Gifthorse Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 I was just thinking about tremolo bars. Personally, I quit using one about 10 years ago because it seemed too easy to use it in every solo and sound like Vai or Satrioni. It seems that the whammy went through a similar phase/transformation that shredding did. I think it is a cool tool on a guitar, but it depends on how you use it. To me Hendrix or VH used it the coolest because they did it with thier own style. I started to think it was just cheezy like 10 years ago but now I am considering building a Charvel styled guitar like my old one with a whammy. I want a bridge like the ones on the G&L. Allan Holdsworth is another sweet whammy user. http://flagshipmile.dmusic.com/ http://www.myspace.com/gifthorse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 Don't forget Brian Setzer, or Nokie Edwards. Bill "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve LeBlanc Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 I like to use it occasionally...mostly at the end of phrases or to add character to chords (vibrato and/or changing key by bending down). I have my bar set to only bend down right now, so far that's really all I've needed. http://www.youtube.com/notesleb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antimatter Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 Jeff Beck incorporates the bar like a sixth finger or third hand. or something like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 flagshipmile, I started to think it was just cheezy like 10 years ago but now I am considering building a Charvel styled guitar like my old one with a whammy. IMHO, it's a good move to build a guitar with a whammy. You don't HAVE to use it Some will say that it affects the tone, but I don't hear anything bad with my Strat And it stays in tune. Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gifthorse Posted August 15, 2004 Author Share Posted August 15, 2004 I agree about Jeff Beck. He is one of the pioneers of whammy usage. Well depending on the bar setup and the guitar you are using it can be a nuisance. I remember my biggest qualm with my tremolo was that I was using a floating bridge. It is so hard to tune the thing and when you bend notes or mute sometimes it can go sharp or flat because of the relative tension. I agree it nice to have a guitar with one on it. I remember before when I HAD to have one I used it constantly. http://flagshipmile.dmusic.com/ http://www.myspace.com/gifthorse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Red 67 Posted August 15, 2004 Share Posted August 15, 2004 Sometimes Adrian Belew uses the bar in a way that you can't tell that's what he's using. Try grabing the bar and playing chords or a line while holding it. It creates this amaising thing that can have a very vocal sound. I don't think i have ever sounded like Vai when using the bar. My fav. Vai thing is his vocal stuff with the wah. As Zappa said,"Stunt Guitar". Big Red's Ride Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Red 67 Posted August 15, 2004 Share Posted August 15, 2004 Alex Lifeson. Big Red's Ride Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMcGuitar Posted August 15, 2004 Share Posted August 15, 2004 There are a lot of players who use a whammy bar really well, and I really like the sounds they get (some of the names mentioned here are great examples). But personally, I hate the things. They can be fun to use as a "sound effect", but I just can't seem to get into really playing music with them. I have no idea why. Maybe it's just that I've never gotten comfortable enough in operating them. I know a lot of it comes from the tuning issues (that really drives me nuts ). But whatever the cause, I've pretty much blocked (or tightened to the point of being the same thing) all 3 of the guitars I've had that had tremolo bars. May all your thoughts be random! - Neil www.McFaddenArts.com www.MikesGarageRocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sg Posted August 15, 2004 Share Posted August 15, 2004 I played locking floyds for a number of years and eventually found the nuts and bolts/tuning issues way too combersome for my playing (which shifted from dive-bomb style to more subtle uses). I find that my '57 strat serves tasteful usage very well -and no trouble holding down the tuning w/ a little filing + graphite lube at the nut; of course it would probably still tweak under extreme usage. I suppose I've found that a few taps here and there can be more effective than vai-like swells; but that's just me. If you don't need a lot of travel, I'd stay away from the locking full-floater. -sg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Björn Fröberg Posted August 15, 2004 Share Posted August 15, 2004 In my opinion there's many cool things you can do with a whammy, but I personally haven't learned to use one. My brother used to use his whammy quite often before, (a locking Floyd Rose) but the thing I don't like is that if you hit hard on the strings they sound sloppy when the bridge starts to vibrate. With strat-styled whammys that isn't much of a problem, though. - Bob Freebird A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Red 67 Posted August 15, 2004 Share Posted August 15, 2004 I found that with the bridge floatin a bit if you hold a chord (open works best) and pound on the bottom of the body (where your arm would rest) the springs viberate and cause this monsterous sounding chords. Big Red's Ride Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedro Posted August 15, 2004 Share Posted August 15, 2004 I am a Floyd Rose user since my early days. I still like them. I'm glad they're coming back into acceptance a little bit. I actually like the way the bridge will flutter if you hit the strings really hard or just tap the bar. Brad Gillis did this a lot and it sounded pretty cool, I thought. Probably dating myself on that comment. Most guys do overuse/abuse the Floyd Rose style bridges. I think that's in response to Eddie VH. People just try to copy what they like and hear. Everybody knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact. - Homer Simpson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Red 67 Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 If you do a desending line that repeats moving down one fret each time the line repeats and droping the bar at the end of the line each time while slowing down it sounds like a record that is turned off while still playing. Cool effect to the end of a solo if the drummer can pull it off. Makes for a weak ending to a song though. Big Red's Ride Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudcat Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Originally posted by bpark@prorec.com: Don't forget Brian Setzer, or Nokie Edwards. Bill Also don't forget Duane Eddy and "that guy who used to play with Chris Isaak." Wish I could remember his name! Mudcat's music on Soundclick "Work hard. Rock hard. Eat hard. Sleep hard. Grow big. Wear glasses if you need 'em."-The Webb Wilder Credo- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coyote Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Blackmore was a great user of the vibrato bar; he rarely uses it nowadays. Dave Gilmour also was quite wild with it sometimes. I've always used it heavily, and never had the tuning problems so many folks seem to complain about. I've always floated it so that I could push it or pull it; as long as you go to the effort to balance it properly from the start tunign really shouldn't be a problem. The locking hardware (Rose, Kahler, etc) is unneccessary and cumbersome. I used to think I was Libertarian. Until I saw their platform; now I know I'm no more Libertarian than I am RepubliCrat or neoCON or Liberal or Socialist. This ain't no track meet; this is football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Red 67 Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Floating the bridge seems to make it harder to tune. It also seem to help it stay in tune better. Big Red's Ride Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moeblues04 Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 Originally posted by Jedro: I am a Floyd Rose user since my early days. I still like them. I'm glad they're coming back into acceptance a little bit. I actually like the way the bridge will flutter if you hit the strings really hard or just tap the bar. Brad Gillis did this a lot and it sounded pretty cool, I thought. Probably dating myself on that comment. Don't worry about dating yourself. I've recently dug out my old vinyl copy of Ozzy's " Speak of the Devil" album with Brad Gillis handling the guitar duties. Some of the stuff he pulled off on that album still knocks me out. It's flashy...but not overdone. It's just too bad he played in such a crappy band( Night Ranger). BTW....does anyone know what happened to him and his Night Ranger partner Jeff Watson? "We're just musician's.....here to thin the thickness of your skin." - Max Webster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.