Carl Verheyen Whammy bar set up
- Thread starter mosiddiqi
- Start date
Yea I think we did a thread here about it about 6 months back. Basically I'd summarize it with the Laguna I purchased for $99 (new/show-room model). Anyway, the claw was screwed in tight. If you think about it its easiest to manufacture that way because it tunes right up rather than having to tune it about 4-5x to get in-tune. But after in-tune it plays better to have it balanced (if you actually want to use the wammy bar). Even if you like a stop (there are bolt on stops sold for that) it still works better if its setup balanced so that it doesn't take a major force to move it then harder to control.
The only part I don't agree with him above is about angling the claw to 1 side - all the strings are 17 to 20 lbs and the bridge is more rigid than affected by the claw. The primary difference among the contributors seemed to be the number of springs used corresponding to the stiffness(more) or dive-bomber(less).
The bridge types that hinge against the face of the guitar seem to work best with about 1/8" gap. The other dimension to optimizing performance is in the head and head-nut (the locking head-nuts suck most imho).
Edit+: BTW, once you set the claw and tune you may also want to re-do after lowering the action- round and round till everything works.
The only part I don't agree with him above is about angling the claw to 1 side - all the strings are 17 to 20 lbs and the bridge is more rigid than affected by the claw. The primary difference among the contributors seemed to be the number of springs used corresponding to the stiffness(more) or dive-bomber(less).
The bridge types that hinge against the face of the guitar seem to work best with about 1/8" gap. The other dimension to optimizing performance is in the head and head-nut (the locking head-nuts suck most imho).
Edit+: BTW, once you set the claw and tune you may also want to re-do after lowering the action- round and round till everything works.
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GreenAsJade
Just this guy, you know?
What reitze really said is "no, it makes no sense whatsoever" 
Sure, it makes sense adjusting the overall tension, by "unscrewing the claw", letting some tension off the springs. In fact, you surely must do this to set the action of the trem.
But the idea that having unbalanced springs on the back affects the strings differently seems at face value to be wacko, because the bridge itself doesn't move differently on each side: it's fixed. So Carl's "secret" seems to be like Peter Brock's wonderful magnets that he puts on his fuel lines. He swears by it ... but it seems to be hockum...
If someone can explain how this "angled claw" really can work ... please do!
GaJ
Sure, it makes sense adjusting the overall tension, by "unscrewing the claw", letting some tension off the springs. In fact, you surely must do this to set the action of the trem.
But the idea that having unbalanced springs on the back affects the strings differently seems at face value to be wacko, because the bridge itself doesn't move differently on each side: it's fixed. So Carl's "secret" seems to be like Peter Brock's wonderful magnets that he puts on his fuel lines. He swears by it ... but it seems to be hockum...
If someone can explain how this "angled claw" really can work ... please do!
GaJ
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What reitze really said is "no, it makes no sense whatsoever"
Sure, it makes sense adjusting the overall tension, by "unscrewing the claw", letting some tension off the springs. In fact, you surely must do this to set the action of the trem.
But the idea that having unbalanced springs on the back affects the strings differently seems at face value to be wacko, because the bridge itself doesn't move differently on each side: it's fixed. So Carl's "secret" seems to be like Peter Brock's wonderful magnets that he puts on his fuel lines. He swears by it ... but it seems to be hockum...
If someone can explain how this "angled claw" really can work ... please do!
GaJ
I personally don't use Carls method, but I do have one thing to add. Have you ever plucked the 6th string on a strat and then bent the first string without picking a note? On a strat bridge the two sides will move at different rates. One reason why oblique bends are impossibly to do in tune on a guitar with a floating bridge.
Kerouac
weird musical dildo
Which I have noticed on my Blue Rev.
just the nature of the beast. The bridge on my Suhr Classic does that since I have it set to float enough to work properly and I really have to work to compensate when I have to play a lick like that. It won't be perfectly in tune but I can get everything in the ballpark enough if I move both notes a little instead of having the one "stationary" note stay perfectly stationary.
Modern Saint
Starve your Fear, Feed your Dream!
Really cool vid Mo, I actually learned something different that I never thought of. That would be the intervals that Carl pulls up to when he is using the trem. As for me, I have always worked on getting the the 3rd string to pull up to a Perfect 4th harmonically. As for balance, my claw is straight across but my spring configuration is different. I angle the outside spring over one on the thin strings and the two other springs go straight over in the the 3 and 5 spot. That works for me with my Floyd setups. However I am now intrigue to wanna try Carl's method on a cheap guitar too - looks real promising.
GreenAsJade
Just this guy, you know?
What's an oblique bend?
What Carl is saying is that if you have 3 springs and you put them on the top 3 holes it will be different than if you put them on the bottom 3 holes (a more extreme example of different tension at each end.
Or... if you have 3 evenly spaced springs, and you add a 4th, it makes a difference which side you choose.
Do you believe this? Can you explain how it could be so? I can't see it: the mechanics are that the bridge remains fixed at the two pivot points - the amount that each string moves when you move the whammy one inch is fixed: it doesn't matter where the individual springs are attached.
GaJ
What Carl is saying is that if you have 3 springs and you put them on the top 3 holes it will be different than if you put them on the bottom 3 holes (a more extreme example of different tension at each end.
Or... if you have 3 evenly spaced springs, and you add a 4th, it makes a difference which side you choose.
Do you believe this? Can you explain how it could be so? I can't see it: the mechanics are that the bridge remains fixed at the two pivot points - the amount that each string moves when you move the whammy one inch is fixed: it doesn't matter where the individual springs are attached.
GaJ
An oblique bend is where you bend a note on one string shile holding another stationary...kind of like when people play fake pedal-steel licks on guitar.
To be honest, I don't really know about spring placement other than I would think that it would be more about the size of the strings on that side of the bridge putting tension on the bridge than the springs themselves. Its never been a concern of mine when setting up the instrument.
GreenAsJade
Just this guy, you know?
OK - so this oblique bend thing - yeah I totally get that. The reason it happens is because when you bend a string, the floating trem moves in response to this changed tension, and the other strings change because the bridge moved.
However, this has nothing to do with whether the springs in the back have the same or different tensions to each other. I'm a neophyte guitar player, so generally speaking "what the heck would I know?". But this is just mechanics.
And I have to say that as far as the mechanics go: there is no way I can see that having differeing spring tensions can affect _anything_.
I'm bamboozled by this, because over in HC TLL, all my most-respected teachers are raving about this video, yet unless I'm missing something it seems to be hokum.
_Certainly_ adjusting the claw affects things. Putting more or less tension _overall_ affects the way the trem responds: tighter or looser.
But the central point of this video: that you can have a "better" setup by having asymetric spring tension: please rescue me ... how can this be real?
GaJ
However, this has nothing to do with whether the springs in the back have the same or different tensions to each other. I'm a neophyte guitar player, so generally speaking "what the heck would I know?". But this is just mechanics.
And I have to say that as far as the mechanics go: there is no way I can see that having differeing spring tensions can affect _anything_.
I'm bamboozled by this, because over in HC TLL, all my most-respected teachers are raving about this video, yet unless I'm missing something it seems to be hokum.
_Certainly_ adjusting the claw affects things. Putting more or less tension _overall_ affects the way the trem responds: tighter or looser.
But the central point of this video: that you can have a "better" setup by having asymetric spring tension: please rescue me ... how can this be real?
GaJ
Flamencology
You don't deserve koa.
I used that vid to set up my LGXT, and it works beautifully.
GreenAsJade
Just this guy, you know?
You da man!!!
Thanks!!!
(I am itching to try it instead of just whining on the internet, but I won't have a chance till probably the weekend!)
Thanks!!!
(I am itching to try it instead of just whining on the internet, but I won't have a chance till probably the weekend!)
if you're around in a few minutes I'll demo it live in the virtual theater....almost done.
Here's the vid:
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My Suhr's trem worked fine, but it's kind of cool to have the bigger intervals available to bend up.