Trem on a mando/potential fender jazzmaster (jazzmando?) copy

**Justus True Waldron** · Dec-22-2011, 2:36pm

Did a quick search on this without turning up anything relevant. I've often wondered, has anyone ever made an electric with a trem (whammy bar?). I feel like I've seen one picture before while searching the intertubes. I'm thinking I want to try building a jazzmaster inspired 5 string, but the big part of that sound is the trem. I'm not going for absolute correctness here, I'd take any kind I could find or make work, preferably not a strat style though. I'm assuming that nobody makes one, so I'd either have to A. build my own or 2. modify a guitar bridge? I know they make 5 string bass locking tremelos, but I'm sure that would be way too massive. I can't be the only one that's thought about this.... any ideas??

**Chinn** · Dec-22-2011, 2:43pm

I've looked closely at a using a 5 string bridge (available from MoongazerMusic) and removing one saddle to allow for the hardware to be installed to do a small trem.

The geometry is what I've not yet worked out.

**Jacob** · Dec-22-2011, 2:57pm

Patent number: 5260511 Filing date: Jan 17, 1992

**Justus True Waldron** · Dec-22-2011, 3:22pm

Interesting! Although that's essentially a strat style... I wonder if any were ever built. At the moment I'm thinking a bigsby style trem might be the easiest to build/modify...

**Ed Goist** · Dec-22-2011, 3:33pm

Originally Posted by Justus True Waldron

...snip...I've often wondered, has anyone ever made an electric with a trem (whammy bar?). ...snip...any ideas??

Tony Revell

Click image for larger version.

Name: Revelbaby_rick.gif
Views: 33
Size: 62.0 KB
ID: 80059

**Justus True Waldron** · Dec-22-2011, 4:32pm

Awww... it's a baby Rick! That looks awesome. Are there any sound clips/videos of the trem in action? Is the builder a cafe member? Interesting...

**Soundfarmer Pete** · Dec-22-2011, 6:14pm

5 strings with whammy bar?.......search Guitarra Baiana - many of which seem to have Floyd Roses or cut down Strats.
The Jazzmaster system is really simple so in theory, should be easy to make - I`ve often fancied a go but don`t have a sheet metal folder.
Can`t see clearly but I`m wondering if the baby Rick trem is made from sheet spring steel like the Gibson Vibrola units ( SG, Firebird etc)....

**mrmando** · Dec-22-2011, 7:03pm

Brad Armstrong of South Carolina has built an electric with a whammy bar. And yes, Alex Gregory did build a couple.

I know of at least one 1930s Rickenbacher Electro mandolin that had a tremolo bar, so the idea has been around a long time.

Tony Revell, of Wales, built three of those "Baby Ricks" and then got shut down by Rickenbacker, so you won't see any more of them from him. However, the AntonioTsai-built Little Rickys are starting to show up in the U.S., and it looks like Dillion Guitars has worked out its problems with Rickenbacker and begun licensing them. They don't have whammy bars but they'd sure look good with one.