PRESENTING!

Charles Fisher, system designer and company founder, has been building custom made, solid-body electric guitars since 1985, dba Fisher Guitars. Like so many other experienced guitar builders, he was constantly contending with the many drawbacks and limitations of the various tremolo bridge systems available during that time. A detailed analysis of these systems gave rise to the concept of developing a more "ideal" mechanical tremolo: one that would, first and foremost, better satisfy the performance demands of today's leading guitarists, while simultaneously providing guitar manufacturers, custom builders and technicians with a tremolo system that is simple to install in both new and retrofit applications. Offering this in an attractive design of high quality components at a competitive price, backed by a commitment to 100% customer satisfaction, is both the concept and goal of The Point ® Technologies.

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The Point Classic® Tremolo

 

The Point Classic® tremolo basically combines the useful features and similar dimensions of the traditional, classic (Strat-style)¹ tremolo with the patented Point-Cone fulcrum process. This adaptation, in concert with other additional improvements, offers many distinct advantages over the traditional classic setup.

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State Of The Art Sensitivity

 

The position of the fulcrum process in relation to the string saddle platform creates a "see-saw" type of effect which reduces the distance the platform travels by 23% over the traditional classic setup, which translates into 23% less tremolo arm movement for any desired sound effect. This increased efficiency of motion directly facilitates the high speed "fret-burning" playing styles so popularized by today's leading guitarists, opening new avenues of creativity. Without question, the ultra-smooth action of The Point Classic® tremolo is the fastest, most responsive available today.

 

Precision Pitch Control

 

A significant reduction in friction of the Point-Cone fulcrum process derives primarily from its concentric nature. Additionally, during the manufacturing process, the points and cone bar are hardened in a bath of high temperature oil, which microscopically impregnates the metal surfaces, rendering a self-lubricating property to the fulcrum parts. This dramatic reduction in friction allows for remarkably precise pitch return to center, requiring no additional, cumbersome string-locking devices to achieve this goal. This high-tech design allows The Point® Technologies to offer a Lifetime Warranty on the fulcrum parts from breakage or wear which would cause the bridge to fail to return precisely to pitch -- an industry exclusive.  Go to our Product Warranty web page for more details.  We recommend the use of locking tuners and a self-lubricating graphite or other low-friction nut for optimum system performance.

 

 

Improved Sound Conduction -- Casting & Plating

The combination saddle platform/tone bar is a high quality, one piece, completely uniform casting of zinc-magnesium alloy (ZAMAG #3), noted for its excellent sound conduction properties. The string saddles are likewise cast of the same alloy, creating a uniform composition and density of metal throughout. Additionally, the entire body of the tremolo is plated, rather than just the saddles and saddle platform, producing an extremely smooth surface for optimum sound conduction (see Fig.1 below).

Note: Because the body of the tremolo is a casting, some secondary machining procedures must be performed before plating. Therefore, to accommodate the custom builder who requires a non-standard tone bar length, the bar can simply be milled to any specified length prior to plating.
 

Improved Sound Conduction -- Mini-Saddle System

Each string on the guitar is a different size, and when struck, each resonates at a different frequency. When adjoining string saddles touch each other, as is the case in most conventional tremolos, a cross-contamination of frequencies occurs which is transmitted across all six saddles. In addition, on most conventional tremolos, the heel of each saddle contacts the saddle platform, dampening the vibration of the string.

The mini-saddle system addresses both of these phenomena. Since the mini-saddles do not touch each other, there is no direct cross-contamination of frequencies. In addition, the mini-saddles are elevated above the saddle platform by the saddle height and intonation adjustment screws, greatly reducing string vibration dampening. The result is a cleaner, purer, undistorted sound with better sustain, which can then be tailored by any special effects equipment for the optimum sound desired (See Fig. 1 above and Photograph below).

Aesthetic Appearance

The Point Classic ® tremolo sports a custom, recessed saddle-well design that compliments its high performance features. The unique location of the Point-Cone fulcrum process underneath the saddle platform allows for a much cleaner, uncluttered appearance, devoid of exposed screws, pivot posts, knife edges, and string locking devices common to all other traditional/conventional designs.  E to E string spacing is 2 1/16 in. (52.5 mm).

The Point Classic ® is available in three standard finishes: high-gloss chrome, high-gloss black and high-gloss gold, all with black hardware.
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Piezo Adaptable
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Due to the recent popularity of piezo pickups and electronics, we have developed a piezo-adapted model of The Point Classic® Tremolo, pre-drilled for the six individual piezo pickup lead wires. The piezo-adapted bridge is sold without saddles so that users may select the piezo saddles and electronics of their choice.  Pricing is available on our Sales/Purchasing web page.

Ease of Installation  Installation of the Point Classic ® tremolo is relatively simple and straight forward. For optimum versatility, we suggest one of two options for either new or retrofit applications. Fig. 1 represents the standard routed cavity option for new guitar installation, limiting tremolo backpull to the top surface of the guitar body. Fig. 2 represents the full-body routed cavity option, which permits increased tremolo backpull into the cavity below the surface of the guitar body. When properly set up and adjusted, the saddle platform of the tremolo should lie parallel to the surface of the guitar body.  With a minimum amount of re-routing, the Point Classic® tremolo will retrofit into virtually any guitar equipped with either a traditional (Strat-style)2 or conventional tremolo. Likewise, either routing option may be selected. See Fig. 3 and 4.  To facilitate installation in either new or retrofit applications, The Point® Technologies offers three, clear acrylic routing templates complete with written instructions.

(1,2): Strat (i.e. Stratocaster) is a registered trademark of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. The Point® Technologies claims no affiliation with Fender Musical Instruments Corporation or its subsidiaries.