The Bigsby Vibrato can be found on Gretsch guitars straight from the factory. Paul Bigsby, inventor of this vibrato tailpiece, as pointed out in the video, was a motorcycle enthusiast. That big, visible spring on the Bigsby was actually a Harley-Davidson valve spring on Paul’s prototype vibrato!
I once did a patent search on Tremolos and I found one that was split in the center, had two bars so you could work the high strings and low strings separately, pretty cool!
I own a Cort G300 which has a Cort proprietary 2 point bridge, locking tuners and a graphtech nut. It stays in tune well and has most of the nuance of a floyd rose. It's by far the most bang for buck i've gotten from a guitar. Similar to an Ibanez AZ, but half the price.
Andre, i'm actually amazed by your approach to... well, everything. I watched the strandberg experiment series and a bunch of other vids and i loved em all. Huge thanks for your work!
Reminds me of car dampers being incorrectly referred to as shock absorbers. It's unfortunate that Leo chose Tremolo as a trademark and the whole industry just went with that term.
Leo Fender called it a 'tremolo' bridge because it was intended to emulate the actual tremolo of the Leslie Organ, which, ironically, was intended to emulate vibrato. There is an element of tremolo, as you will hear a marked drop in volume when the string tension is lowered.
17:46 very good video, just two little things. First, even though there are two consonants between the A and the E the pronunciation is a hard A in the name Kahler as if the vowels were separated by only one consonant. Second, the KDH video you recommend is almost entirely incorrect. It’s so incorrect actually that we contacted him and he knows it is almost entirely incorrect yet it remains up spreading misinformation. Those are minor things though and not Major ones (see what I did there). Congratulations on a great video and a fantastic RU-vid channel. Should you find yourself in Las Vegas you have an open invitation to the factory to get a look behind the scenes. You can also check out our huge guitar collection (because you have to pay attention to what everyone is doing). Perhaps you would like to also be a guest on our podcast and discuss guitar musings in general. Again, great video! Thanks for including our cam based vibrato system.
Kahler is still my favorite. Built in locking, stable palm mutes, constant string height, and minimal routing. Also a very easy design to adapt to multiscale tremolos. Makes me curious about the rick toone vibrato. That looks like it has all the advantages of a kahler without needing to solder the ends of youe strings. The holy grail would be a multiscale headless kahler style vibrato.
I love my Kahler. I haven’t been able to find one of the older arms without the bullet tip. Being a little shorter gives it a little firmer feel, which I definitely prefer.
The Bigsby uses a "compression" spring. The Fender uses "tension" springs. Tension means to pull apart or attempt to pull apart. The tensile strength of a material is the point at which it breaks when you pull on it in opposite directions from each opposite end. Shear strength is more like how hard it is to cut it with scissors. Compressive strength is how hard is it to crush. Torsional strength is how hard is the material too twist to a failure point. Some vibratos do use torsion, like some cars and trucks use torsion bars instead of springs. Thankfully, those vibratos are quite rare items that never sold well.
Slight nitpick. Torsional strength applies to parts, not materials. You use the shear strength of the material to calculate the torsional strength of the part.
my sister's brother's cousin is related to both Jimmy Hendrix and Billy Corgan - it's not widely known, but both of them actually used Irin fuzz pedals from Aliexpress
I use a Super-Vee BladeRunner. I can dive bomb on it and it comes back into tune IF I do a quick pull up on the Whammy Bar as the last movement on the Floating Bridge. The low E and G string return flat otherwise. The "Virtual Jeff" Digital Whammy is an interesting alternative that takes the problems of string tension out of the equation. Thanks
My all-time fave trem is the Ibanez ZR Trem with the ZPST Stabilization system. Smooth, durable roller bearing pivots. The ZPST automatically smoothly returns the trem back to zero point quickly and immediately. It's like a shock absorber in function while still retaining that smooth delicate trem travel feel. This trem was ueed by Ibanez for a few years before it was discontinued (long story). I have this in two of my S-Series and absolutely love them!
This is an amazing comparison. Have you also seen the Perfecto De Castro Wiggle Stick Wankoff video posted a day or so before yours?! It’s a similar idea. Interesting to see the comparisons and how two of you approached this subject!
Great video! I’m a Floyd Rose and Kahler user! I put Kahlers on both my Stratocasters along with the original behind-the-nut string lock. No matter how much I use the trem, it comes back to perfect pitch! The Kahler system is absolutely incredible!
The Steinberger "R" type trem (AKA "Overlord of Music") has a number of advantages: headless for better weight distribution and ergonomics, hardtail lock, high ratio tail tuners, and thumb screw spring adjustment. the hardtail lock and thumbscrew adjustment mean tuning and spring adjustment take only about 5 seconds longer than tuning a regular hardtail. It also has the lock screw to lock all the saddles once adjusted. You can even install the bar left or right-handed, although they only come with right-handed bars. The first headless trem you showed is very similar - if not identical. Weight is the big downside, as its quite heavy, like a Bigsby. Another trem you forgot to mention is the muti-scale barrel tuner strat type trems, such as those made by Alcinov.
There is another variant to the Fender-style “wiggle stick” that I like, which would also be good to mention. It’s the Super-vee Bladerunner. Unlike other S-type “wiggle stick” systems that utilize two-point or 6-point pivot points and knife edge, this system uses a single blade spring as a contact point for the bridge to the body. So, there is no friction involved to push or pull the arm. It’s a great system because it eliminates the mechanical influence of friction when balancing the spring tension and the string tension when you float the bridge.
25:00 Regarding the Ibanez Edge feeling similar to the Floyd. That makes sense since the Edge IS a licensed Floyd Rose with modifications engineered by Ibanez to suit their purposes.
Excellent and easily digestible discussion of trems while still providing a great deal of technical info, useability advice and personal experience. Perfect combination of all those elements. I've distilled my personal knowledge of trems over a lifetime starting to learn about them from a technical perspective in 1984 as a kid who landed the dream summer job in the local music shop. Starting as a bass player, I had ZERO knowledge on the subject except... well, it was the 80's, so MTV music videos was how I knew the difference between the types. Floyds were the new hotness... but once I learned a bit, the OG Kahler was my favorite. Okay, my one criticism: say it with me 'KAY-luhr. KAAAAYYY-luhr.' Glad your vid popped up. Didn't realize I wasn't subscribed so I'm remedy-ing that right now. Laayyy-tuhr.
I really appreciate this video because for how many types of "wiggle sticks" there are, there isn't a whole lot of useful info on the differences. I had a bad experience with a cheap floyd rose a few years back and have since avoided all trem systems like the plague, but now i think i want a guitar with the fender offset tremolo system, or even a vibrola (although i've never seen one of those on a guitar in any store i've been to)
Good job with the title using Tremolo, so average folks know what you're talking about. However, as you state in the video, it's actually Vibrato that is occurring when you use the bar. Vibrato = pitch modulation, tremolo = volume modulation. Synth nerds like me know this.
Dont they have some by now that are more high tech, with more whammy range but easier to set up and use than the Floyd Rose? I mean Floyd Rose is 40 years old by now. I know it is great, but I am wondering if they have better ones now, that stay in tune?
Fantastic video and thank you for your insights Andre. Personally I prefer Bigsbys and Wide Swing Tremolos because I love getting those subtle blue note bends and waivers. They do that the best. I would tell you that Callahan does do upgraded Bigsby parts and models that may be worth looking into. That said their Bigsbys really start to fall more into Boutique prices ($240+ dollars for a modified Bigsby). For Synchronized Tremolos I like to upgrade the block to brass and swap out the stock springs for softer ones. I also do the foam trick on the back. I'm mainly a Tele guy so I found a six screw trem that actually uses the three brass saddles like an old school Tele does (Haylon also makes a Jazzmaster style bridge that does this too, I'm going to try that on an Offset I own) and I look forward to that Strat/Tele hybrid I am searching for. I personally have a new found love and appreciation for Gotoh as they are relatively inexpensive (especially compared to Boutique/Toy brands and parts) but you get that Japanese designed part that is better than what you get from a Fender or Gibson stock part. Going into Offset guitars, most options really fall into the Boutique realm. The Fender AVRI is probably the best all around cost effective part (like if you upgraded your Squier Jazzmaster) otherwise you get into Boutique parts real fast. In the end, even Import parts (like GFS) are pretty quality these days. I would say 2/3 of replacement parts really just fall into personal preference. The biggest one part change with a vibrato was a brass block to replace the OEM block on an Import Synchronized Tremolo. That was the only night/day change, everything else tends to be more subtle changes.
So rare to find a person who knows enough of the subject, knows how to explain it, humble enough to admit when he is not experienced enough with something and likeable enough to be entertaining full half hour, congratulations, great video!
I kinda wish the Transtrem actually went somewhere. Gibson doesn't even use them on the Steinberger Spirits, one of many reasons the Spirits are disappointing.
One of the greatest guitar videos, thank you Dr Fludd! I know Rick Toone has been looking for manufacturing capabilities for his vibrato. Are we able to purchase the Toone Tremolo yet?? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated thanks again.
Been playing for 40 years, I am just SOOO done with trems of ALL kinds. They never stay in tune and by the time the strings stretch enough to actually stay in tune, they already sound dull. I blocked all my trems with a piece of solid wood.
Absolutely the best breakdown of wango-bango sticks I've ever seen! Have you ever encountered the Trem King? it's like a two-point system except the bridge doesn't move itself, it moves underneath. It's weird.
What is the best type to put on a US made Fender Stratocaster, where you can really give it the whammy, divebombs etc, and it will stay in tune? I have a stock tremolo unit on my 2006 US made onenow and it does not stay in tune, at all. What would you switch to?
Great summary of the different major vibrato (trem) systems. I like all types for what they are as each has strengths and weakness as you mentioned. Those JCustom units were clones of Steinberger units. I never used the JCustom parts, but have heard mixed things about the quality and longevity. The old Washburn Wonderbar was a nice unit, but never gained many fans. Great video and good info.
Fenders deluxe 2 point floating "pop in" tremolo system is personslly my favorite trem system. The ability to just pop in and and pop out the trem arm quick and easy rather than have to screw or unscrew it out... also i love the changes with the trem arm height and length in general that solves fender strats notorious trem srm con of not being able to stand high enough to float over the cable when plugged into the football cable jack. I feel they also slightly mijimized the hot points of the tension spots on the 6 point trem bridge that was srv's main reason for breaking springs amd could only solve by ceaser diaz adding insulation under the strings. So if i want to totally push the arm outta the eay completely facing opposite to usage position i can do that without the cable stopping me or having to awkwardly turn it backwards/counter clockwise in order to get it on the opposite side of the cable when playing. Those things to me are HUGE. That is exactly why that trem system is by far my favorite. And of course you habe the choice to either float or defloat the bridge if you inly want to go down in register. I play mostly blues, and play hard and aggresive so the bridge being defloated and only going down in register helps with tuning.
After watching this , I may start using tremolo again. I've always lock my trem system on my Strats. In the past my of my non guitar playing Band member would break my E-string playing around with my guitar -Sometimes right before a show-. So I use wooden blocks of plastic bottle caps to fit behind the tremolo block. But in doing this I had to learn to Vibrato with my hand and fingers.
The difference is muscle memory. Hard tail players "can't" because they refuse to learn. It takes more effort on a trem, because you're altering the force from every string on the guitar. Bends are easier on a hard-tail because you're only manipulating a single string. A trick I've shown hard-tail users is to place their palm on the bridge when doing unison bends. The force needed isn't much, but you can use your muscle memory in your left hand (for right-handed players) with a small adjustment in your right hand.
My first vibrato guitar was an SG (never stayed in tune). My next was a Strat (with the same tuning instability). In the '80s I had a couple Floyd Rose locking trems (Kramers), which were boss until I needed to retune. I love that you don't flap your Ts when you say 'vibrato'.
I've played guitar for 30 years..and gave up using any type of vib/trem when I was about 12. So for the last couple of decades, I have thought, 'if you are using a bar, why not use a double locking system..like a Floyd of a Kahler...just for the tuning stability alone'. But I've never done much research into the other types,...or why someone might not want a double locking system. To me, being locked in and having the tuning stability would make the tinkering worth it.
This is my favorite subject. My playing used to be floyd rose style driven. Imo the best open floyds on the market the ibanez Edge Lo pro, original edge, and the 1500 that schecter and a few other companies use are really good also.
That was doc Kaufmann, the inventor of the thing in the first place, he was good friends with Leo and was the only other cofounder of the company that turned into fender after he left.
@6:30 im even more annoyed being a composition major having to memorize all those string technique terms just to find out tremolo doesnt refer to repeated quick attacks on a single note....
Andre, EVERY tremolo and no StetsBar? Not every, really. Also I must say it’s pretty innovative, too. HMU and I’ll give you some info. I’m using it on few of my guitars since 2016
STOP CALLING IT A TREMOLO!!! F.F.S ! IT'S A VIBRATO.... TREMELO = RAPID CHANGES IN AMPLITUDE (getting louder and quieter quickly) an electronic circuit used in either effects or built into cheap amplifiers. Equivalent sonically to a rotating speaker (Lesley cab) - used to great affect in 'How Soon Is Now '' The Smiths (Johnny Marr). VIBRATO = RAPID CHANGES IN PITCH or FREQUENCY - AS WITH FINGER VIBRATO; which normally happens on single stringed notes - the VIBRATO CHANGES THE PITCH ACROSS ALL STRINGS. SO, RIGHT OFF THE BAT.... YOU DON'T KNOW ALL THEIR IS TO KNOW ABOUT GUITAR VIBRATO UNITS. (and yes I know that Fender and pretty-much every other guitar manufacturer (Except perhaps Gibson...) calls the device a 'tremolo' - but they are ALL WRONG.
Awesome video, I think a shoutout has to go to the Steinberger R-Trem too. While not as flashy as the TransTrem, it's super simple to work with, and has a very easy locking latch if you want to be sure you stay locked in tune.
The most comprehensive tremolo/vibrato comparison I've seen. Thanks.🔥 I now understand the differences. I'm really wondering for so long what's the difference between a Floyd Rose and an Ibanez Edge. It's almost the same after all. So thanks a lot of mate.👏 P.S -> The guitar you are holding at 16:18 is probably the most wicked shred guitar I've seen. The fret access, the multiscale and the 27 frets? It could trump any shred guitar including the Shawn Lane Vigier or the Parker Fly hands down. 🎸
I'm going to add a comment on an oft overlooked aspect: what does the vibrato do to the TONE when NOT WIGGLED! This is my personal observation so colored by personal preference. IMHO Bigsby's are fairly neutral, they don't color much. Floyd and Kahler IMHO the best vibs by far, IMHO destroy the sound. Akin to tieing your strings to a block of rubber. My biggest surprise was the Maestro Lyre: I put one on a V once and altho as vibrato it didn't convince me any more than a Bigsby (Chris Buck says: "Manage your expectations") the TONE of the guitar absolutely jumped. I could not believe my ears! I also installed one on a Firebird and the result was the same. I've since installed Lyres on several other guitars and always the sound became more resonant! Feel free to disagree, but please test vibrahtos not only while using them, also for what they do to the sound when you leave them alone.
1:59 I love that guitar of Mike’s. Thanks Andre for introducing me to the Toone Trem. I don’t know why Fender don’t offer them, they’re amazing. One day I’ll have something Toone-equipped.
I'm now going to attempt to put "wiggle stick" into my daily lexicon, context be damned... 🤣 Wilkinson now makes a 2-point bridge similar to the Gotoh 510, but with locking saddles. They have saddles that will retrofit most 2-point or even 6-point bridges, but I found the extra step of locking the saddles (works much like Floyd Rose saddles) wasn't worth it for the slightly better tuning stability. Any tuning issues I have seem to be isolated to the nut rather than friction on the saddles... except for bent steel saddles, but that's a different story. I stick with block saddles.
Something I absolutely DESPISE with Floyds is the inability to adjust each string's action individually. If you're an enjoyer of low action the Floyd is your enemy, especially if you play a 7/8 string. Since the bridge is designed flat, you will have different action across all your strings, and the strings on the edge (1/2/6/7) are always going to feel further away from your frets than the middle strings (depending on your radius). The Ibanez floyd copy (Edge whatever) is designed with a radius luckily and most Ibanez models will match the radius of the trem so Ibanez gets much closer to being correct. It seems like a small issue but if you have fixed bridge guitars with the action set up right, playing a Floyd feels awful unless the guitar has a very flat radius, I haven't touched mine in 3 or 4 years.
When I was a teenager in the 80-90s, the Kahler was said to have less sustain. I only played one then, my friend put one on a double cut Les Paul. I know, yuck.😅 I didn't notice a difference with Floyd and the Kahler. Different strokes for diff.....ah, u know how it goes.
Hey! Not fair! You totally left out the Stetsbar system. I have been using whammy bars live for over half a century now, and used to be the house guitar tech in the biggest music store in the capital of the European union. I am only giving these credentials to let you know that I know what I'm talking about. That said, as you can well imagine, I have installed, adjusted, and played through, just about any guitar vibrato that you can think of. The Stetsbar Unit is hands down, the absolute best vibrato you can ever get. It's operation is eye-popping. With all the others, the strings physically slide over the bridge pieces, with or without little wheels. Let me emphasize this: they SLIDE OVER the bridge pieces. This is always the place where the strings break, due to the constant friction. On the Stetsbar Unit, the ENTIRE bridge mechanism slides up and down on the guitar. The strings always remain in the same place on the bridge pieces, which means there is NO friction between the string and the saddle piece. I used to play a full 3-set show 4 nights a week. My Strat's floating whammy is a big part of my playing style. I'd have to change all my strings at least once a week. With the Stetsbar, it was more like once a month. And it will do anything a Floyd Rose will do: floating whammy, dive bombs, pull ups, you name it. AND the stringing it up and tuning, and STAYING in tune are just as easy, or more easy, than any other whammy unit. Leaving out the Stetsbar was a MAJOR omission in this review. This post is NOT a paid endorsement. I just want to give you all the benefits of my years of experience.
Hello Great Work really interresting, have you heard about Vigier Vibrato using needle bearing '"roulement à aiguille" or Ibanez ZR vibrato using ball bearing "roulement à bille" ? Sorry for french terms, i'm not sure about translation. Again great and nice work, Thanks
Andre, I love your playing. I am pretty picky on my Jazz and I love Cool Jazz and West Coast Jazz bands (and Spotify playlists). I also really love the Nat King Cole Trio. Are there any newer artists that channel that Cool Jazz vibe you might recommend? Usually I just end up listening to older 1945-1965 songs (not complaining as I love these). Again, I love your insights and playing. Cheers!😉👍✨
my oldest has a wilkinson, halfway decent cheap guitars had them, they were EVERYWHERE for most of a decade. mine had a far longer bridge piece, the one you have is kinda stubby.
Nothing beats the Fender Floating Tremolo for me. Anyone who plays Jaguar/Jazzmaster minus the wiggle stick is missing out! I really want to acquire a Fender Mustang eventually and give it the Adrian Belew treatment by retrofitting a Kahler or TransTrem!
KAY LER!!! not Keller. Sorry Other than that bang on! Did you also know Kahler makes a "auto latch" system that locks the bridge to hard tail when you put the whammy bar down out of the way. Look up rexylab and auto latch Kahler. He works directly with Gary Kahler.
I have a Squier Bass vi that I retrofitted with a Bigsby. Requires a heavier and taller spring and a Chet Atkins type arm. With all issues solved it’s a Fantastic mod. Recommended.
Nicely done. I want to mention a couple of others, the Trem-King which is OK, requires it's own routing, but my favorite is the Stetsbar. It is smooth, stable, double stop bends and drop D are no prob, and it fits without drilling.
I think the best is Keisel- "Hipshot". It is their very own & will not be seen on any other guitar. I have a LP style guitar with one. Very versatile. It can be removed by pulling it out. If you want a fixed position-a bit of scotch tape. Please check it out. Great video-Thank you.
I can't stand the floating tremelo on my fender luxe. Im thinking about selling that fucking thing.😢 would gladly swap for a decent Jaguar-not because of the current Nirvana trend. They just haven't came out with a decent new Jaguar yet that I'm interested in???
I love the Wudtone trems on my Strats and the Descendant on my Jazzmasters. Put the LesTrem on a semi hollow I made and it is so superior to the Bigsby as far as range, smoothness and staying in tune. Im excited to see the one you recommend. I build all my electrics, pickups too, and can't live without a little wiggle. Always looking for something better. Thanks for the video. I think Floyd Rose had the first 2 post Vibrato in 1979 or 80 and around the same time Rockinger had a locking term with needle bearings and it had great junk noise potential that I used extensively. It was the only locking unit you could get without a guitar attached.
i actually have an ibanez rg470 with a floyd rose style bridge and i got so sick of the time it took to change tuning that i slapped a kahler 3000 in it and i fucking LOOOOOVE IT so much more than the floyd rose. I still don't understand why so many people hate it when it's just so much more convenient and easier to use
I think vibrato (or tremolo) bridges are vibrato and tremolo in one. I feel like when changing the pitch by reducing the string vibration frequency results in decrease in volume at the same time. I could be wrong though. Very nice detailed video 👍
The title of the vid is misleading ... you forgot the Epiphone Tremotone tremolo unit. The Tremotone tremolo was used on many Epiphone guitars such as the Casino, Riviera, Sheraton, Broadway, Crestwood, Wilshire, Zephyr and Sorrento. The Tremotone tremolo unit is not a Maestro vibrato, it is not a Lyre Maestro vibrato. The Tremotone tremolo unit is more like a Bigsby unit, being very solidly manufactured (ie it is quite a heavy unit) and the strings rotate around differently sized shaft sections as the handle is moved. The Tremotone is secured to the guitar body via a connection to the rear strap button area on semi hollow and fully hollow instruments. For solid body guitars it is secured (screwed) into the body closely back from the bridge. Surely you've heard of the Epiphone Tremotone tremolo ? Surely you've seen it in historical photos?
Love your videos Andre, they have been a great source of info and impartial gear reviews. I just had some things you might want to add going foreword if you ever made a follow up or addendum video to this one. On Floyd Rose I would add… Pro: -can be adjusted with tuners, but then once locked, uses fine tuners in bridge. -Floyd rose can flutter if perfectly balanced Con: -unlike most fender trems, you can’t just saddle height. Under the two point trem section when you talk about which trem vs which other sounding similar, I would add the only very differnt one being the ZR trem. Because the mechanism now rotates around where the strings enter the saddle as opposed to before it, this makes the string height more stable when pulling far up or down on the whammy bar and also gives it a different feel. And lastly, when discussing the adjustable trems features in the back like the trem stop, I would add the Ibanez Zero point system because it’s adjustability when the backing plate is on and without tools.
For me the Offset Trem is my personal pick because of its ability to play the “Glide” style of guitar. Behind it would be “ E,A,D,G,B,e Benders” and there’s now contained units out there that don’t require carving into your guitar, they allow you to get that pedal steel sound out of your guitar. I really hope the new contained units catch on because Benders were really expensive before due to their routing requirements and only used by real high paid country studio musicians but things like the Duesenberg Multi Bender are affordable and easy to install. I plan on buying one because I feel like it will help separate me from the other local players. Maybe in the future I’d get a Floyd Rose but i’m not much of a shredder however I love the Issac Brock harmonic things he does.
Dr. Fludd, thanks another great and helpful video. i have an accidentally brilliant(maybe) vibrato bridge design. still assembling the poor little orphan. i will let you know when it is up and running. steve
Awesome video. Dont forget Gibson also used those weird looking Maestro sideways Vibrola tailpiece as well on their SG. Where the whammy bar folded up and the bar was sideways when you pushed on the whammy bar. Im probably in the minority who hates bigsbys and Floyds but loves kahler tremelos lol. Setting the action and intonation on a Kahler is kinda tedious and a hassle but once everything is dialed in, its a perfect system. You can hard tale them like you mentioned, and because of the cam system theres no limit to how high or low you can push or pull the whammy bar. I have a Kahler on my 81 les paul custom. During the early 80s Gibson was putting kahlers on the LP custom models straight from the factory.
Excellent video. The only one I've had that wasn't covered is the Stetsbar tremolo. It's a surface mount that fits on Les Paul and other style guitars with no cutout, that doesn't hurt the finish at all. I never heard of them until I bought an Epiphone Les Paul with one. Pretty cool, except for having a little bit of a (kind of like) spring sound, that you mentioned on some trems. Thanks again. A new subscriber here. ✌
