Bridge gadget on Brendan Bayliss's SC-style PRS (Umphreys McGee)

[shinksma]

I was watching Palladia last night, it was footage of a festival played on/near the beach in the Gulf Shores of Alabama. (Wind Down Festival maybe?)

A band played that I had never heard of before, but sounded interesting to me. Umphries McGee, a "prog rock" band originally formed at Notre Dame quite a few years ago.

Anyway, the music was very good (might order a CD or two), and the lead singer was playing a very nice looking PRS. A single cut, four knobs classic Les Paul layout, so I assume it was something like a Tremonti because of the trem (I did not see any names on the TRC, and the model looked like the one in the photo below, but it is possible he swapped TRCs and it is indeed a Tremonti - notice uncovered bridge pickup).

What really fascinated me was there appeared to be some sort of gadget attached to his bridge, surrounding the trem bar mount. I can't figure out what it is or what it would be used for - he didn't seem to touch it at all.

This is a photo showing the gadget:

This is a link to a larger better photo at Getty Images:

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/n...perfoms-at-tower-theater-news-photo/455408788

Any ideas?

 

[László]

It looks like something he can use with his palm instead of a trem arm.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

This article tells you all you need to know...

http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/22167-rig-rundown-umphreys-mcgee

 

[Koa]

Jake Blade.

 

[vchizzle]

That looks fugly IMO.

 

[TrevorSOJA]

Jake Blade.

Yep Jake Blade. Used to be able to get them off their website. Now unavailable.

 

[shinksma]

This article tells you all you need to know...

http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/22167-rig-rundown-umphreys-mcgee

Jake Blade.

Yep Jake Blade. Used to be able to get them off their website. Now unavailable.

Thanks everyone! I did search the Interwebz prior to asking this question (obviously, because I found some pics), but that Rig Rundown never caught my eye.

If I'd seen him use it I might have guessed at the use, but he never touched it while the camera was on him...

 

[cshore]

Ran into this thread so I figured I'd bump it even though it's old. I'm a big, big Umphrey's McGee fan (seen em live almost 40 times!) and I know that:

-That is indeed a Tremonti. He used to use a Custom 22 for years until switching to a Tremonti in 2009.
-The Jake Blade, as it's called, is an alternative to a bar. Basically it gets the bar out of the way (if you find it to be in the way).
-The action of the blade is a little different. I find it better for vibrato on chords but not as intuitive for single note Jeff Beck-ing, so to speak. I personally prefer the bar. Because the endpoint of the blade is closer to the bridge, you have to push a little harder on the blade. Feels a little tighter because of that.
-I believe they are back in stock on the Umphrey's website. I believe they only fit PRS and G&L guitars and you have to specify which brand you would be using it for.

UM is an incredible band. Highly recommended to anyone looking for mind-blowing rock music with elements of all sorts of other music, and especially to anyone who loves improvisation.

 

[gilbertpsk]

Hey all. I'm new to PRS but not Umphrey's McGee.I bought a Jake Blade for my 2016 CE model and the fit is very tight, even after loosening the hex nut on the side of the bridge. Is it supposed to be really tight?

 

[Outlier22]

well this is a super old thread that i never saw. A bit of a weird coincidence, but I was just yesterday thinking about getting one of these Jake blades as i've never been comfortable using the trem arm on my old strats or my PRS guitars. I will sometimes grab the bridge for a vibrato and thought a Jake Blade might be the way to go for me. Anyway, I also have a 2016 CE 24. Does it actually fit in the bridge? Are you having to force it in?

 

[gilbertpsk]

It fits, but it's tight. Inserting the stem into the black plastic sleeve in the bridge, it required a little more force than I expected, I guess.

I assume that the Jake Blade is made for the Core models that Brendon plays. Do you know if the Core tremolo bars are the same diameter as the CE bars?

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

It fits, but it's tight. Inserting the stem into the black plastic sleeve in the bridge, it required a little more force than I expected, I guess.

I assume that the Jake Blade is made for the Core models that Brendon plays. Do you know if the Core tremolo bars are the same diameter as the CE bars?

I believe that the CE trem unit is the same as what's installed on the SE models. If that is the case, the SE bar is definitely a smaller diameter than a Core bar, which would explain the difficulty of inserting the Jake Blade into a CE trem.

 

[gilbertpsk]

Thanks for the clarification. Do you think it would cause damage to use a Core bar in a CE?

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

Thanks for the clarification. Do you think it would cause damage to use a Core bar in a CE?

You're welcome. I honestly don't know if it would fit - PRS Tech Center (PTC) could probably answer that. My Core is a stoptail, so I can't check it with my SE. If anything, the little black plastic bushing might get damaged, but that's replaceable. I'd at least back out the setscrew (that provides tension to the bushing/trem arm) all the way, to make sure that there's as little resistance as possible when inserting the bar.

 

[shinksma]

Thanks for the clarification. Do you think it would cause damage to use a Core bar in a CE?

You might split or damage the plastic sleeve in the bridge. If you are looking at using one of those Jake Blades, I would want to modify it to thin down the shaft.

Oh and, holy moley, my thread from almost three years ago is alive!

And I just got tickets to go see Umphrey's McGee in a couple of weeks!

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

Oh and, holy moley, my thread from almost three years ago is alive!

And I just got tickets to go see Umphrey's McGee in a couple of weeks!

Those boys got tone! Enjoy the show.

 

[Outlier22]

I believe that the CE trem unit is the same as what's installed on the SE models. If that is the case, the SE bar is definitely a smaller diameter than a Core bar, which would explain the difficulty of inserting the Jake Blade into a CE trem.

Yes im pretty sure the CE uses the SE bridge as well. Good to know the Jake Blade is designed for US bridge. Maybe I won't buy one just yet.

And I just got tickets to go see Umphrey's McGee in a couple of weeks!

Awesome. I just saw them last month in Boston. I was right up front. Great Show!