- One the most common styles is the fixed bridge or "Hardtail." A metal plate is fixed to the guitar body and six individual saddles are bolted to it. Holes are drilled through the back of the guitar to feed the strings through the body and over the saddles. The saddles are adjusted up and down by a pair of grub screws that act as feet. They can also be moved forward and back by turning the bolts that hold them to the base plate. Fixed bridges have the advantage of rock-solid tuning stability.
- A synchronized, or "Two-Point" tremolo bridge is essentially the same as a fixed bridge, but the assembly is mounted to a pivoting block. The spring tension is balanced to match the tension of the strings, allowing the bridge to "float." A metal arm inserted in the side of the bridge moves it forward, slackening the strings. This creates lazy downward bends and shimmering chords, familiar to fans of surf music.
- The locking tremolo bridge was invented in 1977 by Floyd Rose, whose name is often used as shorthand for this bridge style. It features grub screws at the saddles and a nut to lock the strings in place, allowing for dramatic and violent effects without loss of tuning. There is also a routed cavity behind the bridge that allows it to pitch the strings up and down. One of the few complaints with a Floyd Rose is that it saps tone and sustain by separating the strings from the guitar body.
- The two-piece bridge separates the anchor point and string guide into separate components. The bridge consists of six movable saddles, held inside a steel bar. The bar is mounted to the guitar with a pair of posts that screw into the body. A pair of thumbwheels on the posts allow the assembly to be raised and lowered, and the saddles can be moved back and forth individually to adjust intonation. The ends of the strings are anchored to a parallel bar, mounted nearby, called a "stop-bar tailpiece."
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