Zippo Lighters!!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kelly Holdridge
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Kelly Holdridge

Kelly Holdridge

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Anybody heard of putting the ol' Zippo in the tremolo on Strats? Dude at the coast mentioned this, didn't know what to think...
 
I never heard of this. What is the purpose? If it is to block the tremelo to the body so it becomes inopperable so the guitar will stay in tune, there are better ways..... OR is the lighter used to keep the guitar detuned to lower pitches without having to hold the trem bar down? How does the lighter stay in place if you decide to use the trem bar?
 
I think he said something to the effect that ZIPPO lighters (and not other similar ones) are made of BRASS, and help the sustain. Something like that.
 
Oh OK, I see, adding wieght will help sutian a bit, but it would work better to add it to the head stock
 
Well, I knew about the whole MASS thing... The way he described it, the Brass affects the magnetic field, accentuating what the pickups.... pickup.

I sure as hell don't know--I play piano! But our Electric Guitarist was pretty interested, so I thought I'd ask...

Thanks!
 
I'm interested too, seeing as how pickups work by electrical inductance and magnetic fields and ferous matterials. If brass contains any iron or steel at all it has to be very little. I'm not sure how a brass lighter can affect the magnetic field around the pickups. Even if the lighter is made of steel I don't see it having any effect either. It could be that this person you were talking too is mistaking an E BOW for a zippo lighter...........Maybe some one else has heard of this?
 
I can see where a zippo might be useful as a block for non-tremmin sustain. Wouldn't work for my old warbird - the trem system is pretty messed up - stripped threads etc.

But I still achieve some interesting tremelo effects by palmin' it or puttin my fingers under the back of the bridge and pullin on it. If I were using something as a block, it would fall right out.

The most useful place for my zippo would be my shirt pocket.
 
I suppose if you have an Angry Band, it would come in useful when it was time to set the guitar on fire...
 
What a bunch of dummies. Didn't you all learn nuthin' from Jimi? First you squirt Zippo lighter fluid on the guitar, then light it with the Zippo lighter.
 
curious urban legend #478

Zippo lighter have a steel case and pot-metal inner mechanism.Prior to WWII,brass lighters were more common but you rarely see anything that old today.I had a tele-copy with a brass bridge (mass=sustain)and hardware but it didn't "enhance" the magnetic properties of the p'ups at all.The most recent tech trick has been using petrified mastadon tusk material for nuts and saddles (due to ivory restrictions),much denser then bone and better sustain.DuPont corienne (counter-top material)is the other favored material for massy nuts and bridges.I have used a Zippo as an emergency slide but normally use a sparkplug socket ($1.50 at your local auto parts).Regarding bridge blocks,I strongly reccommend guys with whammy bars block the trem.The lesson was driven home to me years ago when I was on stage at a club gig with a floating trem when a string I was bending broke and ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE.The remaining strings all detuned in a way I wouldn't have expected.Some went down,some went UP!There is literaly no way to retune and recover on the fly.Its those moments of truth when simple precautions are finally appreciated.
regards
Tom
 
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