What is a Vibrola?

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 8:16 am

I may be sorry I asked ... but too late I posted the question ...

joepee · Post by **joepee** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 8:56 am

You vibrate it, and it makes the strings rolla cross the roller bridge.

Doc Kauffman's invention. An early whammy bar.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 8:59 am

There continues to be confusion over the usage of the terms "vibrato" and "tremelo". (Italian: "the act of vibrating")

A rapid change in pitch, back and forth, is vibrato. A pulsing of volume is tremelo (Italian: "a trembling").

A vibrato with rollers=Vibrola

I love Magnatone M's.

bluespckr · Post by **bluespckr** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 10:43 am

"Pluck your magic twanger, Froggy!" Sorry,but I couldn't resist the old line from the old Buster Brown Show hosted by Andy Divine, back in my baby days. Ironically (or stupidly, or both), I generally refer to any version of a whammy, tremolo, vibrato bar as a "twanger" because, well, that's kinda what it does.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 10:45 am

Twaaaaannngggg!!!!

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rictified · Post by **rictified** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 11:06 am

The vibrola was a Ric guitar that had a motorized assembly that made a tremelo effect. It was so heavy it needed a stand like a mic stand to play it, was made in the forties and are rare. P 48 Smith book

paul_yan · Post by **paul_yan** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 11:06 am

Jeff,
Here's a "VIB-ROLA" on a 325 C58.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 11:47 am

Gives me a lunchtime hankerin' for that 325 all over again...

How could anything so elegant function so strangely?

dale_fortune · Post by **dale_fortune** » Fri Feb 25, 2005 6:33 pm

"Doc" Kaufmann was a personal friend of mine from the mid 60's up until his death in the 90's so what I say here is from "Doc's" own words. He was an inventor of sorts, always trying to improve on his musical instruments and abilities. He invented
and held patents on many things, but the Vibrola was his from the early 30's. It was originally installed on a Bak-o-lite Rick 6 string electric with a sewing machine motor turning a cam like device that attached to the arm of the Vibrola. The sewing machine motor was controlled with a foot pedal that raised and lowered the voltage so as to make it run fast to slow giving a constant vibrato effect. This worked very well as long as it was running, with it off the guitar was terribly out of tune. "Doc" played this with many Big Bands all around So. Calif. It was quite unique and it got him lots of work both on stage and in his shop building and installing these units on local musicians instruments.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 5:45 am

Yes,
all of you who have the Smith book it is on P 48, one of these was for sale last week with a frying pan but I think it was in a wooden Spanish guitar not a bakelite. I think you guys are thinking of the Kaufman Vibrato unless he used the same name which is doubtful. Oh I see Paul, he inserted a hyphen in the word to differentiate it from the Vibrola. The correct term for a twang bar as far as I have always known is vibrato which varies the pitch with the bar, tremelo varies the amplitude (volume basically) not the pitch, early Fender amps are the most famous example I can think of.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 6:02 am

Thanks guys ... I don't guitar a lot and when I do I prefer a fixed bridge ... but now I know what a vibrola is ...

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 1:14 pm

And here is Froggy.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 3:17 pm

Ted ... that is damn strange ...

roadrunners · Post by **roadrunners** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 3:18 pm

all i can say is......wow.....

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 4:22 pm

He actually belongs to my brother but he sits on a shelf here in my library. It is not very often that someone mentions old Froggy but oddly enough, I was prepared for it.