Flexing the neck for vibrato...

[indiobravo]

davo, if you want to put a little wiggle in your note there is *nothing* wrong with bending the neck. it's a very nice, subtle effect.

[indiobravo]

hey davo - just watched that clip - that was lots o fun. that's not actually how i do it - i literally push the headstock forward with my left hand and hold the upper bout with my right hand. anyway - thanks again for the post.

[MonkeyKing]

Red Volkaert and Adrian Belew are the masters of this. It`s easy to do on a chintzy asian fender - on others you may have to brace the body with your right arm. I wouldn`t call it useless - some sweet pedal bends, or total insanity ( i guess that covers Red an mr Belew) can result! If your idea of `good` guitar is perfectly playing what you already heard before, turn back -here be monsters!

[cnote]

Originally Posted by Telemach_1

Oh, man. I think this is not a nice way to treat your guitar. I personally absolutely dislike it and even watching people doing it makes me sick.
An other thing that gets me mad is the way how some players rest ther forearm on the neck.

It's not like it's a violin or something.

Just kidding, your guitars will outlast mine, I'm sure.

[Dan German]

Nothing wrong with it, as long as it's your guitar. Not good manners to do it with someone else's. (First person I ever saw do it did it with my guitar. I was not amused.)

[teleamp]

I've done it for years with Telecasters, my fret-hand vibrato/trm and palm muting are my favorite effects. I'm just a guitar>cable>amp guy, so, all my effects are user induced.

If you are just flexing the neck to do a subtle trem/vib, you will not hurt a thing.

[teleamp]

If you have ever heard trem that fades in and out and changed speed... It's another tool for the Tele enthusiast, don't shun it, embrace it. It is a fantastic technique that can turn an OK performance into an excellent performance.

[73Fender]

Originally Posted by qwerty95

I do it, I push or pull the base of the headstock. Never had any problems except going out of tune after a couple songs. My friend did it on his Les Paul once, snapped the headstock off.

That must have been a traumatizing moment, couldn't imagine. Those headstock breaks are common on Gibson types, usually not self induced though. I've never seen one on a Fender. In my experience anyway.

[JDRNoPro]

Originally Posted by w3stie

Chuck Prophet uses the technique briefly in this clip around 4:50, but the clip is worth watching anyway; it's a masterclass.

I wasn't familiar with Chuck Prophet, but am glad I spent 7:57 watching this - great stuff - THANKS!

[Mightyaxeman]

I had to reinstall frets in a univox highflyer because the owner used to flex the neck that way. Cracked the plywood body and compressed the wood around some if the frets enough to loosen them up and have them drop out.

[Davo17]

Originally Posted by Mightyaxeman

I had to reinstall frets in a univox highflyer because the owner used to flex the neck that way. Cracked the plywood body and compressed the wood around some if the frets enough to loosen them up and have them drop out.

My tele is ash and maple.

[Mightyaxeman]

Originally Posted by Davo17

My tele is ash and maple.

Yah, the univox had a maple neck.

[jbmando]

Chuck had both hands on the body for that bend. I heard it, but I couldn't see how he did it. What did he do, push the neck against his body?

[El Reclusa]

Originally Posted by Bartholomew3

Seems like a useless technique for most styles of music.

And in any event would only be good in a couple of tunes each night or may be approaching "wankerdom".

Just my 2 cents. I would put my time into something more musical...but that's just me.

I've used this technique for nearly two decades, and I'm nowhere near good enough to qualify for "wankerdom"!

Seriously, though, lots of folks use this technique, and like any kind of vibrato, used tastefully it can be very evocative and expressive. As has been noted before, see Jim Campilongo. Behind-the-nut bends are great too, but a different thing altogether. I've seen the neck wobble done in lots of contexts, from Bill Frissell to Unsane, and when employed at the right moment, it's pretty awesome.

I've never had any damage occur from doing this. I do it on all of my electrics once in a while. I've been fairly brutal on occasion doing it on my "crappy" '76 Tele, which is a very sturdy guitar. I used to bend the neck of a '66 SG Jr. I had just as brutally, and never hurt it- and that guitar had the thinnest neck with probably the weakest joint I've ever owned. Not saying you couldn't break your guitar doing it, but you'd have to be trying to.

[Brokenpick]

I was gonna mention that there Redd feller.... but ya beat me to it, MonkeyKing!
HE will wobble a neck like there's no tomorrow.
I think a big part of it is pinning the body to you, and getting the leverage way down the neck near the nut...
I can flatten and sharpen a little... but making good music at the same time, and making it look easy...... well that's something else! (But I haven't broken anything yet!)

[danp29]

chuck prophit is shredding in that video, had never heard of him before. i think that must have been an effect pedal at 4:52 because theres no way he could have changed the pitch with his hands in that position. someone posted earlier that they hold the guitar on the upper bout and near the headstock on the neck to do downward bends. i use the lower horn on a tele and near the headstock on a tele, or other non vibrato guitars. i have done this on gibsons and other glued on neck guitars with out problems, but i'd be a lot more carefull with the glued neck guitars. that half step downward bend is almost an integral part of 50's and 60's rock and roll and surf.

[Telemach_1]

Originally Posted by teleamp

I've done it for years with Telecasters, my fret-hand vibrato/trm and palm muting are my favorite effects. I'm just a guitar>cable>amp guy, so, all my effects are user induced.

If you are just flexing the neck to do a subtle trem/vib, you will not hurt a thing.

Jepp, listen to this man.

[Breen]

I feel people baby guitars and pieces of wood too much.

I worked hard and saved like a mutha during my national service to get my first Fender, my first Tele. Still my only Tele. I bend the neck every gig every week since. Subtle tremolo vibrato thingy when holding down a chord, or hitting the low A and bringing it down and back up. Still works fine. I'm more concerned with the fret and nut wear then the neck or body giving me problems.

Its a cutting board and a baseball bat. I heard they were meant to be used.

I mean, if Redd can bend a vintage Tele's neck, you can do it from your farmed maple ones.

[Telemach_1]

I've seen a school mate doing a fretting hand vibrato on barre chords when I was about 17 years old. I was very impressed and thought that this was way cool and professional. It takes some effort and time to practice but it's very organic and sounds very sweet when done properly. I can't do it on all chords but on some I can and it sounds great.

I also use the volume knob to simulate a trem and frequently have lot's of fun using a Fulltone Supa Trem which has a few convenient features that I like better than my SF inboard vibrato.

[RCinMempho]

I know a guy who does it with his Taylor acoustic. Extreme pitch drops. Every gig - night after night after night.

Somehow, it stays together.