This Can Change the Guitar World

Rick Toone is an American luthier with an amazing new tremolo. Find out what it's all about.
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0:00 why a strat
0:55 the guitar
1:20 the tremolo
3:00 pitch bends
4:00 Steinberger comparison
5:20 torture test
5:45 cool idea
6:28 my favorite feature

[@andrefludd]

I did two performances with this trem 1) kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnTaYoajeNJriLs 2) kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6mmhXeElrKMqrM

[@drpastormartinosempa8930]

whats the nut on the guitar?

[@mattwill63]

i can def hear a difference in the sound. The traditional whammy bar tremelo has bigger effect on the sound sounds better imho.

[@greatcornholio5198]

Transposing tremolo is not new, have a look at steinberger guitars outside of there spirit range.

[@andrefludd]

@@greatcornholio5198 I discuss this at length in the video.

[@greatcornholio5198]

@@andrefludd touché, I made an ass out of myself due to assumptions. Some exiting developments in the transposing world at the moment. I have this saved to watch later tonight.

[@nicholasaragon4126]

Thanks for being one of the few creators open-minded enough to embrace and share modern design with us so we know what's out there. The algorithm is always feeding us vintage gear garbage that hasn't changed in the past century. "Yeah I already know how that new vintage reissue will sound and play and feel... literally exactly the same as the previous 250 iterations..."

[@ryanbaptiste249]

Whilst I completely agree with you about embracing new innovations and technology, I'd hesitate to blanket-call vintage as garbage. There's a reason why many of the world's greatest guitarists still use vintage despite some obvious foibles. No one would describe a 200 year-old violin as garbage so why a 50-year-old electric guitar? That said, I really hope Rick Toone releases this amazing trem to the market… at an affordable price. EDIT: I've just read on RT's website that this tremolo is, 'Available for volume OEM licensing'.

[@Mr.Goldbar]

I do think he's sometimes going overboard and being a bit too anti tradition, and you kinda enable it in a way. I think there needs to be a balance, somewhere between the overtly revolutionary like Andre and the overtly conservative traditionalists like Rhett Shull

[@andrefludd]

@@Mr.Goldbar For the record, if someone wants to send me a 1960s tele, strat, or gold top les paul, I will review the hell out of it.

[@JoeBaermann]

Yet, some of that vintage gear garbage is still unmatchable even with todays tech. Would be nice if that trem was available as standalone, got 2 strat style guitars that could use a trem with better tuning stability, also love the pitch thing, even for metal it can be annoying when pushing a fast divebomb or pulling a pitch up to far.

[@humanbass]

​@@JoeBaermannthe gear isnt unmatched, the cultural context that is. Vintage instruments seem incredible because of all the incredible artists that used them as tools for creating incredible music.

[@FrazySting]

Looking forward to this unit becoming available on its own. What an engineering marvel.

[@Burbund]

Good luck, Rick Toone's stuff is all custom all to order, i wouldn't count on it unless in super limited super expensive runs (especially that something like that 100% needs to be perfectly calibrated to guitar's scale and radius to keep tune while using the bar) Edit: my best bet for it to be more available is if Rick Toone would collab with some semicustom brand like abasi guitars or aristedes

[@superrookie-1]

yeah unless some big company approaches rick to collab with him, then this invention is as useless as garbage @@Burbund

[@dougc84]

@@Burbund Rick Toone's own website states the following: 2024 brings significant change. I am actively seeking manufacturing partners and volume OEM licensing arrangements. If you are a manufacturer or investor who understands the potential, please contact me. That said, his instruments are art and collector's pieces, not guitars for the average musician. And his prices certainly show it. So I wouldn't be too surprised if it eventually made it's way out of "only 10 people in the world will ever play this bridge" purgatory, but I also wouldn't be surprised if the bridge itself cost as much as an upper mid-range guitar with already great hardware.

[@user-ri3gh6yb5k]

@@Burbund I'd be surprised if the trem unit is under 900 usd...his guitars are expensive (very cool tho).

[@Burbund]

@@user-ri3gh6yb5k yep, i've been eyeballing his stuff for almostly a decade amd hist startimg price has always been around $12k

[@simonpark843]

It's good to see people still coming up with new ideas that improve upon the traditional Strat tremolo - this really did sound amazing. Thanks again for another informative and professionally presented video.

[@wallyedmonds8199]

Not new really just different lol

[@sigiligus]

This is not a new idea

[@omen3766]

I really hope these become available is some form, especially aftermarket.

[@earthwormjim]

Wow, no need to find an unobtanium Steinberger with the TransTrem? I have been waiting for someone to re-implement that idea! And you don't need calibrated strings?! Just needs fixed positions to lock the tuning up or down however many semi-tones you want.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

For a moment, I thought this was a demonstration of a new rendition of the trans trem that was pioneered 40 years ago by Ned Steinberger. That’s why it was neat that you had an actual Steinberger model on hand, Andre.

[@johnmcminn9455]

EVH made good use of it on 5150. Leslie West had one but didn't use it to transpose song keys like Edward

[@kmatax9237]

Glad you checked out Ricks stuff! Its amazing! Thanks for going over this bridge so quickly after it just came out!🤘

[@trevorus]

That's a $5700 guitar. Wow. Very cool, but jeez.

[@iamtorrego]

Ridiculous pricing.

[@MichaelWinter-ss6lx]

Which means 5000,- €; or more, depending on import tax. It looks solid and if the wood's been dried over 15 years, it's worth it. I've had such and even more expensiv strats. Once you've done the fine tuning, there's no need for any readjustment, even after 10 years. Some '80s Fenders needed readjusting every three years. Of course you can spare that, but then they get bad out of tune when you only look at the whammy bar.

[@reneotten7376]

​@@MichaelWinter-ss6lxYou've never had a $3000 Vigier, obviously.

[@brightshadowable]

true. another overhyped product for the consumerist "musician".

[@ChrisBuonoGuitar]

Worth every penny and much of that price is determined by the cost of the materials as well as the time invested in craftsmanship. These days $5k is the new $3k. Moral of the story: you get what you pay for. Rick’s 67 is a solid win-win.

[@buckbreaker5185]

Also being able to palm mute carelessly on a guitar with a floating bridge is a dream

[@einarabelc5]

He never mentioned it was a floating bridge. If you have to compensate for string tension isn't, we'll see

[@buckbreaker5185]

@@einarabelc5 huh good point. Maybe its better than a floating bridge.

[@AnonymousDuelist]

As a [floating] Floyd Rose exclusive player I've never had an issue with this, I don't know why it's such a meme. I'd have to actively go out of my way and really press my hand on it to purposefully alter the pitch from just palm muting.

[@Julez_Shredz]

Love watching videos about new innovative hardware like this for guitars. Thanks for posting & reviewing!

[@garrickhanson]

This looks REALLY interesting! I wonder if they could add a feature that would allow you to enable/disable specific strings? That would let you do some pretty sweet steel-guitar-type bends. Also, shout out for the Pantera riff!

[@Xyrium]

Thanks for bringing this to us. I love how it kept the chord in tune as you pulled it upwards. Very nice indeed.

[@michaelm4153]

I like your way of reviewing this things, didn’t know the pitch shifting transitions could sound so smooth

[@calvinbass1839]

Thank you for the video. I look forward to hearing more about this system. Thank you for sharing. Have a blessed day.

[@catch33000]

This is cool: the fanned fret modern guitar has been done, the golden era vintage reissues have been done. The weird abstract guitar has been done: it’s cool to see stuff like this whammy that offers novel ideas !

[@rodennis418]

That delivers some beautiful sounds and I look forward to hearing what else it inspires!

[@ryanbaptiste249]

Amazing product, lovely demo… thanks Andre!

[@MinnenMusic]

I am so excited about this! Can’t wait for mass production

[@instrumentenfreak]

This sounds aweseome! Can't wait to get one for my guitar! I hope that it will be availible soon.

[@MT_800]

Genuinely one of the coolest modern innovations in guitar hardware. I'm guessing that the strings probably maintain their tuning if one were to break/get detuned?

[@rocketPower047]

I think it would still go out of tune if he's able to pull up like that?

[@phaeded0ut]

Always enjoyed the Steinberger TransTrems, too. Rick Toones’ version reminds me of Kahlers and WonderBars with a more standard routing in the guitar body to ease the installation with more internal workings. Thanks again for also comparing the Steinberger TransTrem to this new model.

[@richthom6445]

Exactly my first thought. Kahler was awesome., it had too many things you could adjust and tweak making it was too complicated for the “typical” guitar player

[@lunamatic9775]

The sound of that trem pretty much speaks for itself

[@spartan7336]

Absolutely loved this! Thanks for reporting on this new bridge system with its apparent stability and variability.

[@christopherdounis6729]

As always, great review and chords! Cheers, Andre!

[@andrefludd]

Thanks for the support! It’s much appreciated :)

[@twobarsfourstars]

That bridge is wild, cool guitar thank you for sharing!!

[@tacdoc8736]

Very interesting design. Excellent review, as always. I loved how you casually threw in a Pantera riff 🤘

[@TheGuitarCurator]

This is really cool. Thanks for sharing!

[@d3w4yn3]

This is a significant advancement, or really kind of a total reengineering of the trem system! I love the guitar, but not sure I can afford it right now, hoping the trem ends up hitting the market as an upgrade mod! Great review, and to be honest, without a real deep dive like this, I would have been skeptical! Great work, as usual!!!

[@paulnikonowicz]

I'm so happy you mentioned the stienberger trans trem. I'm also so jealous that you own one!

[@kowboys1180]

Excellent video, and that is a very cool tremolo. Simple, yet revolutionary! Thanks for making this!

[@slothfish]

This basically seems like an improved Kahler...which is a compliment. The Kahler is a very slept-on and underrated trem, IMO.

[@JonBloomer]

I was thinking the same thing

[@ChrisBuonoGuitar]

Rick's bridge is waaay past what a Kahler is can do. I hope you get to try it. It's life changing.

[@effsixteenblock50]

I noticed too, that like a Kahler, the sustain dies pretty quickly after you start using the trem, which is too bad. The other thing I didn't like about the Kahler when I had one was the lack of "positive steering" - meaning - you don't get the same amount of pitch change for the amount you move the arm as you would with a trad trem or Floyd. Kinda like power steering, which makes it less responsive. This new design sure looks comfortable though!

[@meandfriendstv]

Fantastic engineering but it tickles me that it immediately reminds of a lap steel sound😅

[@Admiral_Bongo]

Arguably. Kahler still has a locking nut (which WILL give more stability than locking tuners) and the bridge itself can be locked during the string changes. In addition, Kahler has a HUGE pull-up and dive range.

[@ChrrZ]

that is indeed pretty amazing! hope we will be able to purchase this tremolo on its own soon!

[@PeterMoore350]

Thx for opening my eyes and ears to the creative mind behind this guitar. Subscribed !! Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘

[@BrianClem]

Wow. It has a cam like a kahler does. Really makes sense and sounds amazing! Thanks for the information! Subscribed!

[@BobSperber]

this really is a breakthrough. It’d be perfect for something. I’m working on right now but I’m really glad the bridge isn’t sold separately (yet) because I’m backed up on projects!!!

[@brucemcneill6224]

I’m a luthier and I love your channel. This video is a great example. I had no idea this existed and now I’m fascinated. Thanks dude! Keep up the great work.

[@yanikem6655]

Great review, Andre! New subscriber here and looking forward to watching your other content!

[@kenminerva]

Wowww!! Been waiting for something like this!! Great video! A new sub here 🤘🏿🤘🏿

[@steverhinefrank5589]

wow !(and i think every comment is using that great word !) thank you for sharing this info. and for the great playing. if Mr. Toone makes this trem aftermarket available, we all win ! thanks again, steve

[@MohrEquity]

Wow! Coolest thing I have seen in a very long time. Thanks!

[@lueyteledeluxe7457]

The best sales point is that it's the best of a hardtail bridge (sustain...no bend drift in pitch with doublestops...) with all the expressiveness of a trem bridge. That's without even going into the added range and even-ness of this new trem system.

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

No, it won't work like that. The string block moves independently of the bridge saddles, so it's still going to be wobbling around when the strings are bent or tuned. Double stop bends will come out flat because the cam is going to be moved by the change in tension, but you could just finger the interval you want and use the bar to get those sounds. Essentially this is a Kahler trem that's had its parts rearranged to fit in a regular stratocaster. The cam is taking the place of the trem block and then the strings feed through over the saddles. It also has less range than the fulcrum design, but the tradeoff is that moving the bridge retains the intervals between strings instead of throwing them all completely out of tune with one another, meaning that you can do a lot of slide licks fairly authentically.

[@RandallWhitted]

Very cool - thanks Andre!

[@mattwright466]

Game changing! Very cool!

[@StupidGuitar]

Thanks for sharing this. Fun seeing luthiers doing some functional innovation.

[@spooky3120]

Great job! Thanks for your review.

[@Mr.Goldbar]

I really can't wait for the moment this bridge goes into production! Especially since it looks like it can retrofit a Strat. I'd still prefer other trems for other uses though, and I kinda got used to the quirkiness of other trems when it comes to pitch :) Especially since the major 2nd on the Toone turned into a transition into a sus chord on the Wilkinson :)

[@ZblockWoW]

This looks awesome!

[@williamcampbell163]

This is cool, thanks bro.😊

[@ChrisBuonoGuitar]

I have the first Rick Toone 67 - the black checkered one on his site. Speaking as a trem player since the late-80s starting with a Floyd equipped JEM777, I can tell you Rick's trem is nothing short of life changing. The pickups designed by Steve Blucher are perfect. So much snap and depth. It's been my go-to axe since I took it a few months ago. Can't wait to see this get into more player's hands.

[@RichFranks]

Great video! Thanks!

[@spiritzweispirit1st638]

Great Video! Great invention' Thank you!🎼🎸

[@actechchris]

This was amazing!

[@TheDrunkenScoundrel]

This is sick. This is the coolest thing for Stratslingers since VegaTrem and it is a huge leap. I sure hope that he finds his OEM partners I so want to see this take off. He should send one to Darrel Braun if he hasn't already.

[@CatmanJimbo]

Man, I love tremolos. Would love to throw one of these in a Sterling Cutlass at some point! Appreciate the heads up, this thing seems slick af and sounds great!

[@jasonswitzer1748]

This is pretty awesome. I hope it sells well and the manufacturer makes a vintage look model that works the same. Very cool product.

[@maximeb190]

That sweet lapsteel chord sliding sound! So satisfying

[@ozeldiaz6437]

Nice video! Good job!

[@tinfoilphil]

Great trem system, hope it becomes available to buy alone. Great review! I love tremolos when they work. I'm sure alot of people would drop one of these into their guitars!

[@edguyrocks5865]

pretty sick man..good demo

[@Skanoza]

Thank you for all the effort you put into this video to illustrate the differences and the features to such clarity. I was thinking about Highwood Contoured saddles (to address the palm injuries from muting) and Floyd Rose tremolo for my American Series Fender Strat, but now i think this Rick Toone system might solve bot those issues. And, you're right, this sounds really melodic.

[@kotekutalia]

Andre, good news - Strandberg just announced Boden Essential series which feature standard 25" inch scale. Times have never been better than this for guitarists.

[@andrefludd]

I probably shouldn't be searching this with my wallet out.

[@davemenard5089]

Also check out the new Strandberg X Allen Schaller Salen APS Monochrom. Super sick one of a kind design from Ola and Alan.

[@MelodyMaker218]

Really cool!

[@Raouldip]

Nice content!

[@angeldusted1577]

Holy smoke! That is one amazing, beautiful guitar..

[@michael_caz_nyc]

I have a Suhr with the phenomenal Gotoh 510 . . . but this looks like a whole-other-level-up. I am very intrigued and thoroughly impressed. oNe LovE from NYC

[@jasg7894]

I learned a lot about tremolos just watching this

[@azcharlie2009]

Wow! What a great video! Never heard of Rick Toone until today. It's about time someone designed a GOOD tremolo. So far, I haven't found one that worked correctly.

[@BillySoundFarm]

Smooth end card transition

[@jamiebridson7871]

I would buy two of these. Looks and sounds ace. Go Rick Toone!

[@TomShreds]

Nice video man. That bridge looks awesome. Still would love me an EVH striped steiny, but would probably prefer to keep my kidney.

[@kennyleejohnson5253]

Very interesting. What an ingenious design.

[@VinylforMiles]

Reminds me of a steel lap sound. Thanks for sharing

[@Chrisp_az]

That’s absolutely incredible.

[@atquinn1975]

This is brilliant

[@deansley174]

Awesome video...thank you

[@ecosuite2014]

Fantastic!

[@fototripper]

Very interesting Andre. I'd love some info on the nut to see how it keeps that stable tuning. No locking nut and yet no snags. Brilliant.

[@PlayFloyd_IN]

Looking forward to using this tremolo in my guitar someday.

[@HexHernandez]

That's beautiful

[@siriusra2692]

....that trem would be perfect for my tele...love the smooth bends for jazzy songs

[@beetle5000]

That term looks and sounds phenomenal, would love a guitar with that

[@MrMjp58]

An amazing advent. I’d love to try one sometime.

[@fl3xo]

It sounds like magic. It sounds impossible. Very cool. Another banger video, Andre

[@MrJvieira72]

What a cool innovation. It sounds so smooth and it seems like it would be much more tuning stable.

[@liamtahaney713]

I have DiMarzio noiseless strat pickups in my main squeeze. Theyre amazing And after finishing the video, i WILL buy one of these trems if i can and drop it in the aforementioned guitar. Wow this is awesome

[@krissymf]

That sounds incredible.

[@dlmyrs]

Very interesting design.

[@avjake]

Wow, that's crazy. I love it.

[@HoJSimpson]

This really looks like the perfect trem for those little but highly controlled flutters and pitch shifts. I still love my FR for your good old Dive Bomb, but this really looks like something I would put in my Strat. Also that it probably doesn't shift the other strings when bending is really neat. Could you elaborate how it behaves in those cases?

[@jamesha175]

it probably does shift the other strings when bending, otherwise that would be a major selling point.

[@HoJSimpson]

@@jamesha175 I agree.

[@rocketPower047]

Does this thing flutter?

[@acactusnamedjosh708]

@@rocketPower047 Yes. Andre shows this in his other video.

[@TheDiamondBladeHD]

On bass, micheal manring, grant stinnett, and most notably, charles berthoud use 4 pairs of Hipshot D-tuner levers on the tuning pegs. They are basically just levers with springs, that turn the entire tuning peg by an adjustable amount, so that you can very easily tune up or down by just flicking the lever. Usually you'd only have one on the low e string, hence the name pun "D-tuner" for easily going into drop D tuning. And usually you don't use it as a main component in writing songs, but those 3 people there do. Micheal Manring takes it to another level and has an additional bridge that does the same thing in addition to the D-tuners, which gives him a massive tuning range with ~144 different tuning possibilites. If this same stuff can be used on guitars, it would really be even more revolutionary

[@DougRawady]

This is an exciting development in tremolo design!

[@joewaid]

Literally saw he posted his strat yesterday and I was dying to know more. The man is a visionary, and the Spearfish is one of my favorite fuitar designs of all time.

[@MillerCustomGuitars]

Really great video and a really interesting trem system. Is there any information about the technology involved? You mentioned that it's all handled internally, but is there more information about how it's handled?

[@DreidMusicalX]

Id love to try one!

[@slyfoxx2973]

Looks cool. Gotta go to practice.

[@gsbguitarsgsb679]

Where do I get one of those? That’s amazing ! I gotta have one. I’m already stoked for it, very cool. Thank you, new sub btw… 🎸🤓👍

[@jeffheineken6709]

You randomly pop up as a recommended in the feed, so I give you a go and the first real snippet of playing you give me is Dimebag ❤🙏🏻😎

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

That trem is amazing! I made a video about the black carbon fiber guitar with the guy who commissioned and plays it

[@synchosis9209]

Man, i hope it’ll be separately purchasable soon, a wonderful addition to anybody’s collection, slick game changer that doesn’t require a ton of preparation or setup - a sight for me indeed