windmill
Joined: Mar 22, 2006
Posts: 269
|
Posted on Nov 04 2012 02:01 AM
I've been wrangling with the trem bar lately while I've been brushing up my Shadows repetoire.
On my Jag the subtle bends are very easy to do but I pulled out the Strat Plus the other day and whoa is it different ! Nothing smooth about it.
It is set up with 3 springs and has a tremsetter ( of which I am unsure of what it actually does) and has about a half a tone on pulling up so it is set pretty close to the body.
Any suggestions on what needs to be done to make it more responsive to the touch ?
— Freshwater Surfin'
The Murray Basin
Australia
|
echobeach
Joined: May 21, 2007
Posts: 220
Redland City, Australia
|
Posted on Nov 04 2012 05:10 AM
Hey Windmill, I'd suggest you look here
http://shadowmusic.bdme.co.uk/
Martin
|
Noel
Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
|
Posted on Nov 04 2012 07:01 AM
Anonymous posted this a while ago.
"Not quite Surf, but Hank Marvin of the Shadows is a tremolo arm virtuoso. he has a CD out called Just Hank Marvin (by IMP in Australia) where he discusses all his techniques including the tremolo. An essential item for your collection if you're a Shadows fan."
I'm not sure a Strat Plus with a Tremsetter is the best Strat for playing like Hank. Also, does you Strat have the long or short arm? If it's the short arm, that's not gonna help.
But the biggest contribution is how much you practice getting the right amount of control. Just keep at it until it sounds right.
And, yeah. It doesn't hurt to ask the folks who do this all the time.
— This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
|
stevel
Joined: Oct 12, 2012
Posts: 219
Hampton Roads, Virginia
|
Posted on Nov 04 2012 10:37 AM
IIRC the trem setter is supposed to help the tremolo system always return to "zero" - that is, the point where it's in tune so it's not sticking sharp or flat.
Before giving up on it, I'd take it to a competent tech and have them set it up.
You yourself can experiment with the number of springs and claw position to get the optimum bridge distance from the body.
There are also springs out there with differing amounts of tension on them - so you can experiment with various combinations.
I prefer a "stiffer" feel on my strat and I have all 5 springs pulling against 11s (I just put 12s on last night though and can pull it up to the deck and get a 1/2 step on the E, a whole step on the B and G, and a minor 3rd on the three low strings).
Steve
|
IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
|
Posted on Nov 04 2012 10:49 AM
I had a tremsetter on my StratPlus for a while, and absolutely hated it. It makes the action of a Strat tremolo unit much less responsive, in a very strange way, stiffer in some ranges, looser in others - and it's COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. All my 6-point vintage trems stay in tune remarkably well, I can often play through an entire sweaty, hot, heavily-double-picked set without retuning even once. My advice would be: get rid of it immediately! And make sure your trem is set up well by a good tech, that's all you need to do.
To replicate Hank's trem technique, the trem unit needs to be floating, as you already have it. A half-step-up range should be fine, though a bit more would work, too. In the early '60s Hank used heavy strings, 12s or 13s, so he probably had at least four springs in the back. I think the key to his trem technique is to make it subtle and controllable. You can always hear a Hank-hack when he is putting a far too wide vibrato on a note with a tremolo arm (and you can tell that the tremolo is set up too loosely if it's that easy to give it such a wide vibrato - you want it on a stiffer side, more springs). The other thing is that Hank usually wedged the trem arm into his palm or between his fingers while playing the entire song, especially on ballads, and would constantly give it a bit of a slight vibrato - not just at the end of the phrase, as most traditional surf guitarists, but to every note, as soon as he'd pick it.
Hope that helps! It's all about control, just remember that....
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
Last edited: Nov 04, 2012 11:01:48
|
May Birthdays 
