Hendrix Whammy Bar Demo on My 1964 Fender Stratocaster
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- I finally decided to add the whammy bar back to my Strat. I pretty much block my bridges so if I break a string, I don't go out of tune. But, I think I will keep it on. It opens up a whole other realm of craziness that I can get into with feedback. I was watching a Hendrix video and said "hell yeah" I want that again. As you can hear the 1960 Bassman and 1964 Super Reverb do a good job of feeding back with help from my OCD and Ultimate Octave.
This cracked my wife and I up. Even if it sounds good, your family will still hate you. I remember when my Grandparents heard me playing a Hendrix album back when he first started and they thought he was insane and did not want me listening to it.
It`s a difficult, being fan of non mainstream music :D
What I find remarkable is that my intolerance for lots of mainstream music is kind of the same like your Grandparents, or other people I come in touch with who can`t stand to listen to a 30 min live version of led zepp`s dazed and confused or things like machine gun. It actually bothers me a lot and I`m trying to find a more tolerant mindset myself to cope better with people and the expore to in my honoust opinion too loud and unwitty crap they throw at me in the supermarket or my downstaris neighbours blasting very questionable "rap" when they take a shower.
I hope it doens`t sounds too depressing, my goodness!
I just assume if I work on it, others might do the same.
So that we we can both withstand what we perceive as loud unappealing noises.
And maybe someday I don`t get a headache of buying vegetables while the top 40 is being played from 5 different angles at 110 dB.
This is one of the reasons why the stratocaster is the best designed electric guitar ever. Great video!
What about the ibanez rg with flyod rose
Sounds like when Jimi played "Are You Experienced" on October 10th in San Fransisco! I loved this!
Thanks for watching.
Millstap I just recently stumbled upon your channel and feel like I'm watching a older, wiser version of myself 😄
I've been a Hendrix student for 20+ years and have obsessed over all the details and Jimi'isms in his playing and music... I'm always learning from Jimi and you have really brought some new details to my attention too.
I really appreciate your channel and you sharing your knowledge!
That's great feedback Counter. What a gift Jimi was to the guitar world. Everyone can benefit from learning some Hendrix. I have a little bit different story. I too loved Jimi pretty much my whole guitar playing career because he was in his prime when I picked up the guitar in 1968. I still remember when I played one of his albums for my grandparents and they thought it was some type of devil music, lol. But, I NEVER attempted to play any of his music until around 2011. That is when the singer in the band I was in asked me if I could play Little Wing and I couldn't. I decided then and there that I would finally learn the song. We ended up playing almost an entire set of Hendrix songs before we finally broke up. I wan't to play Hendrix songs the whole night, lol. At the time I started to really delve into his music, I realized how much he had influenced my playing when I first started out. He did have quite an effect on my style of playing and I didn't even know it. Now, I will die happy just searching for that last little bit of recording that he did that I haven't heard yet. We all know it's out there. It's just a matter of finding it. But even the well known stuff is a treasure trove because he always played the same song differently each time he played it so you can listen to the same song and it's like listening to a different song every time. I'm working on the Sabbadius Maui Funky-Vibe demo as I type. I haven't been posting many tutorials lately because they take so much time and I don't like sitting at a computer all day. I will do a few demos of the Sabbadius effects that he so generously sends me. They are all great and almost each one has stepped up my game up a tad as far as sound and tone go. Thanks for watching. The Maui FV demo should be up tomorrow. Then it will be his new Roctavia which is also a great pedal. Even pedals make you appreciate Jimi on so many levels. He was a master at making them sound amazing. He had such a delicate touch and could make just about any pedal sing and scream. Just look at his wah-wah work alone. The best on the planet.
@@millstap far out man because I'd believe you were a long time study of Jimi. Obviously your years of "experience" and wisdom as a guitarist has contributed greatly to your excellent understanding of Jimi. I see a lot of Jimi fan guitarist and I feel like few have picked up on the plethora of details besides the few that are common guitar knowledge or have become mythos etc. My father discovered Hendrix in '67 from a classmate and said "Purple Haze" just flipped the world upside down for him. He later saw Jimi at the Seattle Colosium in '69 and has been a life long fan... That's how I discovered Jimi at a young age, my father would play his original Electric Ladyland LP (which he still has and is one of the only rements of his youth lol) and Jimi's playing and music always captured my attention and imagination... Even as a small child I just instantly felt there was something special about this music! By the age of 13 I was gifted a electric guitar for my birthday and quickly realized looked a lot like Jimi's guitar! (A cheap strat copy) and from there I've been pretty obsessed with Jimi's playing and music and have spent maybe too much time studying his playing haha.
It's a double edge sword as I consider Jimi my teacher, his playing and sound comes thru in my playing naturally now days so it's hard for me to shake the "you sound like Hendrix" remarks no matter what I play these days... Anyways! You have some great, great wisdom on your channel and appreciate you sharing it. I would love to sit down with a guitarist like you and just learn and watch!
Take care!
Edit*
Oh yeah, that's really groovy Sabbadius sent you some pedals. I saw he sent some to Randy Hansen and he's been using them and liking them. I have my eye on the Fillmore Funky Vibe but hesitant to pull the trigger as I don't use vibe all too much as I dig Jimi's early tone '66-'68 with Monterey and Winterland 10/12/68 being his best live tones. I look forward to seeing your reviews! I use and love the Jam Pedal Fuzz Phrase, out of 8 germanium FF clones the Fuzz Phrase has a voodoo that I have yet to encounter in any other fuzz, I will be buried with this fuzz! The big teal Dunlop Hendrix Fuzz is by far the best silicon Fuzz Face I've found after fine tuning the bias and I generally dislike Dunlop gear. I'm still curious about the Sabbadius Rainbow Fuzz... I love fuzz!
@@Voodoo66Chile I'm the same way. When I play, all I currently know are Hendrix songs besides the SRV songs I covered in my SRV phase years ago. Then, they will say, "yeah, you sound just like Hendrix" and give you that look that you should sound like yourself instead of trying to copy someone else. I don't care anymore. That loud screaming, wild as hell playing that I can do now because of Jimi is just such a rush. That is what I was really wanting to play all along. That intense energy is what the electric guitar is all about for me. I played blues in a blues band for years and then got into another cover band. In the beginning, blues was the most boring music on earth to me. Then I realized it was universal and you better know it if you are going to go to the local jam nights. Once I reattached my whammy bar, it was "Katie bar the door. "
dive bombed the fuck out of that fender
I find it so awesome when you play this type of stuff on this type of gear... You obviously worked hard to get this stuff but it still kind of feels like an awesome privilege. Fender Bassman (your original) + That Strat and some nice reverb and that OCD is just tone-bliss. I can't even begin to imagine what it must feel like to be in the same room as those amps let alone play them! This sounds real good. This is one of my favorite youtube channels!
You Sir, do them justice.
Hendrix had perfect pitch. So when you listen carefully to the live recordings. He's tuning himself back to pitch while playing and going out of tune. A feat in itself with a stock guitar. A cool cat I never get bored listening to. Love your videos as well. You show us stuff. Down to earth and always showing us guitarists to strive to learn more about the instrument. Bless you!
It is amazing how well he kept that finicky Strat in tune.
that was wild! I can't believe your guitar is still in tune after all those divebombs!
I know. It always stayed in tune then one day it started acting up and it drove me crazy. Now, it is fairly stable again. They are finicky. The nut plays a big part and maybe the weather effects it since it is bone.
millstap would you suggest a LSR roller nut for Fender type guitars just like Jeff Beck's guitar
Wow Amazing! A whammy bar, tremolo arm, makes a strat even better! Thanks for the video
I was trying to decide whether to block my trem or not. I will not. Thanks for the very cool and entertaining video! Great playing! I hope to be as good as you one day 👍
Fantastic! I've always decked my strat trems, for the same reason as you. Recently bought a new strat, and the bridge was floating. Sounds so much more like it's supposed to. Thanks for inspiring me to try out some wammy bar tricks.
Yeah, I love my Strat with the trem. set floating like it is supposed to be. It gives the strings a little softer feel too. It does sound better. The springs seems to add a little something to the tone when they are floating.
What are you talking about are you crazy tremolo from this video is (decked) the bridge are touching body with 5 raw wintage soft springs
Its not float
You obviously have so much respect for Jimi as we all do. We love that tone. Just to reproduce some of it makes us feel wonderful. The film I've seen, Jimi's fingers were very long and skinny. Even though what he played was complicated, he always made it look so easy, as if he were effortlessly playing. How he bent to the correct pitch and returned to correct pitch is a feat in itself. That tone was so transparent and soulful, just a little dirty. Today's pedals are way too distorted, one cannot differentiate the notes. I feel Jimi's writing was really improving near the end. Pal Gap, the Cry of Love album. And say what one may about that Douglas produced album, I love it. It has some great writing and playing. I heard that Jimi had perfect pitch as opposed to relative pitch.
Man that is a well done impersonation of jimi!
so you don't have to look like a rockstar to be one....... this i have learnt. you rock.
Hahaha, I never had much of the rock star look except when I was younger and grew my hair long in the early '70's. You really just have to love what you do and try to play everything for the right reason.
What a great video! You play with a huge amount of energy!
Hey rock on brother!! We're all loved and supported and I definitely love and support u my friend. MUCH LOVE 🧡 ❤ 💙
Thanks Mike. Hang in there. I got more stuff coming but get sidetracked some babysitting my grandson. He is the cutest though. I can't believe this was 8 years ago.
That was simply mind blowing for me.
Many thanks.
You're welcome. I remember when I finally put the whammy bar on this Strat. I had never used it since I first got it and now I use them all the time on all of my Strats.
I do the tubing on the high E. I got away from lubing the saddles because it was making a mess over time. I don't break them much anymore but when I do with a floating bridge, it's impossible to finish the song. The floating bridged changed the overall tone of the Strat for the better. I'm really getting that Strat sound now. I will keep the red one blocked for now.
I'll check it out. I haven't listened to it in a long time. Thanks for the suggestion.
Seems like my whole life now but I started when I was 16, so 42 years. I still remember my first garage band trying to play Led Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused" and having colored flood light bulbs for our light show. Good memories.
No rap here by golly! Nope, no rap....jus good ole sounds from the heart, thanks man
+Trebor Skeem Yes, trying to keep the '60's alive. A lot of young kids really appreciate the music from that era.
I am using Pyramid Nickel Classics. I buy the 10-52 set then change the plain strings to 11, 14, & 18. I use the 10-52 on my red Strat.
I know what you mean I'm about your age and I do the very same thing. Keep our dreams alive bro.Thanks Millsap.
I'm glad you heard it. I tried to show my wife but she didn't hear it.
Dam, nice! That is some raw playing :)
Great video. How did you make that squealing sound at 3:41 i love it
Its a feedback sound + the whammy vibrato
@@leebakprime2297 yes and you can change the tone of the squeal and its intensity by waiting for the feedback and hit the whammy
I can't stop and probably never will. It's in my blood.
I'll put it on. I love that song. My favorite noise here is at 2:51. I'm going to call it my "Tarzan Call." Too bad I'll probably never be able to repeat it.
I took a tip out of Dan Erlewine's book and put a short bridge spring in the hole. It worked great.
I use a little bit of my own homemade teflon lube on the nut and trees but surprisingly, it stays in great tune.
My neighbors are very tolerant. I don't do the feedback very ofter but every day, I am cranking two vintage amps so the most of the block can hear me.
your like the only person who can play spanish castle actually well
hahah Tarzan Call was rly accurate :D great playing Sir
Amazing sounds in there definite Hendrix stuff going on :)
Not bad! Not bad at all.... back in the 1970's in Buena Park.. California..my neighbor Bruce had a awesome guitarist Chuck Flanagan come over and jammed all kinds of badass guitar jams with feedback sustain and echo, wah and flanging.. Chuck audition a instrumental he created for Don Henley and the song was titled Dirty Laundry! I kid you not people! Chuck is on UA-cam.......he also makes guitars with low string action and sustain and feedback beautiful.....
That is me rocking the wah-wah a few times.
It's very far away.... It takes about half a day to get there
If we travel by my..... dragonfly!
I've done that a few times. It's pretty easy but I have to get my fuzz adjusted just right. It's fairly new so I haven't figured out the best settings yet. I will try to put that on later.
Thanks for the reply and your inspirational playing. I had the big jhf1 fuzz but replaced it with the MXR classic fuzz. It's close but not as good. The minis weren't out then. I may try one of those. My current fuzz doesn't sound good with my pickle vibe. Again, you sound great. Keep rocking.
One of my subscribers convinced me to dump the Pickle Vibe and get a custom built Uni-Vibe clone called a Vibe-Baby by Classic Amplification. I should get it this week. I will demo it. I think it will sound great. I am also posting some video from a gig this past weekend and you will get the full effect of the mini Fuzz Face. It works great.
1:15 was killer!
No. But with the whammy bar, it is so much easier to get into the frequencies that feedback. I haven't used the whammy bar in years. I'm going to start now. Next I'll do Lenny by SRV.
I use all NOS tubes. I have tried a few off the shelf brands but never used them long term. Unfortunately, they are expensive and you don't alway get good ones. I've spent a lot of money on them. The NOS preamp tubes last many years and the power tube last years too. Most of the new tubes wear out after a year of hard playing. There are some decent new tubes in production. I think the new Russian Tung-Sol 5881 is okay as well as the Svetlana Winged C 6L6GC. Amperex is great.
@milstep haha very nice , I don't use the wham bar on my strat that often either, but you can't help but get some crazy sounds when I do.
I'm not absolutely sure. I think I just got lucky with a good set up. I use 5 springs. It is vintage 1964 and it just works good. Better than my other guitars. I do lube the nut, string tree, and bridge saddles with Dupont Wax-Based Teflon Chain-Saver Chain Lube. It dries very quickly and leaves a waxy, Teflon residue.
Oh, Spanish Castle Magic. OK. It's hard to do that song without the drums but I will put it on soon.
It is the original 1964 bridge with 5 springs attached to the block. The bridge saddles on the GBE plain strings are replacement Callahams so I don't wear out the originals.
Wish i could find a tutorial on making these kinds of sounds, though unfortunatley it looks like it revolves mostly on pedals that i don't have probably.
I also wanted to comment Jimi definitely floated his trem system slightly! I see that 99% of guitarist insist he decked it but it's clear on the numerous live performances, EXP ( Axis Bold as Love ) or Captain Coconut/MLK ( Crash Landing ) just to name a few good examples.
I used to deck mine but noticed I could never replicate his whammy sound and his "wooOO-wooOO-wooos"... Trying to replicate the single notes with whammy vibrato on Captain Coconut is what finally made me realize this.
That's good to know. I think me may have done both because I have heard him in one concert where he broke a string but still stayed in tune. If you are going to do the deep dive bombs that he does, floating is way more stable and stays in tune better. I think some of Jimi's tuning problems in the beginning was because his trem was decked.
how do you manage to stay in tune after using the tremolo THAT much?
I'm not absolutely sure. I never had any problems with this guitar then one day, I messed with the adjustments a little and it gave me fits for months. Then it calmed down and started working again. I recently bought a new Nash Strat and the tremolo was completely unusable. I finally had the nut recut in bone and that seemed to help a lot. The plain strings still hang up a bit. I think the nut is very important. I also think the weather or humidity can make them more finicky at times. Right now, all of my Strat's tremolos are manageable but I do have to be careful if I go crazy with it during a gig. In the heat of the moment with the rest of the band, it is not as noticeable, then I just tune up between songs.
so basically you are saying that you will eventually lose tuning if you go crazy (as like you did on this video) ? and lastly what fender did you use to make this video? and i must add this is some out of this world stuff, man! amazing :D thank you for your reply btw :)
Muttakin Islam he lubed the contact points and the nut of the guitar
You mean if it is just touching the body? I like to have it floating just a hair so I can get that good warble without hitting the body. Since I change the setup on this black Strat, I like the tone better. I've read that Strats don't sound like Strats if the bridge is not floating on the springs. I think they are correct. I am setting up my red Strat now to see if I get the same tone change.
I had never heard of the "magic six" setup until now. I just read about the volume on 6 treble on 6 mid on 3 and bass on 2 with the bright switch on. I would try that on o big stage but not in my room. Sounds interesting. I think you would do this naturally if you turned it up to 6 although I would not think of using the bright switch on top of that. I will definitely try it the next chance I get.
Yeah, the Fulltone Ultimate Octave fuzz is what drives the amp crazy.
Your tone is always epic. Q though. Do you use any low powered amps? Anything in about the 1-5watt range you could suggest?
All I can think of is a Fender Champ but I would prefer the Princeton Reverb which is more than 5 watts. I only have big amps except one I built and I think it is at least 10 watts.
Love it!!!
Sounds awesome :) One thing I've noticed is that practicing what you did from :56 - 4:40 at home (if you're not very good at it like me) is a good way to get your family to hate you.. :-/
what a feedback!!! wow!! great!
Thanks.
That is my Peterson Strobo-Flip tuner.
Great video does this guitar have 2 pivots or 6 ?, thank u
All my tremolos have 6 screws.
Thanks 👍
i am speechless
i love u
I think I kicked in the Octave effect on my Fulltone Ultimate Octave to get more feedback but it just kind of died.
The guitar that the whammy bar just screws in and never gets tight = the spring is missing. There is a small spring that goes down the hole. Then, stick your whammy bar in the hole and screw it down. It will tighten up.
Thanks for the tips. I'm running a DRRI right now so I'm in the market for some good 12ax7s, 12at7s, and 6v6's to replace what I've got in there. I threw a tung-sol 12ax7 into V1 and the results were noticeably better than the stock groovetubes 12ax7r (just a relabled EH, I think). Unfortunately I can't find any new makes of 6v6 that have consistently good reviews right now, and I can't afford nos at this time. The tung-sol 6v6 gets great reviews on tone but not on reliability. Hm. :/
damn that is one aggressive playing!
Thanks for watching. I definitely enjoy my whammy bar, especially when it stays in tune.
maybe if you lube the saddles and nut it wont break. or the bridge plate may be a little sharp i know that's why renemartinez started putting tubing around the string where itmeets the bridge plate on the hole
i also commented on your video of the 1960 bassman video. the tones you get are absolutely killer. my tone quest would end with guitars/amps such as these. btw, what are you tubing your amps with. original, nos, or otherwise is there a new off-the-shelf make that you prefer?
I know. I was pretty shocked. I call the sound at 2:51 the Tarzan call.
Had me starin for a sec.
I have all 5 springs on.
Tabs pleez
+BIG BOSS Why are you so jealous?
Haha, I thought it was quite obviously a joke. How can you tab whammy mayham? Teech mee pleez
Trever Wiebenga Some people don't get jokes, they probably never will, haha.
+BIG BOSS Well, you can always try to fix your bad sense. There's no point crying about it everyday of you life. "Wah, I don't get jokes, wah!", no one wants to hear that all the time. Giving you own comment a 'thumbs up' is pretty lame too.
I dig your vids... how long u been playing?
Sounds awesome. But what's the effect you use at 1:34? Sounds really cool.
peace from the netherlands
it's like an eddie van halen dive bomb
DUuuuuuuudeeee you gotta do SRV's version of third stone from the sun.
If Kirk Hammett switched from wah to just whammy. =)
That's cuz you slowly but sure made mom deaf over the years with all your concerts!
sweet!
Thanks for the video.Is this a decked tremolo?
I think back then it was decked but I have since determined they are more stable when floating. All on mine are floating now. I did quite a few videos on figuring out why tremolos can go out of tune.
@@millstap thanks. That's a surprise, as I thought decked would be more stable than floating, especially if a string snaps. I wonder if Hendrix had his decked or floating?
@@MegaLochgelly Stable as in staying in tune after a dive bomb, definitely not stable when you break a string. I’ve never seen Jimi continue a song when he breaks a string so I assume it was unusable because it was floating but from photos, it doesn’t look like much. I like a minimum of 1/16”above the body.
man please tell me how to do the tarzan call its awesome
Killer tone. Is that the OCD by itself?
I can actually reply again. UA-cam has been messing with the comment section. No, that is the OCD and the Fulltone Ultimate Octave on at the same time. I have since replaced the Ultimate Octave with a new Dunlop Mini Fuzz Face which has a great sound and is more controllable with the guitar volume.
how do you take care of tuning problems without locking tuners with the floating bridge
there is a solution to the whammy bar not being loose....take a spring from a writing pen....insert it in the hole and screw in the whammy bar itll tighten up and will stay in its place
I've tried that method several time and it never works for me for some reason. They all seem to be okay now but my Nash Strat bar could use a little tightening.
is this your first time useing feedback?
with your playing on that video, does the whammy bar on that stratocaster only push down, and not pull up ? pls reply
This one is set up floating like Fender recommends. It will pull up a little but I usually keep the bridge plate just a hair off of the body. I have another Strat that I keep flush to the body just in case I break a string, it will stay in tune.
Can you upload a video how to set up the bridge from a strato to sound just like yours. cause when i play mine, goes out of tune. tahnk you
I've already done them. Here are the links to most of them. For starters, the main problem is your strings are sticking on the top of your saddles. You may want to switch to Highwood Contoured Vintage saddles and use Super Lube. I refer to some other lubes in the earlier videos but Super Lube is a clear, Teflon, food grade grease and it works the best. The groove in the Highwood saddles lets a small amount of grease stay there without wiping it off with the palm of your hand. All of my tremolos stay in perfect tune and I have two vintage and two modern tremolos. ua-cam.com/video/Wh7Qj7qpkiA/v-deo.html, ua-cam.com/video/qL5u7PcHzyM/v-deo.html, ua-cam.com/video/FNgZGqB1yog/v-deo.html, ua-cam.com/video/-EaE-c-S1fk/v-deo.html, ua-cam.com/video/DKf7PhmY_J8/v-deo.html, ua-cam.com/video/J5qItTWP2TY/v-deo.html, ua-cam.com/video/WbpidZoXQZk/v-deo.html.
@@millstap oh thanks !! really, now ive got time to do this, thank you
that hendrix never did that on his vintage tremolo
can you play foxy lady with the feedback in the beginning?
Are those vintage Fender stock pickups from '64? Do you have a favorite set of Strat pickups cheers!
Yes, they are the original 1964 Formvar black bottom pickups. They are my favorite.
@@millstap nice!
And with pull up of a harmonic??
Do you have the 5 springs there or only three? Thanks!
What fender amp are you using. I hope your neighbors don’t live close
1960 Bassman and 1964 Super Reverb
How do you manage to stay in tune so well?
It must be done by jimi to sound good..... You can really feel his confusion when he does it u know... Its like a moment taken from his head and projected into sound........
are. you in the middle of nowhere or just have very understanding neighbours . I guess things have to be pretty cranked up to be getting that feedback going ?
What do you mean by 'block my bridges'?
It is when you tighten the springs so tight that the bridge base plate rests against the body and does not float. Sometime they will put a "block" of wood in the back between the string block and the body to make it more solid.
Try Foxey lady with whammy improv?
amazing sound! which strings do you use?
also, what is that in front of you
What is that blackface head in the background?
Sounds incredible. I'm honestly scared to do anything like this. I just feel like something's gonna break and I can't afford that
If you have the new production stiff springs, you could actually break a bar because those springs are too tight with five springs. I like five springs so I use the Raw Vintage spring which have less tension and are more like the old springs.