The build quality of the Tremol-No is okay. There are things that it does well, but also things that can be improved upon. Again, it provides a rhythmic element to the music, but it’s often a lot more rapid than the tremolo effects. It’s mostly used to give a sense of excitement and urgency to a guitar part.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s an easy mistake to make as both can sound quite similar, and it’s also not helped by the music industry (I’m looking at you, “tremolo arm”!). Because there's now a 'stop-point', tightening the springs provides extra tension on that side of the tremolo-scale without being able to upset the balance and pull the bridge sharp—it can't move past the stop. The extra spring tension imparts more 'resistance' to bending and fluttering on the string side. The trade-off is you're now dive-only. There’s a few different ways you can play vibrato on an electric guitar: hand vibrato, using a vibrato system, or using an effects pedal. Hand vibratoThis all sounds great in theory, but let’s see whether the Tremol-No actually delivers on these claims. Unboxing So, you might have heard that guitars sometimes have tremolo bars (sometimes called a tremolo arm or whammy bar, but it’s the same thing): these do not produce tremolo. On an electric guitar, vibrato can be used in a few different ways to give different effects to a song. The only usability issue I have encountered is that the thumbscrews do not provide much grip. As a result, if you have sweaty hands or limited finger strength, they can be hard to adjust with just your fingers. For that reason, I usually replace the thumbscrews with the included set screws that are operated with a hex key. Thumbscrew on the left, two set screws on the right. It comes from the Italian word vibrare which means “to vibrate”. And that’s exactly what’s happening to both the guitar string and sound.

If your guitar doesn’t have a vibrato system, you can still get the effect by buying a vibrato effects pedal.

I’ve made a recording showing this. This is just one example of how I use vibrato to make notes more interesting! How to play vibrato on your guitar You can just apply Loctite during installation or later on, so in my opinion this issue is not that big of a deal. Advantages

But, did you know that there’s actually two types of tremolo for guitar? And that your guitar’s tremolo arm isn’t actually used for tremolo? B) Spring room. The pic shows that they have had to take the third spring out of the equation, which to me is not the best thing in the world. It's a minor point, yes, but the whole point of one of these set-ups to me is to basically turn the Floyd into a fixed bridge. Less springs = less tension holding the trem down / fighting against string tension. To help you with this, I have created a more detailed post on how you can install a tremol-no system yourself at home. Of course, you can also choose to have a skilled guitar tech/luthier take care of it for you. These stops do their job pretty well but they're a set-it-and-forget-it sort of deal. You can remove it easily but it's not adjustable on the fly. The Tremol-No You can also get vibrato effects pedals. These have a more “steady” sound, as there’s an equal time between the pitch bends.Remember, tremolo is to do with rapid changes in volume. A “tremolo bar” (more accurately called a vibrato system) actually produces vibrato. It’s a very common mistake that people make, which isn’t helped by guitar manufacturers still using the wrong terms today. To avoid common pitfalls, however, it is essential to set the device up correctly and apply Loctite 242 to the threads of the thumbscrews or set screws (depending on which screw type you choose to use).

I’ve recorded this short clip to show you what this type of tremolo sounds like. Listen to how the tremolo makes the ringing out chords tremble. If you do experience unwanted movement with the Tremol-No, it is likely caused by the setup of the Tremol-No or by an issue with the guitar itself. I have covered these issues and their respective fixes in the aforementioned installation article. Ease of Use If used to its extremes, vibrato can create a thrilling effect that can really draw attention to a note and make it stand out. For example, listen to the song “How Soon is Now?” by The Smiths. The first thing you’ll hear is a guitar riff that’s played through a tremolo effect. Without this effect, the guitar riff would be pretty boring (sorry, Johnny Marr). Tremolo and vibrato are both what’s known as “modulation” effects, meaning that they both change your guitar’s signal to produce an effect.

Provided that the Tremol-No is installed correctly, it does provide the benefits you would expect from it. Switching it to hardtail mode lets you set up your guitar, change intonation or switch tunings with ease. On top of that, tuning stability is better, unison bends are easier to execute and your guitar will not go out of tune anymore when you rest your palm on the trem bridge. It’s used to add movement and interest to a guitar part, and can help give a stronger sense of rhythm to a song. Tremolo is a modulation up and down in volume, whereas vibrato is a modulation up and down in pitch. A few solutions have come out to resolve this problem, including the Tremol-no, and the HipShot Tremsetter, etc. I’ve personally used the Tremol-no on a few of my guitars, and it’s a great contraption once you have it all set up properly. You don’t have to do any permanent surgery to your guitar either.