.
- Wraparound — combined bridge and tailpiece. Strings wrap from below the bar over the top. Found on cheaper Gibsons (LP Junior, Special) and praised for its directness.
- Hipshot, Babicz, evertune — modern hardtails with extra adjustability. Evertune in particular keeps every string at exact pitch regardless of finger pressure.
Tremolo (vibrato) bridges
- Synchronized tremolo (Fender, 6-screw) — Leo Fender’s 1954 design. Strings pass over the bridge and are anchored to a steel block in a cavity, balanced by springs. Pivots on six screws.
- Two-point tremolo — modern revision; pivots on two posts for less friction. Better return to pitch.
- Floyd Rose — double-locking system. Strings clamp at the nut and at the bridge. Massive divebombs, very stable, but a chore to restring or change tuning.
- Kahler, Ibanez Edge, Wilkinson — alternative double-locking and surface-mount trems. Each makes a different speed/stability tradeoff.
- Bigsby — the original electric guitar vibrato. Adds gentle wobble rather than divebombs. Pairs beautifully with a tune-o-matic bridge or Bigsby-specific roller bridge.
- Jazzmaster/Jaguar offset trem — long-throw, gentle vibrato with a floating bridge. Famous for its loose, surfy feel.
Setup notes
- Floating tremolos are balanced between string tension and spring tension. Change string gauge and you must re-balance the springs.
- A vintage 6-screw Strat trem can be “decked” (flat to the body) or floating. Decked is more stable; floating allows pulling the bar up as well as down.
- Tune-o-matic saddles can rattle. A drop of wax or a notched saddle prevents it.
- Floyd Rose users: keep an extra set of locking studs and trem-arm collars in the case — they’re the parts you’ll lose.
- Bigsby + standard tune-o-matic = string binding under bend. A roller bridge or graphite-lubricated saddles solve it.