![Blocking the "Trem" :: 2010 Fender Stratocaster [7.6 lbs]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53dfcee2e4b0c0da377c65c7/1438714231943-Q5B1DTG31EXUIC0O9H2N/image-asset.jpeg)
Blocking the "Trem" :: 2010 Fender Stratocaster [7.6 lbs]
The player of this Strat doesn't really use the whammy bar, so he wanted to convert the floating bridge to a hard tail. A fixed bridge can improve things like tuning stability, sustain and even help with the pitch accuracy of double stop bends (ie. bending one string into/against another).
This hardtail conversion involves fitting a block (maple used here) into the spring cavity in the back of the guitar between the bridge block and the rear cavity wall (sorry, forgot to get a photo). Many people call this "blocking the trem" in which they are referring to the floating bridge as a tremolo. But this is not technically accurate as tremolo is a modulation in volume. Vibrato is really the phenomenon going on with a whammy bridge as you are modulating the pitch. So I guess we are really, "blocking the vibe".