Install a whammy bar on any guitar - without modifying guitar

[lfm]

Virtual Jeff
https://www.fomofx.com/

Lots of demos down the page.

A pitchshifter of good quality and physical whammy with velcro on guitar.
Can be combined with a virtual capo as well.

What I heard in a podcast it really keep original tone of guitar which is essential, of course.
- read Melodyne quality

Price around $500, €600 in europe for whammy solution.

But it probably does not do different pitch shift for each string, as I understand it. Just the full signal as is.
- if using special techniques that use 1/2 step on high E, full step on B, and 1.5 step on G etc.

[Dirk Diggler]

That's interesting, but certainly pricey. Another option to consider is picking up a slightly used Morpheus Bomber pedal.

[zerocrossing]

Virtual Jeff
https://www.fomofx.com/

Lots of demos down the page.

A pitchshifter of good quality and physical whammy with velcro on guitar.
Can be combined with a virtual capo as well.

What I heard in a podcast it really keep original tone of guitar which is essential, of course.
- read Melodyne quality

Price around $500, €600 in europe for whammy solution.

But it probably does not do different pitch shift for each string, as I understand it. Just the full signal as is.
- if using special techniques that use 1/2 step on high E, full step on B, and 1.5 step on G etc.

Nice. Pretty pricy, but it seems like it does a great job. I tried the Gamechanger Audio one, and found it had too many noticeable digital artifacts when used in front of anything with moderate to high gain, but this one seems to hold up.

[harryupbabble]

my guitar doesn't need a whammy bar
my musicmaking hasn't got to that level yet
i'm still in the "emulate the ramones" phase

plus who wants to be adrian belew anyway?
i'd rather be robert fripp
i can sit on stage "and" wear my glasses

[lfm]

Nice. Pretty pricy, but it seems like it does a great job. I tried the Gamechanger Audio one, and found it had too many noticeable digital artifacts when used in front of anything with moderate to high gain, but this one seems to hold up.

I got that feeling too when devs visited Ronquillo


he talked about getting harmonics right, these little details to keep the flavor of the guitar. To do this with what they said no noticable latency is rather hard job, I think.

I follow Ronquillo a bit, and found it this way.

I'm just started to learn using whammy on my strat, so beginner really. But different technique since each string stretch differently and if using that this VF will be different having all sounding string stretched the same, is my assumption. I don't think polyphonic tracking know which string it is, just identify different base pitches sounding and treat them the same.

things like this Verheyen is doing is using how each string is different

[lfm]

my guitar doesn't need a whammy bar
my musicmaking hasn't got to that level yet
i'm still in the "emulate the ramones" phase

plus who wants to be adrian belew anyway?
i'd rather be robert fripp
i can sit on stage "and" wear my glasses

Yes, do your own thing.
Many interesting levels to play guitar, slide is one and doing whammy tricks is another.

I saw both Jeff Beck and Jennifer Batten do things like the guitar talks, a little twisted melody like that.

I found this little Batten lesson, at 3:30 she start doing more whammy stuff

[zerocrossing]

Nice. Pretty pricy, but it seems like it does a great job. I tried the Gamechanger Audio one, and found it had too many noticeable digital artifacts when used in front of anything with moderate to high gain, but this one seems to hold up.

I got that feeling too when devs visited Ronquillo


he talked about getting harmonics right, these little details to keep the flavor of the guitar. To do this with what they said no noticable latency is rather hard job, I think.

I follow Ronquillo a bit, and found it this way.

I'm just started to learn using whammy on my strat, so beginner really. But different technique since each string stretch differently and if using that this VF will be different having all sounding string stretched the same, is my assumption. I don't think polyphonic tracking know which string it is, just identify different base pitches sounding and treat them the same.

things like this Verheyen is doing is using how each string is different

It’s funny, my main guitar is a Steinberger that’s equipped with a “Transtrem” system. It’s set up to keep each string in tune relative to the other strings during use. Works great. You can even park it so it becomes a bit like a capo.

[lfm]

It’s funny, my main guitar is a Steinberger that’s equipped with a “Transtrem” system. It’s set up to keep each string in tune relative to the other strings during use. Works great. You can even park it so it becomes a bit like a capo.

Like a version of Floyd Rose on steroids, with lots of tuners and stuff?
- guess it depends on string guage what settings

So it becomes like a Virtual Jeff, kind of, do full chords and just bend any direction.

[zerocrossing]

It’s funny, my main guitar is a Steinberger that’s equipped with a “Transtrem” system. It’s set up to keep each string in tune relative to the other strings during use. Works great. You can even park it so it becomes a bit like a capo.

Like a version of Floyd Rose on steroids, with lots of tuners and stuff?
- guess it depends on string guage what settings

So it becomes like a Virtual Jeff, kind of, do full chords and just bend any direction.

No, just an initial setup and standard tuners at the bridge. You have to use special strings that are calibrated to work with it, but they just seem like regular strings to me. Maybe it's the lengths. I don't know, but it works really well. Patented, so you won't find it on other systems, but I imagine one day the patent will run out and we might see it widely adopted, as it's really great.

[lfm]

Yes, I think string guage has a lot to do with it.

To setup strat claw, I found a good tip in Dan Erlewines books to repair and make your guitar play great.
- use a feeler guage that just goes into the spring of treble side strings when done adjusting that
- then adjust claw for bass side claw spring so same tension in that spring, meaning same guage just about fits into spring

So claw always are a bit more force on bass side since strings are thicker on bass side. I use hybrid slinky set 009-046 as well, so more so than 009-042.

I don't find it a problem with how strat whammy bar works, really. So I will learn that technique.

If to wish for a controller, I think I would like something in my arm pit or similar, so hand and pick is free as normal playing. Or a foot controller that has a center point where it returns and way to go up or down in pitch. And set a curve like on keyboard exactly how much response around center.

[CoolGuitarGear]

Thanks for posting this... I was in contact with Peter during Virtual Jeff's inception... that could have been around 2014 or something... it's been a while. In any case, I kept thinking of this device now and again, and this thread encouraged to reach out to him. I have one shipping soon!

[kevinsparks]

Duesenberg is the real thing, and cheaper. As long as it fits your guitar. No mods required.

[lfm]

Duesenberg is the real thing, and cheaper. As long as it fits your guitar. No mods required.

Always interesting with new solutions, thanks.
https://www.duesenberg.de/en/guitars/starplayer-iii/

What fails to me is that no roller saddles, even though guitar equipped like that from start. So string will have to travel over bridge saddles. So a Tuneomatic, like a Schaller I had, with rollers possibly works.

But the feel of using it might be good, quite possible.

What is good about Strat tremolo is that the block with bridge saddles moves, strings does not need to. It stretches a bit at nut, but minimum at bridge.

Using this tuning technique strat stays really well in tune.



I had a Jazzmaster and that floating tremolo was built around that bridge pivoting/moved forward and back, not actuall move of strings in saddles. And the built in locking if a string breaks is rather good.

[Uncle E]

What fails to me is that no roller saddles, even though guitar equipped like that from start. So string will have to travel over bridge saddles. So a Tuneomatic, like a Schaller I had, with rollers possibly works.

If you have a Strat, either the Vega trem or the Wilkinson locking saddles are the way to go:

https://vegatrem.com/vt1-ultratrem-stra ... r-tremolo/
https://wilkinsondirect.com/product/wil ... 0s-saddle/

Using the Vega for the first time was a revelation for me. The guitar had a regular nut, a regular string tree, and regular non-locking tuners, basically all the things Strat players (including Jeff Beck) have been changing for the last 30 years to keep their guitars in tune, and yet it stayed in tune perfectly, even with crazy Floyd Rose-style bombing.

[lfm]

If you have a Strat, either the Vega trem or the Wilkinson locking saddles are the way to go:

https://vegatrem.com/vt1-ultratrem-stra ... r-tremolo/
https://wilkinsondirect.com/product/wil ... 0s-saddle/

Using the Vega for the first time was a revelation for me. The guitar had a regular nut, a regular string tree, and regular non-locking tuners, basically all the things Strat players (including Jeff Beck) have been changing for the last 30 years to keep their guitars in tune, and yet it stayed in tune perfectly, even with crazy Floyd Rose-style bombing.

Thanks, might look at that once I really got into knowing Strat original system. So much into setup still, bent arm a couple of times to get it where I feel it needs to be easy within reach and not too high.

I have 046 guage low E, and even had to cut a spring for intonation to get saddle enough backwards. So a bit worried that a replacement has less adjustment range.

Vega-trem seems like very nice engineered system though. But hard to see how much saddle could move.

You can hear that springs in strat also plays a role in the tone you get. When you have a floating bridge that is obvious, almost like a spring reverb, kind of. I even read that Eric Johnson was very particular about that in Dan Erlewines book.

So many things affect tone in guitar. I changed tuners on a couple of guitars and noticed this. My LP is way, way better with Schaller tuners than Kluson original was etc. Tone is so much nicer when tuners were fully part of headstock than Kluson that just was in contact at top of string post and down in house of tuner.