Matt Allen The G&L tremolo has No flaws, is the best trem Leo FENDER ever made, unless you count in to consideration the system 1 tremolo made by Schaller for FENDER in the 80's but both of those tremolo are "whammy proof" meaning no matter how much abuse or starts in tune.
@@AuntAlnico4 Hiya ... I've tried it on two of my G&L's ... both unfortunately obey Braun's (F)Law. So whilst I agree the Dual Fulcrum trem is absolutely one of the best designed out there it's still not immune. And I'm sure someone will say it's this or that but I keep my guitars in good order and the nut and trem are both lubricated etc etc...
@@northernbrother1258 That one has been done to death ... suffice to say everyone just ignores the fine details and skips right to the easy truth - it only matters if it matters to you but don't get too excited if no one else is worried about it. Also just to warp your noggin, its not really just a vibrato either ... I know just keep quiet before everyone tries to wade right in!
@@northernbrother1258, the misused terminology of Tremolo and Vibrato is down to Leo Fender himself in the 1960s having a tremolo circuit built into the Fender Amps of that time. He patented and marketed that name of Vibrato as to this effect; from that people associate this function to that given name. Over 50 years since then and people are still getting the two mixed up together.
I always thought it was a situation I only had on my guitars with trems, and now I see it is just a reality of floating trems. You have no idea how much you just helped my OCD about tuning on my floating trem guitars.
The reason for this is really quite simple. When a string is bent, the entire trem "gives" a little from the added tension of bending the string. As you release the bend, the trem resettles into its place and redistributes tension most evenly among the 5 unbent strings. Since the system isn't entirely friction-less, The bent string is a little "late to the party" so a tiny bit of its tension is redistributed among the 5 others as it falls into balance. That is why diving, then letting them all fall into place at the same time is the fix For anyone saying it is friction at the nut, yes....that happens. But it isnt what we are talking about here because this also happens even with the locking nut on a floyd so..........
That’s not the reason. Use a wound third and this problem won’t happen. It’s the low tension of the plain third that causes the problem. Remember guitars were never meant to have plain thirds. I’ve got a PRS tuned to C# standard with a wound third, and there are no tuning problems on big bends of the plain top two strings, or the third, but you can’t really do those kinds of bends with a wound third...so it’s more or less a solution that no one really wants. At standard tuning the third has the least amount of tension on it compared to all the other strings, it’s just not enough to keep the system stable.
What blows my mind even more is that I was SURE everyone already knew that and got on with it (I couldn't so I blocked the trem-bridge on my strat and only bought non trem guitars after).
@@gearsofsounds I see a lot of these guys like Robert Baker using these trems and I have to say I am very much impressed with their skills, and a tad envious lol. But for me I don't use a jiggle stick enough to make it an issue. 3 of my guitars came with one and I rarely use them. I more play classic rock and well they didn't really use those fancy things that much. Back in those days you were too drunk or high to have to deal with working another moving part on your guitar lol. I remember in the 80's Ace Frehley started using a Les Paul with a whammy bar on it, oh did he catch a lot of grief!! Ace has killer vibrato action as well as bends and to not use those but instead a whammy bar was sacreligious to his fans lol.
Darrell, do you happen to have a twin brother (Darren) that's causing all these trem issues?? LOL! Seriously, all my guitars that I have with trems have the same flaw, so I rarely play them anymore and stick with my hardtail guitars. I also have tuning stability issues with my Casino with the trapeze tailpiece. Keep up the great work and Happy New Year!
I may have a surprise for you Darrell. Im a pedal steel player and have experienced the same problem you are talking about every time I pressed a pedal to raise or lower my 5th string. I searched for years trying to correct this problem. After the pedal throw this string would constantly come back our of tune. Finally I came across a solution given to me by George Jones pedal steel player. My 5th string was a solid 22 gauge that caused the problem . I changed the string to a 22 wound and bingo no more out of tune string after the pedal throw. It has something to do with string hysteresis. Who cares the problem is fixed. I would bet a Coke that this is the same problem your talking about.
damn, that's crazy, all though I did have a regular strat style guitar with a floating trem, and it would always come back in tune, I guess my setup guy was a genius
Darrell - I think I found the solution: Tremolo intonation problems seem to be most common on the low E and G strings, as the "break angle" at the saddle is the most acute. This happens because those saddles are the furthest back due to compensating for intonation. And that causes the most friction on different parts of the Tremolo unit. I found the exact spot that was causing my 3rd string to go flat when doing an upward bend. Under the saddle, there is a hole in the tremolo mounting plate that the string comes through. On my tremolo (Super-V Bladerunner) the string exits that hole at a very sharp angle, and then goes over the saddle. The sharp angle that the string makes going out of the hole was the problem. Using a fine grain rat-tail file, I rounded the front edge of the hole and put about a 45 degree angle into it. I only filed about 1 mm off of the front edge of the hole, and made sure it was nice and smooth. Now I can deep dive (1 octave down on the 6th string) and pull up on the tremolo (a minor 3rd up) then release the tremolo bar, and my strings return back perfectly in tune. It's amazing how well it worked, when I finally figured out where the problem was. It sure is fun not having to worry about intonation problems any more no matter how wild I go using the tremolo bar. Hope this helps others that have this very common problem. There may be an easy way to test if the solution above might work for you. Get a small diameter insulated wire. Remove the wire from the insulation without damaging the insulation. You'll probably need about a 1-inch length. Thread your G string through the the insulation, then position the insulation over the sharp bend that comes through the hole in the base of the Tremolo. Tune up the string, and test it. If the string stays in tune when bending, that that friction point is probably the culprit.
There's a small "flaw" to that logic. He mentions his Sophia trem suffers from the same issue. That one is top loaded, thus there is no sharp angle on any string. Its minimal, something like 5º if even that much. Also, the block has adjustable stabilizers that force the trem retain zero. So no, sharp angles are not the issue. The one one trem i thought could beat the flaw is that one, and yet, it does not.
@@00Resev I only have personal experience with a 1982 reissue Strat bridge, and the Bladerunner Super-V Tremolo. I've chased the intonation problem for years. The solution that I posted about is the only one that I've found that worked for me. I just wanted to report that, in case someone has a tremolo with a similar design. As always YMMV, particularly with different designs. Thanks for posting your comments. This intonation problem has been a difficult one to solve.
The best solution is using the damned whammy bar instead of doing the big bends, that's what it is for, pull the bar instead of bending, if you keep moving it, it will come back to "zero"
@Musica Fidelitas I just came across a few of UA-cam videos demonstrating a Wilkinson Tremolo with "Locking Saddles" that appears to get rid of the tuning instability on the bridge side of the equation. Just do a search for: "The ULTIMATE SADDLES? • Wilkinson WLS-130 Locking Saddles" or "WHAT'S UP WITH THAT BRIDGE ON YOUR BLUE SUHR? Pete Thorn/Suhr/Wilkinson" and "A locking Wilkinson Trem? A chat with Trevor Wilkinson."
fa·tal /ˈfādl/ adjective leading to failure or disaster. "there were three fatal flaws in the strategy" synonyms: disastrous, devastating, ruinous, catastrophic, calamitous, dire !!!FATALITLOL!!!
Living in the GOOGLE age now. No points for being Igno-Rant AND Arrogant. You got Siri, Cortana and Alexa on standby to research Yer little snarky swipes and make you look like an educated man.
Darrell, try using 10-52 gauge strings. It helped solve all my tuning issues on floating trems. (Except on Floyds, never seen that happen on a floyd before.)
Leave it to Ibanez to solve this problem! The innovators in trem design, IMHO. research the Ibanez ZPS or "Zero Point System". It has been around for a few years. I have one on my 2012 model Prestige RG 3570. It does add a little more stiffness to the trem but it works!
interesting timing DB. this topic is being discussed at length on the Gretsch-talk forum right now. Apparently, the Flaw isn't limited to thru-body trem systems alone. Bigsby systems do it too. Do you have this issue with your thinline Tele or Gretsch guitars?
I also use my whammy bar as a tuning mechanism . A very good guitar player thought me to turn it , and lightly given it a wiggle ... It makes the guitar tune itself , to itself . I was lucky to have played on meny stage settings . I would tune quickly between songs .
@santosmadrigal3702 It also "sweetens" sustained notes and chords to counteract the inherent intonation issues with equal temperament tuning and combined with the issues the guitar has by it's very nature.
This is the famous Shrödinger's Trem problem. When taken in isolation, strings have a clear "in tune"/"not in tune" state but when coupled together through a floating bridge the system they build moves between a "balanced" / "imbalanced" state which is based on a complex, quantised set of string states. The more strings there are, the more combinations there can be of "not in tune" strings leading to a "balanced" bridge and an observer cannot know these states without playing them, which in turn affects them, making exact knowledge an impossibility. There is a important theory about quantum tuning which I shall not expose here. At least we know we have no dead cats in these guitars.
No dead cats in these guitars. However, wasn't that sign on the headstock something in the vein of Ratocaster? Or was i blinded by the camera light that made a blur/flash just at the beginning of that word?
I have some thoughts on this after watching this and have been working on a tremolo design as a personal project while studying mechanical engineering and will most definitely try to tackle this problem with my project now. My current design may actually remedy it completely as it doesnt pivot the way modern trems do. I will absolutely let you know if and when I can afford to build a working model of my design.
2:04 You mean that wasn't just my cheap Ibanez guitar??? I put that guitar away thinking it was just trash, Sorry Darrell I wanna keep watching but I gotta go dig my old baby out. IBANEZ I'M COMING FOR YOU OL' FREIND I DIDN'T FORGET ABOUT YOU I'M SO SORRY!!! 😥
If it is a very gross change in tunning, it may be a double zero point, it happened to an old Ibanez with edge III trem I bought once. Now I have one with Edge Zero trem and this effect happens only with bends and it's very subtle.
Try a Supervee Mag-lock. It helps keep the bridge from rising when finger bending, yet allows full floating trem action. I have one on my Mexican Standard, and I really like it. Steve from Boston did a great albeit long 2 part review of it, well worth checking out.
Darrel, I think Trev Wilkinson solved this fatal FLAW with his Gotoh's VSVG and the Sung Il's WV6/WVP6/WVP trem systems. It has staggered holes in the block to make the plain G has the same drop angle as the high E string. He explained it quite well in the StewMac interview video. It would be interesting if you would revisit this issue with the Wilkinson trems.
Old video I know, but the hipshot trem setter and the modem equivalents (I know there is a magnetic one now from a couple companies) was partially designed for this problem (and to return to zero when using the bar)--keeps the bridge from moving with bends, returns the bridge to zero with the bar, and makes alt timing a lot easier without having to retune all the strings SO MANY TIMES. I have one in a strat with the vintage 6 screw and it seems to do all these functions pretty well. Plus they were stock in some of the old plus series (that also had the roller nut stock)
Regarding Tuning Instability associated with Tremolo Units, EVH used to wind the strings up on the Tuner Post instead of down to improve tuning stability, as he wanted to reduce the break angle behind the nut. On my Strat, the low E and G string tended to return sharp after deep dives. Winding just those 2 string up the Tuner Posts has reduced the problem substantially. Once the strings are properly stretched, my Tremolo now stays almost perfectly in tune even with repeated deep dives.
There are two solutions. You tune the guitar to a particular state of the trem system, which is either after a dive, after a pull up, or after a bend, and then whichever of those three options you must do to put the guitar back in tune. The trem will have an in tune state and an out of tune state, and putting it back is just a case of grabbing the bar. Most really good players are constantly using the bar in subtle ways you can't even hear. Same as great players are actually always tuning every note they play using their fretting hand, much like how a violinist is always tuning their notes as they play them. It's why some guitarists always sound out of tune, no matter how much they tune their guitar. The other solution is a trem stabiliser. It forces the trem to always return to zero.
?What is The Secret Van Halen got from Jeff Beck? Randy Roads asked Van Halen how he kept his slammy in tune. VH said, "oh, Jeff Beck showed me that. It's a secret; can't tell you that..." ?What's the F'N secret! is he talking about!? (And does The Secret have the Fatal Flaw anyway?... .
I think the key thing is to use your ear and the bar to control pitch. The system is dynamic and never perfect but that's part of the sound... I like to practice plugged into a tuner and use the bar to get as close to pitch as possible. Also make sure all mechanical points are lubbed with 3-in-1 oil, PRS recommends it on their setup guide and it helps alot. I don't lube the nut though.. I feel it effects tone and string life. Use your ears above all though and keep the bar handy to control everything. It is an art to use a whammy musically and I feel naked without one lol..
That's funny. Solution : play like Jeff Beck. Having trouble? Oh well. Eddie VH lied a lot early on to develop a mystique and divert people away from figuring out the technical stuff behind his sound. I wouldn't take his "secret" too seriously.
@@peterwelsh1932The secret is having a full time guitar tech to constantly setup your guitar. A good setup is all you need. A double locking Floyd with a proper setup will stay in tune for months.
you need more trem springs! Most players use just 2 or 3 springs and some put them in at an angle. Putting them in at an angle creates uneven tension across the block. For a floating trem to work properly, you need at least four springs of even tension and parellel and then have your trem set up properly. Additionally, make sure you have a set of springs with an equal tension. Most people don't realize that trem springs have different tensions, so it is important to have a matched set, additionally springs do wear out and should be replaced when they do (as a set).
Hmm... I don't really seem to be having this problem, but I DO have a specific way of setting up my trems (mostly Floyds) which is that rather than having 3 springs which are not under much tension, I almost always have 2 springs which are under HIGH tension (i.e. claw almost screwed in fully) so the springs are in the middle of their travel, and are quite stretched when in balance and the guitar is in tune. I also oil every spring eye and hook, and put a tiny bit of oil in each string saddle. I even slightly oil the claw screws!
Thanks, Darrell. Your counsel in your videos has blessed many guitarists: myself included. As for me, I'll never be sufficiently skilled to match the Greats, whether of Julian Bream, Joe Pass, Johnny Smith, or their contemporaries. But I hang on to your videos to help my creative heart to have some quiet fun in my life. No money made, but always a smile every day.
Eddie Van Halen used it to his advantage in the early days, and I worked out the same technique/solution as a kid on my first strat copy…Second guitar was a Kramer Pacer Carrera with a USA Floyd. Pretty darn stable, but heavy!
You might also factor in that the jm vibrato isn't really intended for big bends and dive bombs. But with a good setup, it'll stay in tune for anything
I wish I had the answer. I played the same game as everyone else. I came to a decision buying all these magic guitar parts on line to help keep your guitar in tune is alot of crap. I've had them all. If I kept all the money I've spent on guitar mods I could purchase a new custom shop stratocaster or prs custom 24 ten top. Just know the guitar you have and learn what impact the nut, string tree, tuners, saddle and tremelo have on your strings. There are great videos of setups for all the name brand guitars. I love the tone of stratocasters . I personally have never had a new custom shop stratocaster that had the nut cut correctly. Whenever I would do a whole step or half step bend on the 3,2 or1 at least three strings go out of tone about 5 cents flat with or without a floating tremelo and this is with the strings stretched and the nut,string tree and saddles lubed. Also with the neck relief checked and confirmed as .010. I've been chasing guitars for 7 years and the only guitar that did not go out of tune right out of the box was a 5 year old prs custom 24 .
Hey, NO FLAW HERE at my guitar! Ibanez rg320dxfm (made in indonesia), has edge 3 floyd style bridge. Can post a vid if you'd like. Everything on the guitar is stock, the locking nut, the springs, all of the hardware, everything.
I know I’m late and all but, recently I bought a Fender Player Buttercream Strat, when I got the guitar it was all great until the whammy bar got stuck and broke off after like 2 hours of playing so I sent it back and got it fixed or replaced. A week later I receive the newly replaced or repaired guitar and discover that the trem feels a little different and to my surprise I find out that they floated my trem before they sent it off. I think they thought that I was going super hard at the trem and decided to float it so something like that doesn’t happen again, and hey I’m not complaining, love me a floated trem!
I've been chasing this issue on every floating trem equipped guitar I've owned for over 30 years. I've tried all of the things mentioned here to mitigate it with varying levels of success but nothing has cured it 100%. I've just grown accustomed to automatically hitting the trem arm after playing passages with big bends. It's no longer a conscious act... just autopilot. Funniest thing, is that the guitar I purposely built to escape this issue suffers from it the most. A Strat with a Wilkinson two-point, roller nut, roller string trees, and locking tuners. It's a MONSTER player, but G goes horribly flat after big bends. Go figure.
Me too. I've found that simply keeping on playing....in several seconds, if the nut is lubbed with chapstick or graphite, it will come back to pitch. The best non-locking setup I've had was a MM JP6. It had a nut with a high percentage of graphite. No problems returning to pitch, but the nut material was soft and wore the slots too low pretty quickly. I wanted to buy another, but they won't sell them individually.....go figure
@Question Everything please elaborate on properly cutting a nut slot on a roller nut. Or, explain how it's still a nut slot issue . Reading is fundamental.
Have to say, I have multiple guitars with trems and don’t have this issue. A well setup guitar with a well cut nut shouldn’t slip out of tune like this. I use the Carl Verheyen trem spring setup method usually - minor 3rd up pull on the G even on a vintage style trem and no issues.
I have a 2010 Mexican Strat. Everything is stock except the pick guard. I floated the trem after watching your how-to video. Added the spring in the hole the arm screws into. After watching this video, I tried it out. It came back into perfect tune every time. I thought I must've been doing something wrong, so I really abused it. It still came back in tune.
There is even bigger of a flaw-while you're bending, even slightly, all other strings go out of tune temporarily. If you have to hit a note (or leave it resonating) while bending another one, you're out of luck on a floating trem system.
Saw a video with Guthrie Govan playing on stage with Hans Zimmer . He broke a string, the guitar went completely out of tune, so he just picked up a slide and completely improvised a solo until his tech could get him the spare guitar.
Steve Rothery from Marillion talked about this annoying thing years ago, but the trem is such a big part of his playing style. If you watch him live you’ll see he dives that Kahler so many times. You learn to live with it.
Lando27Music Me too. Can get plenty of vibrato in the hands. Love to bend strings and nobody dive bombs anymore. The eighties are long over. My next axe is definitely gonna be a Jr. Single p-90 and a wrap around bridge. No muss, no fuss, rock machine
Darrel, thanks for this marvelous video! I would like to give you two hints, please verify them. First, I have set up my standard Fender 6-point vibrato floating. Normally, I tune the plain strings in a way that I repeatedly bend and re-tune them until they stay in tune. Then playing my Strat, using the whammy only UPWARDS (i.e., toward the flush position) but NEVER downwards, none of the strings that have been bent will be released (but even more strained instead), therefore they remain tense all the time, causing minimal de-tuning (if any). I think Hank Marvin of the Shadows employed this method... Second, the physical principle of hysteresis describes exactly your observation of that "flaw": pull a spring by hanging a weight on it and remove the weight thereafter, the spring will NOT assume its original size but remains somewhat longer, this phenomenon is called hysteresis. The spring would assume its original length only after pressing it together to a certain extent, i.e. after a movement in the opposite direction. I can also observe the flaw (i.e. de-tuning) if I set up my vibrato "decked" (since the same physical rule of hysteresis applies here, too). To make matters worse, a floating vibrato is a complicated system, containing not only one "spring" (the string itself) but also the springs of the metal block, all having their own hysteresis.
Dear Darrell, Thank you for bringing this topic up. It bugs me to the point I almost stopped using my Strat (I observed this with blocked tremolo too). My thoughts (which can be wrong): IMO there are 3 possible reasons for G string going flat: 1 - NUT: Friction between the string and the nut. When string bent, it moves inside the nut slot towards saddle, but does not return back after bend released, and tension reduced. 2 - SADDLE: Friction between the string and the saddle. Similar to above, string moves on the saddle towards the nut but does not return. 3 - TREMOLO: Position of tremolo changed after the bend, and it only returns back after diving the tremolo. I excluded reasons like old/dirty strings or slack on machine heads as string will not return after diving the tremolo. One can make simple experiments to eliminate options above. I don't think it's a nut (1). One can verify it by pushing the strings behind the nut (between the nut and the machine head). This will cause the string move backwards through the slot and should make it return to original tuning (or even make it sharp). Also your guitar with locking nut confirms it. I don't think it's (3) either. It can be eliminated by checking the tuning of other strings after the bend. If other the strings go flat too - then it's tremolo moved. Otherwise - tremolo returns to original position Finally moving the string on the saddle (2) which is the hardest to eliminate. Can we mark the string/saddle with sharpie and see if it moved after the bend? Not sure if the movement is significant enough to see it. Finally, thank you much for the great content, keep doing what you're doing, love the channel!
Project Super Strat cannot have a flaw! Say it isn't so or I won't eat for a week! (you can always crank up the distortion and no one will even notice). ;)
What about the music man trem? Never happened on my JP. The workaround to this is to pull the bar up when tuning the guitar. Tune, pull, tune, pull until it's in tune. Then bending won't be a problem, however, every time you dive your trem it might go slightly out of tune, which is resolved with a slight pull up on the bar after every time you dive.
Thanks for this Darell! This also bugs me for quite a time. Having the same issue on my Tele with bigsby b5 trem system copy and Strat with classic 6 screws trem system in floating setting. That's also what I do to fix the tuning issue after a huge bend haha. Now I know I'm not alone 😁👍
I tested it out on stop tail guitars and hard tails. Do an extreme bend and don't come down to pitch and it does the same thing with huge bends. The strings take a second to come back to pitch. It does it on all my guitars that are set up by a master luthier. I use NYXL and standard D'Addarios, GHS boomers and ernie balls. Do a huge bend and hold the bend for a second. Then check pitch (it's a little flat) and slowly it comes back to pitch no trem system. 2 USA teles. 1 custom shop tele, PRS 594 stop tail. ESP original stop, Les pauls...they are set up and stay in tune as good as any tele. It's the string coming back to pitch. They are just a little flat every time and then come back. If you have a trem and bounce it back it tune faster but it would come back in a few strums. At least this is what my tests showed.
@Musica Fidelitas Not just tuneomatics and not just the G string...It also happens on other strings and on stop tail pieces Tele style hard tails etc. High end Esp Mystique. Custom Tele styles Suhr, Friedman, andersons with roller bridges etc. I put roller bridges even on Tele style hard tails. It happens to all of them. About -2% flat but it still happens.
I think you are correct. It's the molecular structure of the string not having perfect elastic memory,, nothing to do with friction. If I do the big bend thing it comes back slightly flat but a quick, small bend & release after & it is back in tune, no need to use the whammy to do it. I think what's going on is that a big bend goes beyond it's memory but a small "shock" after makes the molecules spring back to their memory zero point. I think this is a job for the string manufacturers, not guitar designers. Good spot buddy.
Now that's interesting. My best guess would have to be it's something to do with the springs inside the guitar. Maybe it has to do with how bending a single string pulls the bridge forwards from one point in the middle versus the bar moving the whole bridge from the side. So a bend changes the forces that balance the trem unevenly on the string side while the bar equally changes both at the same time. Hopefully that made sense?
Everyone seems to realize the issue here is friction. We also all agree there is friction at the nut, saddles, string trees, etc. But another friction source is at the bridge plate against the 6-screws, or 2 pivot posts on the 2-point bridge. Over many years of experimenting, I've settled on this: 1 I replace the nut with a Graptech TusqXL nut with PTFE 2 I install staggered tuners the get the desired sting angle over the nut without the need for a string tree on the G/D strings. 3 I swap the B/E string tree to a PTFE impregnated TUSQ XL tree. This first tree steps will either reduce, or eliminate several points of friction that cause tuning instability. 4 Now for the icing. One friction spot we tend to overlook is the 6 mounting screws on the traditional bridge. These bridge rides up and down on these screws creating a ton of friction. On a two-point bridge, this friction is lessened by the reduced surface area. But it still exists. To reduce friction at this point, I apply a very small amount of synthetic grease. Most recently I am using Super Lube's 92003 Silicone Lubricating Grease with PTFE. It is a milky/clear synthetic lube that doesn't seem to break down over time. It is just thick enough to stay where you apply it without staining, dripping or liquefying into a mess. I apply it small, stiff artists brush directly onto the bridge screws or the posts on a 2-point bridge. I reapply it once or twice a year. You can also dap a bit under your string tree if you want to stay with the metal trees. This particular lube comes in a 3oz tube for less than $10, but many other synthetic lubes with PTFE available , The lube is what really makes a huge difference for me . Let me know if it works for you. Good luck!
@Musica Fidelitas Okay then so you didn't actually try it, you just dismissed it out of hand.....Now please, do yourself a favor and re-read my post. You'll discover there are several steps outlined, which if followed will indeed improve the situation better - including the "G" string. Or are we even talking about the same kind of "G" string?
@Musica Fidelitas Seriously due, the string do not return to the pitch because of friction. The is friction everywhere -- the nut, string trees, bridge saddles. My point was that we often look the bridge pivot point over which the bridge itself rocks along several screws all of which is under tension. Lubricate those point and you'll vastly improve tuning stability.This was not offered as a fix all solution but just pointing out a spot we tend to overlook. But thanks for your criticism...
I'm guessing the springs aren't loaded enough to pull the bridge back when it's ever so slightly moved out of balance, until you wiggle the bar. Have you tried greasing up any contact points to reduce friction?
Scott Fossil I agree. Put stiffer springs in the back to return it back to the correct position. Like on a 4X4 suspension where you have variable rate coil springs (they’re thicker/stiffer on one end) that start off stiff but lessen as it gets compressed. In this case they need to be the opposite because we are stretching not compressing the springs. So a variable rate extension spring that holds tight to begin with but is easily overcome with the term bar and also to return back to neutral completely should solve the problem. Just my 2 cents.
Get a real double locking trem. An Ibanez with an edge or lo-pro edge should tackle this with ease. If you have a double locking trem that does this, something is wrong. Most likely the locking pads are still letting the string slip through. I'd also challenge that a lot of fixed bridge guitars will have a similar flaw.
I'm not at home now to check it out, but probably the thing called Goldo Backbox helps. It looks like a stopper, but it has an adjustable spring. This way you can still push and pull floating trem, but it kinda helps it to be in its default state.
Thank you for sharing this information! I’ve been playing for 20+ years and I didn’t know about this flaw. I just thought I had to retune when I would do a lot of bends. I have a trem bar on my Strat, and I have a new assignment for myself now.
When you bend, because the trem is floating, the trem moves ever so slightly with the bend. There is not enough resistance to pull the trem that minuscule turn back in order to keep tune. This is why it is slightly flat. When you then use the trem the resistance is increased and it goes back to the correct, in tune, spot. FRICTION is the enemy.
Darryl, in having considered what happens to the string when it's bent, the problem must lie either/or the way the string is pulled out of it's groove at the saddles. A mere few hundred thousands of sideways movement could easily be enough to move the string slightly out of parallel with the straight line that it's in prior to the bend. I think that this might be true regardless of using a roller nut/bridge combo because their is room in either design for the string to shift slightly during a bend and not return when the pressure is released .... The grooves cut into the saddle or nut would have to be ultra precise to allow the string to slide, but precise enough to keep the string from being slightly moved to the side when bending. Just my 2 cents! Great video and a very interesting question!
@@bluwng even a Floyd uses universal string slots. He's talking about precision machined slots, specific to the string gauge to eliminate the movement. And he's correct.
If you lubricated the saddles and nut and repeated the test on a B (unwound) string, would results be similar? If your hypothesis is correct, I think the issue should be less prevalent (unwound versus wound strings). No trem, so cannot test; however, great video! Please, if you can better this, give’er: I need my G string lubricated so it stays in the slot and doesn’t bind my nuts.
I am part of several guitar groups on FB. Folks often ask why G keeps going out of tune and how they can fix it. I always post this video link. Good job.
Darrell - you may not have provided a solution, BUT what you DID DO was let me know I have NOT failed to set up my Floyd Rose properly. When I discovered this issue, I honestly thought something was wrong. I was considering getting new (super expensive) springs, 'cause this issue was there with my new (medium priced) strings. THANK YOU...! THANK YOU...! THANK YOU...!
@@DiminishingAugmentation right! trem stabilizer and sponge to prevenr springs to resonate. the reason to have the open plate is just for the tech to get quick access to set up.
Read Fender’s explanation for why they developed the bullet end guitar strings. Could the problems they describe in ball end strings be the reason for this universal flaw that you’ve found? I really hope you do this test with Fender bullet strings because if you find that the bullets solve this flaw it be a significant finding.
I use floating trems only. When I break a string live, I simply slide a pick under the bridge/tail. The height of the pick keeps the trem steady. Same goes for open tuning. FYI: GHS 10-46 Boomers, Dunlop Jazz III picks. Adjust your trem to float at your pick height, easy peasy...
Weird. I haven’t had a guitar with a Floyd since the early 90’s but it never exhibited this problem, which is what sold me on the Floyd. My Suhr Pete Thorn model is the first non Floyd guitar to have “Floyd stability”. Must be the locking tuners and locking Wilkinson saddles! ;)
Since it happens on your guitars with locking saddles and the ones with locking nuts, it sounds like the problem is in the trem systems. Have you tried a Hipshot Tremsetter? It is supposed to return the trem to the same spot every time. I am not a trem user, so I have not tried the Tremsetter. Might be a good topic for a future video.
@@DarrellBraunGuitar the tremol-no works great but there are 2 different attachment sizes to a bracket in the kit so make sure you get the correct unit for your guitar. I love mine!
The tremsetter doesn’t beat the flaw either. My only floating guitar I had owned until recently was an old strat plus, they came stock with a tremsetter. It had this problem as well.
On all those guitars that exhibit the G-String returning flat flaw, my guess is that the G-String is hanging-up on something due to friction, you could try putting some Big Bends Nut Sauce lubricant in the nut-slot for the G-String and see if that reduces the problem and allows the G-String to come back to pitch.
I seriously doubt that ALL of the guitars tested would all have the same fault that caused the G string not to return to tune properly ! No, I think it will turn out to be a very complex trem system issue that cannot be solved easily.
I 've done some more research on this for a personal project of mine. I don't know if any body has mentioned this, but can the answer be the TremKing system? The trem block and saddles don't move at all when the guitarist bends. Basically it performs like a hardtail, unless the whammy bar is pushed down/pulled up. The big disadvantage is that the TremKing is NOT a drop-in replacement for S-type guitars, but it requires some routing in order to get installed. Regardless it's worth some consideration or even a try.
Maybe I'm dense, but I'm sort of confused; is this problem only specific to the G string, or were you just using that as an example? Also, unclear as to what you're doing to the bar exactly to bring it back into tune?
arsbadmojo - all G strings in particular tend to go flat when you do a wide fret bend. This means excess string tension has been stored behind the nut. You release that tension by either pulling on the g string behind the nut, or by pulling UP slightly on the tremolo bar.
I'm also not clear why the locking nut guitar went slightly out, if it actually did - this could be another mechanical issue with the guitar or that particular bridge. I have an OFR guitar and the G does NOT go flat after a big sting bend!
You'd actually want to press down on the trem, causing lower tension on the string side and then the higher tension on the nut/tuner side which will pull the string back in tune. Remember the problem was caused by doing a bend (increasing tension) which is the exact same as pulling up on the trem as you recommended.
I played around and found that pulling the bar (and the strings) is what brings the G back in tune. It does so consistently on the three guitars I tried.
I have the same problems with my Ibanez AZ and I have figured out that I can either get my guitar to stay in tune only for bends or only for whammy dives, not both. If you choose for example to have the guitar always in tune doing bends, bend all strings one after the other and then tune the guitar and redo it until the strings stay in tune. If you choose the whammy bar then do a dive and retune the guitar and repeat until it stays in tune.
I just replaced the plastic nut on my PRS SE standard because it was cut wrong, three strings also cut into it, and three strings were jammed or stuck in the nut when trying to re-string which proved to me the strings were snagged or held in one spot and didn’t return to normal. Two slots were cut at a slight angle and looked like a V as if cut with a basic knife. I replaced it with a Graphtech XL nut preslotted for PRS and added a fifth spring to the trem and it is almost perfect now. If the G string goes out of tune it is not as noticeable as what you displayed but it either goes back eventually on its own within a few seconds or just a light tap of the trem it’s perfect again. My only issue now, I overlooked how deep the slots where on the nut. The Graphtech Nut was a perfect match but I didn’t realize how deep the slots on the old nut are compared to the preslotted Graphtech nut. The height at the nut is now 3.5 mm and almost 4 mm at 12 fret. I am debating on sanding the nut down versus cutting the nut slots deeper because I don’t have the proper tools for cutting slots straight and true. It’s still playable and has a nice open long sustain. Feels like playing a acoustic guitar with light strings and higher action or kinda like a Gretsch but I want it lower. And I forgot to mention I replaced all the springs in my trem when changing nut because the originals made to much noise like they been abused or used a lot. My guitar was slightly used, former rental guitar on sale at Sam Ash but it didn’t have signs of wear. Traded in a old guitar I wasn’t fond of and some drum gear and bought it for $80 bucks.
Damn Darrell, you demoed all these systems and each and every video you said they stay in tune perfectly. I can only imagine how many people you influenced to buy these expensive bridges just to find out that perfect isn't perfect.
Sorry to disagree but regardless of being a pro or not, if you play 5 to 6 hours a day as well as teach your gonna break a string once in a while especially if your a live performer and you throw down and use a whammy a lot.
my jackson soloist professional xl have that problem also.. and thats a original schaller floyd rose with locking nuts and saddles.. that problem is actully the main reason i started play on stop tail guitars... still have the jackson tho.. just rarlely play it... ***sry for grammar, english my 2nd langague
Hello. I just made the experiment with my USA Jackson SL-1 and with my Line 6 JTV-89F James Tyler Variax. The Floyd on the Jackson is an Original one and the one on the JTV is liscenced, but a REALLY good one (Graphtec). In both guitars, the problem didn't appear at all. Don't know if this is because they're nicely set up or because the Floyds are rally good (BTW, as lovely as your Ibanez is, the Floyd on it is not the best, sorry Darrell). Please comment.
My Strats are tuned down a half step and I definitely have the prob in every one, I'm talking 10 plus guitars, additionally I have other non Strat style guitars with all kinds of trems including fully locking and they all have this same issue in the video clip so yr very lucky
maybealso, of course they have this problem. they are either lying or too ignorant to notice it. i would wager that if we check it out in person, their trem would have this issue too. i am willing to wager on it. they are claiming that they can break the laws of physics. unlikely.
As far as I can work out, tuning stability is basically a balance of tension between the strings and the strings being absolutely perfect, which is virtually impossible due to strings stretching over time, and minimal friction in the pivot points. The tremolo screws fulcrum points need to be all at EXACTLY the same height in order for it to work best, and that's virtually impossible. The Vegatrems blade eliminates that problem, but it also creates more friction. I'd be curious to see a Floyd Rose with a blade similar to the VT.
Darrell, great video! I've been looking for some content on this issue - it's actually hard to find because the key words for the problem return videos/forums on strings going out of tune while bending (which isn't the problem). We're talking about the strings out of tune after a bend is complete. Anyhow - what's interesting is the other strings (the non-flat one) go sharp in tune when this issue happens. My assumption is the bent string is the other strings are the main problem - they are pulled sharp as you release tension back down during the bend, since they aren't being bent. Another thing to consider, is why do some strings have this problem more than others? There is a video on youtube about "tremelo training" but it doesn't seem to be a full solution - only a work around that has its own limitations. As I posted earlier - there's a video of David Gilmour doing huge bends and returning back in tune without needing to use the trem. Also as we know Yngwie Malmsteen was heavy with bends and there are clips of him not having to use the trem to go back in tune. I can't mention Jimi Hendrix because he was nutorious for playing out of tune and rarely played standard chords that would expose the tuning issue. IF you have a solution - we are all here waiting to hear about it!
Great video as always! Have you ever checked out Stetsbar trem systems? Just got one and I'm installing it on my project tele! You should check them out!
I had one for Strat briefly and it was no better than a cheap fender 6 screw. It's been a few year's but if I remember correctly the main issue had to do with how it clamped to the Strat. The Tele one probably works better since it is mounted on a plate that is screwed to the body.
I had a Stetsbar ,it was terrible ,zero sustain past the 10th fret .Total junk . I Like Kahlers with floyd rose locking system ,or with Fender roller nut with locking tuners ,still get a bit of the G string tune out on bends ,but just tap the bar and it's back in,get used to it really ,to be honest the Kahlers dont go out of tune much at all .
I have a Stetsbar on a Tele Deluxe and it works great. Tone is wonderful and no sustain issues. Put one on a Gibson SG and lost sustain bigtime up high around the 12th fret.
I may have found a solution : the majority of floating trems operate on knife edges that present either a straight vertical edge or sharp angular cuts that come in contact with the screws or posts. My brother's floyd rose special doesn't have that issue as a result of him sanding and smoothing out his knife edges which had corroded a bit. I tried doing the same on my wilkinson trem (tedious work, as it's a 6-screw) and boom that G strings stays in tune even after serious bends !
I had originally made the comment that I put at the end, but scratch that. I just got a brand new Ibanez RG550, with what is effectively a standard Floyd Rose. It's Ibanez's own take on it, but it's very similar. And guess what: it works perfectly. Not only does it FEEL really good (which I expected), but it stays in tune after bending. I don't know why all your amazing guitars do this, but my amazing guitar doesn't. "Oh my god, I had a crappy Floyd Rose Special that I loved apart from this one issue where I would have to use the trem to "reset" the guitar. I was okay with it, and honestly I loved using the trem all the time, so I was always in tune anyway, but I thought it was because of it being a cheap Floyd Rose! Noup! Really good video!"
Braun's (F)Law ... there are no known exceptions at this time. Just tried it on my G&L Dual Fulcrum. Dang...
Matt Allen The G&L tremolo has No flaws, is the best trem Leo FENDER ever made, unless you count in to consideration the system 1 tremolo made by Schaller for FENDER in the 80's but both of those tremolo are "whammy proof" meaning no matter how much abuse or starts in tune.
@@AuntAlnico4 Hiya ... I've tried it on two of my G&L's ... both unfortunately obey Braun's (F)Law. So whilst I agree the Dual Fulcrum trem is absolutely one of the best designed out there it's still not immune. And I'm sure someone will say it's this or that but I keep my guitars in good order and the nut and trem are both lubricated etc etc...
So this SUPER picky, but why do prop call it a tremolo when it's a vibrato???
@@northernbrother1258 That one has been done to death ... suffice to say everyone just ignores the fine details and skips right to the easy truth - it only matters if it matters to you but don't get too excited if no one else is worried about it. Also just to warp your noggin, its not really just a vibrato either ... I know just keep quiet before everyone tries to wade right in!
@@northernbrother1258, the misused terminology of Tremolo and Vibrato is down to Leo Fender himself in the 1960s having a tremolo circuit built into the Fender Amps of that time. He patented and marketed that name of Vibrato as to this effect; from that people associate this function to that given name.
Over 50 years since then and people are still getting the two mixed up together.
Did you try turning it off and back on again?
+1000 for It Crowd reference! 🥇🏆🥇
That fixes everything...
Best comment that I've read for a while ! Classic !
My guitar just crashed, should I reinstall the OS?
Ctrl+alt+del twice.
I fought the flaw and the flaw won.
Comments like that are why I come to youtube!
@@mark-dietz HAHAHAHAH!!! Good one!
Thanks! Made me laugh out loud which is kinda rare these days. It helps to be a bit old to appreciate this though (old song).
I like that snark and reference to a big old hit
Floor.
I always thought it was a situation I only had on my guitars with trems, and now I see it is just a reality of floating trems.
You have no idea how much you just helped my OCD about tuning on my floating trem guitars.
Agreed
Yuuuuuuup
Teflon based bicycle lubricant. Enjoy.
@@chrisluzecki8357 I keep seeing your suggestion over and over, but nobody got it🤣
Same
The reason for this is really quite simple.
When a string is bent, the entire trem "gives" a little from the added tension of bending the string. As you release the bend, the trem resettles into its place and redistributes tension most evenly among the 5 unbent strings. Since the system isn't entirely friction-less, The bent string is a little "late to the party" so a tiny bit of its tension is redistributed among the 5 others as it falls into balance. That is why diving, then letting them all fall into place at the same time is the fix
For anyone saying it is friction at the nut, yes....that happens. But it isnt what we are talking about here because this also happens even with the locking nut on a floyd so..........
Yep that's it
stiffer and/or more springs should help.
That’s not the reason. Use a wound third and this problem won’t happen. It’s the low tension of the plain third that causes the problem. Remember guitars were never meant to have plain thirds. I’ve got a PRS tuned to C# standard with a wound third, and there are no tuning problems on big bends of the plain top two strings, or the third, but you can’t really do those kinds of bends with a wound third...so it’s more or less a solution that no one really wants. At standard tuning the third has the least amount of tension on it compared to all the other strings, it’s just not enough to keep the system stable.
@@5urg3x Exactly right, Paul and Dusty from between the buried and me run wound thirds for this exact reason.
CHIBIX ULTRA Yeah that’s why I started doing it as well, copying Paul Waggoner.
Despite not having an answer, this was one of the most enlightening guitar videos I've ever watched! Thanks Darrell!
and there ya go, yep
Just broke a string on my Les Paul and was literally oh that's weird haha
Eyyy wassup Rob
bet ya it stayed in tune like my Les Paul does when I break a string
Nu uh the truss rod can lose tension from a broken string and throw you out tune on hardtails
@@williamspetter2823 from one string? Really not noticeable and uncommon
@@williamspetter2823 you right, either way its not as bad out of tune as on a Floyd or floating trem. :)
MIND BLOWN!
Hey Robert!
What blows my mind even more is that I was SURE everyone already knew that and got on with it (I couldn't so I blocked the trem-bridge on my strat and only bought non trem guitars after).
@@gearsofsounds I see a lot of these guys like Robert Baker using these trems and I have to say I am very much impressed with their skills, and a tad envious lol. But for me I don't use a jiggle stick enough to make it an issue. 3 of my guitars came with one and I rarely use them. I more play classic rock and well they didn't really use those fancy things that much. Back in those days you were too drunk or high to have to deal with working another moving part on your guitar lol. I remember in the 80's Ace Frehley started using a Les Paul with a whammy bar on it, oh did he catch a lot of grief!! Ace has killer vibrato action as well as bends and to not use those but instead a whammy bar was sacreligious to his fans lol.
Teflon based bicycle lubricant. Enjoy.
We should call it The Darren Braun Effect.
Darrell, do you happen to have a twin brother (Darren) that's causing all these trem issues?? LOL! Seriously, all my guitars that I have with trems have the same flaw, so I rarely play them anymore and stick with my hardtail guitars. I also have tuning stability issues with my Casino with the trapeze tailpiece. Keep up the great work and Happy New Year!
Now that 'is' funny !!!
The Braun effect....I dig it. 👍
Isn't his name Darrell?
Teflon based bicycle lubricant. Enjoy.
I may have a surprise for you Darrell. Im a pedal steel player and have experienced the same problem you are talking about every time I pressed a pedal to raise or lower my 5th string. I searched for years trying to correct this problem. After the pedal throw this string would constantly come back our of tune. Finally I came across a solution given to me by George Jones pedal steel player. My 5th string was a solid 22 gauge that caused the problem . I changed the string to a 22 wound and bingo no more out of tune string after the pedal throw. It has something to do with string hysteresis. Who cares the problem is fixed. I would bet a Coke that this is the same problem your talking about.
They make wound g strings?
yes, my local bar has some@@sehr1515
Yes. That's what they use on a Baritone guitar to overcome tuning stability @@sehr1515
Yes they do @@sehr1515
damn, that's crazy, all though I did have a regular strat style guitar with a floating trem, and it would always come back in tune, I guess my setup guy was a genius
Darrell - I think I found the solution:
Tremolo intonation problems seem to be most common on the low E and G strings, as the "break
angle" at the saddle is the most acute. This happens because those saddles are the furthest back due to compensating for intonation. And that causes the most friction on different parts of the Tremolo unit.
I found the exact spot that was causing my 3rd string to go flat when doing an upward bend. Under the saddle, there is a hole in the tremolo mounting plate that the string comes through. On my tremolo (Super-V Bladerunner) the string exits that hole at a very sharp angle, and then goes over the saddle. The sharp angle that the string makes going out of the hole was the problem. Using a fine grain rat-tail file, I rounded the front edge of the hole and put about a 45 degree angle into it. I only filed about 1 mm off of the front edge of the hole, and made sure it was nice and smooth. Now I can deep dive (1 octave down on the 6th string) and pull up on the tremolo (a minor 3rd up) then release the tremolo bar, and my strings return back perfectly in tune. It's amazing how well it worked, when I finally figured out where the problem was. It sure is fun not having to worry about intonation problems any more no matter how wild I go using the tremolo bar. Hope this helps others that have this very common problem.
There may be an easy way to test if the solution above might work for you. Get a small diameter insulated wire. Remove the wire from the insulation without damaging the insulation. You'll probably need about a 1-inch length. Thread your G string through the the insulation, then position the insulation over the sharp bend that comes through the hole in the base of the Tremolo. Tune up the string, and test it. If the string stays in tune when bending, that that friction point is probably
the culprit.
There's a small "flaw" to that logic.
He mentions his Sophia trem suffers from the same issue.
That one is top loaded, thus there is no sharp angle on any string. Its minimal, something like 5º if even that much.
Also, the block has adjustable stabilizers that force the trem retain zero.
So no, sharp angles are not the issue.
The one one trem i thought could beat the flaw is that one, and yet, it does not.
@@00Resev I only have personal experience with a 1982 reissue Strat bridge, and the Bladerunner Super-V Tremolo. I've chased the intonation problem for years. The solution that I posted about is the only one that I've found that worked for me. I just wanted to report that, in case someone has a tremolo with a similar design. As always YMMV, particularly with different designs. Thanks for posting your comments. This intonation problem has been a difficult one to solve.
@@picksalot1
Sure thing, mate.
Sharing is caring.
Stay safe.
The best solution is using the damned whammy bar instead of doing the big bends, that's what it is for, pull the bar instead of bending, if you keep moving it, it will come back to "zero"
@Musica Fidelitas I just came across a few of UA-cam videos demonstrating a Wilkinson Tremolo with "Locking Saddles" that appears to get rid of the tuning instability on the bridge side of the equation. Just do a search for: "The ULTIMATE SADDLES? • Wilkinson WLS-130 Locking Saddles" or "WHAT'S UP WITH THAT BRIDGE ON YOUR BLUE SUHR? Pete Thorn/Suhr/Wilkinson" and "A locking Wilkinson Trem? A chat with Trevor Wilkinson."
I’ve experienced this flaw but didn’t die so it isn’t a fatal flaw.
Phrasing!!! 😂
I spat my coffee here laughing. Hahahahah 😂😂
fa·tal
/ˈfādl/
adjective
leading to failure or disaster.
"there were three fatal flaws in the strategy"
synonyms: disastrous, devastating, ruinous, catastrophic, calamitous, dire !!!FATALITLOL!!!
Living in the GOOGLE age now. No points for being Igno-Rant AND Arrogant. You got Siri, Cortana and Alexa on standby to research Yer little snarky swipes and make you look like an educated man.
@@peterwelsh1932 R/whoosh
Now this one has been bugging me for awhile!!
Enjoy :)
Darrell, try using 10-52 gauge strings. It helped solve all my tuning issues on floating trems. (Except on Floyds, never seen that happen on a floyd before.)
That was new for me! I blocked the trem on my strat. What about Bigsby trems? Maybe a show on those and how to maintain them? Thanks and👍!
Have you tried the Trem King? The have another system of how it works. You might consider try that one out. Thanks for another great video.
Leave it to Ibanez to solve this problem! The innovators in trem design, IMHO. research the Ibanez ZPS or "Zero Point System". It has been around for a few years. I have one on my 2012 model Prestige RG 3570. It does add a little more stiffness to the trem but it works!
interesting timing DB. this topic is being discussed at length on the Gretsch-talk forum right now. Apparently, the Flaw isn't limited to thru-body trem systems alone. Bigsby systems do it too. Do you have this issue with your thinline Tele or Gretsch guitars?
I thought i was going crazy with this as i stretch strings ALOT. Thank you for giving me the smallest bit of my sanity back, Darrel
I always thought using the bar to put the guitar back in tune was a feature.
a little alcohol makes every guitar play perfectly in tune and triples your speed and agility
@@mikkosutube
Hell
Sometimes even quadruple!
I also use my whammy bar as a tuning mechanism . A very good guitar player thought me to turn it , and lightly given it a wiggle ... It makes the guitar tune itself , to itself . I was lucky to have played on meny stage settings . I would tune quickly between songs .
@santosmadrigal3702 It also "sweetens" sustained notes and chords to counteract the inherent intonation issues with equal temperament tuning and combined with the issues the guitar has by it's very nature.
That riff is going to forever give me anxieties. 😂
It sounds like an "Era" riff. dont ask me which song or album..
Lol
lol, i just tried what you did, and got the same results...all except for my 1 guitar equiped with a Kahler trem, never flatted the G.
I wish Kahlers weren't that expensive
and people hate kahler trems. they feel better, adjust better etc.
@@thought1212 because they used to suck ass. the new kahler trems seem to be greatly improved
Which model Kahler trem do you own??
@@John3_16andthensomebump
This is the famous Shrödinger's Trem problem. When taken in isolation, strings have a clear "in tune"/"not in tune" state but when coupled together through a floating bridge the system they build moves between a "balanced" / "imbalanced" state which is based on a complex, quantised set of string states. The more strings there are, the more combinations there can be of "not in tune" strings leading to a "balanced" bridge and an observer cannot know these states without playing them, which in turn affects them, making exact knowledge an impossibility. There is a important theory about quantum tuning which I shall not expose here. At least we know we have no dead cats in these guitars.
Thanks to the odds.. THIS Cat is still Alive! it almost got me though.👀🙈😼
Bravo!
No dead cats in these guitars. However, wasn't that sign on the headstock something in the vein of Ratocaster? Or was i blinded by the camera light that made a blur/flash just at the beginning of that word?
Nice
Leo wins the internet today! Awesome observation!
They put a man on the moon, but can’t keep a trem in tune. Incredible. Drives me nuts!
We need NASA's help!!!
lol!!!
The guys at NASA were probably drummers and bass players.
Teflon based bicycle lubricant. Enjoy.
They really didn't
I have some thoughts on this after watching this and have been working on a tremolo design as a personal project while studying mechanical engineering and will most definitely try to tackle this problem with my project now. My current design may actually remedy it completely as it doesnt pivot the way modern trems do. I will absolutely let you know if and when I can afford to build a working model of my design.
so?
yeah, SO? any luck my dude?
Did you try a Kahler?
just put a servo and a computer in there to push it back to straight
OK it has been 3 year now.. Did you fix it or what?
2:04 You mean that wasn't just my cheap Ibanez guitar??? I put that guitar away thinking it was just trash, Sorry Darrell I wanna keep watching but I gotta go dig my old baby out. IBANEZ I'M COMING FOR YOU OL' FREIND I DIDN'T FORGET ABOUT YOU I'M SO SORRY!!! 😥
lol
If it is a very gross change in tunning, it may be a double zero point, it happened to an old Ibanez with edge III trem I bought once. Now I have one with Edge Zero trem and this effect happens only with bends and it's very subtle.
Does it make a good guitar now? Lmao
Try a Supervee Mag-lock. It helps keep the bridge from rising when finger bending, yet allows full floating trem action. I have one on my Mexican Standard, and I really like it. Steve from Boston did a great albeit long 2 part review of it, well worth checking out.
i used to have a similar system by hipshot, it prevents you to do the cricket trick so... 😔
Andrea Lombardini The Maglock is not the same as the Hipshot, I can still do the cricket thing. 😉
ildur It lets you bend up, or down, and if you practice, you can get it to act like a full floating trem would.
Teflon based bicycle lubricant. Enjoy.
Never knew that this problem was across all these trem types, great video!
Darrel, I think Trev Wilkinson solved this fatal FLAW with his Gotoh's VSVG and the Sung Il's WV6/WVP6/WVP trem systems. It has staggered holes in the block to make the plain G has the same drop angle as the high E string. He explained it quite well in the StewMac interview video. It would be interesting if you would revisit this issue with the Wilkinson trems.
Can i see the stewmac review?
Old video I know, but the hipshot trem setter and the modem equivalents (I know there is a magnetic one now from a couple companies) was partially designed for this problem (and to return to zero when using the bar)--keeps the bridge from moving with bends, returns the bridge to zero with the bar, and makes alt timing a lot easier without having to retune all the strings SO MANY TIMES. I have one in a strat with the vintage 6 screw and it seems to do all these functions pretty well. Plus they were stock in some of the old plus series (that also had the roller nut stock)
Interesting and educational as always, Darrell. I watch a fair amount of guitar videos on YT, but this is the only guitar channel I subscribe to.
Thanks Leaman!
So glad to have you as a subscriber :)
Leaman Crews Make those youtubers work for that subscription 😂.
This is the best Darrell Braun channel on UA-cam!
Lando, that’s true. All the other Darrell Brauns can’t play guitar for crap!
Try the Ibanez zero point system. Rarely goes out of tune. And on top of that drop D works like a charm
Metalltool Yes, is correct and that is because the Zero system includes a tremsetter that prevents that from happening.
Yea mate, I have the ZR system on my S series, and it's one of the nicest systems to use. The strings stay in tune for almost forever.
Did you try blowing into the cartridge?
Regarding Tuning Instability associated with Tremolo Units, EVH used to wind the strings up on the Tuner Post instead of down to improve tuning stability, as he wanted to reduce the break angle behind the nut. On my Strat, the low E and G string tended to return sharp after deep dives. Winding just those 2 string up the Tuner Posts has reduced the problem substantially. Once the strings are properly stretched, my Tremolo now stays almost perfectly in tune even with repeated deep dives.
I'm a rookie but i got tired of repetitive tuning and temporarily converted mine into a hardtail. Now it stays in tune and I'm very happy with it!
There are two solutions. You tune the guitar to a particular state of the trem system, which is either after a dive, after a pull up, or after a bend, and then whichever of those three options you must do to put the guitar back in tune. The trem will have an in tune state and an out of tune state, and putting it back is just a case of grabbing the bar. Most really good players are constantly using the bar in subtle ways you can't even hear. Same as great players are actually always tuning every note they play using their fretting hand, much like how a violinist is always tuning their notes as they play them. It's why some guitarists always sound out of tune, no matter how much they tune their guitar.
The other solution is a trem stabiliser. It forces the trem to always return to zero.
Use your bar for the extra bend and control pitch as you release.. watch Jeff Beck.
Even JB says he needs to give the whammy a jerk to stay in tune. I guess just give it a silent jerk after a solo 😉
?What is The Secret Van Halen got from Jeff Beck? Randy Roads asked Van Halen how he kept his slammy in tune. VH said, "oh, Jeff Beck showed me that. It's a secret; can't tell you that..." ?What's the F'N secret! is he talking about!? (And does The Secret have the Fatal Flaw anyway?... .
I think the key thing is to use your ear and the bar to control pitch. The system is dynamic and never perfect but that's part of the sound... I like to practice plugged into a tuner and use the bar to get as close to pitch as possible. Also make sure all mechanical points are lubbed with 3-in-1 oil, PRS recommends it on their setup guide and it helps alot. I don't lube the nut though.. I feel it effects tone and string life. Use your ears above all though and keep the bar handy to control everything. It is an art to use a whammy musically and I feel naked without one lol..
That's funny. Solution : play like Jeff Beck. Having trouble? Oh well. Eddie VH lied a lot early on to develop a mystique and divert people away from figuring out the technical stuff behind his sound. I wouldn't take his "secret" too seriously.
@@peterwelsh1932The secret is having a full time guitar tech to constantly setup your guitar. A good setup is all you need. A double locking Floyd with a proper setup will stay in tune for months.
you need more trem springs! Most players use just 2 or 3 springs and some put them in at an angle. Putting them in at an angle creates uneven tension across the block. For a floating trem to work properly, you need at least four springs of even tension and parellel and then have your trem set up properly. Additionally, make sure you have a set of springs with an equal tension. Most people don't realize that trem springs have different tensions, so it is important to have a matched set, additionally springs do wear out and should be replaced when they do (as a set).
Hmm... I don't really seem to be having this problem, but I DO have a specific way of setting up my trems (mostly Floyds) which is that rather than having 3 springs which are not under much tension, I almost always have 2 springs which are under HIGH tension (i.e. claw almost screwed in fully) so the springs are in the middle of their travel, and are quite stretched when in balance and the guitar is in tune. I also oil every spring eye and hook, and put a tiny bit of oil in each string saddle. I even slightly oil the claw screws!
Thanks, Darrell. Your counsel in your videos has blessed many guitarists: myself included. As for me, I'll never be sufficiently skilled to match the Greats, whether of Julian Bream, Joe Pass, Johnny Smith, or their contemporaries. But I hang on to your videos to help my creative heart to have some quiet fun in my life. No money made, but always a smile every day.
well said
Eddie Van Halen used it to his advantage in the early days, and I worked out the same technique/solution as a kid on my first strat copy…Second guitar was a Kramer Pacer Carrera with a USA Floyd. Pretty darn stable, but heavy!
Beat the flaw...play bass
Les Claypool has a bass with a Kahler bass trem.
Or a guitar without a floating trem
deck em all!
Boooooo! 😉😁
Bass player here, just get engaged to a deaf girl like I did. She can feel the bass more than the guitars anyways.
Very interesting Darell. That makes me wonder if a totally different kind of trem would solve this problem, ie. bigsby or jaguar/jazzmaster trem
dsus studio I was thinking about offset guitars too.
I have a jazzmaster with the USA made vibrato and it doesn't have that flaw. double checked it.
You might also factor in that the jm vibrato isn't really intended for big bends and dive bombs. But with a good setup, it'll stay in tune for anything
@@guitarbits then why don't I have a jazzmaster yet? gotta get one soon lol
Bigsby doesn't go out of tune, however it's a flavour of bend, which is not very versatile and most people don't like it.
I wish I had the answer. I played the same game as everyone else. I came to a decision buying all these magic guitar parts on line to help keep your guitar in tune is alot of crap.
I've had them all. If I kept all the money I've spent on guitar mods I could purchase a new custom shop stratocaster or prs custom 24 ten top. Just know the guitar you have and learn what impact the nut, string tree, tuners, saddle and tremelo have on your strings. There are great videos of setups for all the name brand guitars.
I love the tone of stratocasters . I personally have never had a new custom shop stratocaster that had the nut cut correctly. Whenever I would do a whole step or half step bend on the 3,2 or1 at least three strings go out of tone about 5 cents flat with or without a floating tremelo and this is with the strings stretched and the nut,string tree and saddles lubed. Also with the neck relief checked and confirmed as .010. I've been chasing guitars for 7 years and the only guitar that did not go out of tune right out of the box was a 5 year old prs custom 24 .
Teflon based bicycle lubricant. Enjoy.
Hey, NO FLAW HERE at my guitar!
Ibanez rg320dxfm (made in indonesia), has edge 3 floyd style bridge. Can post a vid if you'd like.
Everything on the guitar is stock, the locking nut, the springs, all of the hardware, everything.
My FR special I tried on my LTD. No issue here either.
Try pulling up and gently release....
...it will probably be sharp..
All locking trems do this except the original FR.
@@shredhed572 I tried my best here to return gently, still no change in tune. I can upload a short video on my account if you wish
I know I’m late and all but, recently I bought a Fender Player Buttercream Strat, when I got the guitar it was all great until the whammy bar got stuck and broke off after like 2 hours of playing so I sent it back and got it fixed or replaced. A week later I receive the newly replaced or repaired guitar and discover that the trem feels a little different and to my surprise I find out that they floated my trem before they sent it off. I think they thought that I was going super hard at the trem and decided to float it so something like that doesn’t happen again, and hey I’m not complaining, love me a floated trem!
I've been chasing this issue on every floating trem equipped guitar I've owned for over 30 years. I've tried all of the things mentioned here to mitigate it with varying levels of success but nothing has cured it 100%. I've just grown accustomed to automatically hitting the trem arm after playing passages with big bends. It's no longer a conscious act... just autopilot. Funniest thing, is that the guitar I purposely built to escape this issue suffers from it the most. A Strat with a Wilkinson two-point, roller nut, roller string trees, and locking tuners. It's a MONSTER player, but G goes horribly flat after big bends. Go figure.
Me too.
I've found that simply keeping on playing....in several seconds, if the nut is lubbed with chapstick or graphite, it will come back to pitch.
The best non-locking setup I've had was a MM JP6.
It had a nut with a high percentage of graphite.
No problems returning to pitch, but the nut material was soft and wore the slots too low pretty quickly.
I wanted to buy another, but they won't sell them individually.....go figure
@Question Everything please elaborate on properly cutting a nut slot on a roller nut. Or, explain how it's still a nut slot issue . Reading is fundamental.
Teflon based bicycle lubricant. Enjoy.
Have you tried using wound 3rd string?
Have to say, I have multiple guitars with trems and don’t have this issue. A well setup guitar with a well cut nut shouldn’t slip out of tune like this. I use the Carl Verheyen trem spring setup method usually - minor 3rd up pull on the G even on a vintage style trem and no issues.
Teflon based bicycle lubricant. Enjoy.
I know how you can fix that problem.
Stop playing that lick. ;)
Exactly, slide up a fret then do a full bend.
Lol
I have a 2010 Mexican Strat. Everything is stock except the pick guard. I floated the trem after watching your how-to video. Added the spring in the hole the arm screws into. After watching this video, I tried it out. It came back into perfect tune every time. I thought I must've been doing something wrong, so I really abused it. It still came back in tune.
There is even bigger of a flaw-while you're bending, even slightly, all other strings go out of tune temporarily. If you have to hit a note (or leave it resonating) while bending another one, you're out of luck on a floating trem system.
Tremmory or themsetter is the answer
Kiko from Megadeth says you just have to hold the bridge while bending
Heavier springs or more springs or screw the claw further in
Kiko loureiro has a solution for that, just push the bridge a little while bending
That’s not true though. You just have to bend the strings to different degrees to get the same results but it is possible.
Saw a video with Guthrie Govan playing on stage with Hans Zimmer . He broke a string, the guitar went completely out of tune, so he just picked up a slide and completely improvised a solo until his tech could get him the spare guitar.
Quick thinking! Always have a slide at hand just in case. Or a zippo lighter. Or a battery. Or a bottle. I always do the latter anyway ;-)
GG is literally the master of guitar improvisation
Steve Rothery from Marillion talked about this annoying thing years ago, but the trem is such a big part of his playing style.
If you watch him live you’ll see he dives that Kahler so many times. You learn to live with it.
I've always decked my trems. Now I know why I did. lol :)
Lando27Music Me too. Can get plenty of vibrato in the hands. Love to bend strings and nobody dive bombs anymore. The eighties are long over. My next axe is definitely gonna be a Jr. Single p-90 and a wrap around bridge. No muss, no fuss, rock machine
That's what I did on my strat too. Never needed the tremolo, but still get the tone of the bridge vibrating the springs.
B. Robertson if you put some foam like that of hard cased camera cases that should help with the vibration of the springs
@@sneifert1968 "nobody dive bombs anymore" 😂 sure. totally.
@@sasson8282 amazingly, some people actually like that sound.
Darrel, thanks for this marvelous video!
I would like to give you two hints, please verify them.
First, I have set up my standard Fender 6-point vibrato floating. Normally, I tune the plain strings in a way that I repeatedly bend and re-tune them until they stay in tune. Then playing my Strat, using the whammy only UPWARDS (i.e., toward the flush position) but NEVER downwards, none of the strings that have been bent will be released (but even more strained instead), therefore they remain tense all the time, causing minimal de-tuning (if any). I think Hank Marvin of the Shadows employed this method...
Second, the physical principle of hysteresis describes exactly your observation of that "flaw": pull a spring by hanging a weight on it and remove the weight thereafter, the spring will NOT assume its original size but remains somewhat longer, this phenomenon is called hysteresis. The spring would assume its original length only after pressing it together to a certain extent, i.e. after a movement in the opposite direction. I can also observe the flaw (i.e. de-tuning) if I set up my vibrato "decked" (since the same physical rule of hysteresis applies here, too). To make matters worse, a floating vibrato is a complicated system, containing not only one "spring" (the string itself) but also the springs of the metal block, all having their own hysteresis.
Dear Darrell,
Thank you for bringing this topic up. It bugs me to the point I almost stopped using my Strat (I observed this with blocked tremolo too). My thoughts (which can be wrong):
IMO there are 3 possible reasons for G string going flat:
1 - NUT: Friction between the string and the nut. When string bent, it moves inside the nut slot towards saddle, but does not return back after bend released, and tension reduced.
2 - SADDLE: Friction between the string and the saddle. Similar to above, string moves on the saddle towards the nut but does not return.
3 - TREMOLO: Position of tremolo changed after the bend, and it only returns back after diving the tremolo.
I excluded reasons like old/dirty strings or slack on machine heads as string will not return after diving the tremolo.
One can make simple experiments to eliminate options above.
I don't think it's a nut (1). One can verify it by pushing the strings behind the nut (between the nut and the machine head). This will cause the string move backwards through the slot and should make it return to original tuning (or even make it sharp). Also your guitar with locking nut confirms it.
I don't think it's (3) either. It can be eliminated by checking the tuning of other strings after the bend. If other the strings go flat too - then it's tremolo moved. Otherwise - tremolo returns to original position
Finally moving the string on the saddle (2) which is the hardest to eliminate. Can we mark the string/saddle with sharpie and see if it moved after the bend? Not sure if the movement is significant enough to see it.
Finally, thank you much for the great content, keep doing what you're doing, love the channel!
Thats why im a hardtail guy now....
Use a tremol-no
Triple S Me too. They’re more trouble than they are worth.
MattyBEightyThree what trouble?
I'm so glad I went to a hardtail
Part of me is saying “yeah, I hate trems, long live my hardtail Strat.” The other part wishes he was Jeff Beck.
Project Super Strat cannot have a flaw! Say it isn't so or I won't eat for a week! (you can always crank up the distortion and no one will even notice). ;)
Interesting experiment. I was not aware that occurred. At least it is consistent. I guess that is good.. Thanks Darrell. As usual another great video.
What about the music man trem? Never happened on my JP.
The workaround to this is to pull the bar up when tuning the guitar. Tune, pull, tune, pull until it's in tune.
Then bending won't be a problem, however, every time you dive your trem it might go slightly out of tune, which is resolved with a slight pull up on the bar after every time you dive.
Now that you mention it, it is crazy rare for me to break strings now, I never actually thought about that, and I'm surprised when I do break one.
How to beat the flaw? Got me? The only thing I've come up with so far is to stay away from floating trems.
I'm gonna try to beat it with a wound G string
@@faustohernandez3434 if you need a floating tremolo, you most likely play music which will require licks that cannot be played with a wound g-string
Thanks for this Darell! This also bugs me for quite a time. Having the same issue on my Tele with bigsby b5 trem system copy and Strat with classic 6 screws trem system in floating setting. That's also what I do to fix the tuning issue after a huge bend haha. Now I know I'm not alone 😁👍
I tested it out on stop tail guitars and hard tails. Do an extreme bend and don't come down to pitch and it does the same thing with huge bends. The strings take a second to come back to pitch. It does it on all my guitars that are set up by a master luthier. I use NYXL and standard D'Addarios, GHS boomers and ernie balls. Do a huge bend and hold the bend for a second. Then check pitch (it's a little flat) and slowly it comes back to pitch no trem system.
2 USA teles. 1 custom shop tele, PRS 594 stop tail. ESP original stop, Les pauls...they are set up and stay in tune as good as any tele. It's the string coming back to pitch. They are just a little flat every time and then come back. If you have a trem and bounce it back it tune faster but it would come back in a few strums. At least this is what my tests showed.
@Musica Fidelitas Not just tuneomatics and not just the G string...It also happens on other strings and on stop tail pieces Tele style hard tails etc. High end Esp Mystique. Custom Tele styles Suhr, Friedman, andersons with roller bridges etc. I put roller bridges even on Tele style hard tails. It happens to all of them. About -2% flat but it still happens.
I think you are correct. It's the molecular structure of the string not having perfect elastic memory,, nothing to do with friction. If I do the big bend thing it comes back slightly flat but a quick, small bend & release after & it is back in tune, no need to use the whammy to do it. I think what's going on is that a big bend goes beyond it's memory but a small "shock" after makes the molecules spring back to their memory zero point.
I think this is a job for the string manufacturers, not guitar designers. Good spot buddy.
Now that's interesting. My best guess would have to be it's something to do with the springs inside the guitar. Maybe it has to do with how bending a single string pulls the bridge forwards from one point in the middle versus the bar moving the whole bridge from the side. So a bend changes the forces that balance the trem unevenly on the string side while the bar equally changes both at the same time. Hopefully that made sense?
Everyone seems to realize the issue here is friction. We also all agree there is friction at the nut, saddles, string trees, etc. But another friction source is at the bridge plate against the 6-screws, or 2 pivot posts on the 2-point bridge. Over many years of experimenting, I've settled on this:
1 I replace the nut with a Graptech TusqXL nut with PTFE
2 I install staggered tuners the get the desired sting angle over the nut without the need for a string tree on the G/D strings.
3 I swap the B/E string tree to a PTFE impregnated TUSQ XL tree.
This first tree steps will either reduce, or eliminate several points of friction that cause tuning instability.
4 Now for the icing. One friction spot we tend to overlook is the 6 mounting screws on the traditional bridge. These bridge rides up and down on these screws creating a ton of friction. On a two-point bridge, this friction is lessened by the reduced surface area. But it still exists. To reduce friction at this point, I apply a very small amount of synthetic grease. Most recently I am using Super Lube's 92003 Silicone Lubricating Grease with PTFE. It is a milky/clear synthetic lube that doesn't seem to break down over time. It is just thick enough to stay where you apply it without staining, dripping or liquefying into a mess. I apply it small, stiff artists brush directly onto the bridge screws or the posts on a 2-point bridge. I reapply it once or twice a year. You can also dap a bit under your string tree if you want to stay with the metal trees.
This particular lube comes in a 3oz tube for less than $10, but many other synthetic lubes with PTFE available ,
The lube is what really makes a huge difference for me . Let me know if it works for you. Good luck!
@Musica Fidelitas Okay then so you didn't actually try it, you just dismissed it out of hand.....Now please, do yourself a favor and re-read my post. You'll discover there are several steps outlined, which if followed will indeed improve the situation better - including the "G" string. Or are we even talking about the same kind of "G" string?
@Musica Fidelitas Seriously due, the string do not return to the pitch because of friction. The is friction everywhere -- the nut, string trees, bridge saddles. My point was that we often look the bridge pivot point over which the bridge itself rocks along several screws all of which is under tension. Lubricate those point and you'll vastly improve tuning stability.This was not offered as a fix all solution but just pointing out a spot we tend to overlook. But thanks for your criticism...
I'm guessing the springs aren't loaded enough to pull the bridge back when it's ever so slightly moved out of balance, until you wiggle the bar. Have you tried greasing up any contact points to reduce friction?
Scott Fossil I agree. Put stiffer springs in the back to return it back to the correct position. Like on a 4X4 suspension where you have variable rate coil springs (they’re thicker/stiffer on one end) that start off stiff but lessen as it gets compressed. In this case they need to be the opposite because we are stretching not compressing the springs. So a variable rate extension spring that holds tight to begin with but is easily overcome with the term bar and also to return back to neutral completely should solve the problem. Just my 2 cents.
My double locking Ibanez trem on my rg is greased at the knife edges, and it passed this test
The problem is that even the tiniest (and I mean tiniest) difference in the return position throws you noticeably out of tune.
Get a real double locking trem. An Ibanez with an edge or lo-pro edge should tackle this with ease. If you have a double locking trem that does this, something is wrong. Most likely the locking pads are still letting the string slip through.
I'd also challenge that a lot of fixed bridge guitars will have a similar flaw.
@@tinstarforge2800 spring tension is about balance. Not just more.
The tremsetter was designed to address the "return-to-zero" problem.
I have the Tremmory in ny Ibanez AZ and still I have this problem so it doesnt help
This is how technology progresses. The engineer challange is on the table now.
They already made teen stabilizer like tremorry,hipshot and supervee
I'm not at home now to check it out, but probably the thing called Goldo Backbox helps. It looks like a stopper, but it has an adjustable spring. This way you can still push and pull floating trem, but it kinda helps it to be in its default state.
Thank you for sharing this information! I’ve been playing for 20+ years and I didn’t know about this flaw. I just thought I had to retune when I would do a lot of bends. I have a trem bar on my Strat, and I have a new assignment for myself now.
When you bend, because the trem is floating, the trem moves ever so slightly with the bend. There is not enough resistance to
pull the trem that minuscule turn back in order to keep tune. This is why it is slightly flat. When you then use the trem the resistance is increased and it goes back to the correct, in tune, spot. FRICTION is the enemy.
but why does this keep happening on a locked trem system where the string can't actually move any more, thus create friction ?
friction in the trem pivot
Great answer!
In floyd rose style locking trems, they usually put locking studs, so the trem studs dont move
@@joestevenson5568
This!!!!
One thing you might try, supervee mag lok?
Darryl, in having considered what happens to the string when it's bent, the problem must lie either/or the way the string is pulled out of it's groove at the saddles. A mere few hundred thousands of sideways movement could easily be enough to move the string slightly out of parallel with the straight line that it's in prior to the bend. I think that this might be true regardless of using a roller nut/bridge combo because their is room in either design for the string to shift slightly during a bend and not return when the pressure is released .... The grooves cut into the saddle or nut would have to be ultra precise to allow the string to slide, but precise enough to keep the string from being slightly moved to the side when bending. Just my 2 cents! Great video and a very interesting question!
Mike Magnum still happens on a Floyd . You think to much.
@@bluwng even a Floyd uses universal string slots. He's talking about precision machined slots, specific to the string gauge to eliminate the movement. And he's correct.
but moving the string out of the saddle grove will make it sharp, as it would bent sideways a little, not flat 🤔
If you lubricated the saddles and nut and repeated the test on a B (unwound) string, would results be similar? If your hypothesis is correct, I think the issue should be less prevalent (unwound versus wound strings). No trem, so cannot test; however, great video!
Please, if you can better this, give’er: I need my G string lubricated so it stays in the slot and doesn’t bind my nuts.
yeah. but if it move out of line and went slightly left persay. wouldnt that increase string tension making it sharp.
I am part of several guitar groups on FB. Folks often ask why G keeps going out of tune and how they can fix it. I always post this video link. Good job.
Darrell - you may not have provided a solution, BUT what you DID DO was let me know I have NOT failed to set up my Floyd Rose properly. When I discovered this issue, I honestly thought something was wrong. I was considering getting new (super expensive) springs, 'cause this issue was there with my new (medium priced) strings. THANK YOU...! THANK YOU...! THANK YOU...!
Steve vai never seems to go out of tune. He probably knows the secret.
I noticed that Steve Vai is on his trem bar a lot... this is probably why.
He uses a locking trem and a trem stabilizer.
@@DiminishingAugmentation right! trem stabilizer and sponge to prevenr springs to resonate. the reason to have the open plate is just for the tech to get quick access to set up.
Teflon based bicycle lubricant. Enjoy.
he uses Floyd Rose
Darrell Braun's Fatal Law of Floating Trems?
Hopefully no one said this already...
Read Fender’s explanation for why they developed the bullet end guitar strings. Could the problems they describe in ball end strings be the reason for this universal flaw that you’ve found? I really hope you do this test with Fender bullet strings because if you find that the bullets solve this flaw it be a significant finding.
Those were my favorite strings for a long time i just like having a bullet instead of a ball 😂
I use floating trems only. When I break a string live, I simply slide a pick under the bridge/tail. The height of the pick keeps the trem steady. Same goes for open tuning. FYI: GHS 10-46 Boomers, Dunlop Jazz III picks. Adjust your trem to float at your pick height, easy peasy...
Weird. I haven’t had a guitar with a Floyd since the early 90’s but it never exhibited this problem, which is what sold me on the Floyd. My Suhr Pete Thorn model is the first non Floyd guitar to have “Floyd stability”. Must be the locking tuners and locking Wilkinson saddles! ;)
wow, thats the kind of info you'll only find on this channel
Id like to see someone do this test on an Ernie Ball Music Mann JP15 or something, I hear the trems on the EBMM are next level awesome.
Truth! I played on a MM for many years as my exclusive guitar. Super stable trems 👍
@@DarrellBraunGuitar so the bends dont do anything bad?
Since it happens on your guitars with locking saddles and the ones with locking nuts, it sounds like the problem is in the trem systems. Have you tried a Hipshot Tremsetter? It is supposed to return the trem to the same spot every time. I am not a trem user, so I have not tried the Tremsetter. Might be a good topic for a future video.
This is what I think as well.
Great idea 👍
@@DarrellBraunGuitar the tremol-no works great but there are 2 different attachment sizes to a bracket in the kit so make sure you get the correct unit for your guitar. I love mine!
The tremsetter doesn’t beat the flaw either. My only floating guitar I had owned until recently was an old strat plus, they came stock with a tremsetter. It had this problem as well.
@@andrewsandefur7715: Well, I thought the answer might not be so easy. Thanks for the info.
On all those guitars that exhibit the G-String returning flat flaw, my guess is that the G-String is hanging-up on something due to friction, you could try putting some Big Bends Nut Sauce lubricant in the nut-slot for the G-String and see if that reduces the problem and allows the G-String to come back to pitch.
I seriously doubt that ALL of the guitars tested would all have the same fault that caused the G string not to return to tune properly ! No, I think it will turn out to be a very complex trem system issue that cannot be solved easily.
I 've done some more research on this for a personal project of mine. I don't know if any body has mentioned this, but can the answer be the TremKing system? The trem block and saddles don't move at all when the guitarist bends. Basically it performs like a hardtail, unless the whammy bar is pushed down/pulled up. The big disadvantage is that the TremKing is NOT a drop-in replacement for S-type guitars, but it requires some routing in order to get installed. Regardless it's worth some consideration or even a try.
Would a Guitar Nutbuster (floating locking nut) and/or Tremmory (ZPS-type tremsetter) solve the issue?
Add the Tremol-No for extreme.
nah thats a good question
Maybe I'm dense, but I'm sort of confused; is this problem only specific to the G string, or were you just using that as an example? Also, unclear as to what you're doing to the bar exactly to bring it back into tune?
arsbadmojo - all G strings in particular tend to go flat when you do a wide fret bend. This means excess string tension has been stored behind the nut.
You release that tension by either pulling on the g string behind the nut, or by pulling UP slightly on the tremolo bar.
I'm also not clear why the locking nut guitar went slightly out, if it actually did - this could be another mechanical issue with the guitar or that particular bridge. I have an OFR guitar and the G does NOT go flat after a big sting bend!
It's just an example. When I try it, the B and G strings go flat and the lower ones go sharp.
You'd actually want to press down on the trem, causing lower tension on the string side and then the higher tension on the nut/tuner side which will pull the string back in tune. Remember the problem was caused by doing a bend (increasing tension) which is the exact same as pulling up on the trem as you recommended.
I played around and found that pulling the bar (and the strings) is what brings the G back in tune. It does so consistently on the three guitars I tried.
What about a Kahler system. I had a guitar with one and it would stay in tune no matter how apeshit that I played.
I have the same problems with my Ibanez AZ and I have figured out that I can either get my guitar to stay in tune only for bends or only for whammy dives, not both. If you choose for example to have the guitar always in tune doing bends, bend all strings one after the other and then tune the guitar and redo it until the strings stay in tune. If you choose the whammy bar then do a dive and retune the guitar and repeat until it stays in tune.
I just replaced the plastic nut on my PRS SE standard because it was cut wrong, three strings also cut into it, and three strings were jammed or stuck in the nut when trying to re-string which proved to me the strings were snagged or held in one spot and didn’t return to normal. Two slots were cut at a slight angle and looked like a V as if cut with a basic knife.
I replaced it with a Graphtech XL nut preslotted for PRS and added a fifth spring to the trem and it is almost perfect now. If the G string goes out of tune it is not as noticeable as what you displayed but it either goes back eventually on its own within a few seconds or just a light tap of the trem it’s perfect again.
My only issue now, I overlooked how deep the slots where on the nut. The Graphtech Nut was a perfect match but I didn’t realize how deep the slots on the old nut are compared to the preslotted Graphtech nut. The height at the nut is now 3.5 mm and almost 4 mm at 12 fret. I am debating on sanding the nut down versus cutting the nut slots deeper because I don’t have the proper tools for cutting slots straight and true. It’s still playable and has a nice open long sustain. Feels like playing a acoustic guitar with light strings and higher action or kinda like a Gretsch but I want it lower.
And I forgot to mention I replaced all the springs in my trem when changing nut because the originals made to much noise like they been abused or used a lot. My guitar was slightly used, former rental guitar on sale at Sam Ash but it didn’t have signs of wear. Traded in a old guitar I wasn’t fond of and some drum gear and bought it for $80 bucks.
Damn Darrell, you demoed all these systems and each and every video you said they stay in tune perfectly. I can only imagine how many people you influenced to buy these expensive bridges just to find out that perfect isn't perfect.
Answer. Tune o Matic
Bryan Hopkins put a bigsby before that bridge and you run into the same problem.
The question better be "What fixed bridge system sucks balls?"
Sorry to disagree but regardless of being a pro or not, if you play 5 to 6 hours a day as well as teach your gonna break a string once in a while especially if your a live performer and you throw down and use a whammy a lot.
my jackson soloist professional xl have that problem also.. and thats a original schaller floyd rose with locking nuts and saddles..
that problem is actully the main reason i started play on stop tail guitars... still have the jackson tho.. just rarlely play it...
***sry for grammar, english my 2nd langague
Hello. I just made the experiment with my USA Jackson SL-1 and with my Line 6 JTV-89F James Tyler Variax. The Floyd on the Jackson is an Original one and the one on the JTV is liscenced, but a REALLY good one (Graphtec). In both guitars, the problem didn't appear at all. Don't know if this is because they're nicely set up or because the Floyds are rally good (BTW, as lovely as your Ibanez is, the Floyd on it is not the best, sorry Darrell).
Please comment.
Floyds are double-locked so there is no friction or movement at either point, tremolos are non-locking.
I thought I was the only one that had noticed this and had no idea I wasn't the problem...lol
I have a Floyd Rose 1000 in drop c with 10's and I don't have this problem at all.
The reason why is because of the tension of the strings. I have a PRS with 10s but tuned a half step down, and I don't have this problem either.
My Strats are tuned down a half step and I definitely have the prob in every one, I'm talking 10 plus guitars, additionally I have other non Strat style guitars with all kinds of trems including fully locking and they all have this same issue in the video clip so yr very lucky
maybealso, of course they have this problem. they are either lying or too ignorant to notice it. i would wager that if we check it out in person, their trem would have this issue too. i am willing to wager on it. they are claiming that they can break the laws of physics. unlikely.
@@louiscyfer6944 I have no reason to lie + I check my tuning pretty often and finetune as accurate as possible.
My thoughts exactly Louis cyfer 👍
Alternate tunings? Multiple guitars! I recommend having several in each tuning, just in case
As far as I can work out, tuning stability is basically a balance of tension between the strings and the strings being absolutely perfect, which is virtually impossible due to strings stretching over time, and minimal friction in the pivot points.
The tremolo screws fulcrum points need to be all at EXACTLY the same height in order for it to work best, and that's virtually impossible. The Vegatrems blade eliminates that problem, but it also creates more friction. I'd be curious to see a Floyd Rose with a blade similar to the VT.
Darrell, great video! I've been looking for some content on this issue - it's actually hard to find because the key words for the problem return videos/forums on strings going out of tune while bending (which isn't the problem). We're talking about the strings out of tune after a bend is complete.
Anyhow - what's interesting is the other strings (the non-flat one) go sharp in tune when this issue happens.
My assumption is the bent string is the other strings are the main problem - they are pulled sharp as you release tension back down during the bend, since they aren't being bent. Another thing to consider, is why do some strings have this problem more than others?
There is a video on youtube about "tremelo training" but it doesn't seem to be a full solution - only a work around that has its own limitations.
As I posted earlier - there's a video of David Gilmour doing huge bends and returning back in tune without needing to use the trem. Also as we know Yngwie Malmsteen was heavy with bends and there are clips of him not having to use the trem to go back in tune. I can't mention Jimi Hendrix because he was nutorious for playing out of tune and rarely played standard chords that would expose the tuning issue.
IF you have a solution - we are all here waiting to hear about it!
The springs aren't properly adjusted.
could you link to a video with Yngwie doing this?
Great video as always! Have you ever checked out Stetsbar trem systems? Just got one and I'm installing it on my project tele! You should check them out!
I had one for Strat briefly and it was no better than a cheap fender 6 screw. It's been a few year's but if I remember correctly the main issue had to do with how it clamped to the Strat. The Tele one probably works better since it is mounted on a plate that is screwed to the body.
I had a Stetsbar ,it was terrible ,zero sustain past the 10th fret .Total junk . I Like Kahlers with floyd rose locking system ,or with Fender roller nut with locking tuners ,still get a bit of the G string tune out on bends ,but just tap the bar and it's back in,get used to it really ,to be honest the Kahlers dont go out of tune much at all .
I have a Stetsbar on a Tele Deluxe and it works great. Tone is wonderful and no sustain issues. Put one on a Gibson SG and lost sustain bigtime up high around the 12th fret.
U can go the Kahler way! ;) :)
My only conclusion is, floating trems are just built for disappointment.
I may have found a solution : the majority of floating trems operate on knife edges that present either a straight vertical edge or sharp angular cuts that come in contact with the screws or posts. My brother's floyd rose special doesn't have that issue as a result of him sanding and smoothing out his knife edges which had corroded a bit. I tried doing the same on my wilkinson trem (tedious work, as it's a 6-screw) and boom that G strings stays in tune even after serious bends !
I had originally made the comment that I put at the end, but scratch that.
I just got a brand new Ibanez RG550, with what is effectively a standard Floyd Rose. It's Ibanez's own take on it, but it's very similar.
And guess what: it works perfectly. Not only does it FEEL really good (which I expected), but it stays in tune after bending.
I don't know why all your amazing guitars do this, but my amazing guitar doesn't.
"Oh my god, I had a crappy Floyd Rose Special that I loved apart from this one issue where I would have to use the trem to "reset" the guitar.
I was okay with it, and honestly I loved using the trem all the time, so I was always in tune anyway, but I thought it was because of it being a cheap Floyd Rose!
Noup! Really good video!"