Tremol-No for acute whammy bar trickery

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Hi friends! I'm kicking around the idea of upgrading a cheaper old Ibanez I've had forever with one of these babies:

http://www.g-gotoh.com/international/?btp_product=ge1996t

While I want something for recording that has a usable tremolo system, it would be great to be able to use alternate tunings on the fly and help change strings a little easier. How does the Tremol-No (it it's floating setting) handle, say, a Brad Gillis whammy bar gargle sound? I guess my question is whether or not just having it would alter the tremolo performance of a guitar overall. Appreciate any anecdotes and advice!

[paranoid]

Not sure about the gotoh, but a tremol-no should not be noticeable when unlocked if installed and set up properly.

[Nightbat]

[QUOTE=Boxcar Willie 84;1635030]

floating trems are garbage for alternating between tunings, the moment you change, you are committed to a locked/dive only setup

[xenophobe]

I did a fairly in-depth comparison of the Gotoh vs the Floyd. I personally love the Gotoh.

http://www.jcfonline.com/threads/133613-Battle-of-the-Floyds-Gotoh-vs-Schaller

[Axewielder]

The Brad Gillis "gargle" sound is mostly the result of a flimsily constructed Fernandes being torqued by a guy with He-Man biceps and little regard for the instrument.

[vector]

The Brad Gillis "gargle" sound is mostly the result of a flimsily constructed Fernandes being torqued by a guy with He-Man biceps and little regard for the instrument.

I guess it depends on the context "gargle" is intended- if by that he means flutter or warble, then no, I'd say it's an interesting characteristic of many floating trems where in an equilibrium between the tension of the strings and the springs is achieved and it "vibrates" when suddenly released. I think of similar flutter/gargle patriarchs like Vai, Satch, Bettencourt, Dimebag, Belew, Stevens and others and I don't think "he-man biceps" are necessarily a criteria for making it flutter.

[xenophobe]

I think he's referring to the bit where he grabs his trem arm and lifts the guitar up... And his red strat wasn't a Fernandes.

[vector]

I think he's referring to the bit where he grabs his trem arm and lifts the guitar up... And his red strat wasn't a Fernandes.

If OP and Axewielder have some video or audio of the technique to give some clarification, that'd be great. I've seen skinny armed Steve Via hoist his Jem by the bar as well, so, again, not the exclusive providence of bulging bicep-ed shredders.

Who can forget the classic scene in Crossroads where Vai abuses that Charvel @ 1:46?

[Matt_B]

The "gargling" effect can be achieved with a floating trem, like an OFR, when the bridge is set for low tension typically with light gauge strings (8s or 9s). With the bar running parallel to the strings the tip of it can be flicked or the body of the guitar can be hit with the side of your fist. The later causes the guitar body itself to vibrate and in the turn the trem vibrates. To be clear this will only work with a true floating trem (pull up and drop down).

[xenophobe]

If OP and Axewielder have some video or audio of the technique to give some clarification, that'd be great. I've seen skinny armed Steve Via hoist his Jem by the bar as well, so, again, not the exclusive providence of bulging bicep-ed shredders.

Yeah, Vai does it in Crossroads in 1986. Brad does it in the Speak of the Devil video from 1983.

[Matt_B]

I tried Tremel-Nos in a few guitars. They generally worked but for me they were too complex and finicky for my needs. I really don't care about locking the bridge. I'm perfectly happy to set a bridge up as drop only so I switched to the FU Tone Trem Shops which are incredibly simply to install and set-up. They work flawlessly.

[eaeolian]

The Brad Gillis "gargle" sound is mostly the result of a flimsily constructed Fernandes being torqued by a guy with He-Man biceps and little regard for the instrument.

Well, except for the fact that he did it on a refinished Strat with a non-fine tuning Floyd first.

[eaeolian]

The "gargling" effect can be achieved with a floating trem, like an OFR, when the bridge is set for low tension typically with light gauge strings (8s or 9s). With the bar running parallel to the strings the tip of it can be flicked or the body of the guitar can be hit with the side of your fist. The later causes the guitar body itself to vibrate and in the turn the trem vibrates. To be clear this will only work with a true floating trem (pull up and drop down).

You can also do a variation of it by resting your hand on the bridge and quickly pushing down and releasing, a la Satch.

[xenophobe]

Well, except for the fact that he did it on a refinished Strat with a non-fine tuning Floyd first.

Randy Rhoads made me want a Jackson. Brad Gillis made me want a Floyd.

[vector]

You can also do a variation of it by resting your hand on the bridge and quickly pushing down and releasing, a la Satch.

Again, if we're talking about the flutter technique, I like that there are a few methods to achieve that effect. "Snapping" the bar can be achieved by lifting up the bar and releasing it, depressing it and releasing, bar forward, bar back etc. And I'd say Van Halen made me want a Floyd. While Eddie doesn't quite have Brad's array of techniques, he did have a breathtaking command of it even while Gillis was getting started with Night Ranger and Ozzy.