What is the difference between recessed and non-recessed?

[jonasaberg]

Some guitars have recessed Floyds, others don't. Is there a difference in feel or stability or something else? Basically, is one better than the other or is it down to personal preferences?

[Dreamland_Rebel]

personal preference.

recessed maintains the feel of a standard tremlo like most fenders.

non recessed maintains the feel of standard stop pieces like most gibsons.

[JacksonWarrior]

My WRMG has a recessed LFR and my Westone has a non recessed Bendmaster DX(Very simular to an FR). Switching between the guitars durring a session is effortless, they both play so simularly concerning the bridge. I dont notice much difference when it comes to palm muting etc.

[Racerx2k]

personal preference.

recessed maintains the feel of a standard tremlo like most fenders.

non recessed maintains the feel of standard stop pieces like most gibsons.

?????

I totally disagree with that statement. A NON-recessed would be closer to a fender-type, fulcrum trem, actually, as they essentially operate the same: Dive, with minimal (if any) pull-up. Not to mention, how does ANY Floyd setup compare to a Gibson stop tailpiece?

Basically, a recessed trem is gonna give you greater pull-up availability, and gives you, typically, more trem height adjustmen, as you now have a routed out recess underneath your trem. A NON-recessed trem is basically just gonna sit above the body, which means it will limit your amount of pull-up, as well as height adjusment possiblities. Some people prefer to "block" the trem, so as to make it dive-only, which makes tuning stability a non-issue, when switching to drop-D tuning, but this can be done on either trem setup type.

[dg]

The statement about the recessed trem feeling closer to Fender & non-recessed feeling closer to Gibson is all about the string height from the body, not anything to do with the bridge functionality, and it is absolutely true. The neck angle of a guitar with a non-recessed floyd (especially on a set-neck or neck-through) is exactly the same as that of a Les Paul, and guitars with recessed trems have no neck-tilt, just like a Fender strat. On a bolt-on, the neck tilt can be fine-tuned with shims to allow for the trem to be lowered to the body. The whole "you can't pull up on a non-recessed trem" idea is BS and is usually spread by people who haven't owned one or set one up for full float. Skeptics can check out some Brad Gillis videos. Recessed trems usually have a deeper route behind the trem to allow for more pullup, but there are also non-recessed guitars with pullup routes to accomplish the same thing. Even without the route, they can be set up for quite a bit of pullup.

[Sunbane]

Our good friend dg tells it how it is.

[VitaminG]

Our good friend dg tells it how it is.

+1

Good post, dg

[jonasaberg]

thanks

Thanks for the replies, very informative. Basically I was wondering if there are any down sides to a recessed trem. For some reason I had the idea that a non-recessed was better. Exactly why I was under that impression I do not know. Seems to me that the difference is marginal.

[Number Of The Priest]

Been a while since I've talked trems, so my info may be rusty...

There are three sustain block lengths for Floyd Rose bridges, giving three different heights for Floyd Rose bridges.

42mm block = "non-recessed". Found on guitars like the Shannon Soloist. Yes, I can pull up on my trem before the intonation screws hit the body. Needs a 4-degree neck angle (like a Gibson Les Paul).

37mm block = "semi-recessed". Okay, I admit haven't played one of these before. Apparently these are on the Peavey Wolfgangs where the Floyd is either floating VERY low off the body surface or actually sitting on the body. Not sure if you can actually pull up by any means on this sort of setup. Can someone clarify?

32mm block = "recessed". Found on your typical Jackson/Ibanez/ESP today. Has a route underneath the intonation screws for pull-up.

Legend says Steve Vai used to stick a piece of foam on the forearm area of his 42mm-block guitar so his forearm would have a place to rest while he palmed the raised bridge... until he lowered his trems and started digging routes underneath them so that his forearm could rest on the guitar body itself rather than a piece of foam, thus giving birth to the 32mm-block Floyd setup.

I really wish there were more 42mm-block guitars out there today since it's my personal playing preference, but modern manufacturers seem to enjoy following the Steve Vai trend of low bridges.

[5074charvel]

This is what I thought for years:

non-recessed: Tremolo can be adjusted in a way that it lays flat on the body, ala EVH, or free floating ala Yngwie.

recessed: the wood underneath the trem is recessed so it´s basically free floating, no matter how you adjust it, ala Vai


All wrong?

[slash]

This is what I thought for years:

non-recessed: Tremolo can be adjusted in a way that it lays flat on the body, ala EVH, or free floating ala Yngwie.

recessed: the wood underneath the trem is recessed so it´s basically free floating, no matter how you adjust it, ala Vai


All wrong?

True to a degree.... Any trem recessed or not can be "blocked" so it is not free floating

[Sunbane]

All my floyded guitars are non-recessed, fully floating, and I set them up to allow for a decent amount of pull-up. My project guitar will have a non-recessed Floyd and a pull-up route to allow for some really radical whammy work.

For me, the fundamental differences between recessed and non-recessed only come down to neck angle and bridge height. I prefer non-recessed, because it creates a better angle for my wrist when playing.

None is better than the other - it's all player preference.