So what's with all this neck shaking business?

darius

Why does everyone with a youtube channel feel the need to shake their guitar necks, resulting in totally no effect? 
Tremelo arm anyone?

thermionic

Your views intrigue me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

JDE

The reason there’s no effect is because they’re using so much reverb you can’t make anything out. And have you seen the amount of *beards*?!?

mbe

darius said:

Why does everyone with a youtube channel feel the need to shake their guitar necks, resulting in totally no effect? 
Tremelo arm anyone?

I think it's divining water underground. The neck must act like a dowsing rod.

thermionic

Two of the worst offenders - Chris Buck, and the Australian bloke in those boring videos that go on for about an hour with just two blokes giggling at each other.

Simon_M

My sincerest aologies for taking your concern most seriously if it is a rather more flippant one. I am aware of (but should note, would not entertain) a technique where applying pressure to the rear of ones headstock while clamping the body will produce a slight detuning effect, not dissimilar to a tickle on the old wiggle stick. Likewise, a pull on said same headstock should produce a slight sharpening of ones quality.

Could it be this of which you speak? Or is it just that most people on YouTube are complete asparagusezes?!

Simon_M

Vocabulary support:

Asparagusezes (ASS-para-GUS-eeez-is) - exhibiting qualities and substance not far removed from that of the similarly name vegetable.

See also: Turnipitusses, Brococockoli and Potayturd

roberty

It works though. I had an ibanez artist from the 80s with a dead skinny three piece maple neck and I shook the ever loving crap out of it, really flexible. Great fun. I've since graduated to bigsbys

Jim Campilongo is a master at this

TheMarlin

Pah!  They should just get a Bigsby!

Funkfingers

darius said:

Why does everyone with a youtube channel feel the need to shake their guitar necks?

They are trying to squeeze out every last drop.

Simon_M said:

most people on YouTube are complete asparagusezes?!

Wis duly awarded.



Here comes the pseudo-science bit. 

When a sound source and a listener move relative to each other, this can create the illusion of amplitude and pitch change known as the Doppler Effect.

Perhaps, the movement of the asparagusezes’ head in relation to the guitar and amplifier loudspeaker(s) produces a similar effect? Unfortunately, the unchanging positions of the amplifier and microphone(s) means that only the asparagusezes can hear any Doppler Effect modulation. 

Meanwhile, the all-pervading influence of YT means that what monkey sees, monkey copies. 

Winny_Pooh

It's to shake out the ghost of SRV that sneaks into every lick.

victorludorum

It's either that or string raking the guitar to death!

Fuengi

They wanna be careful their hats don't fall off! 

MagicPigDetective

It’s important to look like your taking a large dump in the build up to it; the neck shake will be the blessed relief. 

merlin

Simon_M said:

Vocabulary support:

Asparagusezes (ASS-para-GUS-eeez-is) - exhibiting qualities and substance not far removed from that of the similarly name vegetable.

See also: Turnipitusses, Brococockoli and Potayturd

Banonos, Owronges. 

danishbacon

Well bassplayers do it too.

Grumpyrocker

Pointless neck shaking best done while gurning and looking achingly earnest while shitting out basic pentatonic blues. Beard essential.

Dull YT channel about a thousand identical Tube Screamer clones optional. 

Funkfingers

You Tube Screamers? Are we allowed to say that?

mbe

Funkfingers said:

You Tube Screamers? Are we allowed to say that?

Not if you wish to avoid ambiguity.

Jack_

Jared James Nicholls does this, but I love it, he treats his guitar like a tool to get the best sound, he properly abuses it and it sounds great.

He plays an Epiphone into a Blackstar and sounds better than 99.9% of guitarists out there.

Funkfingers

Jack_ said:

Jared James Nicholls … treats his guitar like a tool

mbe said:
ambiguity.

Discuss.