Best use of a whammy bar in music?

[skyboltone]

Originally Posted by BrutherBill

David Gilmour's subtle use, and a lot of his phrasing, always inspire me. I can't watch more than a few minutes of Mr. Gilmour without retiring to my music room for a few quality minutes with a strat.

I can't believe we got to reply 36 before mentioning David Gilmour.

[Joel Terry]

1. "Wicked Game" -- Chris Isaak and Silvertone. Conceived and played by none other than our own WickedGTR, Mr. James C. Wilsey. The first two notes say it all. Talent lever? No--no vibrato bar itself is talented; only the person using it--in this case, Jimmy, an undisputed master at it.

2. "Where Were You?" -- Jeff Beck. Harmonics + whammy = melody that will tear your heart out.

3. "Third Stone From The Sun" -- Jimi Hendrix. Possibly the first recorded whacked-out, octave-plus dive bombs--enough said.

4. "The Attitude Song" -- Steve Vai. I think Steve does just about everything one can do with a vibrato bar in this tune.

5. "For Your Life" -- Led Zeppelin. Jimmy Page's rare use of a vibrato--for effectively placed dive-bomb glissandoes (glissandi?)--coupled with a straight-from-the-'fridge cool groove, makes for a song funky and dirty enough to make even the most prudish spinster librarian undo her bun, shake her hair loose, and start bumping 'n' grinding while slowly shedding her clothes.

These are just the first ones that came to mind; I'm sure I could think of many more vibrato bar-showcased tunes.

Joel

[Unseen]

Originally Posted by Veitchy

The song itself was written as a tribute to Roy Buchannan (blues guitarist, get into him). However it apeared on the album 'Blow by Blow' which was obstensibly a jazz-fusion reccord.

"Get into him?" I was into him before you (age 19) were born! LOL

[Catweazle]

I'll add my name of the followers of Hank Marvin. Like a singer's vibrato, he made it an integral part of his playing. Some of it is so subtle that its almost impossible to hear as vibrato.

[Dr. T]

"Hanky Panky," Tommy James and the Shondells.

"Walk Don't Run," The Ventures.

[rand z]

bill frissell

he doesnt use one, but gets some wonderfully shimmering vibrato by slightly bending the neck while he is playing... almost after every phrase. very liquidy.

one can use this method. i use both the "bar" and neck "bending", but one has to be careful not to bend the neck too farrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

imho.

rand z

[marquis de jonny]

a bit different from the soloist's vibrato arm approach: how about kevin shields' work with my bloody valentine?

the first band i've ever heard with rhythm guitar parts so consistently heavy with vibrato arm. i can understand it's not everyone's cup of tea, but i'd say it's at very least notable in a "wang-bar appreciation" thread. give a listen to the album "loveless". amazing guitar pop record, and loaded with "wang-bar'ed" rhythm parts. good times, especially once you get your sea-legs.

only shallow


swallow

[51tele]

Jimi and Jeff

[Joel Terry]

Originally Posted by rand z

bill frissell

he doesnt use one, but gets some wonderfully shimmering vibrato by slightly bending the neck while he is playing... almost after every phrase. very liquidy.

one can use this method. i use both the "bar" and neck "bending", but one has to be careful not to bend the neck too farrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

imho.

rand z

You betcha--I love Bill's sans-vibrato-bar shimmer; in fact, it's probably one of the main reasons I love his playing.

Jim Campilongo--yet another great with his own trademark sound--applies a shimmering effect with his '59 Tele, a shimmer somewhat similar to Bill's. I once PMed Jim, asking how he bends the neck as he's playing--no small feat. (He doesn't do the old "grab the headstock" trick; one listen to his playing and you can tell that there's no way he could do that and simultaneously play the way he does.) He said that he didn't really know how he's able to do it--it's mostly a subconscious thing.

I'm a strong fellow, but I've never been able to do that with a Tele--not while playing, anyway. I have rather strong hands and fingers, and I use .009s, so I can apply up-and-down finger vibrato to whole chords and partials. With a delay, that produces a nice quasi-chorused sound; however, it just doesn't sound anything like Bill and Jim's neck-bending vibrato. My up-and-down vibrato produces an in-tune/sharp/in-tune/sharp/in-tune shimmer, whereas Bill and Jim's method produces an in-tune/flat/in-tune/flat/in-tune shimmer--which, to me, is a much sweeter sound.

Joel

[Jason S]

JEFF BECK

[zeeman]

Great thread, thanks for all the video posts.

I love what Brian Setzer does with the Bigsby. It's all through his playing but never (hardly ever) over the top.

[sultan59]

I like this one from JB:

[hal]

especially Beck and Gilmour. I have to say these days I'm loving the TDPRI's own James Wilsey's whammy bar work. And--I'm betting his work on "Wicked Games" has been heard by more people than a lot of our other choices.

[Telakaster]

Jeff Beck is tops. He doesn't use a whammy just for an effect, he uses it to play melodies.

[studebaker hawk]

I've alway's dug Frank Zappa's use of the whammy on "Zombywoolf".

[MickM]

Setzer on Sleepwalk

[Joel Terry]

Originally Posted by studebaker hawk

I've alway's dug Frank Zappa's use of the whammy on "Zombywoolf".

I love Frank's shimmering whammy with the Ø7 and Maj7 chords in the central figure of various live versions of "Zoot Allures."

Joel

[wilkat1]

An awful lot of what sounds almost like standard blues bends is Lonnie Mack workin' that Bigsby.

[mudshark]

Merle Travis and Hank Thompson both sounded great with that long handled Bigsby with the ring at the end on their Super 400s.

[John Thigpen]

Joel Terry beat me to mentioning Wicked Game. I also like the subtle vibrato in Jackson Browne's Barricades of Heaven...I think Mark Goldenberg plays it.

[lupowitz]

Originally Posted by Joel Terry

I love Frank's shimmering whammy with the Ø7 and Maj7 chords in the central figure of various live versions of "Zoot Allures."

Joel

OMG!
You're not alone!

[Nick JD]

[Reno Sepulveda]

I do think Wicked Game sort of sets the bar for how I think a whammy should be used. I don't know who this guy is but it sure is tasty stuff. Not overly dramtic but really good.

[robrohdeszudy]

My favorite use is throwing it at obnoxious drunks. But among those who can actually USE the thing, I like Setzer and Gilmour. --Rob

[Higgs F. Boson]

I know Rush ain't exactly hip anymore, but Alex Lifeson was pretty good with the whammy bar...and the guitar in general. "Spirit of Radio" was excellent Telecaster material, if you ask me!

I never fooled with whammy bars myself, 'cause of the tuning issues. Even if you've got good tuners and graphite in the nut slots, you're still going to go out when you do unison bends, etc. It never seemed worth it to me.