A whammy bar (also known as a tremolo bar) is an excellent addition to an electric guitar. When used sparingly and with taste, it produces an amazing sound effect. However, whammy bars are notorious for not staying in place or falling out, so guitarists often search for solutions to this problem, which is often easier to solve than it seems.
A whammy bar keeps falling out if it is too thin for your guitar or the whammy bar may need to be pushed deeper into the guitar’s bridge to stay tighter. A screw can be tightened that keeps it in place on some guitars.
Guitarists also use a threading die on their tremolo bars, PTFE tape, or a q-tip. Installing a ball bearing and spring can also help.
Related: how to install a whammy bar on your electric guitar, why does your whammy bar not work? 9 problems and fixes, and how to get a pick out of a guitar EASILY. New to this topic? Start with our step-by-step guide to cleaning and maintaining a guitar.
This article will help you if you’re having problems with your whammy bar. Whether it is loose or falling out, you’ll know what to do to fix whammy bar problems in no time, allowing you to rock out even harder.
9 Ways to keep your Whammy Bar from falling out or Becoming Loose
- Check if Your Whammy Bar Is Inserted All the Way
- Use a Threading Die To Keep the Whammy bar in Place
- Consider Changing the Bridge
- Getting a Staytrem Is Also a Good Idea
- Use PTFE Tape To Tighten the Whammy Bar
- Use Dental Floss
- Use Heat Shrink Tubing
- A Q-Tip Can Also Help
- Install a Ball Bearing and a Spring
1. Check if Your Whammy Bar Is Inserted All the Way
One common problem guitarists encounter is their whammy bars falling out or being wobbly because they’re not pushed deep enough into the guitar. This may be quite easy to overlook because a whammy bar can seemingly go all the way in while not installed properly.
If you feel your whammy bar doesn’t quite sit in its place, don’t go on a wild goose chase. Try to see if you can push the whammy bar deeper into its slot. You’ll see that with a little bit of effort, you might secure the whammy bar in its place, preventing it from falling out and dangling.
Some tremolos have a tiny pressure screw on the side that you can push to let your whammy bar slide in deeper. This is present on Wilkinson tremolos, which you can find on Ibanez and some other guitars.
If you’re not certain you’ve got this, call Wilkinson or Ibanez (or whoever your manufacturer is) and see if they can help you. You can Google first to see if this is an option on your guitar. You might get surprised by what you find out.
It’s also important to install your whammy bar properly when you first get it. Let’s quickly see some steps to do that.
Tips for Installing a Tremolo Bar
Installing a whammy bar is an easy thing most of the time, but you can unexpectedly run into problems that can make your head spin. However, getting to know those problems before you get annoyed or nervous about it is important.
- See if the trem bar is screw-in or pop-in. While you might simply say “duh” to this, such simple matters can be easily overlooked, so you have to check in advance. If you try to screw in a pop-in bar, it will just fall out. The same goes for the opposite situation.
- Make sure the bridge is not too tight. Guitarists sometimes run into this problem, unaware of the situation. This often happens on second-hand guitars. If the bridge is too tight, you’ll be able to install the whammy bar, but it won’t move or will move only downward. Loosen the screws just enough to let the whammy bar move, but don’t go overboard, so you don’t lose it.
- Check if the tremolo is blocked. This is another problem that can happen with second-hand guitars. Some users block the tremolo, so it’s impossible to install it. You should open the tremolo cover to see if this is causing the problem. There might be a little piece of wood there blocking the tremolo bar. Remove it and see if you can install the bar that way.
These problems often occur and can be frustrating, especially for a beginner. However, a bit of patience can go far, and if you examine the guitar carefully when you get it, you’ll evade a lot of pain.
If you can’t locate the problem, get a guitar technician to check the guitar for you. You might have to set it up anyway, and since you need a technician to do that, tell them about your whammy problems. It will cost slightly more, but it will be worth it.
2. Use a Threading Die To Keep the Whammy in Place
People typically use threading dies to cut external threads, usually on tapered or cylindrical surfaces. It might seem an odd choice for fixing a guitar,