Who coined the phrase "whammy bar"?

[Tone2TheBone]

All this talk about whammy bars made me wonder who started the name? Some people like EC call them wang bars which I think sounds improper. Whammy bar sounds a bit more like it but I wish I knew who named it. I brought my own WB into work today because I wanted to put it on the huge vice they have downstairs in building maintenance so that I could lower the main "bar" down some. When in place the bar is too high so I put it in the vice and bent it down more level with the guitar body...I think...I hope... The angle on my other whammy bar is even less and slopes way into the body of my Classic 50s Strat. I might need to pull that one back up slightly but having a bar that is lower is nice cause you can keep the bar in your hand while you play. Being too high you can't. Anyway...I just had whammy bar on the brain.

[oldguy]

Good question..........and I've heard them called vibrato bar, trem bar, wigglestick, and p.o.s. won't-stay-in-tune. :D

[Robert]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremolo_arm says:


The term "whammy bar" is believed to derive from Mack's 1963 instrumental hit, "Wham!", in which Mack made liberal use of the Bigsby.

[Viking Power]

I thought it came from the 1970's game show Press Your Luck where the contestants would yell out "Big bucks! No whammys!".

No?:confused:

[Plank_Spanker]

George Michael?



***********Running away now****************

[Algonquin]

Frank Zappa introduced the term 'Whammy Bar' to me way back... down at Joe's Garage.

[markb]

George Michael?



***********Running away now****************

But then it might have been the other one. Now, what was his name again :)