Carl Verheyen: Whammy Bar Setup Secrets
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- čas přidán 28. 12. 2009
- Musicians Institute and Guitar World bring you a series of guitar lessons with some of the top guitar instructors around.
In this video, Carl Verheyen gives you some Whammy Bar Setup Secrets. - Zábava
Bless your heart, many years ago it was this video that saved my strat from flying out the window. I keep recommending this video to everyone, please never take it down.
"I do a lot of uh..." *makes mind blowing music*
Exactly! Jaw-dropping magical masterful playing...and done so casually! Damn Carl!
he has a gimmick... unfortunately for him, Eddie Van Halen already had that gimmick in 1978 when he released *_ERUPTION_* & Eddie had about 15 more gimmicks on top of the whammy bar...he single handedly revolutionized both guitar and rock music (actually, now that I think of it...Eddie used both his hands...)
He was like: "let the sound do the talking"
@@m.vonhollen6673 Good call man..!
"And here, I'll just make a little umph"
13 years later still coming back to this video. Thank you!
I did exactly as you said. Perfect. I LOVE my Strat again. Thanks for the sage advice!
You are the man! The guitar tech Luddites in my area told me to live with Fender whammys not staying in tune! My stock strat is now a different guitar.
Thank you , thank you!
I was just about to string up my latest Frankencaster project yesterday and decided to give this set-up a shot. Fantastic sounds. Strings are staying in tune and it packs a range of diverse sounds. Thanks for the tips.
Can u show the floating bridge height from the body ? I did up to half note.. but already 15th fret notes are touching 16th frets.. I am using fender usa custom
Don't know why the strataverse has not shown this to me in 50 + yrs. Thank You so much. A very much needed part of my strat journeys.
Carl is a phenomenal player. One of the best I have ever seen or heard. His Truefire courses are great and I have learned most of what I know from him. I will likely never reach his level but it's fun to try.
This works! Thank you so much for sharing Carl!j
Also check out Dan Erlewines Strat set up with a wooden block. Takes a ton of back and forth / guess work out of the setup.
Lots of other really good info in that video as well.
I will add a tip of my own, nut sauce lubricant under the heads of the six filister head screws at the front of the trem plate.
The trem plate rocks or pivots beneath the screw heads, a tiny bit of lubricant makes a huge difference for smooth operation.
Absolutely ingenious! And extremely musical. Not to mention much easier than trying to do those bends with the fretting hand! :)
Thanks Carl, works like a charm. I've passed along this set up advice to all my strat playing friends. Awesome!
Thanks Carl...doing a new build on a parts caster strat, and this is so helpful to know. It really explains some of the issues I've always experienced. Btw--was great seeing you perform at my friend George's about 6 years ago in LA for his birthday.
that tone is beautiful
He is a very nice guy, and the tip is really good.It is one of those wake up statements: of course the tension has to match on both sides.
My Blade RH4 had some issues with the tremolo. I saw this video...everything works at its best now! The guitar stays perfectly in tune.Thank you!!!!
You made me smile ear to ear when you flipped the bar around near the end 😀. That's the sound I'm looking for
Lots of debate in the comments - some seem very angry with this tip. Sensible advice would be to try this setup if you want to, and see if you like it. I set my strat up this way and it improved my tuning stability when using the bar. Good enough for me.
Put on some (Xotic) Raw Vintage springs.. screw 'em straight and you'll be surprised.
He didn't set up each string....if you get the back of the bridge high enough that when you pull on the tremolo bar to the body stop and the G string is hitting a minor 3rd....the others will follow in suit to what he is demonstrating....BTW....this can be done with the claw straight or angled....Set em up both ways (claw straight and angled) with the same exact results. Make sure the pivot points (6 on some and 2 on others) are clean and lubed properly for smooth as silk results.
it sounds like you are doing just fine son. squires are awesome because they are every bit the guitar that an expensive one is, but since they are cheap you can feel free to modify the tar out them without worry. i have a whole platoon of squires that i scallop the fingerboard, rout new holes in them, change pickups and controls, etc.
one of my squires has a separate output for each pick-up so each one goes to a different amp. pain in the ass with 3 cables coming out of the guitar but what the hell, right?
ya follow this carl guy's advice and you won't be sorry.
he is one of the few that could step up and fill jeff beck's mighty shoes
Just check out Frudua here on you tube. It has nothing to do with a slanted claw I dont know why this guy always says that. My floating bridge is set up to do the same thing and has no slanted claw. Its got everything to do with spring to string tension and is pretty cool when you get your head wrapped around it. Even if you dont want to float your bridge Frudua has great tips to help any guitar stay in tune. He can teach you or anyone a bunch. I learned a hell of a lot and I thought I knew it all.
The slanted claw has nothing to do with the intervals, but it improves tuning stability, because it determines the pressure of the base plate against each of the six wood screws
Really Great Information from a Master Player. I used This Method, in-conjunction-with: the Frudua Master Guitar Technician (Video on CZcams) and my 78 Strat stays in Tune.
Finally a useful and perfect way to set the bar to enable tonal creativity. Thanks for this 🙏
Carl, that was ten different flavors of *awesome!* Thanks for this really eye-opening video. I just got my first Strat, and I'm a big fan of whammy bar techniques. It's one of the things that makes the electric guitar so incredibly expressive.
P.S. I love your technique, and your tone! How _do_ you get that dreamy tone?
That 300 dollar Mexican Strat sounds darn good.
0:45 is the coolest thing I've heard in a while on guitar... but when I check out his albums on Spotify, I hear very little that sounds like that.
Check out his live album called The Road. Loads of that kinda stuff on there song dependent.
@@zakk2bwylde only album I see with a similar name is The Road Divides and there is no song on it called Dependent.
hes a sudio guy hes been on alot of recordings of other people too.
i can remember reading his articles in mags in the 80s even
@@AtacamaHumanoid he is saying it depends on the song, not that there is a song called dependent.
Steve Morse...
A pal shared this just now- what a great tutorial! Can't wait to try out the setup- thanks a million, Carl!
You da man! I followed what you said on the floating whammy. It was like magic. My Strat & PRS are groovin' in tune no matter which way I go on them. Just had to lower the action back on them cause the adjustment raised the action a touch. Now they're near perfect. Thanks again
I do this on my 57(real, not reissue) Strat and it works great. Thanks, Carl. You don't need a locking nut or rollers if your Start is set up right. Learn how to use Leo's design, it's better than most people realize.
I agree. I don't use locking tuners or even lubricant on the nut and I don't experience any tuning issues on my strats. I use the bar frequently in a moderate manner (not dive bombing.) My strats actually stay in tune better than my Les Pauls. I have been told that could be due to the longer scale length on the strat or the headstock of the Les Paul or both.
@@johnpalmer1005 what happens if you get all Van Halen-y?
@@johnpalmer1005 this isn't to say that the nut cannot be culpable for tuning instability issues. If the string is ending up sharp after a dive then it's grabbing at the nut (if it's going flat, then the string hasn't been stretched in properly). I would still recommend locking tuners as it takes string slippage at the post out of the equation. Graphite from a pencil or guitar grease (from StewMac) aren't to be sneezed at as far as quick fixes go
I’ve set up my Custom shop Strat trem in this way and it’s really no tuning issues .
Thanks for specifying your 57 is real. You would have been disowned if not
He just made it possible to keep a floating bridge on a Fender in tune. Genius!
Only 1 out of 100 strat players have the deductive logic to keep a floating Fender tremolo in tune
I just went to the yearly jamm session at the local band shell. There were about a few hundred musicians there and about five guys asked me how I was able to keep my Strat in tune using the whammy. I told them how to set it up and from whom I learned it. I ran into one of the guys and he said it works like a charm and thank me for the great info. Thanks again Carl!
Incredible player. He came to the guitar institute in 2004 and was awesome. He didn’t have to give me his personal email, but he did, and he didn’t have to take time out to critique the mp3 of a solo I did and sent to him, but he did. Lovely chap.
I'd trust this guy with my set-up anytime. Sounds really good.
Hi. The ability to pull up a certain interval has nothing to do with an angled claw. It is purely a function of the overall spring tension pulling against the strings. As for the statement that the low strings have more tension, it's true, but only by a small margin. The low and high e on a set of EXL110's vary by 1.3 lbs. The top three and bottom three have a 7.2 lb difference. The block has no flex, so the strings can't "see" the angled claw in any way.
Well said!! The difference is in the B string.
agreed - the angled claw is completely irrelevant to a floating tremolo setup for interval bending.
Built a new strat. Told the tech to set up per this video. Tech never heard of this technique (and he’s a great tech). IT WORKS PERFECT!! Never had a strat that stayed in tune with no modifications. Un-fckn-real!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!
Tanks a lot for sharing your experiences. My standard now stay in tune perfectly. 6 screws floating bridge sound amazing.
Thank you for this, Carl.
Q. How do you set the bridge screws on your Strats? Is there a specific height you use for the mounting screws, or do you just keep them up enough for the bridge to rock freely?
Whatever the trolls say, I think it's fair to assume that this man knows what he is talking about... And actually fucking demonstrating it!
+memo heap No, he's actually demonstrating what a good guitarist he is.
+ApexMike hahha
memo heap, he is only demonstrating his total lack of education. as are you.
Forget about him or defending him, truth is only based on personal experience. Have you tried and verified this method?
bluwng, you are totally wrong. personal experience is not a path to truth. where do you get such a nonsense?
i have tried this, and it matters not which direction you angle the claw. also, he mentions physics and gets it completely wrong. he assumes that the bottom strings have the most tension and the high strings have less tension. this is fractally wrong. just look at string that provide the tension charts for their strings. the high e has the most tension followed by the d string. than the b and the a string, and the lowest tension is on the g and low e. carl is a moron when it comes to physics, and the physics has to bear out what he is "experiencing". in this case he made up his mind based on ignorance and he is just using confirmation bias to try to justify what he is saying. this is why personal experience is not reliable.
So Great. Appreciate the Tips & Tricks from such a gifted player.
Thank you Carl, and Guitarworld, for posting this little gem. Tried it, and it works wonderfully on my Fender Blacktop Strat.
All hail the beautiful Fender Stratocaster.
I'm addicted to Strats and LP's.....please help!
I'm not worthy! Carl is incredible. A true, natural talent.
Natural, my azz. Dude practiced for thousands of hours to get that good.
Carl is the man. Was lucky to play with him during open counseling at LAMA back in 2006 and it was equally amazing and terrifying.
Thnx for the video Carl. Nice insight into how you've set it up - had never thought about setting it up for different interval changes on the different strings on the upswing, Definitely hear Jeff Beck in this. It's these kinds of subtleties that make the difference.
What Carl is showing us here is his approach to getting equal spring tension across the bridge to match the string tension. (for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction) Setting the bridge so it bottoms out on the body when pulling up, results in the notes you get as he described. up a minor on the 3rd string, a whole step on the 2nd and 1/2 step on the first, his preference. So it's about equalizing the tension to help with tuning stability. I have a 4 point trem(super vee) a roller nut, no string trees and locking tuners. I"ve set my guitar up as Carl suggests, and I've never had better tuning stability for as long as I've played strats.(30 years) So before you start with you negative comments...set your vintage style trem up in this manner and test it out. If you still have tuning issues put some nut sauce in the nut slots and if you have string trees, put some nut sauce there as well.**be sure your strings are broke in so they still are stretching out**
+youchube sorry I didn't answer you sooner. I'm not sure if it would work with a 2 point pivot trem, give it a try.(if you haven't done so yet)
I have since changed strings to D'addario balanced tension strings, and straightened the claw, keeping the distance the same between the bottom of the bridge and the body and still get the same intervals when pulling up on the trem and the guitar stays in tune.
If it’s floating it is always in equal tension, think about it.
have you figured out that this is a bunch of crap? the claw angle is irrelevant.
@@rohadtanyad8908 not true. Ive used spacers behind the bridge and set the claw at different angles but with enough total tension to keep the bridge at the same level and pull up. It will not do those intervals perfectlu unless the claw is set a certain way even,if total spring tension is the same. With a micrometer you can see that the bridge does have some flex and play from e to e depending on spring pressure. This is how those intervals are tuned. Ive had it where the low e side will bottom out before the high e side because of different claw positions. Try it you will see
@@Jarrettguitar you are a piece if shit liar. you see how thick steel the bridge is? and the block? it doesn't flex from string or spring tension. it is also not spring steel, so it would permanently bend. if the low e side bottoms out first, either the bridge is bent, or the front screws are set unevenly, but let's wager on it. we change the claw, and see if the bridge position changes relative to itself. let's wager 10000 dollars. you have no fucking clue about physics.
Contrary to what some say below this is not BS! Not in the least. I just tried it sitting here in front of my computer and yes the claw angle does have a great effect. I was skeptical too. Prior to the changes I made my claw was parallel to the cavity with a gap of 5/8"; at this position with my guitar perfectly in tune and intonated my G string was pulling 50 cents sharp of Bb, B string was pulling 20 cents sharp of C# and E was pulling 10 cents sharp of F. Following adjustments the three strings are dead on when pulled up; claw is now 3/4 " from the cavity on the treble side and 5/8" on the bass side. I know only 1/8" difference but the claw looks markedly different tilted even that small amount and as I said now the strings are pulling true to the desired intervals! Very interesting and overall yes it does sound more musical. Thanks Carl!!
Its the gap between the vibrato bridge plate and the body that has to be adjusted so that one can pull up to minor 3rd on the G string...it has nothing to do with the claw angle or spring tension...try it and you will get the same result.
+Fons negentienachtenvijftig u missed the point….He is talking about better tuning stability
Alejandro Sosa horse hooey, the spring angle had nothing to do with these intervals, the bridge is one piece, a fixed piece of steel, and all the strings ride on that one fixed bridge plate, which is screwed to one tree block nearly 3 inches deep, and saying you can change the bottom of that chunk of steel from the top is impossible. It is going to move as one unit, period, not going to move one side higher or lower if you have the springs at an angle, it is impossible.
@@dss8145 the springs are all the same length. An angled bar makes some of the springs stretch more than others.
Could not agree more! It's the physics of nature. lol!
One of the Best Trem set up tips, thank you so much for sharing.❤
i just did this to my mexi strat with the standard trem, it worked! haha its pretty cool, i have to adjust the action now and do a little bit of setting up but the bar is so responsive and fun to use, this is an awesome video.
FInally! Someone that knows what they're talking about on tremolos!
Great tips. THANKS!
Heavy spring tension (4 or 5 springs) pulls the bridge flush with the body, improving sustain but only allowing for downward vibrato. Lighter spring tension (2 or 3 springs) allows the strings to pull the bridge slightly away from the body, which allows for the upward bends you see in this video.
No
Nope. Use the screws to adjust the position of the tremolo block. I have guitars with four springs that can pull upward. This guy shows how it's done. czcams.com/video/7luUzgDwwcs/video.html
Just did this setup on one of my Strats, Works perfectly, Well explained and accurate.
This is what I’ve been looking for! Thanks for this video!
why all the hate?
its works for me with my strat.and prs.
+richard V. I just commented on a detractors post. I have a strong physics background and am tired of these no nothings trying to give Carl a physics lesson. What people fail to realize is that Carl may be getting the results he wants without understand the logic behind it, doesn't mean it does not works. Oh in the hate mongers defense, I don't agree with Carl, mostly based on my inability to get the same results.
+richard V. The hate is probably because people don't like someone saying something which isn't true. Don't argue with me - go and actually try it out and measure it. Who knows, if you see any difference as a result of the spring position and can demonstrate your results, with figures, then you might win a Nobel prize and be up there with Isaac Newton and all the others. It's OK, I'm exhaling normally.
I'd have to say. This is one of the most influential videos I've ever watched
that means you are a moron and don't know fuck about physics. just like carl. he is completely uneducated and absolutely wrong on this issue.
@@rohadtanyad8908 Still struggling to accept the fact that this works, and all the name-calling on your part changes nothing.
@@rohadtanyad8908 How is this different from angling the springs, which a lot of Strat players do? A compressed spring has less pull than one that is stretched. That's physics, too.
@@chriscampbell9191 right. did i say otherwise? now what does that accomplish, you are having more tension on one side now.
@@rohadtanyad8908 I believe you said up above that anyone who angles the claw and thinks it works is a moron and doesn't know anything about physics. But stretching and compressing of springs involves physics, just as string tension involves physics. If angling the claw works for people, power to them. I personally don't angle mine. My Ibanez Superstrat is decked, with the claw battened down to the wood, the three springs all stretched. That works for me.
Thank you. Mind blowing and seemingly obvious, but never occurred to me. Great set up.
Works well, done Carl's trick to a few strats, nut flow important. Plus a trick of my own with a Dremmel, grinding the sharp forward edge off the trem string exit hole, string curves out on a smoother angle :)
this guy must really love to pull on his g-string! lol
w/o all the bullshit on either side of this debate... all Carl is doing is adjusting the "overall" tension of this tremolo system. Just float your bridge properly to your playing style and string gauge. Make sure there are no string pinch points(saddles, nut, etc). And most importantly, use a good set of strings! I use RotoSounds or SIT. The ball ends are very nicely wrapped on these brands. They stretch to their final resting spot in short order. If you don't use locking tuners, keep your "wound strings" wrapped to a minimum. Good Luck... its knee deep out there!
+rone dee Your advice is spot on. There should be no debate, it is simple mechanics. I think that most people don't see it as that though, despite the reality, so they adopt a position and then try to defend it.
I'm not sure if u got a reply to your question, so here goes.He meant that when u tune up your guitar with brand new strings you wind the stings around the tuning peg (post) as few as possible,i.e: 1 or 1 1/2 turns not 4 or five.Better yet if u can get some Sperzel locking tuners or Planet Waves locking tuners.No winding needed for all the strings.Keeps your guitars in tune better than anything.I have Sperzels on all my guitars for the past 25+ years.Hope that helps.Peace.
Actually more windings leaves more room for slippage.The string angle behind the nut depends mostly on the type of headstock on your guitar and the tilt angle.Also the nut and how the slots are cut at that same angle is crucial, adding some graphite in the slots and the bridge saddles helps prevent string lock-up at the nut,which causes string lock and breakage. The locking Sperzels prevent slippage 100 %.Also look at some videos on over/under method of stringing your wounds vs. unwound strings in case you don't have locking tuners.This method in effect locks the string in place on the first turn.Sorry i don't have a link right of the top of my head.Rock on !
My pleasure :)
cy brunel, the only thing you have wrong is the graphite. in the 70's pencil leads had lead in them, and it was the lead in the graphite that gave those great lubricating qualities. that is no longer the case, just powder graphite does not do the same thing. you can use some lubricant, but even better is a delron 500 cl nut.
I often leave the claw straight and angle the middle spring from the claw low E side to the block hi E side. The angle stretches the middle spring to put more tension on the bass side of the block, which helps balance the system tension.
Thanks for sharing this! He's got such a nice touch, truly a master guitarplayer :)
"I call it a wang bar."
BT Studio Productions I thought the same 😂
"A lot of people like to have it right on the deck..."
Carl's slowly moving up the ranks of my favorite guitar players, to be candid about the whole situation.
Wang dang sweet poontang 🤘🏻
It´s a wank bar :-)
Everybody Wang Bar Tonight...👍🏻
Mr. Verheyen failed to mention the six screws on the MIM bridge. If you try this without loosening them it will not work. For me that was the most difficult part of setting up a floating bridge on this particular guitar. If they're too tight it wont float, if they're too loose it wont stay in tune. Finding the right balance between the spring tension and bridge was a time consuming ordeal for me. Of course, I'm no luthier or Carl Verheyen so I just ended up replacing the bridge with a Super-Vee BladeRunned. Problem solved.
Does it stay in tune with pull ups, dives and string bending?
After locking tuners. Yes! I also have a Fender LSR roller nut but haven't installed it yet.
Well done!
thanks carl verheyen you make guitar playing fun!! appreciate your time investment into that video....youre awesome!
Did this years ago and I love it! Works great! Floating is the best!
Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems simple physics would actually contradict the angled claw theory... unless the bridge is twisting somehow... anyway, phenomenal player!
Well, I had to think about what you're saying, and I guess you're both right. Maybe the guitar isn't going back to tune because it's trying to twist, and putting the claw at an angle is kind of balancing that twist? Or maybe I'm just not good at physics.
No no you’re right! This is a gooooofy premise …
damn, he is a good player, 300 bucks for a mex strat, i wish i started playing guitar earlier:(
I just got in 2 strats in the last week and have never actually set up any guitar let alone a strat. I had wondered how to do this and i found your video discussing the very topic. I have been very lazy for the last 46 years of playing guitar but thought i might as well get off my butt and learn how to do these simple tasks. Thanks. now to find some more along same lines .
Great stuff Carl. This worked like a champ on my Partscaster with a 6 screw KWS bridge. Thanks
The only way to keep your bridge in tune is a proper setup and lubrication. From a physical standpoint does this vid make sense? Somewhat. But key details are left out.
Almost all tuning stability issues come from the nut. Jeff Beck can keep his in tune because he uses an LSR Roller nut and locking tuners. Only other things I can think of are a quality bridge, a stretched set of strings, and the proper setup, such as the spring's positioning which should look how they do in this vid. You can also look at other various mods like springs that push against the block like the Black Box or the Maglok.
4:06 - he does the Jeff Beck "Where Were You" impossible lick!
Thanks for that I've been searching for a perfect trem set up
Love this video!!!! Just what I needed!
Some great playing for sure. But at 3:23 through 3:29 you can see "Seymour Duncan" on the pickups. So that's $300 off the wall....PLUS a pickup swap, Carl.
True: I use that guitar to try various pickups that manufacturers send me. Now it has Rio Grande pickups in it! GOOD EYE!
I'm only guessing but I suspect that his point is nothing, other than his claw adjustments, is any more special than the next Strat. Pickups being swapped out would be irrelevant, I would imagine.
Finally, the secret is revealed. I guess maybe this is what Page did on "In The Evening" on the Knebworth show, because he bent the heck out of the strings and the still stayed in tune. This was very helpful, Carl is AWESOME!!
Absolutely going to try this. Great stuff.
That sounds so freaking cool!! I want to have my guitar setup that way.
After trying this for myself, I can confirm that this DOES work, if you are patient. Basically if you can establish equal spring/string tension, then the bridge will return to its original location every time you use the term bar- cause physics. remember, the strings aren't the ones that are sliding on the saddles, and returning to their position, its the bridge. so perfect balance does the trick. anyone that says that this is BS is not patient enough to do it correctly. Good luck everyone!
👦🏼Well, I started to do this and now.....👴🏻I think I need to accept defeat and take it to my luthier.
After each adjustment I made, I had to retune.
Not only did I adjust the claw but checked tuning, intonation, and action
Let the guitar settle down after making the adjustments. Be sure your guitar is in tune before and after each adjustment.
Sometimes it's best to let the guitar sit overnight. After a while everything comes together and you wind up with a real players guitar. I used graphite on saddles, nut and string tree also. It is remarkable how well it stays in tune now.
I agree completely -- Strat or no Strat, it's a good idea to let the guitar settle down after making changes. Otherwise, it can be frustrating.
Amazing lesson you have shared some very coool knowledge. you are a Whammy bar Socrates my man.
Bravo!!!!!! 👏👏👏👏
I've never found a video that tell the secret of the spring claw angle setup, this is very great tips
Note: tex mex strat he is playing is now about $850 USD. Several years from now, it will probably be higher than that. Update: $1149 from Sweetwater in 2024.
Yea very true im just about to buy a fender translucent sapphire vintage mim and its 800 XD i need it though cant play dave gilmour to well on an epiphone sg my dad got at a pawn shop in 2000 lol
just by looking to the stock and the spring tree you know that this baby is worth a lot more than 300 bucks which is not even the price of a mexican standard strat nor squier classic vibe ( which are great guitars for the price)
You are are idiots and you think your not because you all agree with each other. This video is old and at that time a MIM retail price was $500 a used one, yes used hanging on the wall could be easily obtained for $350. Next time learn to think before you write.
I know right? I was looking for a new gigging guitar recently and I thought I could still get a Mex strat for $300 used. Nopety nope. I ended up buying a frigging 1975 all stock original for $950.. Fender trolling themselves out of business?!
The CLAWWWWW
I had some slight up-bend on my mexi strat.. just removed one of the springs (got two springs in now!) and with a bit of adjusting, I've made those interval bends possible and so far, it's holding its tuning pretty well! Hopefully it'll continue this way without any problems! :D
Thanks Carl ! Very informative .... well presented. I've always known about balancing the "k" value of the spring tension to match the string gauge and tuning. BUT ... you have really taken it a couple of steps further ... thank you for sharing... ;^ ) !
Who shall I listen to? An angry troll or a pro session player?
ukshrednoodle for one, I'm not a troll, I'm just a guy that has tried this many times, and it doesn't work, only way it is even close is if you constantly pull up on the bar, not the reverse.
uk, listen to the one who actually understands physics. carl is an incredible player, but a total uneducated moron when it comes to physics. which of course you are as well, otherwise you would understand why carl is wrong. angling the claw does nothing, it is the sum of all springs, and the tension of the string is highest on the d and high e, lowest on the low e and g. just look up the charts on the string packages. the reason for the different pitches while pulling up is this difference in the string tension. carl doesn't even have a highschool education in physics. you should go back to school to, and stop staying as total idiot.
rohadt Anyad Either way he is making it work. Sounds good to me. I think the key is also setting the bridge float height for pull back distance. This is also informative for that. czcams.com/video/9CkrKdQR6_g/video.html
jerry, it works because he is just doing what is in the fender video, but he thinks he is doing a bunch of other stuff with angling the claw. he is factually wrong about everything he is saying.
Adjusting the claw doesn't make any difference...just keep your bridge balance in center position...just make sure the tension from the strings and the springs are equal then you got it...it may takes an hour to set it up...don't forget your tuner...Hahaha...
Honestly I've always thought it made sense to angle the claw.
Super useful! Thanks a lot, Carl.
I just tried this on a Carvin CT6 with a wilky tremolo that was badly going out of tune, and this works. I was getting ready to replace the trem but I guess it has some life left in it.
I have been unsuccessful at doing this kind of setup.. Actually, I have never had a tech that can do this type of setup. You could make you weight in gold just doing this for people.
I am a tech and whilst this guy is probably sincere I have to tell you this does not work. Sure, angling the claw make for different tension in the springs but the tremelo bridge plate and block is rigid, so think about it, how can it impart different tension to different strings .. it cant. This guy probably really believes this ... but you can change physics.
denis robinson Carl just demonstrated that it does work. Can you get the same intervals with regular setup?
Jerry Robitaille how do you know he proved, what is the basis of your conclusion? The reality is he lubricates the nut for every setup that probably is doing most of the work. He hardly dives mostly pull ups. Be more diligent in your observation .
Maybe it depends on the type of strings use
What a GREAT guitar player. But unfortunately, this being a video about strat tuning, he left out the most important things (1) the quality MIM strats has sky-rocketed in recent years. (2) 99% of tuning problems occur at the nut and string trees unless you have professional work done and have roller string trees. (3) Tghis is probably a replacement bridge as the block, best I could tell, looks like steel instead of the usual zinc, no stock MIM trem arm stays in place like that, and if it moves at all it rattles all over. Treat this as a technique video.
That is the best, most logical method for setting up a whammy bar I have ever seen. EXCELLENT
Thanks Carl, great tips and they work great! My Strats have never been better!
I just watched a myth buster tutorial that claimed angling the back claw will not keep the strings in tune any better then an even leveled tremolo bridge claw because wither the claws angled or straight the spring tension will be the same respectively from left to right, up or down as the spring tension in the back exerts pull on the string tension at the front of the guitar. The strings need only so much tension to achieve the required pitch needed and all 3,4 or 5 springs counter balance each just like all six strings counter balance each other as the total relative tension of all pull from back springs to front strings through the saddles up over the neck through the neck nut slots into the tunning post then back again as the whole process repeats itself. All things are relative! I've actually watched a whole slew of guitar tech tutorials and nobody can seem to agree. I'm quite baffled myself. I adjusted the claw on my strat and Iv'e noticed no difference in the tunning. My strings stay in tune all the same either way.
Finally I find it peculiar someoene else having set up the same way I do, with the G string pulling up a third, B-string a second, and e-string a half. However, it does that "naturally" with all springs in the back. So this is smokes and mirrors. I never did have to angle the claw at the back. This is how I do, and while I don't think Carls method is totally useless there's simpler ways to achieve it. First:
1. The bridge block does just "sense" the spring which has greatest tension of them all. The bridge resides on 6 screws in the front and moves front and back regardless of how many springs at the back, and whatever tension. It moves JUST by the force of pulling the whammy bar. Don't believe me? Well, take away all strings and deck the bridge with all 5 springs to the body and tune up. Do the whammy bar, you have to use much force in order for springs to release, if the claw is a far in/back as possible.
2. I solve it by levelling the springs equally so there's no side that has more tension than the other. I e I want to keep - have to - keep the bridge 3 mm over the body in order to do these pull ups with a minor third on G-string. That 3 mm can be achived either by a) letting all springs be in but tensioned so little tension as possible. You have to move the claw forward towards the block, and what it does is it make the whammy bar a little more sluggish, and the springs at the back doesn't stretch and retract back to its positions.
3. Then you can have 3 springs in a "delta line". Using the innermost hooks of the claw, so that one spring goes straight to the block and the other two are a little more tensed up, and goes to the outer holes of the block. Now in order to keep that 3 mm (and the up in pitch) floating space, you have to turn the claw inwards FROM the block. And it's a trial and error that takes a weekend, because each time you make a turn on the claws screws you do have to retune, and see that the bridge remains at 3 mm, or aurally, checking that the pull up still is a minor third on the g-string. AND GOES BACK.
4. You can very well achieve the same thing as Carl Verheyen with any amount of springs you like, it's the distance from the block that counts and of course the springs default elasticity. You can mix and match but the tremolo block will just answer to the spring that has the tightest highest tension. The other ones, at whatever holes in the block, doesn't play any role if they have less tension.
Also, he forgot to do DIVE bombing, which is where the main culprit lies. Original strats has always worked well and stayed in tune if you just keep on doing - say - pull ups. And the usual Shadows/Ventures kind of wobbling, and absolutely no dive bombing. It's when you do both, and dive bombs heavily them strings won't return back properly. You can set up a original strat to keep in tune, but the dive bombings are hindered by the block tocuhing the wood at the back, and if you could do, the strings would jump out the nut slots in the nut at the neck. Therefore such systems such as Super-Vee, Floyd Rose, Kahler, Wilkinson, Suhr and all the others exists.
The main thing he forgets, it's the length of strings behind the nut towards the tuner pots which plays a significant role. But I set up mine like he do, to do these pull up in pitch exaclty the way he does, minor third on G, but always without angling the claw at all. Overkill, and he hasn't been patient enough. But it works for him. There are always things with how deep down in the block the ball end goes too. I had a friend drilled up the block, so all ball ends was precisely at the top, you could see them when looking from above the bridge. The whammy dive bombed like nobodies business, and he could pull up, put not that precisely in pitch like Carl, but he wasn't interested. And yes, he didn't need to retune.
People in this thread, seems to think that in order to reach those pitches he needs to angle the claw. Not so. At all. He needs to angle it like that so it goes back again to original pitch, AFTER he has bent it up. See, when you do pull ups, what is pulling the bridge back again is the strings, not the springs. It's the springs tension that determines where the bridges ends up in that direction, i e pull ups. When dive bombing DOWN, what brings the bridge back is solely the springs, which always - if set up straight - has equal tension and would not pose a tuning problem. However, as you do the pull up after that, that's were problem occurs. You can also have two springs installed at the bottom end side of the block (i e bottom strings) and one at the other end of the block, will basically do the same trick. I would love to see some manufacturer do a 5 spring individual claw, one claw for each spring...
I set up my American standard this way and it totally works, great vid!
Great info for setting up my Strat! Thanks for sharing Mr. V!!
Lovely playing - but I think there's a fundamental error in his explanation. The low E string is not set at a higher tension than the high E string. It may be stronger and less extensible (stretchy) but it is in fact set at a LOWER tension than the high E. That's why it resonates at low E! So in fact the bridge springs (if his theory is right) should be tensioned the the other way round. But, as GreenAsJade has shown in his video, it really doesn't make much difference how the claw is set.
This seems like it works well for him and others... but in my head, it makes no sense that his claw setup would affect tuning, or balance the tensions perfectly. Much confusion.
+Walker Masuda Good, you weren't asleep during physics.
@fendermac You're right. I took a closer look and there is a small hex screw to adjust the tension. Thanks.
I use plumber's tape on my screw-in bar and that works great, but couldn't think what to use on the push-in.
I will keep an eye out for one of those springs you mentioned.
Handy little video to watch.. but I'm saving it to revisit your cool playing.
this does not make logical sense. the bridge is on a SINGLE hinge point ( 6 screws). making the springs tighter on one side or the other will not make any difference to the overall tension on the bridge. i'm calling bullshit.
it does make tension different
i have the springs collectd from angles to the middle and the most strings that would lift the bridge on my guutar would be the g and the d and also they are the ones who would stay in tune but also no all the time
no
hetjaar yes
unless your steel bridge bends > no not possible. read the other comments. this guy is full of it.
+hetjaar do you really believe he has mal intent? Whatever he does works for him and he is just trying to share. I would guess , because I don't know, that the lubricant he uses is having the most benefit.
This guy does not understand simple physics!
great tips! I removed the "black box" from my Ibanez Silver series strat, and now I have a much smoother action with my Kahler bridge. As far as intonation goes, I guess I have to let it "settle" for a while....
Hey Man I've searched and searched and this Video made my day Thank You