Electric Guitar Help

[Mods1982]

Hi

Im fairly new to playing guitar and would like some help.

I have seen some guitars, mainly Fender have a vibrato handle on them, I am wondering what these do and if ALL electric guitars are able to have them put on as im looking to purchase a Epiphone Les Paul Dot but have never seen one that has a vibrato on it.

So basically my questions are

1: What does it do

2: Are all electric guitars able to have one added on

Thanks

[aggie182]

I have a 'hard-tail' strat that has NO 'whammy bar'. I think they're useless, but others don't. Pretty much what it does is this: It lifts the bridge to change the string tension and that will make certain effects depending on how much you bend or dont bend. On thing I don't like about guitars w/ whammy bars is that they don't stay in tune as long. I have a strat with one, and a strat without one. I owned an epiphone dot and it did not have a whammy bar. It had a hard bridge. Don't know if their is a model with one, but the dot I had didn't have one.

[815C]

I have a trem bar on my Legacy Special and I use it all the time. The guitar stays in tune - but G&L's are a higher quality instrument than your typical modern Fender.

One challange to playing with a trem is that when you bend a note up, the increased tension on that bent string pulls the bridge forward causing the other 5 strings to go flat.

Overall, if used tastfully, a trem bar can add a lot to your music. However, I'd like to get a 2nd electric that is a hard tail (no trem).

[Bob Womack]

I play with both. I prefer the stability of the hard-tail over the whammy-bar models as described by 815c, but love the ability to reach down and wiggle the silly thing as a chord decays for a pretty, whole-chord vibrato.

Adding a vibrato tailpiece is destructive, as in, you'll have to drill and screw and possibly route the body. You can't revert without leaving holes. It really is best to buy a guitar with the tailpiece you want because the system is engineered into the guitar at the factory.

There are four popular types:
1. Fender standard types, only able to drop pitch
2. Wilkinson fulcrum types, able to go up or down (Wilkinson, G&L, modern Fender type)
3. Bigsby roller types, able to go up or down very smoothly, but with limited range
4. Locking types based on the Floyd Rose system, able to take the strings down to flabby and untensioned, lying on the fretboard, and bring them back up in-tune, but a pain to change strings on.

I use the Wilkinson-type. It is also wise to have locking tuners on a whammy equipped guitar, by the way.

With all said, If I could only have one guitar, it would be a hard-tail.

Hope this helps,
Bob

[Taylor Poor]

Get sea sick with the Bigsby!!

[blackeyedboy11]

The Fender strat tremelo bar can be used to raise pitch if it's set up that way with the back of the bridge floating off the body. The springs are adjustable. That's what Jimi used. I use mine just to lower pitch with the bridge flat aginst the body, with tight springs. I have no tuning problems set up this way. As Bob said, locking tuners really help also a well prepared nut goes a long way too (polish the string grooves, use graphite). I use Sperzel tuners on my strats. I would never add a bigsby to a guitar. I have never played one that stayed in tune and they do leave mounting holes in the
body. just my $.02.

[Dilbert]

I play a Patrick Eggle Berlin Pro with the Wilkinson trem on it. In the "resting" position (which is adjustable) the end of the arm drops in to the base of the mechanism effectively locking it in place preventing any loss in tension when you bend the strings. When the arm is swung into place, the end that was locked in place is lifted up to allow the bridge to move. All simple but clever stuff. I have had no problems with it at all.

[scegla]

I have the floating tremolo on my Strat. I took the bar off but have no intention on blocking it. When needed, a little palm action on the bridge suffices as I am not a dive bomber. By the way, tuning is rock solid. I check the tuning regularly and I can't tell you the last time I had to adjust it. Kind of freaky actually.

[jif6251]

A friend added a Stetsbar to his guitar and really liked it. No drilling necessary.

Stetsbar website

Jim

[trpullen]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

1. Fender standard types, only able to drop pitch

Hope this helps,
Bob

Nope....not so. The Fender trem has been designed to float from day 1. Many people crank them down onto the body so they do not pull up but a properly setup Strat has the trem floating enough to pull your low e up the F# (1 whole step) according to Fender spec.

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by trpullen

Nope....not so. The Fender trem has been designed to float from day 1. Many people crank them down onto the body so they do not pull up but a properly setup Strat has the trem floating enough to pull your low e up the F# (1 whole step) according to Fender spec.

Yea, but it ain't at E when you get back.

Bob

[4Gtrs]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Yea, but it ain't at E when you get back.

Bob

Ditto. Mine is blocked. Out-of-tune drives me crazy (crazier? )