So ....... are Bigsby's really that bad?

axisus

OK, so all the haters will just post the silly comments, we all like a laff, but genuine question - are they any use at all? 

After my last thread about what trem, it suddenly occurred to me that a B50 would actually 'look' ideal for the project that I have in mind. I have never tried one in the flesh though. Do they have any practical use at all or is it just caveman metalwork suitable for making a guitar sink quicker?

Sporky

They are perfectly serviceable for shimmery type wobbles.

octatonic

Sporky said:

They are perfectly serviceable for shimmery type wobbles.

I'd go further and say that for that sort of thing they are the best at it.

mike_l

Depends on what you want the trem to do.

As Sporky and Octatonic said for subtle shimmery wobbles, probably the best. For rock/metal/shreddy styles, you need (IMO) a locking trem. Best is a Floyd (IMO)

 

 

Iamnobody

I like em, use them for a chord shimmer or a single note half a step waggle. Go for it!

meltedbuzzbox

octatonic said:

Sporky said:

They are perfectly serviceable for shimmery type wobbles.

I'd go further and say that for that sort of thing they are the best at it.

I would raise you a Jazzmaster/Jaguar trem unit on that debate.

But as everyone says, they do work well on the more subtle shimmers. You wont be getting vai/80s metal dive bombs on them etc

stickyfiddle

They're the perfect trem for the subtle kind of thing they were invented to do. In my experience most detractors expect something other than their intended function. Once setup they're just as good as a strat trem for tuning too. 

And they look brilliant.

octatonic

meltedbuzzbox said:

octatonic said:

Sporky said:

They are perfectly serviceable for shimmery type wobbles.

I'd go further and say that for that sort of thing they are the best at it.

I would raise you a Jazzmaster/Jaguar trem unit on that debate.

But as everyone says, they do work well on the more subtle shimmers. You wont be getting vai/80s metal dive bombs on them etc

I'm not a fan of JM's trems myself for lots of reasons that I'm sure others won't agree with.

I like off-waist designs but the trem isn't for me.

daveww

Agreed, they're not as versatile as a whammy bar on a strat but nice for rockabilly tremolo work.

I too think they look great.  Here's one of my Tele's.  Stringing the guitars a bit awkward though and I had to fit a mastery bridge to get the best out of it.

http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm467/davidkw2001/Tokai Convention II - 2010/IMG_0614.jpg

DiscoStu

The Bigsby I (briefly) had was fab.

I wouldn't divebomb it but for wobbles and nuances it was great. Didn't go out of tune either.

And as Stickyfiddle said, they look brilliant. Especially on semi acoustics!

meltedbuzzbox

Ouch, I bet the cost of the mastery wasn't cheap?

They do have great reviews though

PolarityMan

But they look plain awful!

daveww

It certainly wasn't but I've never regretted it.  If I ever sell the guitar (doubtful) I'll put the original back on.

meltedbuzzbox said:

Ouch, I bet the cost of the mastery wasn't cheap?

They do have great reviews though

octatonic

PolarityMan said:

But they look plain awful!

I think it depends on the guitar:

http://www.jamesrichmond.com/misc/es295.jpg

DrBob

I'd say that if, like me you haven't had much experience of a Bigsby, particularly in context of a Tele that you should probably try one before taking the plunge.

I say this because other than the odd go on a Bigsby loaded Epi Casino or a Gretsch which felt okay in a completely 'other' way I'd never had a proper go on. Bigsby until I had a blast on one of those Squier La Cabronita's loaded with one.

It did the shimmer thing okay but I found that as a Fender/Floyd player that the way the arm presented itself to my right hand felt wrong.

Might be worth checking it out first

ICBM

Bigsbys are brilliant on the right guitar.

I'm only about 90% convinced a Tele is the right guitar though... and I've owned an original '69 factory fitted one. Obviously they add the function of the vibrato, but they do change the sound of the guitar slightly, and I think take away some of the important 'Tele-ness'.

Oddly enough I feel exactly the same about Thinlines in that they aren't quite proper Teles, but a Thinline with a Bigsby is OK! Although still doesn't sound exactly like a Tele...

Bigsbys on semis are great - particularly single-cut ones with a 14th- fret neck joint, they have the bridge in just the right position. It can look a little odd otherwise.

And they're perfect on a Les Paul.

daveww

Yep, definitely try one first if you can.  A lot of people also say you shouldn't fit one to a tele because it does away with the through the body stringing which everyone say helps create the distinctive tele twang.  That argument seems to make sense but mine still sounds like a tele.

stonevibe

I like a Bigsby and it dos the 'shimmer' very well, I also love Jazzmaster style units, they have the moving bridge though and so the 'shimmer' is not as pronounced as a Bigsby.

Both are great in my view.

Not anything like my Lo Pro Edge though...

stickyfiddle

I did an A/B recording set of my 2 Teles. They don't sound identical, but they're bloody close- certainly enough that you can't tell which is which. 

https://soundcloud.com/stickyfiddle/sets/telecaster-demos

I've had a couple of bigsby Casinos and now 1 Tele. One Casino got better with the Bigsby, and the other felt slightly better pre-bigsby. And I found the arm got in the way more. Strangely on the Tele I don't have any trouble, despite the arm being much nearer to the knobs

chrisj1602

I've put B7s on 2 guitars, LP custom and an Epi Sheraton, loved them.

Evilmags

Not a fan at all. The only guitars they look right on are big bodied Gretsch style guitars. You can get shimmers easily on a Floyd if you know the technique (hold loosely to imitate the give) the thing I like about Floyds is the directness of them. They are very exact and precise. Bigsbys don't seem to have that precision. That said I'm not very retro in my guitar choices.