Hard Tail Guitars Vs Floating Bridge Guitars

A common comparison, especially when it comes to buying a new guitar (or your first guitar), is the comparison between hard tail and floating bridge guitars. Usually the question stands like this: "Which type is better?" Well, none is better - they are different. For you the hard tail may do an excellent job, but floating bridge may work much better for another guitar player. This depends partially on your skill level and a lot on your playing style.

Now, when it comes to skill level, hard tail guitars are a preferred choice for beginners, simply due to the fact that they can be tuned and restringed much easier compared to the floating bridge guitars where you usually have to adjust spring tension, fine tuning and intonation with almost each restringing. On the other hand, floating bridge guitars allow you to do really cool whammy bar effects that are at the same time very impressive and not requiring too much practice to master. One thing is for sure though - whether buying a hard tail guitar or not, don't buy a cheap one. Aim for something in the middle class or better, otherwise be prepared for some serious tuning problems, like your guitar getting out of tune when you bend, or generally having a wrong intonation that can't be adjusted. Keep in mind that having a perfectly tuned guitar is a must for every guitar player!

When it comes to your playing style the difference between these two types of guitars gets much more notable. If you want to develop yourself as a versatile guitarist, who is known to play with many bands and in many genres, a hard tail guitar may be the better choice for you. There is only one simple reason for that - guitar tuning. Playing with different bands, you will notice that each of them uses a different tuning. Imagine yourself in a situation, where you are playing jazz standards with a band tuned in E standard, in a hard rock band tuned in E flat and in a post hardcore band tuned in Drop C, and you have promised to rehearse with all of them in 1 single day. Now with the hard tail guitar you will be able to retune in literally 5 minutes before each rehearsal, while with the floating bridge guitar, you will at best spend half an hour adjusting the spring tension, fine tuning and intonation.

At the same time, if your guitar heroes are names like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, Eddie van Halen or any other rock guitarist, a floating bridge guitar is the way to go, because only with such a guitar you will be able to do all of their cool guitar tricks. Simply said, the whammy bar is used a lot in heavy music and if you want to sound like these guitar virtuosos, you'll usually have to know how to use it. Another advantage that the floating bridge gives you is the ability to do vibrato with it instead of with your fretting hand. Many guitarists don't have a good vibrato and exactly the whammy bar is what saves them.

So, examine your technique and your plans for the future and do a choice that will serve you well. At best, buy both a hard tail guitar and a floating bridge guitar and see what works better for you.

Have fun playing!

Erica Mills is a guitar teacher and musician for over 10 years. She loves teaching students with a passion in music on how to play guitar songs. She is passionate about his work and dedicated in helping students achieve their dreams. Visit http://www.bandjammer.com for more guitar song lessons.