The whammy bar is a fairly common feature on many electric guitars. It is used by many guitarists to create some interesting sounds and to spice up their solos.
But the whammy bar is rarely, if ever, seen on bass guitars. But why is that? And is it possible or even a good idea to have a whammy bar on a bass? Let us find out.
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Famous Bass Whammy Bar Players
Unsurprisingly, there are few examples of the whammy bar being used on bass in popular music. The bass guitar just isn’t typically used for showing off the way the electric guitar is.
Even in the shred-heavy days of the 1980s, it was virtually unheard of for bass players to take solos. Considering that the whammy bar is primarily used for soloing as an expressive effect, it’s rarely seen on the bass, which is mostly a supporting rhythmic instrument.
However, Primus frontman Les Claypool was never one to let a little thing like convention stop him from pushing the boundaries of his sound. Accordingly, Claypool took to unleashing a furious, off-kilter bass solo complete with whammy bar antics in some live shows.
This video, from a show with The Claypool Lennon Delirium, is probably the best example of virtuoso bass whammy techniques on the internet.
The effect of a bass whammy is noticeably different than with an electric guitar.
Can Bass Have a Whammy Bar?
The simple answer is yes, bass guitars can have a whammy bar. There isn’t really anything preventing a bass from having a whammy bar.
In fact, there have been a few famous bassists throughout history that have played basses with whammy bars. The two bassists you might recognize that have had basses with whammy bars are Victor Wooten and Les Claypool.
However, if you want to play bass with a whammy bar, you’ll likely need to install one yourself. I don’t know any basses, certainly not from the major builders, that come with a whammy bar off the rack.
Why Aren’t Whammy Bars as Common on Basses?
There are two main reasons why bass guitars don’t really have whammy bars.
The first, and biggest reason, is due to the negative effect a whammy bar has on a bass. Because the string tension on a bass is much higher than on a guitar, the whammy bar is going to have a much greater effect on the entire bass.
While it won’t be immediate, a whammy bar is going to slowly chip away at the string tension. This is going to cause your strings to go out of tune much faster than they would normally.
Then there is also the possible effect it is going to have on the bass’ neck. Because a whammy bar effectively pulls and pushes on the strings to tighten and loosen them, this will then cause the strings to pull on the neck.
This can cause the neck to bend much more than it would otherwise. Some bassists also fear that a whammy bar could cause the bridge to be pulled out.
The second reason why basses don’t have whammy bars is simply that it doesn’t make much of a difference to the sound. While a whammy bar will noticeably bend a bass guitar’s strings, the effect won’t be as much as it would be on an electric guitar.
For this reason, many bassists think that the risk and price involved with getting a whammy bar installed just isn’t worth it.
Can You Install a Bass Whammy Bar?
While you’ll be hard pressed to find a bass guitar with the whammy bar already installed, you can definitely install one yourself if need be.
Hipshot and Kahler both manufacture tremolo systems for bass guitar. Installing these is probably best left to a professional luthier, as it will require significant modifications to your bass.
If you have your heart set on installing a whammy bar on your bass, I’d strongly recommend doing so on a more affordable bass guitar, just in case it irreparably affects one of your prized instruments.
It might also be best to use thinner bass strings, a baritone guitar, or a thin-stringed six-string bass like the Fender Bass VI (as made famous by Aerosmith’s Joe Perry).
Thinner strings will apply less tension to the body of the bass, and won’t risk going out of tune as drastically when you use the whammy bar.
As a note regarding whammy technique, it’s best to apply subtle pressure rather than the egregious dive-bombs associated with whammy use on an electric guitar. The greater tension of bass strings will make even subtle quivers and flutters of the whammy bar seem larger and more overt.
Using a Whammy Pedal
That doesn’t mean that bassists are left with no practical way of using whammy with a bass. A whammy pedal like the DigiTech Bass Whammy Pedal is a great way of getting whammy-like effects on bass.
While a whammy pedal doesn’t provide the same level of control as a whammy pedal, it is still an easy way to get close. DigiTech also has a dedicated Dive Bomb setting so that you can get those deep, bassy booms.
The Whammy Pedal also offers the opportunity to shift pitch upwards rather than just downwards. Theoretically, you could use the Whammy exactly as you’d use a bar, and use upward pitch shifts as well to create some truly unique tones.
Some bass players, such as Royal Blood’s Mike Kerr, use various effects pedals to shift their bass pitch upwards to sound like an electric guitar. That’s how Royal Blood are able to get their thick, powerful sound as a two-piece with only bass and drums.
Final Word
A whammy bar on bass might be expensive and impractical, but it isn’t impossible. And while it isn’t quite the same, a whammy pedal serves as a good workaround for any bassists that are looking to emulate the whammy sounds created by guitarists.
