Luke Tremelo Brrrrr Problem

[cherub]

Hi guys, hope everybody is well out there.

Wonder if anyone can help me, I prefer to have have my tremelo arm floating, primarily to get the Jeff Beck type harmonic bends and to give it that hard tug/release when hitting certain notes to get a brrrrr type effect. ( No, its not coz its cold.. Ha ha ! )

On one of my Lukes, ive experienced a problem whereas the tremelo is floating but you cannot get the brrrr effect. It feels very stiff, and you have to really pull to get the note sharper, don't feel smooth at all. When you tug/release it doesnt brrrr.

Anyone got any advice as my Guitar Tech is unavailable at the moment due to a family bereavment and I dont trust leaving my EBMM's to anyone I dont know... you guys know how it is !

Thanks for any help you can give, this forum is cool.

Cherub

 

[ivanmihaljevic]

You could try taking off one of the tremolo springs!
I like making brrrrrs with my tremolo too!!!

 

[MusicManJP6]

That is odd. I have 2 springs in one of JPs and 3 in the newer one and they both are capable of the 'brrr' effect you speak of. Is this a new problem, or has it always been stiff and unable to achieve the 'brrr' effect?

 

[Zor]

For me there are 2 trhings to get a good brrrrring tremolo

- it has to be smooth, must be easy to push or pull it so removing springs can help....

- your tremolo arm shouldn't be totally loose, just try with your tremolo arm stiffened and you'll notice that the bbrrr effects lasts longer...

anyways its just my 2 cts I'm far from being a guitar tech...

 

[guertzi]

On one of my Lukes, ive experienced a problem whereas the tremelo is floating but you cannot get the brrrr effect. It feels very stiff, and you have to really pull to get the note sharper, don't feel smooth at all. When you tug/release it doesnt brrrr.

Did you check if the baseplate of the vibrato is properly seated against the pivot posts?
Are the pivot posts both still in a right angle to the body?

Both can be reasons for a vibrato not working properly.
If one or both pivot posts are worn out you need a qualified repairman to fix this!
Don't try this at home...

 

[JSX]

That is odd. I have 2 springs in one of JPs and 3 in the newer one and they both are capable of the 'brrr' effect you speak of.

Is the newer JP model bar more stiff?

 

[cherub]

Did you check if the baseplate of the vibrato is properly seated against the pivot posts?
Are the pivot posts both still in a right angle to the body?

Both can be reasons for a vibrato not working properly.
If one or both pivot posts are worn out you need a qualified repairman to fix this!
Don't try this at home...

Thanks for the posts, hmmm..... I have 2 Luke's ( love them ! ) and my newer one does not have this problem with 3 springs. The one I have the problem with also has the same 3 springs in the same position.
Maybe, you're right. I think I may have to wait for my Guitar Tech to get back and get him to have a look at it, do not want to start fiddling with one of my babies !

Cherub

 

[cherub]

Is the newer JP model bar more stiff?

Nah, I have 3 springs in the back of my JP6 and the brrrr effect on that is sweet. It must be something that my Guitar Tech needs to look at, I think it's been like that since I bought it second hand of ebay. Ive only noticed it since I started gigging with the Petrucci and realised how much the brrrr effect gives some cool effect to your solo's. When I went back to the Luke, I then noticed the problem.

Cherub

 

[SteveB]

Although I'm not going to 'recommend' this.. on guitars where the 'brrrr' is possible you can usually achieve the effect by slamming side of your fist (as if you were pounding your fists on a table) on the guitar body after picking the note. You're just trying to make the trem springs vibrate.. that's what gives the effect.

I wouldn't do it on an EBMM, but I used to slam a Kramer or two.

 

[dwells]

Berrrrrrrrrrnald s not even my name cant help

 

[the24thfret]

Can I hear a soundclip of this? I'm not exactly sure what the brrrrr effect means.

 

[phatduckk]

Can I hear a soundclip of this? I'm not exactly sure what the brrrrr effect means.

+1

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Can I hear a soundclip of this? I'm not exactly sure what the brrrrr effect means.

[nomedia="http://youtube.com/watch?v=bVmq2C5kLoM"]YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.[/nomedia]

42 & 47 seconds in

 

[jappy]

Otherwise known as a flutter.

 

[guertzi]

Thanks for the posts, hmmm..... I have 2 Luke's ( love them ! ) and my newer one does not have this problem with 3 springs. The one I have the problem with also has the same 3 springs in the same position.

I have been using three springs for years in my vibrato systems and I never had a problem when creating the 'flutter' vibrato-thing.
BUT I did have a problem with a Floyd Rose system (...those were the days )
where the post were worn out due to extensive use of the vibrato, and by that I don't mean just dive-bombing all the time.

So when you say, that you are experiencing the problems with your older Luke this maybe points towards the pivot posts.
Try and check if one of them (or maybe both) lean more towards the neck now, this could be the source of your problem then.

I can only guess from here so I think you're better off having your guitar tech take a look at it.
But please let us know when you both have solved the problem!

All the best!

 

[the24thfret]

Ah... UAGM, of course. Never tried that solo, or the flutter. I'll be slamming my tremolo when I get home today... and I have 4 springs in.

 

[greenwizard]

Oh so that's what you mean!! I've always called that the "purrr effect" like a cat you know. And I think of a flutter as some light up and down vibrato movement while holding a note or chord....
But I'm just crazy like that...

 

[Dodgeball]

I had this exact same problem when I got my Luke new. It had 2 springs at the time as set up at the factory. In a nutshell the guitar was excellently setup but the trem just wasn't raised high enough on the posts to flutter (brrr) so the bottom of the baseplate was grounding on the body of the guitar. I gave each trem post a quarter turn to loosen them and everything was right with the world. I now have 3 springs in it and get plenty of flutter with the stiffer feel that I prefer.

Hope that helps.

Of course you should probably contact customer service before touching anything. They are terriffic and have helped me out in the past.

Cheers

 

[Luc]

Ah , so that's the brrrr sound

I can do it on my Luke, but my problem is that my trem arm is just very loose. Anyone knows how to fix that?

 

[SteveB]

My guitar-playing buddy who grew up across the street from me used to call that effect the "Gillis Shakes".. after Brad Gillis of Night Ranger. Brad was big on that effect back in the 80s.