Slight vibrato from "bending" the guitar?

[Erlend_G]

Hey guys;

I've noticed that some players, like Bill Frisell, get a slight "vibrato" from bending their guitar,
some people keep one hand on the body, and push/pull on the neck to get this effect.

My Epiphone Wildkat is very, very responsive to this factor; I can go up/down almost a quarter tone, depending on how I lean/hold the guitar!

and I think it sounds really nice. Especially when playing a sustained, open chord-

My Farida western acoustic, on the other hand, will not do this trick, at all.


Is there a spesific term for this phenomena?

-Erl

 

[nexion218]

Instrument abuse.

Seriously, I always hope for guys to snap their neck while doing this 'All Star.-All Pro Signature Move'. Because they 'can't get that specific sound any other way'. Hacking the guitar in two with a buzzsaw makes a quite specific sound too, why not do that too? Sorry Erl, it's not against you, but this thing just enrages me...

 

[Erlend_G]

Well... I never apply any "force" for getting this vibrato, I just gently rock the guitar back-and-forth.

:/ I don't think I'm damaging it, being as gentle as I am.

Of course, if you use alot of force, it might not be good...

 

[nexion218]

Well... I never apply any "force" for getting this vibrato, I just gently rock the guitar back-and-forth.

:/ I don't think I'm damaging it, being as gentle as I am.

Of course, if you use alot of force, it might not be good...

Ah, you meant shaking the neck. That's a different story... I thought you meant by "bending the guitar" this thing when guys push the body of the guitar towards their belly with their right hand and push the neck away to simulate the use of a slight vibrato bar. I once saw Slash do this live. Would've laughed my ass off if he snapped the neck....

 

[AlexR]

^ His 87 features a repair from that very activity.......

But this activity within a small tolerance is no different to mounting a set of strings 2 gauges heavier. The neck has to cope with a about 20lbs more pressure just between 10's and 11's for example.
And just having done a fraction of it myself to see how easy it is even on a 1" at first fret thick neck......the reality is a mild tremolo effect is miles away from abuse.

 

[nexion218]

the reality is a mild tremolo effect is miles away from abuse.

I am sure that if necks couldn't take some mild abuse and would snap more often from it, then people would stop doing it. Still, it just looks wrong to me. I guess it is a pet peeve of mine. Also, you correct for that extra string pull you mentioned with the truss rod to help the neck do the "heavy lifting". But in this case the strings pull in one direction, the truss rod pushes the wood the opposite direction and then you force the whole thing back in the initial direction. I consider it a party trick that might amaze some casual onlookers and make them think they're seeing a perennial rockstar doing something that separates him from the average players. But hey, if that's what floats their boat, more power to them. I personally would never do that to any of my guitars. Maybe it's because I don't have the funds to get carried away with my "art" to the point where I'm willing to risk harming the stuff I bought on my hard earned dough?

 

[Erlend_G]

^^ I have no intention of looking like a rock star;

but to get a gentle vibrato, when playing open chords.

My ex-lead player played a Les Paul, and was quite brutal, he would hold the body with one hand, and apply rather great pressure on the neck :/. It didn't look particularily "healthy"

i do not apply a great degree of force...

..another of the things I wanted to bring up,
is that different guitars, seem to be "stiffer" or "bendier" than others. My current guitar will jangle and "vibrato" just by leaning it forwards/backwards while sitting and playing.

Please have a look/listen on how Bill Frisell do this. It gives his chords a special "shimmer".

 

[nexion218]

I have no intention of looking like a rock star;

Cuz you are one already

different guitars, seem to be "stiffer" or "bendier" than others.

I noticed that too!!! Same scale length, same sstring gauge, same bridge, same number of springs, still I have this one guitar that lets me bend strings like rubber. There must be some reason behind, I've yet to find it...

 

[Gtrjunior]

It’s a pet peeve of mine when I see people shake their guitar to get this shimmer effect.
Imo, it’s largely inaudible and it make the player look like a tool.
Just my opinion.

 

[Erlend_G]

It’s a pet peeve of mine when I see people shake their guitar to get this shimmer effect.
Imo, it’s largely inaudible and it make the player look like a tool.
Just my opinion.

now that I have a webcamera, I should try to record a video, to show you what I mean!

...just need to "man up" first .

 

[Lewguitar]

now that I have a webcamera, I should try to record a video, to show you what I mean!

...just need to "man up" first .

Everybody knows what you mean. We've all done it.

Be gentle and it should be all right.

I've seen Tommy Emmanuel do it on his acoustic guitar.

I've also see the neck break off of an SG when some knucklehead got carried away.

 

[nexion218]

@1:18

 

[Erlend_G]

Everybody knows what you mean. We've all done it.

Be gentle and it should be all right.

I've seen Tommy Emmanuel do it on his acoustic guitar.

I've also see the neck break off of an SG when some knucklehead got carried away.

Yeah, but you should hear the beautiful "shimmer" i get when doing an open chord

sometimes I miss having a tremolo system. The best tremolo bridge I ever played, was on my 1966 Yamaha SA-5 (number 374), that was stolen. :/

near mint condition, with just minor details like some neck heel binding that needed to be glued back on.

It had a "vibrola" looking bridge, that had the most beautiful up-and-down vibrato. And still let you bend strings, without the rest of the strings falling down in pitch .

I'd give a thousand dollars to the guy who finds the meth-head, who stole it. (I had fallen asleep, in my house on the countryside, with the front door open. he did sneak in, took the guitar, and left- I awoke to hearing a car driving away at high revs. Some other meth-freaks told me it was located in Finnsnes city (about 6 months ago)

Very very sad indeed, the guitar was worth way more than money.

-Erl

 

[Chris Pile]

Pete Townshend used to do it all the time when he played SG's. He did it at Woodstock, and I've seen old vids of The Who on TV shows when he was doing it. Stanley Clarke used to get some great vibrato from his Alembic basses by striking a couple harmonics, grasping the upper horn of the body and swinging the body back and forth in a slow arc speeding up as the sounds decayed. It was showmanship of the best kind, and sounded great to the audience. He did it several times when he played SNL (Cheap Trick were the musical hosts one night - fantastic night of music). And I've seen him doing it with Chick Corea and during live sets with his very under rated rock band Animal Logic (3 great albums w/ Stewart Copeland and singer/songwriter Deborah Holland).

 

[Gtrjunior]

now that I have a webcamera, I should try to record a video, to show you what I mean!

...just need to "man up" first .

This is what you’re talking about, correct?
Not actually pushing the neck and body in opposition to each other.


https://youtu.be/Uv8K6wmKH6Q

 

[GuitarDoc]

Guitar players have been doing that "trick" for decades. It's easier to get that nice subtle vibrato than with a trem bridge. Doesn't hurt the guitar at all. Punkers that swing their guitars all around for showmanship sake are way more liable to cause damage to their guitars.

 

[esandes]

There's no way I'd do that to a set neck guitar.

 

[Mincer]

I've just done this using the bar. You can get pretty subtle with the bending (just ask Jeff Beck).

 

[Dave Locher]

For a couple years my main guitar was a '62 SG Special with a super thin neck. Any time you moved the guitar at all, it would do that. I never realized how much it was a part of my sound and style until I replaced it with a '76 ES-335 that had a 3-piece maple neck that was stiff and strong as a rock. Fortunately it had a Bigsby, which I liked for looks but occasionally used because no amount of shaking or leaning that guitar was going to change the pitch at all!

 

[beaubrummels]

I only do this with a vibrato arm for all 6 strings at once, or just use my fingers for 1-3 strings. Granted I can't go flat using my fingers, but would never pull the neck. I'm not against it, just not something I would do.