Accent Vibrato

[martynwelch]

Lots of questions in my head and one that's uppermost at the moment: I have the chance to buy one of these vibrato units at a good price and am probably about to buy a used 330 with standard tailpiece.

I noted how few Ricks have the Accent fitted these days, whereas mine back in the sixties came with it already attached. So firstly, is there a reason why - do they cause issues with tuning stability or do folk tend not to use vibratos these days? I play mostly sixties Shadows type music and my strats naturally have trem arms fitted as that's how most of them come anyway, but they're vital for the required sounds of that period.
I want another Rick for various other musical needs (as well as nostalgic ones) but have never really mastered the technique of finger vibrato - probably because with a trem arm fitted I never needed to, but you can't add a vibrato action to open notes without one anyway and that's important for my style of playing.
I believe it's relatively straightforward to retro-fit the Accent (think it's simply held in place by the bottom strap bolt?) but before deciding to buy it, should I be aware of potential tuning stability problems with one fitted or any other possible stumbling blocks?

[jdawe]

If a vibrato is essential to you, as it sounds like it is, the fact that the Accent can be installed without any drilling is a huge plus. I have no experience with them, but from what I've read here a lot of people seem to like them as much or even more than Bigsbys. If you search for "Accent" you'll find some threads discussing them.

i don't think you can completely avoid tuning issues, but that's the case with pretty much any vibrato unit. Winfield Vintage sells a Rick-style bridge with roller saddles which might help (I've never tried it and thus can't recommend it based on any actual experience)

[martynwelch]

If a vibrato is essential to you, as it sounds like it is, the fact that the Accent can be installed without any drilling is a huge plus. I have no experience with them, but from what I've read here a lot of people seem to like them as much or even more than Bigsbys. If you search for "Accent" you'll find some threads discussing them.

i don't think you can completely avoid tuning issues, but that's the case with pretty much any vibrato unit. Winfield Vintage sells a Rick-style bridge with roller saddles which might help (I've never tried it and thus can't recommend it based on any actual experience)

Thanks for the quick response - folk are really keen to help here.

[JakeK]

Today, the Accent is only pre-fitted on the 325C64. It is similar to a Bigsby unit on most Gretsches, stays in tune without extremely heavy useage. In the '60s, if a guitar had a "5" as the last digit in the model number, it had a vibrato.

Jon is correct, if you want an Accent fitted to your guitar, there's nothing stopping you from doing it. I personally think it adds to the look and gives it a more vintage flavor.

[jdawe]

Thanks for the quick response - folk are really keen to help here.

You're welcome. Folks here are indeed very helpful, and many of them are far more knowledgeable than me.

I'm not sure why vibratos on Ricks have fallen out of fashion. None of the guitars I've owned (Rick or other) have had one, so I've never incorporated them into my playing style or missed not having one. I have been toying with the possibility of putting some kind of vibrato on my old 430, but my understanding is that an Accent wouldn't work well on the 430's flat body.

[martynwelch]

I tended to use my rick for rhythm rather than much lead work back in the sixties (see photo attached) as we played a few Beatles numbers but mostly Soul and Tamla Motown by then so the vibrato didn't get very much use, but for the occasional lead riffs required, the vibrato was useful.

[admin]

I love the sight of what appears to be a Reslo ribbon microphone or two.

[martynwelch]

I love the sight of what appears to be a Reslo ribbon microphone or two.

Indeed it was and if I remember correctly we had two, one of which was very quiet and no amount of tweaking would make it louder. However the Reslo's bass response was way better than the simple early Shure mike we had that was very harsh or brittle sounding. I also remember getting a bolt from the mike stand the Shure was attached to that sent me backwards into my AC30 - ah, those were the days . . .

[scotty]

FYI viewtopic.php?f=3&t=395287&hilit=330+Accent+drill

[libratune]

Rick.jpg

I tended to use my rick for rhythm rather than much lead work back in the sixties (see photo attached) as we played a few Beatles numbers but mostly Soul and Tamla Motown by then so the vibrato didn't get very much use, but for the occasional lead riffs required, the vibrato was useful.

Wow, what model of Rick is that in the photo? Looks like a 365 double-bound, except it has a dot fretboard and seems to have a bound soundhole.

[scotty]

Ron its being discussed here also viewtopic.php?f=22&t=404079

[shamustwin]

Never had a tuning problem with a Rick vibrato, and I use them a lot. Strats, a different story!

[chucksimms]

I ALWAYS put a VB on my Ricks. It seems unnatural to me not having one. I do play a fair amount of lead but like the look as well. Must have VB.

[paologregorio]

I prefer the Accent, and use mine aggressively.

[martynwelch]

I ALWAYS put a VB on my Ricks. It seems unnatural to me not having one. I do play a fair amount of lead but like the look as well. Must have VB.

Scotty's link sending me to another thread discussing vibratos in detail mentioned a problem substituting the existing end plate with the Accent one, whereby the hole locations differ in the plates causing the Accent to then sit too high. This had caused intonation problems and made using the vibrato much harder. Some had resorted to drilling a new hole slightly lower down in the body end, filling the old one and then attaching the Accent so it now sat lower. I commented:

I understand the dilemma regarding drilling a new hole lower down in the guitar body but rather than drill the body could you not instead drill a new hole in the Accent baseplate a bit higher (or elongate the existing hole if they'd be too close together) and secure the strap bolt through this higher locating hole instead? I'm not the most mechanically minded soul but I wondered if this might be a better option than drilling/filling the guitar's woodwork.

Given the issues itemised in that thread, have you not encountered such problems operating the Accent if it sits slightly too high?