The "Final Solution" for Trem Bars?

L

Leathan

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May 29, 2014
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Spokane, WA
You're thoughts on this:

https://www.good-design.com/entry/virtual-jeff-digital-whammy-bar-system/

Personally, I'd love to try this out. Even after Mr. Rose's invention, the Trem/vibrato bar remains an ungainly annoyance (at least to me). It's about time we had a 21st century improvement to the general idea.

Update: Product appears to me made by an Australian company called 4Design. Tried to go to their website, but got all kinds of crazy malware warnings from my browser. Be warned.
 
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Although I generally appreciate the searching for new solutions, I think:
- this is really, really, really ugly
- I would never make any hole in my guitar to attach some electronics on it that in 5 years will be ridiculously old/can get broken/ecc
- the movement of the bar shown in the video is innatural
 
Wow. I appreciate innovation, but there's just so much misinformation/inaccuracies in that writeup.

Also, I mistrust ANY product which only has computer renderings rather than actual pictures on its website. Speaking from experience from my professional job here....
 
So far, the big sticking point is tracking speed on every electronic pitch shifting device. I tried a guitar synth, and couldn`t live with the sound lag. THe ones that are quick (i.e.-crude like I like `em) will stay with us. Give me my simpler devices on my pedal board. Also think it`s dogbuttugly and I wouldn`t trust that wammy bar.
 
I'm a computer guy, I like network stuff and going to school to be a computer programmer so I'm not against any technology. That being said, If you have to drill a hole for this It's a pass, for reasons stated above, namely in 5 years that thing might not even work and you'll be stuck with something outdated on your guitar. I personably believe the only good thing to do with a trem is put a piece of wood behind it, but that's just me.

That being said if you could just stick this on with out drilling any holes and had a battery in it and then had a man-in-the-middle device you plug you guitar cable into and then into the effects/amp and it took the signal from the potentiometer and fiddled with the signal within said MITM device, I could see this working, use it when you want to, don't use it when you don't. No permanent mods to the guitar and can be taken off and put on any guitar you have. Connect the Whammy with the MITM through bluetooth and once the connection is established then it's just there and zero (or near zero) latency.

This might be happening already, so I could be completely out to lunch, they don't give much information about it.
 
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I have two guitars with trems, because I like the feel and tone of a trem-equipped guitar (I dunno, bends seem a little easier because the trem "gives" a little, and it seems like the springs tend to add some vibe). But I rarely use the trem bar when playing.

Still...looks like an interesting device. I watched the video and it seems to work well. Doesn't look any worse to me than a Bigsby (and yes, I'd rock a Bigsby just because).

Would I stick it on my guitar? Not really, unless I needed one for a project.
 
Digitech did it better 20 years ago (it's called a Whammy, and you can use it WITH a conventional mechanical vibrato/tremolo)...
 
My first thought ( Plastic Bigsby) interesting innovation, would like to see a few reviews but not for me at the mo!!
 
Leathan said:
You're thoughts on this:

https://www.good-design.com/entry/virtual-jeff-digital-whammy-bar-system/

Personally, I'd love to try this out. Even after Mr. Rose's invention, the Trem/vibrato bar remains an ungainly annoyance (at least to me). It's about time we had a 21st century improvement to the general idea.

Update: Product appears to me made by an Australian company called 4Design. Tried to go to their website, but got all kinds of crazy malware warnings from my browser. Be warned.
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I never liked the Rose or Kahler etc locking systems. They too are ungainly, massively inconvenient, and utterly unnecessary. Merely making the effort to correctly balance the strings against the springs keeps the instrument in tune for the most part, and it works even better with the PRS system than with Stratocasters. And I have abused the bar for a long time lol

That said, it's cool to see folks looking into new ways to address this process.
 
Ahem. So I broke down and looked at the link and my first thought was, "No freakin' way". My second thought was exactly the same. I am not putting that crap on any of my guitars, period. That is just stoopid! While I might not stick a block of wood in any of my trems, I will just play them as I got them.

I learned a lesson from those Detroit engineers about cars a long time ago. After changing a bunch of stuff in my '70 Boss 302 Mustang, it finally sunk in that those guys actually knew what they were doing!

'Nuff said on that!
 
markintime said:
I learned a lesson from those Detroit engineers about cars a long time ago. After changing a bunch of stuff in my '70 Boss 302 Mustang, it finally sunk in that those guys actually knew what they were doing!

'Nuff said on that!
Click to expand...

Guys from Detroit always know what they're doing. ;)


Except the part about living in Detroit...damn cold is getting to me....
 
LSchefman said:
Guys from Detroit always know what they're doing. ;)


Except the part about living in Detroit...damn cold is getting to me....
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Heh, my brother moved up to Michigan, but has changed his mind (real quick) and is now moving back down South to Georgia.

Early in my time with the Navy, I attended a school in Great Lakes, Illinois, from September through December. I remember spitting on the sidewalk and watching it bounce! Damn that cold!!!

Back to the thread...
 
The bad: It sounds very digital. Even if it's stuck on with double-sided tape, it could still cause finish issues if removed. It's an eyesore.

The good: compared to a Whammy pedal, it's easy to do dive and raise without having to change settings. You could use it and still work a wah or other foot modulated pedal at the same time.

Verdict: Would be a fun toy for a bit, but I'll pass.
 
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