How to use a Whammy Bar: Easy Guide

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How to use a Whammy Bar: Easy Guide

Рет қаралды 75,966

Conor Rocks

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 73

@ConorRocksYT 7 ай бұрын

Here's a fun fact: whammy bars are also known as “tremolo arms”, but they don’t produce tremolo at all! They actually produce an effect called vibrato. But, when Fender launched the Stratocaster and its movable bridge system in 1954, they called it a “tremolo system” and the name has stuck ever since!

@kamranahmad4592 7 ай бұрын

They don't produce much Wham either

@fluffyowl69 5 ай бұрын

1:14 OH MY GOODNESS thanks for showing that, I thought I was breaking my guitar

@willcananimate 2 ай бұрын

LOLL don’t worry that’s how a whammy bar works I was worried too I didn’t know how it worked 😭

@vvvaire 16 күн бұрын

lmao same here , didnt fully know how a whammy bar works so i was just sitting there like "oh my lord am i about to fucking destroy this thing"

@danirizov9783 7 ай бұрын

Me who has it over 3 years and never used it properly AND TIGHTENED IT AS MUCH AS I CAN. Ty so much man really appreciate that vid!❤

@ConorRocksYT 7 ай бұрын

Thanks Dani, glad I could help! 😊

@yeyo_.853 2 ай бұрын

acabo de hacer eso… y se me quebró…😔

@juandaltonius69 6 ай бұрын

Getting on quite well actually. Especially since I don’t have to spend 15 minutes for the video to get to the point. I appreciate the short videos. Thank you!

@CaseyHofland 26 күн бұрын

Thanks man a 3 minute video is so straight and to the point got me over my fear of the whammy bar in just that time!

@ConorRocksYT 26 күн бұрын

That's awesome! Happy to hear it! 😄

@bradbrown8759 5 ай бұрын

I learned if you change to lighter strings. You'll need to loosen those springs on the back. The tremolo has a little flat, that works as zero. If your strings make the tremolo not rest on that little flat, the guitar gets crazy untunable. The pencil graphite on the nut is great advice. Unless your strat has a steel roller nut. Also, for most guitars standard brass ring end strings work well. But Fenders string seat is a unique rounded pit with the string hole in the middle. Requiring there Fender Bullet end strings. They stay rock steady tuning. While common strings tiny Y shape end will not seat right. The Y won't go in the string hole and seat. Few people are aware of the importance of Fender Bullets or Super bullets for fenders. These tips should keep your strat pitch perfect through a wham bam thank you mam. Also a loose swingy whammy bar is good to go with a little Teflon thread tape.

@Ivori660 6 ай бұрын

Omg i didnt know i could dive bomb on my strat thank you!

@IvyHillBeauty 7 ай бұрын

This was super helpful for a beginner! Thank you

@Pozer714 2 ай бұрын

Thanks, exactly what I was wanting! I'm learning, thank you!

@_t0kki3._ 13 күн бұрын

Thank you man! If you remember me, i watched your how to buy an electric guitar guide video and i actually got my first electric guitar later the next day and now I'm currently learning all abt the guitar in your channel, thanks!

@ConorRocksYT 12 күн бұрын

Of course! 😊 That's awesome, really glad I can help! What guitar did you pick up?

@thomasludwig9117 2 ай бұрын

I'm trying to duplicate Jeff Beck's "Apache" and "Sleepwalking" on my Strat. I realized he's pulling up on the whammy bar quite a bit to raise notes. Thanks to your video I will try the "floating bridge" setup. Now, just have to see how that messes with tuning.

@tyrotrainer765 4 ай бұрын

Hehehehehe here's me thinking I'd stripped the thread as it wasn't a very tight fit - never actually used it because I thought I'd buggered it. Just got a new amp, now need to blow the dust off me old electric and try this out! Liked and subscribed, you've got an awesome collection of videos there. Thanks Conor, I've only ever set up acoustics before and it looks like you've nailed electrics - my has got almost zero miles on the clock after 6 years of owning it.

@ConorRocksYT 4 ай бұрын

Thank you, I appreciate it! 😊 have fun with your electric and new amp!

@GarfieldSam7 Ай бұрын

Got my first guitar today, it’s used and the whammy won’t come out, I’ve unscrewed it as much as I can but now it’s just going in circles not loosening and making a couple noises with a string per rotations, what do I do

@ConorRocksYT Ай бұрын

Sorry to hear that! It sounds like it's an issue with the threads on the screw end of the whammy. The important thing is don't try to force it out, as it could snap inside the bridge. Try lifting it up slightly and rotating it - this should hopefully get the thread to catch!

@croceyzx2433 3 ай бұрын

I tighten mine properly only turning it three or four times and when I get it to try hit the string, it feels like the entire thing is gonna snap! If I tighten it less than 3x, it too loose ans just swings arojnd

@ConorRocksYT 3 ай бұрын

I'd recommend picking up a tension spring! They're really cheap and will fix that problem 😊

@mikebaker7964 7 ай бұрын

Awesome tips...simple, concise and to the point, thank you :)

@ConorRocksYT 7 ай бұрын

Thanks Mike! 😊

@GRBAquatics 7 ай бұрын

Very Cool, Thankyou. Great tips and tricks. I used to use 'thread Tape' on my whammy bars but recently got a bunch of springs very cheap online. The Springs keep Whammy bar perfect position. All the Best. Cheers

@ConorRocksYT 7 ай бұрын

Thanks! 😄

@elvarwinston 7 ай бұрын

I used the cutton from q tip and it worked wonders

@balikadeltaria 10 күн бұрын

Its my first electric guitar ever and i ve been craving for it during 1 years so im a bit scared to use the whamy bar 😂❤ i feel like im breaking her😥

@thepostapocalyptictrio4762 3 ай бұрын

BIG IMPORTANT TIP HERE: if your guitar has a non screw whammy and it keeps falling out, use the classic luthier’s hammer trick. Put the whammy bar in a vice with the the part that goes into the guitar up. Then, hit the tip with a hammer, one time with a little firmness. This bends the tip so it fits in the collet of the tremolo without sliding around. Hope this helps.

@lmanenlongkumer5361 2 ай бұрын

Thanks man really worth it

@lilcookied7054 Ай бұрын

All my guitars that have a whammy bar make a weird like clink how can i fix this? It sound like my strings are about to break even if i make it lose please help

@chriss.8458 4 ай бұрын

You can buy springs that go in under the bar which help keep it where you want it. Also, you really never need to use a whammy / tremolo bar

@BigBrain-ks8js 20 күн бұрын

Does it come in various sizes?

@ConorRocksYT 19 күн бұрын

It does, which guitar do you have?

@BigBrain-ks8js 19 күн бұрын

@@ConorRocksYT I don’t know tbh, I just bought a random electric guitar for display, it’s one of those unique shape guitars that are undefined Edits: It might be Tremolo (I think, but not certain)

@captainhowdy1559 Ай бұрын

I literally snapped my tremelo bar off my first strat trying to bend it like that hahaha. Before it finally snapped off it stripped so it would dangle instead of holding itself up in place and it was the most annoying thing ever and I see videos online of people whove stripped their tremelo bar to the point it just dangles so this seems like a regular and frequent issue and Im starting to wonder how often most people have to replace their tremelo bars on average. Im trying to find videos of how to properly use one without breaking it or stripping the threading so it loosely dangles like I did. Im getting a squier 40th anniversary Jazzmaster and apparantly they dont make replacement gold tremelo bars for it so the one I get is the one I get if I fuck it up like I did the first one on my strat I'll have to settle for a silver one which looks awful on the lake placid Jaz Aszmaster with gold plated hardware.

@metalmariogamer1094 28 күн бұрын

So when i was using my whammy bar the grey part underneath the bridge that leads the strings kinda near the springs exploded where the whammy bar was. Has this happened to anyone else or just me?

@DanielFPaulo 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the video! I've got a whammy bar from Fender parts for my MIM Stratocaster, but it doesn't appear to fit well. It never stops moving when attaching. =(

@ConorRocksYT 4 ай бұрын

Thanks! I'd suggest picking up one of those tension springs, it should help keep it in place 😊 let me know how you get on!

@BraulioMontelongo 5 ай бұрын

I didn't even realize I could install one on my guitar, I thought I had to buy one with WITH IT INSTALLED already! lololol

@anthonylam3994 2 ай бұрын

is that not good to install and uninstall the whammy vbar very often? As i wanna keep my guitar in the box

@ConorRocksYT 2 ай бұрын

It'll be fine! I install/uninstall mine pretty often and haven't had any problems. As long as you don't force it, you'll be fine 😊 If you want to take some extra precaution, you could put a little lithium grease on the whammy bar screw threads to keep it lubricated!

@lailabear 5 ай бұрын

thank you so much!

@ConorRocksYT 5 ай бұрын

Glad I could help! 😊

@oinkooink 5 ай бұрын

I can't believe I can't find a single thing online about this online. I've never played with a whammy bar. So I start giving it a go and you push down and as you release and the whammy bar goes back to normal position naturally the bridge comes to rest and taps on the guitar body as it comes to rest. So every single time you press the whammy bar down and release pressure and let it go back to normal...tap...the bridge taps on the guitar body. Tap...tap...tap...tap...tap...tap...tap tap tap tap tap tap. If you're playing gigs and all that you won't hear it. But it's very annoying sitting around and playing at home. Am I insane?

@ConorRocksYT 5 ай бұрын

I'd recommend looking into a "floating bridge set up" - it's a small adjustment that'll make your bridge sit parallel to your guitar's body instead of flat against it! it'll fix that annoying tap sound!

@oinkooink 5 ай бұрын

@@ConorRocksYT Oh yeah? No joke hey, so the annoying tap tap tap is a thing that people are well aware of? Did you know trying to search for that tap tap tap whammy bar bridge thing produced no results? Haha I couldn't find a single hit to that search. All I could find was a billion how to install/ use/ attach whammy bar etc. So thanks for your reply.

@ConorRocksYT 5 ай бұрын

@@oinkooink I think I remember it bothering me on one of my guitars! I'd double check if it is the bridge hitting the guitar that's making that sound - you can try sliding a cloth or some tissue under the bridge and using the whammy bar - if it stop the noise, then I'd do a floating bridge set up 😊

@oinkooink 5 ай бұрын

@@ConorRocksYT Absolutely it's the bridge. It's a Strat.

@GaryArmstrongmacgh 7 ай бұрын

Dive bombing yes...but it knocks your guitar out of tune. So as a once upon a time amateur working musician, I learned to ONLY do it towards the end of the gig. OR...have a spare and in tune guitar ready. Usually my Telecaster.

@ConorRocksYT 6 ай бұрын

that's a good tip! thanks Gary 😊

@TempleGuitars 6 ай бұрын

"but it knocks your guitar out of tune" Only if it isn't set up properly.

@noscrubbubblez6515 28 күн бұрын

Did you know that if you bash the bottom of your Strat on to floor it will break the tremolo bar clean off?

@michael_caz_nyc 5 ай бұрын

Pro Tip = 1st thing: Get a Real "Non Fender" Wammy Bar. I have the phenomenal Gotoh 510 = (which actually Stays in Tune) ..... Also check out the Vega-trem. Many companies make em Far Superior and more Robust vs. the Flimsy Fender Tremolo.

@BloodStainedFloor Ай бұрын

Can't u replace the bridge

@benlerousso. 24 күн бұрын

is it okay if my bridge is bending? feels weird

@ConorRocksYT 23 күн бұрын

How's it bending? If it's like in the video (raising away from the guitar) then that's fine! ☺️

@benlerousso. 23 күн бұрын

@@ConorRocksYT yeah that exactly it thanks

@jayantkhurana813 7 ай бұрын

1:35 no video in description , please update

@ConorRocksYT 7 ай бұрын

Thanks, I knew I forgot something! Updated and in the description now.

@jayantkhurana813 7 ай бұрын

@@ConorRocksYT 🙏

@Seahawks931 2 ай бұрын

my whammy bar wont go down. did i do something wrong?

@ConorRocksYT 2 ай бұрын

It could be a few things! I'd guess that the bridge has been "decked", which is what some people do to stop the bridge from moving - it usually helps with tuning stability - but it can be reversed! I'd check your tremolo springs aren't too tight, the bridge hasn't been screwed down too low, or a block hasn't been put in to stop the movement of the tremolo block.