I managed to break the whammy on my Guitar Hero II X-Plorer controller a few months back, and after numerous botched attempts at repairs, I’d pretty much given up all hope. You see, all that happens inside to give the whammy bar its “spring” is that a tiny plastic tab connects the end of the whammy bar to two equally tiny springs. Overenthusiastic whammiers the world over manage to inadvertently break the tab off, resulting in a rather slack whammy which makes all the held notes in songs sound rubbish.

There are some very good fixes around, but this is the best one I’ve discovered so far, and it came to me in a flash of genius last night (although I’m probably not the first to discover it as it is pretty obvious). All that’s needed is a large rubber band (or “elastic band” if you’re in the UK) and five seconds of your time. No disassembly required!

1. Detach strap
2. Spin whammy bar around so it is pointing downwards
3. Loop elastic band over the neck, behind the guitar, and over the whammy bar
4. Twist whammy back into playing position, reattach strap, and continue to rock!

That’s all there is to it… But for those who are still confused, I took some photos of the finished article to demonstrate. It ain’t pretty, but it works, and it gives the whammy bar some really nice resistance which you don’t get with those tiny internal springs. You could even vary it by trying different sized bands!

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