# How Leo Fender's Tremolo Bridge Changes Guitar Pitch

> A mechanical bridge system for electric guitars that allows players to temporarily change the tension and pitch of all strings simultaneously using a manual lever.

- **Patent:** US 2741146
- **Original title:** Tremolo device for stringed instruments
- **Owner:** Individual
- **Granted:** 1956
- **Status:** Public domain (expired)
- **Times cited:** 92
- **Field:** mechanical, consumer_electronics

## What it does

The device functions as a movable bridge assembly for a stringed instrument. It uses a spring-loaded mechanism to anchor the strings, allowing the player to pivot the bridge using a connected arm or lever. When the player pushes or pulls this lever, the bridge tilts, which increases or decreases the tension on all strings at once. This action creates the signature vibrato or pitch-bending effect commonly heard in rock and blues music.

## What it does NOT cover

- Does not cover fixed bridges that have no mechanism for pitch modulation.
- Does not cover electronic or digital pitch-shifting effects.
- Does not cover tremolo systems that lock the strings at the nut, such as the Floyd Rose.
- Does not cover non-stringed instruments.

## The clever bit

By synchronizing the movement of the bridge with the string saddles, the design maintains the relative tuning of the strings even while the overall pitch is being modulated.

## Real-world examples

1. Fender Stratocaster synchronized tremolo bridge
2. Modern vintage-style tremolo systems
3. Two-point tremolo bridges on contemporary electric guitars

## Why it matters

This invention is the foundation of the 'synchronized tremolo' found on the Fender Stratocaster. It fundamentally changed how electric guitarists perform, enabling expressive techniques like pitch dives and vibrato that define the sound of modern popular music.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does How Leo Fender's Tremolo Bridge Changes Guitar Pitch cover?

A mechanical bridge system for electric guitars that allows players to temporarily change the tension and pitch of all strings simultaneously using a manual lever.

### Who owns patent US 2741146?

Individual owns this patent, granted in 1956.

### When does this patent expire?

This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.

### What is patent US 2741146 cited by?

This patent has been cited by 92 later patents that build on its ideas.

### What problem does this patent solve?

This invention is the foundation of the 'synchronized tremolo' found on the Fender Stratocaster. It fundamentally changed how electric guitarists perform, enabling expressive techniques like pitch dives and vibrato that define the sound of modern popular music.

### What does this patent NOT cover?

Does not cover fixed bridges that have no mechanism for pitch modulation.

**Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2741146/fender-stratocaster-tremolo

**Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US2741146

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._


## Related patents

Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus:

- [How the Frying Pan Guitar Created the Electric Guitar](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2089171/electric-guitar-frying-pan) — George Beauchamp's 1937 patent for the first commercially successful electric guitar, which used a magnetic pickup to turn string vibrations into electrical signals.
- [How the Theremin Makes Music Without Touching Anything](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1661058/theremin-leon-theremin) — Leon Theremin's 1928 patent for an electronic musical instrument that generates sound based on the proximity of a performer's hands to metal antennas.
- [How George Nissen Invented the Modern Trampoline](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2370990/trampoline-nissen) — The 1945 patent for a 'tumbling device' that introduced the modern trampoline, using a flexible canvas bed stretched over a frame with springs to allow for high-bouncing acrobatics.
- [How Robert Moog Used Transistors to Shape Synthesizer Sounds](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3475623/moog-synthesizer-ladder-filter) — A 1969 invention by Robert Moog that uses the internal resistance of transistors to create the iconic filters that define the sound of analog synthesizers.
- [How Laurens Hammond Invented the Electric Organ](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1956350/hammond-organ) — Laurens Hammond's 1934 patent for an electrical musical instrument that used spinning tone wheels to generate sound, forming the basis of the iconic Hammond organ.