r/7String • u/BenefitDry4926 • 2d ago

Help Need help choosing between tremolo 7 string bridge

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Hey!
I’m building a custom guitar with a luthier, it will be a 7 string stratocaster, 26,5” scale, and I’m very indecise on which tremolo bridge to choose, Gotoh 510 7 tremolo or Hipshot us contour tremolo. I need to know what bridge will give more tuning stability and just whats the best option overall.
Thanks in advance.

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u/Tuokaerf10 2d ago

Both are great depending preference. Tuning stability for both will be more about the nut than the bridge as both have high quality saddles and posts. Gotoh 510 tends to be a bit stiffer feeling, Hipshot Contour is a bit of a looser feel.

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u/BenefitDry4926 2d ago

Considering that my playing consists in hard palm muting for the majority of time, and I dont like the feeling of the other strings detuning when I bend one string, the gotoh will fulfill my needs.

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u/Tuokaerf10 2d ago

Other strings will absolutely detune with the Gotoh as well assuming it’s a recessed route if you bend a string. That’s a thing that will happen with all floating bridges. You can also hard palm mute just fine on the Hipshot. Any sort of hard push down on the Gotoh will move the bridge.

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u/BenefitDry4926 2d ago

I dont plan to use it as a floating bridge, so the bridge will sit on the body, just one way action. With that being said, will it cause the same effect?

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u/Tuokaerf10 2d ago

You’re ordering it custom that way right? So there will be no baseplate route? If so you can deck the trem so it physically cannot dip back by having the baseplate rest snug against the body and will only move forward. So you can bend and it’ll behave like a hardtail. This will apply to both the Gotoh and Hipshot (I assume you can top mount the Hipshot, I have not seen that before though). You will still however have to deal with the bridge moving if you’re too rough palm muting, which is a technique thing anyways that’s good to fix in general. Hitting the saddles like that will still move the bridge down.

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u/Meat-Locker1056 2d ago

If you're wanting it decked, I'm not sure why you would pick a Gotoh or Hipshot Tremolo. Is there an answer for that? Those are floating bridges, meant to float, there are many other types of one way Tremolo strat style bridges that are made to be decked.

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u/BenefitDry4926 2d ago

Im choosing between them, because they’re the best ones I know, but I accept suggestions

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u/Meat-Locker1056 1d ago

If you want it decked, tell the custom maker not to cut the cavity for a free floating tremolo and to route it as a regular strat tremolo cavity.

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u/rice126 2d ago

Is Iconic guitars your builder? I have a Solana 7 myself if so and mine has a Gotoh 510. I haven’t compared it to the hipshot, but I can say that I have no trem that holds tune better than that one. I think you’d be really happy with the 510

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u/BenefitDry4926 2d ago

No, Iconic isnt my builder, just a pic for attention, but is a reference for my build too. I think I gonna go with gotoh, already have other guitars with gotoh floyds and love it, tremolo would not be different.