How do whammy bars work?
by 
celestasia
ANSWERS: 2
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There are a few different mechanisms that have been designed and developed; but in a nutshell, a "whammy bar" (aka tremolo, vibrato, or "wang bar") is a lever which is attached to the bridge assembly that when depressed, relaxes the tension of the strings- thereby lowering the pitch. Fender Stratocasters come equipped with one as standard equipment. The bridge assembly is 'spring loaded' so it returns to the original position when pressure is released on the bar (or arm). Here's a look at the parts involved: http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0992050000 Besides Fender's design, Wilkenson, Kahler, Floyd Rose are among the most popular of this type. Some are designed in a way which allows the player to pull upward as well- thus increasing the tension of the strings; and raising the pitch. The Bigsby® http://www.bigsbyguitars.com/ is one such design.
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The idea is that you can tighten and loosen the strings at the touch of a lever to get pitch effects.
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