Trem Tuesday Lunch Report 12-3-13

Thanks to all who responded yesterday, will see what tricks are up the sleeve today. For Eric from yesterday’s question, that was not me in the resonator clip. I am the poster child for computer illituracee, so video uploads would put me over the edge.

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Did anyone participate in Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales? I saw a few “WANT TO HAVE” items but couldn’t find anything I “HAD TO HAVE” so money stayed in my pocket. Sales will continue for sure.

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Tasty treats certainly come from this oven! Gotta get the Mesa Boogie model next.
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What’s for lunch? I am still staying on the lighter side this week so it is a veggie sandwich, a bag of baked chips and water. Not that bag of chips is that healthy but I rationalize that it is better than something fried.

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G&L Topic

Let’s talk tremolo bars, wiggle sticks, whammy bars or your favorite name for string bender.

For years I was not a fan of tremolo’s but off and on again and over the past year am on again. My introduction to the bar was a Floyd Rose equipped HM Strat years ago which wore out its’ welcome in short time. Not until a couple of years back did I get the urge and decided to go the Dual Fulcrum route and found this to be much more appealing. This little 3 bolt beauty was acquired from another fine GLDP member, thanks Mac!

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Would love to find this looker on sale somewhere.
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A couple of vids showing off one of my favorite trem players and song w/lesson (Jeff Beck does a great job too), and a little G&L action as well.

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So for you, is it Yea trem baby! Or, is it just Trem maybe?

Non-G&L Topic
Auto tune guitars have interested me for some time. The engineer in me, or lack of, wants to figure how they do it.

Peavey AT-200 features Antares® Auto-Tune®, Gibson's Robot Guitar and Evertune are some options out there that from a technical perspective I think are pretty neat, but not sure if I am fully bought in. For thos interested, here are a few videos of how they work.

Antares is more of a software sound manipulation and not a true tuning machine.

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Gibson's Robot Guitar and Mini Tune adapter are real string tuning but more of an onboard tuner all in onboard attachment at the headstock.

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The Evertune bridge seems to approach true string tuning and looks like a mechanical marvel to me.

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I am so used to hand tuning and the tuner on my pedal board I don't think I would search on out, but if I found one CHEAP it could find its way home with me.

Auto tune guitar, are you interested or is this more money and gadgets to get in the way?

Should G&L look at adding an auto option to broaden the product offering?

See ya on hump day!

Sam, I already had my chicken noodle soup for lunch!

I am a trem guy and have always been. My first trem was on a 61 Gibson ES125 TDC. It was a sideways moving trem. After that it was Start trems. I was always a strat guy for the trem and in 2006 I decided to try an Amercian Deluxe Tele. I loved it and thaought it would be the perfect guitar if it had a trem. It was Bigsby time and I wasted no time installing it. It was the perfect guitar. Tummy cut, binding and a looker in addition to playing well. It was the perfect guitar. Then in 2007 I played my first G&L. I've never looked back and have hardtails but the Z-3 Bigsby, and DF Asats are as good as it gets for me. Yes, I have had a Floyd Rose and no longer have it. I am a trem guy but on Asats!

I did go for a Black Friday deal on a pair of headsets for recording. Two for the price of one at the online GC. The marshall dishwasher is cool, definitely a guy rig. Very nice Asat with a DF tht you posted, The Blue Swirl rig is no slouch either.

Auto tuning has been around for a while. The Gibson Robot was an Edsel if there were ever one. Few liked it. The Fender VG was another failure and I played one. You could hear the harmonic of the original string pitch in the background while hearing the alternate pitch. Some worked correctly but most didn't. I prefer manual tuning as tuning perfect pitch most often does not work as you need to correct a bit for each guitar. I like built in tuning displays. I think that small led side dot markers would be great and functional for playing in low light conditions. It would have to be installed as part of the neck build but it would be cool. The color of the leds could match the color of the guitar. -- Darwin

Not quite sure what lunch will be today, something light I should think.

Both my G&L's have trems and come to think of it, every electric I have owned had a trem. I would not call myself a trem guy however. I almost never have the bars attached, they would be more like options for the future if need be. The next guitar I buy will have a saddle lock for sure.

The mini tune system looks good, they seem to have learned from past mistakes. I'm not sure about the bulk though and I don't know how it could be pulled of on a G&L. Interesting but I would not go out of my way to seek one out.

Nothing on sale has interested me of late. I have been trying to play and learn more songs the last little while so the gas has been kept at bay. ( I lied, I have been building Fallout mockup's on the G&L generator )

Time to go play !

Lunch today was left over Chicken Pot Pie, really good!

I currently do not have a tremolo guitar. I had a legacy and a duesenberg with Bigsby, but they are gone so that's why I ordered the LE-2 with a tremolo.

No black friday shopping other than clothes this year.

I have probably bought 6-8 of the headstock tuners, I like them.

A Marshall oven? That doesn't just go to 11, that goes to 350! <obligatory Spinal Tap
reference>

I recently read the Pete Townshend biography. He claims that when he first started to stack his speaker
cabinets Jim Marshall was concerned that they weren't designed for that and that someone could get
hurt. Someones ears got hurt, that's for sure.

My favorite whammy term is "twang bar"
Let me start by saying I love Jeff Beck. But when I recently saw him on Clapton's Crossroad concert video I felt like he was overdoing the whammy. Yeah, I get it. His touch, ear, and everything else is way better then me and he can manipulate that whammy to play melody. But a little goes a long way.

Not really interested in those auto-tuner guitars. Unless they could automatically fix my sour notes
You do see a ton of acoustic/electrics with the built in tuner. I guess that would be an OK feature on
an electric. I seem to recall some tuner that was built into the volume or tone knob for electrics.
Can't remember what it was called.

Jeff

About half my guitars have tremolos, and I just don't use them. I'll probably block them soon. I think it's a blocked trem adds nearly as much to sustain and tone as a strung-through. B-benders are cool, but I wouldn't do that to any of my guitars. Not worth it.

My G&L, PRS and Fender guitars stay in tune. Good guitars do. Took me a long time playing Gibsons to learn this. With digital tuners, snarks, etc., I wouldn't pay the difference for a self-tuning guitar.

Several years ago I put a bass up for sale in my Craigslist. A man came over to check it out, and he had one of those auto-tuning Gibson Les Pauls with him as he was so proud to show it off. The only tunings I have ever tried on my guitars are standard tuning and open G every once in a while so I have zero interest in auto-tuning, but he was super excited about it. I wonder if he is stilled excited about it now, and if he even still own the guitar.

Up to a few years ago I only had one guitar with a trem bar and it is a Godin ST-IV. About 10 years ago I decided to make up a surf song and had to use it to play the lead part. I called the song Chinese Takeout. Since then I have acquired 2 other guitars with trem - a 1990 SC-3 and a Melancon. My hobby band's playlist used to have a couple of songs that used trem. With personel changes in the band we no longer play those songs.

Kit

Hey Sam ,
Sorry I've been quiet , I'm off to Family court next Monday .
Everything is always on sale, isn't it ? I nearly always buy 2nd hand
I have no interest in a guitar that has an on board tuner . I just want the guitar to have great tone and play nice. I'll let the tuner do it's job.
Back in the 90's I blocked a 72 Strat's tremolo. That seemed to work fine . I think it was Clapton who I got that idea from .
Sam , yesterday you spoke about football . When I was watching Seattle play I could see why Kurt Cobain and company were so loud.
Does everyone from Seattle have genes to be a good screamer, seriously.
One of the thing I always liked about those Seattle bands is they could scream in tune . Haha
Anthony

Hi Sam,

Re. Black Friday deals, I bought a software synthesizer from the Cakewalk store to augment my Sonar recording setup, and to give me something to play around with when I get tired of guitar. I also tried to buy The Beatles mono boxed set from Amazon but they said the deal was open to US residents only. Nice one Amazon. I feel like a 2nd class global citizen now.

I'm mainly a strat dude, but I never really used the trem bar until I bought an S-500. I much prefer the feel of the DF setup to the standard Fender design. Leo managed to perfect the ergonomics second time around. As repoman said, a little goes a long way though.

I don't really dig those autotune gizmos. Kurt Cobain must be rolling in his grave. Can you imagine grunge music with in tune guitars?

I had pho today.

@Leof - some of the commentators before the game were remarking how it isn't a new phenomenon here, Seattle fans have historically been really loud. I don't know what it is here... Maybe be shut-ins and all the angst from the cold dark rainy days?

Do my best to avoid the `holiday` spirit, you know where Wal-Mart and Hallmark convince us to shift from "Giving Thanks" to "Giving Cash" and trampling senior citizens on our way to saving 10% for this springs garage sale fodder. Sales rarely compel me to buy anything and I am nauseated by how black friday is becoming bloody thursday. Soon people will be celebrating Thanksgiving with a nice breakfast meal.

I tried a Gibson SG with a built in tuner, a Gibson rep was showing it off during a demo. I didn't like it. #1 I don't need that convenience. #2 they are all ugly to me (yes I know most hide from the audience, but I see it) #3 for the price difference I'd rather have "something else." I'd have no interest in G&L offering one as an option.

Just recently I have started using my trem, being a newb I didn't want to add too much complexity too soon. I think they are essential if you want to replicate certain songs. What prompted my use was a short youtube lesson on the chords in SRV's Lenny, which I think are beautiful. I don't know how you could do that song without a vibrato. I do like G&L's but really only have 'in-store' testing with Fender, Gretsch and Bigsby styles.

I have been thinking about shortening the arm. Two reasons really 1- I think there is too much leverage, 2 - The arm gets in my way sometimes. This could all be donw to lack of experience though..

on the subject of football, which I missed yesterday, I'm pretty happy with the Huskies winning the apple cup and the Seahawks drubbing of the Saints. But I do think all this "worlds loudest stadium" business is getting obnoxious.

we had ham steak dinner with home fries and baked beans today , it was good and I'll eat a light dinner

no black friday here , I try to avoid that stuff


always been a trim guy , Hank Marvin is a hero , strat guy at heart , my ASAT Classic is the only guitar I have with-out tremolo at the moment ... thats a sweet ASAT you have there !!


I have no interest in a auto tuning mechanism , I do like my snark though but would rather just change guitars for alternate tuning

Looks like there are a few here I can go to for advice on trems for sure.

Home router went on me tonight so I am pecking one letter at a time on my phone.

Anthony, yep those Seattle bands did have volume on their side. Hope the law is on your side next week.

Repoman thanks for the Spinal Tap reference, needed that one

Bloodied I am a fan of the jam band Umphreys McGhee out of South Bend IN whose lead player Jake Cinnenger plays a beautiful Comanche and has a palm size tremolo bar called the Jake Blade that looks very interesting and versatile to me. They sell them on their web page https://umphreysmcgee.livenation.spottrot.com/? department=default&product_uid=UYAM42& could be worth a shot for shorter approach.

Off to battle the router.....

Very cool. Think I'll order one

Sam's trem question leads me back to his previous comment about an Asat for slide.
I can't use a trem guitar for regular stuff, the way bends throw the other strings out of tune is just too much problem.
BUT a nice Asat Special Deluxe with big strings on, and a more slide-friendly setup (could still be quite finger-playable with a bit of effort), AND a trem, now that could could be great!
It does suggest the purchase of another Asat, however. Oh, God! It's like addiction or criminality or something, "one more won't make any difference......"

Let’s talk tremolo bars, wiggle sticks, whammy bars or your favorite name for string bender.

One of my all time favorite guitarists is John Cipollina. A large part of his signature sound was the Bigsby he had installed on all of his guitars. Apparently he didn't feel he had enough strength in his left hand for a good vibrato so relied on the Bigsby. This in addition to his flamenco trained finger-picking style created one of the most unique and individual sounds of any guitar player.

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Currently I don't own any guitar with a trem--only occasionally I think I could use one--it's hard to do surf music without one--but for the most part what I play has no use for one.