How many forumites own whammy equipped guitars but don't use them?

arjunmenon · 2011-04-26T09:28:32+00:00

I know a fair share of people here own whammy equipped guitars yet don't use them or block them. Reasons?

arjunmenon

singemonkey wrote
Arjun Menon wrote Next step : Going postal...Somebody bring me my Heckler & Koch MP5
You could just wheel a 200watt Mesa in there and shred some sense into them ?

p.s. Been considering my vibrato arm a little more. Realised that my technique is really bad. Just shifting the very tip of the arm into the centre of my palm gave me much more leverage and control.

Ha ha ? I think i'd lose the element of surprise. I want to see the whites of their eyes when i pull out an assault rifle (evil grin).

After the major hijack, back to the vibrato - Good move singe. I'd suggest you try different ways of incorporating it (technique-wise that is).
After messing around extensively, i've settled on slipping it between index and middle - this way i get to hang onto the plectrum, grab it with middle, ring & pinky for upward pull and use the same three fingers open & straight for downward motion.
This way, i can also:
1. Quickly push & release (looks like slapping) with middle, ring & pinky for -ve flutters.
2. Quickly pull & release (looks like snapping) for +ve flutters.
3. Lastly, flicking it away in a 180 turn and hitting it hard with the fleshy part between wrist & thumb for violent flutters.

Hope this adds some more to your trickbag.

Demon-Dave

Okay, well if you haven’t worked it out by my previous posts, I might have a bit of a bro-mance happening for Brian Setzer, but check out the use of the ol’ Bigsby in this clip:

singemonkey

Demon Dave wrote Okay, well if you haven’t worked it out by my previous posts, I might have a bit of a bro-mance happening for Brian Setzer, but check out the use of the ol’ Bigsby in this clip:

Now that's what I'm talkin' about. Vibrato tails aren't just for shredders ?

Malkav

Just figured that this is something awesomely relevant to this thread. One thing Shawn Lane points out which is very true is that with the whammy bar you can drop pitch which is something you can't really achieve with just your hands alone, being able to vibrato around the note going from lower to higher adds more of a vocal quality to the phrasing. I mean just think about it, human singers aren't at the mercy of frets ? and unless you're on a fretless like Mr Thal you'd need to use a whammy bar to get that lower vibrato ?

I'm not saying you have to use vibrato or that you'd even like it, but it's undeniably the only way to go down ?

AlanRatcliffe

Chad Adam Browne wrote I'm not saying you have to use vibrato or that you'd even like it, but it's undeniably the only way to go down ?

You could also learn to pre-bend...

singemonkey

Alan Ratcliffe wrote
Chad Adam Browne wrote I'm not saying you have to use vibrato or that you'd even like it, but it's undeniably the only way to go down ?
You could also learn to pre-bend...

I wuz gonna say...

BMU

That is a good point CAB. It does bother me that vibrato always only goes above the note. Steve Morse spoke about bending the neck forward to lower the pitch to counter that effect. Seems like an extreme solution, and I don't have mr Morse's biceps.

Malkav

singemonkey wrote
Alan Ratcliffe wrote
Chad Adam Browne wrote I'm not saying you have to use vibrato or that you'd even like it, but it's undeniably the only way to go down ?
You could also learn to pre-bend...
I wuz gonna say...

It's not really the same to my ears, pre-bending sounds like your holding your breath and releasing it slowly - there's more of an anticipation in the note, the whammy bar allows a more fluid dynamic - but that's just my opinion...

Wizard

Sorry to be the dof one.
What does "pre-bend" mean?

Malkav

Wizard wrote Sorry to be the dof one.
What does "pre-bend" mean?

It's when you bend a lower note up to a certain pitch and then strike it (as in it's already a tone or semi-tone higher in pitch before it begins resonation) and then you can bend around where that note is going both up and down. I think the G-Man explains it in here... 8)

Edit: Sorry meant this video.

AlanRatcliffe

Bend the string silently before you play the note. Then strike the note and release the bend down to pitch. Dave Gilmour is the master of this.

singemonkey

I agree with Chad that it has a different sound. But that's guitar techniques for you. They all have different sounds. Bending up to pitch is a valid technique, and bending down from pitch is a valid technique. In my experience though, no one exploits releasing bends from pitch because it's a lot harder - which is why, I think, it's mainly done for the "release of breath" sound that Chad's talking about. Put a vibrato tailpiece on a guitar and down bending strings becomes obvious.

But yeah, it's a totally valid way of smoothly dropping pitch.

Malkav

singemonkey wrote I agree with Chad that it has a different sound. But that's guitar techniques for you. They all have different sounds. Bending up to pitch is a valid technique, and bending down from pitch is a valid technique. In my experience though, no one exploits releasing bends from pitch because it's a lot harder - which is why, I think, it's mainly done for the "release of breath" sound that Chad's talking about. Put a vibrato tailpiece on a guitar and down bending strings becomes obvious.

But yeah, it's a totally valid way of smoothly dropping pitch.

Also there are some epic riffs you can write when using a whammy bar ? Take for instance this whammy bar masters approach...

He doesn't use any effects except the occasional wah, so everything you hear here is just guitar straight into amp. That thing that sounds like a pitch shifter is just him using a whammy bar, it is something you can only really do with floyd rose though...

mieliehobo

I do try to use the whammy bar in my playing whenever I can but that's hardly ever.

arjunmenon

mieliehobo wrote I do try to use the whammy bar in my playing whenever I can but that's hardly ever.

Trying is the first step to learning ?

DonovanB

Having a band that agrees to it is another stumbling block. In all the bands I've played in, only one played music that would have been suited to my use of the whammy bar.

Unless you count doing a cover of High on Emotion by Chris de Burgh....

Azathoth

My Jackson DKMG has a pretty slick whammy but I tend to use it sparingly... it is awesome fun to mess around making noise with the thing, but that's mostly what I use it for. Divebombs are good fun ?

I did use my Epi Strat copy's tremolo bar a lot, but that was a terrible guitar.

Hammeron

I put mine back on the v yesterday, first time I'm using it.
we'll see how it goes 8)

arjunmenon

Bravo Hammeron :goodtimes:

Do post your experiences with it

Dingwall

As a strat player I have not used a whammy for as long as I can remember. I almost pride myself on this fact, I think I was put off by the whammy antics of players in the 80s.

But I went to see Scott Henderson live last night (I have posted another thread) and he uses a whammy bar lots, it's a major part of his style. Now I don't particularly want to sound or play like Scott but I was blown away by the level of control that he had and how many different sounds he was able to get using it! So I am now wondering whether I have missed a trick here and that maybe I need to dig out my whammy and see what happens! Particularly in a 'live' situation in a 'one guitar' band. It really cuts through the mix and can really help fill those 'quiet' moments in songs.

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