Tremelo bar / wammy bar

Whammy or tremolo are the same thing.

As far as floyd rose/locking tuners is concerned , they are good , but unless you are into TOOOOOOOO much of hendrix , or van halen , then you can be very comfortable without it too.

Tremolo is used , but not widely.It depends on the music.Hendrix would cease to survive without tremolo bar and some people hate tremolo , so they prefer getting hardtail or simply get the bar out themselves.

So to get an accurate response , tell us, what music you are primarily into.

From what I GATHER , you are only beginning at electric guitar (or maybe guitar even) and at this stage it is unlikely you would find yourself doing whammy bends.There are a whole lot different things to learn beforehand.

Remember , tremolo adds an asthetic or ornamental value to your playing , if your playing really well.However , if you cannot do the solos perfectly , it won't sound good.

Best of luck ,:D

Rahul

Hehe, as some of you will know by now, I am researching my first electric guitar purchase. My latest questions relate to the tremelo bar or wammy bar.
First question: are the same thing, namely that little bar attached at or near the bridge of the guitar which you yank on occasionally?
Yes, they are both the same thing - incorrect. The actual title should really be vibrato - tremelo is a change in volume, vibrato a change in pitch.
It is not just a handle, attached to the bridge, but rather, in most designs, the entire bridge is the mechanism. Think of it as a seesaw - one side has the strings attached and there are springs on the other side, to counterbalance the pull of the strings. Moving the arm rocks the "seesaw", thus changes the tension on the strings and springs, thereby changing the pitch. Generally, you can both raise and lower the pitch - they cn be set, so that only lowering of pitch is possible.
Second question: Having one seems to affect the bridge construction; mostly it seems the yanky stick implies a Floyd Rose (spelling?) bridge, which involves springs. Now, I'm told at the local guitar stores that such a bridge also tends to go out of tune if you rest your hand on the bridge too heavily. How much of an issue is this, as I rather like palm muting, and also I am a little clumsy. How easily/often does it happen, how hard is it to retune?
Floyd-Rose is only one of several different types of vibrato, they all use a similar principle (the Bigsby uses a roller, around which the string is wound). A vibrato can put the guitar out of tune, simply by using it! There are several factors involved, not least the tuners and the nut, which also play a role in tuning stability. Resting your hand on the bridge may or may not cause detuning, depending on what type of vibrato and where your hand rests. Things like the Bigsby and the Gibson vibrola won't be affected by your hand resting on the bridge, because these are designs that are actually separate from it ( http://www.gretschguitars.com/gear/index.php?product=G7594&cat1=&cat2=&q=&st=1 ). Other designs put the pivot mechanism directly under the saddles (e.g. Point Technologies), so resting your hand is unlikely to cause detuning, unless you put a lot of pressure on. Things like the Fender vibrato units have the fulcrum (pivot point) in front of the saddles, so that there is greater mechanical advantage and more likelihood of detuning.
Third Question: How is it used / what kind of role does it play / in which genres does it feature.
That's like asking "how long is a piece of string?". It's used in all sorts of genres, from surf to metal and all points between. Listen to Duane Eddy play Guitar Man. There's also a thread with a Jeff Beck video - watch that, he uses the vibrato.
Fourth Question: Can I get by without it? Is it very widely used and critical to the songs that use it, or can I just leave those bits out?
Of course you can by without one - Eric Clapton has one, but has a block of wood factory-fitted, to stop it moving. 99% of all ES335, LP and SG players get by without one. However, there are some areas where you're going to struggle without one, e.g. surf music.
Finger vibrato can replace any upward changes in pitch quite easily - just, rhythmically, bend and release the note. For downward changes in pitch you can use a prebend, starting at a point lower than the required pitch - e.g. you're playing a C at the 5th fret of the G string. Fret the 4th fret (for a semitone vibrato) and bend it up to the pitch of the 5th fret, before striking the note, then, rhythmically, release and rebend, back to C. Obviously, by continuing past the C, you get the effect of both raised and lowered pitch. This is not, however, an easy technique, you need a good ear and a steady hand.
What finger vibrato cannot do is to allow vibrato on open strings (you can do upward changes in pitch by bending the string, between nut and tuner, but only if you don't have a locking nut).
A locking nut is one which allows the strings to be clamped tightly into place, to aid tuning stability with a vibrato unit - mostly found on guitars equipped with Floyd-Rose or Kahler units.

On a specific note: all traditional vibrato bars are absolutely and totally useless on the cheaper guitars. Pick up your local squier, use the whammy and enjoy a totally out of tune guitar. Floyd's are as stable as can be but tuning them up is a pain in the back and if you snap a string the entire guitar is *insanely* out of tune. Very nice if you're playing a gig. If this will be your first guitar and you don't have a whole lot to spend then don't worry. Your primary concern should be getting a guitar that plays smooth, sounds nice and stays in tune. Nothing worse then learning to play on a guitar that detunes itself.

If after researching it you decide that you want to get a guitar with a tremolo bar, you can always do a simple modification to nullify it.
http://www.guitarrepairshop.com/repairtremeloblock.html

Hehe, as some of you will know by now, I am researching my first electric guitar purchase. My latest questions relate to the tremelo bar or wammy bar.

If it's any help, my hobby is learning, so I'm getting into a little bit of everything at first. I don't want to pin down my interests to any particular genre just yet. And if I seem particularly ignorant, it's because I've never listened to a song at more than a superficial level before.

Just want to say I'm appreciating your threads here Grimm!

I'm in exactly the same boat as you (ie. looking at my first electric purchase) but have no idea about electrics.

Unfortunately I haven't had much time of late to be doing a lot of my own research, so these threads are proving to be very helpful!

Just want to say I'm appreciating your threads here Grimm!

I'm in exactly the same boat as you (ie. looking at my first electric purchase) but have no idea about electrics.

I'll bet my questions aren't as helpful as the answers! :D Thanks, Guitar Noise denizens, you guys know everything!

It looks as if I'll be looking for a fixed bridge, then. There is more than enough to learn without one, and since I'm likely to be looking for a semi cheap electric ($400 or less), I won't risk the constant detuning of my guitar. Ear training is essential, and I'll be shooting myself in the foot if my guitars are less than perfectly tuned.

Besides, I just prefer the look of a fixed bridge. Perhaps that's all that matters.

Maybe in a year or two I'll get myself a vibrato bar, i'm dying to try one.

You'll find may mixed opinions on tremolo systems. Like many things associated with guitar at first they may seem intimidating with a little hard work and plenty of practicing you can become efficient. The best part is when the audience starts chanting for you to lean on that guitar and you give a pinch harmonic that something extra.

joe