Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey Will, I wonder if Mr Li picked that vibrato trick up from Steve Vai in the "headcutting" scene at the end of the movie Crossroads....talk about vibrato abuse!

That is one film I really must see.

And thanks for clearing that one up JBiscuti

I briefly considered one of those Travis-style arms for a Guild hollowbody I own. I wanted it so that I could play fingerstyle up over the neck pick-up, but I just couldn't get over how incredibly ugly they are. I settled for a Chet Atkins-style wire arm instead. Not as accessible, but much better looking IMO. Guess I'm just not hardcore about practicality. Geez, sometimes my aesthetic hang-ups make me feel like a real poser.

The real bonus with those Travis arms is that you can hook your pinky into that little ring so that you can bend while you keep your other four fingers moving.

Yes, John exactly, that is what Merle did. He'd put his pinky in the ring so that he'd have the rest of his fingers to play "Travis style picking."
And I agree, it is a very ugly looking thing. But I guess it works.

If there's one thing about the Accent that I'd change, it would be the length of the rocker arm. It's just a function of how I play (i.e. quite close to the neck pick-up) as opposed to a failing in the unit itself. (I'm sure a longer arm would just get in the way for a lot of musicians.) Anyway, I have to reach back slightly in order to work the vibrato. Not a big deal, but it takes me a while to get used to it, and I can't do anything with my fingers while I bend. Perhaps I'll impose on Paul at some point for a magical solution.

I've got a 68 Mustang. But the arm is missing. Whats cool about it though is you can just lean on it with your elbow and it works.
The bigsby does have a certain shimmer on my Tenny and Duo Jet. But over all my Strats stay in tune and are better since they don't have the upper lift limitations of the bigsby.
The funny thing about it is that I hardly ever take time to put in the arm on my Strats LOL.. But on pure looks the Bigsby wins out every time.
I do have a preference for the B-7 on the Duo Jet though. Of all the Bigsby's that I have had they seem to stay in tune the best in use.

Is there anyone out there with the Hi-Tech vibrato that Ric is using on its 650's? I'm not sure what unit it is. ABM perhaps? I have one on order, and I'm really curious to see how well it works. It's reputed to be super-smooth and quite stable, too. Hopefully I'll find out for myself in the new year. And, yes, I've become a bit of a vibrato junkie, although I've yet to truly divebomb in anything like a proficient manner.

I own or have owned Accent, Bigsby, and Hi-Tek vibrato-equipped guitars.
Presently my main guitar is my 1997SPC/VB. Seems I'm always hanging on that guitar's vib arm. I LOVE IT. Somehow it is better than any Bigsby or Fender vib unit when it comes to bending whole chords and harmonics (range-wise it sits between the two).

My Korean Casino had a Bigsby unit which I will describe as, well, anemic. It had such a mild range. Soured me on their kind until I got my Epiphone Elitist Chet Atkins this year.
Its wire-handle Bigsby unit which much be 'rolled' into position. It is by and far the most musical Bigsby I've ever used. Both the wire Bigsby and Accent have great shimmer but the former has more 'rumble' when digging on E and A string licks and a slightly deeper range. Overall, I prefer the Accent.

A forumite purchased my 650A/VT a few years ago, but I had extensive experience with its Hi-Tek vibrato. When I first got the guitar it was a veritable trainwreck every time I grabbed the bar as I wasn't used to the sweeping range it afforded. Eventually I learned to harness it however. I found it more musical than a Floyd Rose and discovered it had to be approached with a different mindset.
Anyone who wants examples of the Hi-Tek in action, email me.