"Tremolo" and "Vibrato"

[abstamaria]

I was never savvy enough to know it, but have learned that Leo Fender did introduce some confusion when he called his vibrato arms “tremolo” arms and the tremolo effect in his amps "vibrato." Here is an interesting article from Wikipedia that I just dug up. See the last sentence, which somewhat vindicates Leo, at least insofar as “vibrato” units are concerned.

I suppose if, one is referring to a Fender, one may call the bar whatever Leo decided to name it – it was his bar. I may just use “whammy bar,” but I’m already 63.

Here’s the article:

“The "synchronised tremolo" was introduced in 1955 on the first Stratocaster guitar. The only previously successful "tremolo arm" was the Bigsby vibrato tailpiece, often simply called a "Bigsby". In 1958, Fender reinforced his usage with the "Fender floating tremolo" on the Jazzmaster and some subsequent guitars. The "synchronised tremolo" became the most copied of these three basic patterns of "tremolo arm", although both of the others continue to have some following.

In both the case of the "tremolo arm" and "vibrato unit", Leo Fender had reversed the established usage of the terms vibrato and tremolo. That is, he called a device that produced true vibrato a "synchronised tremolo", and a device that produced true tremolo a "vibrato unit". In fact he was using the terms interchangeably. The first Fender vibrato unit (1954) was called "tremolo", and some later Fender tremolo arms were called "vibrato tailpieces" or similar.

But the terms that became established were "tremolo arm" and "vibrato unit", both contrary to standard usage, with the result that electric guitarists traditionally use the terms "vibrato" and "tremolo" in the opposite senses to all other musicians when describing these hardware devices and the effects they produce. From time to time it is proposed that this should be corrected, and the term "tremolo arm" rejected in favor either of "vibrato arm" or of a neutral term such as "whammy bar", but there is no corresponding "correct" term for a vibrato unit.

The task of producing a similarly "correct" term for a traditional vibrato unit is slightly complicated by two factors:
• The subsequent development of other guitar effects units such as chorus, phasers (sometimes called phase vibrato units) and flamgers, which can be set to produce changes in pitch similar to traditional vibrato as understood by most musicians.
• The fact that, under harmonic analysis and contrary to the expectations of many musicians, the output of the original vibrato unit does contain other frequencies near that of the note frequencies and in place of the note frequencies. These are the mathematical result of the variation in volume of the notes, so there is a slight sense in which Leo Fender was correct in his naming of the vibrato unit (but not of the "tremolo arm").”

Andy

[RayL]

When pioneers like Leo used the words 'tremolo' and 'vibrato', the 'Humpty Dumpty' principle applied:
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, "it means what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less" (Lewis Carroll, Alice Through The Looking Glass)

We've sort of got used to a mechanical 'tremolo arm' giving frequency modulation whereas 'tremolo' on an amplifier is amplitude modulation and 'vibrato' in an effects pedal is again frequency modulation.

It gets really interesting when you consider the VOX AC30, where 'the channel that nobody used' produces amplitude modulation with a bit of phase shifting so that it sounds like a very subtle vibrato.

Ray

[abstamaria]

That's a great response, Ray. I'll use that quote; it should be very useful.

Andy

[donna plasky]

Dear Andy and Ray: I just wanted to say thanks for posting this information. I think it answered a question I had, concerning my amplifier. I have a Spider IV Line 6 amp (30 watts) and I think this is called a modelling amp. It has various effects settings (knobs on the amp) and one of them is Tremolo. The Tremolo setting does not sound the way I thought it would, given the name. I mistakenly thought if I activated the Tremolo effect, it would give me some of the screaming twang sound as in The Savage, Man of Mystery, and The Stranger, but in actuality it gives a smooth, floating sound effect -- which I don't want, so I always turn off that effect. After reading your posts, I clearly mixed up the terms vibrato and tremolo.

Thanks again,

Donna

[JimN]

So... how many Drifters / Shadows records featured the effect (however labelled)?

Relatively few, I think. Here's my off-the-top-of-the-head list (and many are on Cliff Richard records):

SELMER Amp (effect more or less identical to that on a Fender amp):

1. Driftin' (both versions)
2. Voice In The Wilderness (one version)
3. Willy And The Hand Jive (recorded before the switch to Vox)

VOX amps (effect more limited in adjustability and different in character):

1. Blue Turns To Grey
2. One Way To Love
3. Autumn (though somehow used on an acoustic guitar)
4. Stardust (on rhythm electric guitar)
5. Trying To Forget The One You Love

Other amps:

1. Sealed With a Kiss (it really makes the record on that one).

Any more?

JN

[abstamaria]

Just one early piece then, Jim. They hardly used the tremolo, it seems. On Stardust, the tremolo on rhythm is just perfect for the arrangement.

I'm quite surprised you could put together that list. Did you do that from memory? Wow.

Andy

[Bill Bowley]

So... how many Drifters / Shadows records featured the effect (however labelled)?

Relatively few, I think. Here's my off-the-top-of-the-head list (and many are on Cliff Richard records):

SELMER Amp (effect more or less identical to that on a Fender amp):

1. Driftin' (both versions)
2. Voice In The Wilderness (one version)
3. Willy And The Hand Jive (recorded before the switch to Vox)

VOX amps (effect more limited in adjustability and different in character):

1. Blue Turns To Grey
2. One Way To Love
3. Autumn (though somehow used on an acoustic guitar)
4. Stardust (on rhythm electric guitar)
5. Trying To Forget The One You Love

Other amps:

1. Sealed With a Kiss (it really makes the record on that one).

Any more?

JN

Maroc 7,
Dear Old Mrs Bell

[Mike Beer]

A place in the sun