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!
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!
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!
Thank you very much! I haven't used the whammy bar very much, i slide a lot. Your information helpef me not to break the bar off in the bridge...i was using too much force 😱 Thanks again. Frank
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.
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.
Exellent Vid !!..i wish I would have watched this Vid , before i got my Strat...yes you guessed -it , i overtightened my bar...but anyways i also read the Replys & they are soooo helpfull also...Players like myself..Cheers!!!!...
Cool, thanks! I had the whammy bar laying around and never put it on my guitar till today so I'll play around with it. REF THE TENSION SPRING: Not all holes have a bottom so look inside or feel with a stick before using a spring (I hear on some, like the MIM Strat, the spring will just fall into the guitar cavity). I just slipped 2 springs from old ink pens together and it seems to be working. Using plumber's tape on the thread works too I hear.
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
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.
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.
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
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
what should i do if my whammy bar cant be screwed into the bridge because it hasnt got the screw, instead it has some metal thing covering it that i cant get off of end of the whammy bar
That sounds like it might be a push-in bar to me! Have a look online and see if it's one of them - they work slightly differently, but there's some good guides on Sweetwater on how to do it! 😊
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
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!
@@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)
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. =(
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!
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?
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!
@@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.
@@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 😊
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.
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?
It could be that the springs underneath the backplate are tight! You can loosen them by slightly unscrewing the claw, which will make it easier 😊 But, I'd recommend doing a full set up of your guitar after as it can cause some playability issues! Nothing major, it just might cause a bit of fretbuzz/intonation problems 😊 I've got a video on my channel showing you how to do a full set up! th-cam.com/video/_FOn193eG44/w-d-xo.htmlsi=iuq04J77oIjdjdUt
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.
Is it definitely a trem-style bridge? If so, it might be that the springs are too tight the the back. Take off the back panel and you should have 3 springs attached to a claw looking thing. Loosen the claw a little bit to get more give 😊
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.
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.
bruh my guitar is absolute crap it has a bridge thats just screwed down so i cant use a whammy bar 😭 i got it for £75 from a charity shop tho so i guess ill just have to cope
@xer.xes21 idk if you can see this but if it doesn’t work maybe the whammy bar isn’t in the right direction/pushin the right way. If not I don’t really know sorry. But other than that gl! Also what guitar do you have it maybe because of that
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!
They don't produce much Wham either
Awesome bit of information cheers….🇦🇺🇦🇺🎸🎸👌
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!
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!❤
Thanks Dani, glad I could help! 😊
acabo de hacer eso… y se me quebró…😔
1:14 OH MY GOODNESS thanks for showing that, I thought I was breaking my guitar
LOLL don’t worry that’s how a whammy bar works I was worried too I didn’t know how it worked 😭
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"
@@vvvaire😭😭same
BRO I JUST GOT MY FIRST GUITARR SAME 😭😭😭
@ YIPPIE WHAT MODEL
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!
That's awesome! Happy to hear it! 😄
This was super helpful for a beginner! Thank you
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!
Of course! 😊 That's awesome, really glad I can help! What guitar did you pick up?
I got mine after watching bochii the rock 💀
Thank you so much! Just bought my whammy bar and I'm glad I watched your video before breaking it
Thank you very much! I haven't used the whammy bar very much, i slide a lot. Your information helpef me not to break the bar off in the bridge...i was using too much force 😱 Thanks again.
Frank
Thanks Frank! Glad I could help prevent another whammy accident! 😄
Awesome tips...simple, concise and to the point, thank you :)
Thanks Mike! 😊
Thank you for this video. Short and sweet and super helpful!
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.
Thank you, I appreciate it! 😊 have fun with your electric and new amp!
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.
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
I THIUGHT THIS TOO I was bummed I didn’t buy a guitar with one then I looked closer at it and seen that it has a hole for one!
Me three
No pipe thread tape recommendation?
Great video, thank you so much! I just got my first Strat and I had no idea how exactly to work that thing.
Exellent Vid !!..i wish I would have watched this Vid , before i got my Strat...yes you guessed -it , i overtightened my bar...but anyways i also read the Replys & they are soooo helpfull also...Players like myself..Cheers!!!!...
Cool, thanks! I had the whammy bar laying around and never put it on my guitar till today so I'll play around with it. REF THE TENSION SPRING: Not all holes have a bottom so look inside or feel with a stick before using a spring (I hear on some, like the MIM Strat, the spring will just fall into the guitar cavity). I just slipped 2 springs from old ink pens together and it seems to be working. Using plumber's tape on the thread works too I hear.
Thanks, exactly what I was wanting! I'm learning, thank you!
This is so cool and fun, thank you for posting this
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
Thanks! 😄
I used the cutton from q tip and it worked wonders
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.
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.
Excellent. Love your accent!
Omg i didnt know i could dive bomb on my strat thank you!
What did you think EVH did?
just what i needed! thanks
What screw diameter do you sugest for a cort x100? I would really appreciate some help because i cant find any information
Thanks so much. I appreciate it❤❤❤
Happy to help! 😄
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😥
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
I'd recommend picking up a tension spring! They're really cheap and will fix that problem 😊
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
what should i do if my whammy bar cant be screwed into the bridge because it hasnt got the screw, instead it has some metal thing covering it that i cant get off of end of the whammy bar
That sounds like it might be a push-in bar to me! Have a look online and see if it's one of them - they work slightly differently, but there's some good guides on Sweetwater on how to do it! 😊
@@ConorRocksYT ah ok ill look into it :D thanks alot
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
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!
Thanks man really worth it
Does it come in various sizes?
It does, which guitar do you have?
@@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)
i bought yamaha pacifica but it came with no spring in whammy bar . What to da with it can i use whammy bar with no spring
Yup! Just be careful not to overtighten the whammy bar and you'll be fine 😊
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. =(
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!
what chord do u play for the surf shimmer
is that not good to install and uninstall the whammy vbar very often? As i wanna keep my guitar in the box
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!
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?
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!
@@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.
@@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 😊
@@ConorRocksYT Absolutely it's the bridge. It's a Strat.
The problem with the nut not letting the whammy bar do its thing can also be avoided by getting a floyd rose nut and bridge
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
thank you so much!
Glad I could help! 😊
Mine is taped not to lose the spring 90% of the time. Thanks for the advice not to totally tighten it.
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.
3:00 Digimon sound❤ thats why i bought a guitar eith a whammy
1:35 no video in description , please update
Thanks, I knew I forgot something! Updated and in the description now.
@@ConorRocksYT 🙏
Doesnt go up or down
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?
is it okay if my bridge is bending? feels weird
How's it bending? If it's like in the video (raising away from the guitar) then that's fine! ☺️
@@ConorRocksYT yeah that exactly it thanks
why is it so hard to press down my whammy bar, im scared cause i think it will break the bridge cause of the stiffness
It could be that the springs underneath the backplate are tight! You can loosen them by slightly unscrewing the claw, which will make it easier 😊
But, I'd recommend doing a full set up of your guitar after as it can cause some playability issues! Nothing major, it just might cause a bit of fretbuzz/intonation problems 😊
I've got a video on my channel showing you how to do a full set up! th-cam.com/video/_FOn193eG44/w-d-xo.htmlsi=iuq04J77oIjdjdUt
@ Ok ty for helping me! 💙
Can't u replace the bridge
I just got a guitar for Christmas and it is really tight why is it tight
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.
my whammy bar is really stiff, no joke intended, its a new strat, is it normal?
Check out the springs under the backplate at the back! You might want to loosen off the claw slightly to get some easier movement 😊
My bridge doesn't move for some reason can someone help
Is it definitely a trem-style bridge? If so, it might be that the springs are too tight the the back.
Take off the back panel and you should have 3 springs attached to a claw looking thing. Loosen the claw a little bit to get more give 😊
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.
that's a good tip! thanks Gary 😊
"but it knocks your guitar out of tune" Only if it isn't set up properly.
Did you know that if you bash the bottom of your Strat on to floor it will break the tremolo bar clean off?
My guitar is so hard to press up and down
my whammy bar wont go down. did i do something wrong?
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.
Can it fall off
Not if it's screwed in properly! 😊
No matter what I do, I screw the bar in, and it stops, but once I pick it up, it falls out. Can someone please help
It could be the angle that you're screwing it in at? Some whammy holes are angled forwards - that's happened to me a few times before!
@@ConorRocksYT thank you
Mine literally won't even tighten I think it's to small
my whammy bar keeps stopping downwards
Mine doesn't do that.
Thank you for preventing my dumb@$$ from breaking it.☠️🗿
My bridge isn't moving????
It could be that your tremolo springs are too tight! You can adjust them under the backplate of your guitar 😊
@@ConorRocksYT yeah I figured it out thanks though
Do I need any special tools to get the springs back on because they popped off while I was loosening the screws on the screw thingy
And why dose my whammy bar seem so high from the guitar
Indie rock time
But have you ever used it like Steve Vai and hand cranked it around and around For the Love of God?
THERE'S NO HOLE ON MY GUITAR TO PUT IT IN😭
but im scared to break the guitar strings tho xD
In 30 years of playing, I’ve never seen a whammy/tremolo break a string by itself. Not to say it won’t happen, but it’s rarer than you think.
Thomas 😢😅
bruh my guitar is absolute crap it has a bridge thats just screwed down so i cant use a whammy bar 😭 i got it for £75 from a charity shop tho so i guess ill just have to cope
Sorry to hear that! What type of guitar is it?
i think it’s an sx scorpion black but it has one side curved like a les mans. i couldn’t really find many of the same guitar online
Pop strings twice lol
@xer.xes21 idk if you can see this but if it doesn’t work maybe the whammy bar isn’t in the right direction/pushin the right way. If not I don’t really know sorry. But other than that gl! Also what guitar do you have it maybe because of that
this is great but i bought a used guitar fo cheap and did nit know that you could add a brar mine came broken so i cant ever add one 🥲