Floating bridge

A bridge that is not fixed to the top, held in place only by the strings' downforce, so it can be repositioned to correct intonation or intonation drift.

The classic case is the archtop jazz guitar, where the bridge stands on the arched top and is moved forwards or backwards to set the octave for the whole instrument. The same arrangement with a supporting tailpiece is used on some resonators and mandolins. Because nothing anchors it, the bridge can shift if the strings are removed or the instrument is bumped, and the top must be strong enough to take the downforce without bellying.

Example: on an archtop, nudging the bridge a millimetre towards the tailpiece can bring the twelfth fret into tune across all six strings.

Floating bridge

See also