Stoptail bridge

Many manufacturers claim that the use of lightweight metals and alloys, such as aluminum, provide a greater transfer of the string's vibrational energy or "resonant quality" to the guitar body since there is less mass to excite.

Aluminum was also used in the early examples of stoptail bridges from the 1950s, so it carries the mantle of "vintage" vibe.

The stopbar can either simply slip onto notches on top of the studs, or be held in place using set screws.

One danger to be aware of is that the stopbar can fall out of the notches when changing strings and put a ding in the guitar's finish.

This fastening of the key components in a stoptail bridge system is claimed to impart more sustain and tone to the guitar's sound.

Regardless of the technique used, the tension provided by tightening the strings to pitch is the only thing keeping the stopbar in place, unless it is a "locking" type.

This is not a universally accepted opinion and guitarists will argue over the virtues of stoptail, hard-tail and tremolo bridges probably for as long as they all exist.