Tremolo Arm, Stratocaster

First released in 1954 on Fender's first legendary Stratocaster, the simple but effective design offers a greater range of pitch change than the Bigsby, and particularly a better capability for upbends.

However, in the Telecaster the ferrule end is held by a collar firmly anchored to the guitar body; In the Stratocaster, it is held by the moving metal block through which the strings pass.

Similar pattern units appear on many solid-body guitars by various makers. Its design has been the basis of the premium Fender tremolo known as the two-point synchronised tremolo , and also of the Floyd Rose locking tremolo , see below. Both the original Stratocaster tremolo, sometimes called the synchronous tremolo and sometimes the vintage synchronized tremolo , and derived designs such as the two-point and Floyd Rose appear on current models as of 2007.

Throughout the 1960s, the premium Fender guitars were the Jaguar range, equipped with the floating tremolo . By the early 1970s, it was obvious that most guitarists preferred the cheaper Stratocaster, regardless of price and supposed quality and prestige, and particularly liked its tremolo arm design. The Jaguar and indeed all other Fender guitars using any tremolo design other than the synchronised tremolo were for a time withdrawn, to return to the catalog as classic or retro models in the 1990s.

The two systems are both developments of the original Stratocaster tremolo mechanism, but use the words two point to describe entirely different concepts.

In the case of the deluxe 2-point bridge, the block saddles are made from polished steel. Custom Classic and Custom Pro Series Stratocasters feature a deluxe 2-point tremolo with block saddles made from milled stainless steel.

Source: Wikipedia > Tremolo Arm