Masters of the whammy bar

[kokostrollet]

...and Steve Lynch, he used it in a different way though

+1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fTHZ-ZbVc0

[Frigo89]

its funny, I showed that video to a buddy (the short version) and he said "he's not actually playing that! its just the song!"

then I showed him the long version, where his tone is EXACTLY The same

[MBreinin]

EVH, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Vai, SRV, Beck, Brian Setzer, Dimebag.

Mike

[jgcable]

EVH
Vai
Lynch
Me

[straycat]

I saw a Shotgun Messiah live and Harry Cody tore it up.He nailed all the Vai and EVH licks and in general is a very clean player. I have huge respect for HKC.

[excon]

When someone says tremolo the first person who comes to mind is Jimi Hendrix. I think he is the original user/abuser of the screaming heavy metal tremolo. Actually he had all kinds of trem tricks. Too bad he never got his hands on a Floyd.

[Racerx2k]

Yeah, but the question pertained to "master". While I love Jimi's playing trem proficiency was not his forte.

[excon]

I think who is a "tremolo master" is strictly a matter of opinion. I think there are probably a lot of people who would consider Jimi to be one. I can't think of anyone before him who used a tremolo as aggressively as he did especially in combination with aggressive tones and feedback.

I don't consider Jimi to be a particularly precision guitarist, but I think he more than made up for it with his ability to improvise lead, rhythm, and arrangement on the spot. Listen to his "Live at the Fillmore" and "A Band of Gypsies" recordings. These two albums are recordings from 4 concerts he did on New Years Eve 1969 and New Years Day 1970. He improvised very different versions of each song on the set list at each concert back to back. I think his sonic palette is stunning to say the least, and his tremolo tricks are an integral part of it.

[JACKSONFREAK]

Everybody mentioned plus. Ozz Fox. Uses the bar very well yet tastefully.
Much like EVH and Bratta.
Gil

[horns666]

Jimi started the crazy over the top whammy bar stuff..feedback, divebombs and all.

That's what grabbed my attention the first time I watched him on video..I wasn't the only one..that's for sure!!!

[Racerx2k]

Oh, trust me, Jimi's one of my favorite players, it's just that I never considered him to be that great on a trem. I mean, it doesn't take any "mastery" to dive a trem or F with feedback, otherwise I'd be considered a friggin virtuoso!

[AlexiLiimatainen]

Gary Moore

[excon]

Oh, trust me, Jimi's one of my favorite players, it's just that I never considered him to be that great on a trem. I mean, it doesn't take any "mastery" to dive a trem or F with feedback, otherwise I'd be considered a friggin virtuoso!

First, I think Jimi deserves a little more credit than others because he pioneered and popularized the use of aggressive tremolo technique in the first place. Second, I agree that it doesn’t take a master to do dives or combine feedback with tremolo techniques. Most beginners can do that. What makes Jimi special was the diversity of sounds he could make (with or without overdrive) and the way he artfully incorporated them into his songs. Plus he often made these sounds off the cuff while improvising. Third, Have you heard the two albums I mentioned in post #38? There is a lot more to Jimi than the studio albums he made with the Experience. If you can play the way Jimi did in “A Band of Gypsies” then you are a virtuoso, and I’d pay big bucks to see you play. I'm sure others would too.

[MBreinin]

Just listen to the live version of "I don't live today" from, I think, Monterey Pop and tell me Jimi wasn't a master of the trem.

Mike

[deflep]

Mr. Jeff Beck.

Beck...gives me goosebumps how good this guy is with a whammy.