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Post by RJB on Jan 9, 2008 15:10:11 GMT -5
The wife bought the 2 Crossroads Guitar Festival DVDs for me. Across 4 discs, with more than half of the guitars being Strats or Stratlike, almost no one uses the vibrato. Half of them didn't even have the bar installed. Except for 3 notable exceptions, (Steve Vai [duh], Jeff Beck, and Albert Lee) the few that used the vibrato at all only used it to end the song/solo with a long sustained note. Kind of like "Well it's there might as well sort of use it".
So who actually uses this mess of hardware that everyone complains about for tuning instability, hard to setup, and mechanically noisy?
For the record PRS SE stop tail, LP tuneomatic, and Tele in my stable.
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Post by lunaalta on Jan 9, 2008 16:08:02 GMT -5
Well, I use mine, with no ill effects to the tuning, on a 73 Strat. Nowhere near as well as Jeff Beck though  Mind you I've been playing for around 43 years, so I guess I might be lagging behind on current trends. |
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Post by ux4484 on Jan 9, 2008 16:09:56 GMT -5
Had it on a Squire HSS strat, blocked it, then replaced it with a hardtail. If I need to do it, I use the pedal version of it on my Digitech, which (after a little practice) is easier to control....and never affects tuning  . |
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Post by newey on Jan 9, 2008 17:02:51 GMT -5
I keep the bars on my vibrato-equipped guitars mainly for the looks- just doesn't look right to me with an empty hole. As for actually using it, I use it only to demonstrate to the unknowing how quickly it detunes the guitar.  |
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Post by ChrisK on Jan 9, 2008 18:07:51 GMT -5
Oh, you mean the tremo'Leo! Well, I do. Sumgai does also. I leave the bar out and use it for minor palm-based up-bends (Wilkinson). I also like it set up for detune only (6 screw vintage) and again leave the bar out. This enables the "built-in" reverb to work (them there springy thingies). Every one knows that the Strat is a semi-hollow guitar turned inside-out? |
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Post by sumgai on Jan 9, 2008 20:08:06 GMT -5
RJB, Yes indeedy, as noted above, I use the vibrato tailpiece, without the arm, almost continuously as I play. My left hand is plenty strong, and almost coordinated enough to actually fake people out that I can play this heer gee-tar, but for the most part, a gentle leaning on the bridge, and I've got a full-spectrum vibrational thingie going on that just stupifies the audience. (Or was that stultify? Hmmm, I never can remember the difference between them 5 dollar words.  ) BTW, those complainers? They're too wrapped up in posing as players to actually learn how to use their own gear! If it were truly useless, do you really thing Jeff Beck would use it "just because it's there"? And it's no accident that Leo put this on the second guitar he ever designed (the third, if you count the P-bass, but I wasn't), and included it on very nearly every model since, even the student jobbies. (Even the Bass VI, fer chriminy sakes!) And that goes not only for Fender, but for G&L and MusicMan too. I know he was a bit hard-headed on occasion, but it's a stone fact that he was able to make Abe Lincoln wince in pain, every time he pinched a penny. There's no way Leo would include a costly add-on like a vibrato tailpiece, if the buying public didn't want it. Although I gotta admit, Digitech sure puts up a good fight, if you can train yourself to use your foot when you instinctively want to use your hand. Yeah, ux, I've got one of those too.  Don't often use it, but once in awhile....... HTH sumgai |
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Post by kuzi16 on Jan 9, 2008 21:26:55 GMT -5
uh i lost the bar to my floyd rose... ;D
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Post by ashcatlt on Jan 10, 2008 1:04:58 GMT -5
A Rose is easier to manipulate with your hand. I've got a piece of heavy guage wire wrapped through one of the springs on my strat and twisted down tight so that fling-flangin thing won't move. I do like having the springs there, in case I decide I want to play them.  To answer your question: kevin shields uses the trem on his jags all the time. I also hear eddie van halen has wiggled his whammy a couple times. |
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Post by dunkelfalke on Jan 10, 2008 14:24:47 GMT -5
i do (because i emulate david gilmour anyway)
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Post by RJB on Jan 10, 2008 14:53:51 GMT -5
WOW! Hotter topic than I thought.
I guess my original intent wasn't so much bashing the trem as to point out that here was almost 8 hrs of some of the most noted and possibly influential guitarists from the past 50yrs. Hand picked by EC himself. And how few used the tool that was already on their guitar.
I 'm contemplating a vibrato type in the future, just for curiosity. But I still personally gravitate back to the Tele. Probably because I wouldn't be able to figure out how to work the bar and play notes at the same time. (see walking and gum problem).
Anyway great responses guys.
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Post by dunkelfalke on Jan 10, 2008 15:52:57 GMT -5
you'll need a free floating one, so you can use it with the pinky and the ring finger while playing.
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Post by Ripper on Jan 10, 2008 23:33:38 GMT -5
Gents... Being a Fender fanatic, I understand how sub-par the trem system is on a Stratocaster. I do however use it. I cant do, nor do I want to do divebombs, but gentle warbles at the end of chords with heavy, wet reverb.... Does it get any better then that? |
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Post by sumgai on Jan 11, 2008 1:53:38 GMT -5
.......
Does it get any better then that? Yes, providing the reverb tank is set to 10, and is feeding a Dual Showman! Set to about 7 or 8 on the Richter scale!! ;D sumgai |
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Post by kuzi16 on Jan 12, 2008 10:27:20 GMT -5
my biggest problem with a floating trem in general is that it takes forever for me to tune it. I have a FLoyd Rose on my only playable electric at the moment. If i wanna drop D its a big problem. i cant just tune on the fly with it.
here is what it takes for me to get it to drop D: find the allen wrench and unscrew the three nuts by the nut. get the e string down to D. then tune all the other strings because the tention is not different on the springs of the floyd rose. Re-tune the E string to D. Tighten the bolts again. Adjust the fine tuners on the floyd rose. Realize that one of them is already adjusted too far one way or the other. Unscrew the bolts again with the allen wrench. adjust the fine tuenin over half way in the OTHER direction. RE-tune that string. tighten the nuts again. Use the fine tuners to FINALLY get the darn thing in tune.
realize that the song i needed to have the guitar in Drop D for is overnow. Rush to bring it back up to E
Needless to say this is why i dont like a floyd rose/tremelo/vibrado/whateverothernameitcouldbecalled
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Post by Ripper on Jan 12, 2008 12:07:34 GMT -5
Sumgai...
I have reverb on my Marshall, but I turn it off and use the Tone 6 Verbzilla. If I want sopping wet reverb I use the "cave" setting.
Its amazing, a great reverb pedal.
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Post by sumgai on Jan 12, 2008 15:11:06 GMT -5
Sumgai... I have reverb on my Marshall, but I turn it off and use the Tone 6 Verbzilla. If I want sopping wet reverb I use the "cave" setting. Its amazing, a great reverb pedal. Ahh, but can it do "fwip"?  I didn't think so.  "Sorry, Charlie, you're not good enough for Star-Kist reverb!"  ;D If it weren't for the advent of surf music and that infamous "fwip" sound, Accutronics would have gone out of business long ere now. So far, it hasn't been done in models, although I admit, things are getting closer all the time. It won't be but another couple of years at the most before we bid Accutronics 'adieu'. sumgai |
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Post by Ripper on Jan 12, 2008 17:32:45 GMT -5
The Verbzilla has a "63 spring" setting.
I believe thats Line 6's version of fwip! ....but I agree, its close but no cigar.
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Post by ashcatlt on Jan 12, 2008 20:59:59 GMT -5
my biggest problem with a floating trem in general is that it takes forever for me to tune it... (snip) ...FINALLY get the darn thing in tune. realize that the song i needed to have the guitar in Drop D for is overnow. Rush to bring it back up to E Needless to say this is why i dont like a floyd rose/tremelo/vibrado/whateverothernameitcouldbecalled You don't have enough guitars. But that's kind of the reason I've got my trem wired down. It's not so much that wiggling the stick causes it to go out of tune. It's that it takes so long to get the thing back in tune. I generally use a sort of back and forth approach where I'll tune the low E, then high E, A, B, D, G. Then go back over the thing. Only really works with an electronic tuning device, and is no fun at all. Well, that and I really wouldn't use the thing all that much anyway. Eventually I'll be either blocking it in or replacing with a fixed bridge to get back some sustain. |
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Post by kuzi16 on Jan 13, 2008 0:35:33 GMT -5
right on the nose... i dont have enough guitars.
i have one in the basement in a bout a million parts and i have a big hunk of wood nex to it for the next guitar.
both will be hard tails.
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Post by dunkelfalke on Jan 14, 2008 5:07:21 GMT -5
my biggest problem with a floating trem in general is that it takes forever for me to tune it. I have a FLoyd Rose on my only playable electric at the moment. If i wanna drop D its a big problem. i cant just tune on the fly with it. it is not that bad if you use a whammy stabiliser, but still, floyd rose is very mean. |
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alfonso
Apprentice Shielder
Posts: 28
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Post by alfonso on Feb 23, 2008 19:14:54 GMT -5
Gents... Being a Fender fanatic, I understand how sub-par the trem system is on a Stratocaster. I do however use it. I cant do, nor do I want to do divebombs, but gentle warbles at the end of chords with heavy, wet reverb.... Does it get any better then that? Hi guys, I'm back after a while...I had posted regarding a fender vintage tremolo I made floating and how I found better leaving only the 2 external screws. I can confirm that. This baby has a great tone and keeps the tuning amazingly well. An example in the Sound Samples section: guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=sounds&thread=1203973986 |
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Don't often use it, but once in awhile.......
