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

Sporky

I do think they look best on bigger guitars.

axisus

Nice demos stickyfiddle! 

Yeah, ideally I'd try one but I'm stuffed if Coda doesn't have anything. I'll check at the weekend.

I'm basically looking to make another frankentele. I really like the look of tele's with a B50. Otherwise I'll be routing for a stratty type trem, so further from true Tele-ness.

Paul_C

if you struggle with re-stringing, then one of these might help:



http://vibramate.com/vibramate-string-spoiler.php

ICBM

Restringing is easy. You just have to pre-kink the string so the ball end will stay on the pin with just a little tension on the string, then get the hang of keeping that tension on with one hand while you do the other stuff with the other.

Miles easier than a Floyd, anyway.

(I don't hate Floyds by the way.)

Paul_C

^ that's what I do, but I know a couple of friends who like the Spoiler

Majorscale

If you are looking for a retro looking trem but want absolute fantastic feel, control and very good stability check out the Duesenberg tremolo units. There are normally some selling on ebay and they come in the usual Bigsby configurations. Without a doubt the best feeling, smoothest trems I've ever played and in my opinion superior to a Bigsby (owned both by the way).

Rocker

Sporky said: They are perfectly serviceable for shimmery type wobbles. Agreed.  Chris Isaak uses one to perfection on Blue Hotel.  I would expect that a Bigsby would help counter the tendency for the neck dipping towards the floor of a Gibson 335

Bucket

My views are well documented (or were before MR went down...)

I won't try to argue that they don't sound good for shimmery/wobbly stuff, but surely other trems will get close to that? I bet you could get 80% of the way there even with a Floyd. And a Floyd can do everything else too.

My main issue is that there is not a single guitar with a Bigsby that wouldn't look better without one.

DiscoStu

Bucket said:

My main issue is that there is not a single guitar with a Bigsby that wouldn't look better without one.

And that is where you are wrong, my young padawan!

p90fool

They actually have a bigger range than most people give them credit for, you can do all the musical stuff you'd need a vibrato for, you just can't get the strings to flop against the pickup magnets.
Honestly, do people still do that embarrassing dive-bombing stuff anyway? I seriously haven't heard anyone do that widdley-weee stuff for years.

String changes are a doddle, just use a capo as a third hand to keep the strings in place, like you would with any other trapeze with open slots.
Tuning is rock-solid. If your guitar doesn't already hold tune well, or it pings at the nut then you need to sort that first, but don't blame the Bigsby for highlighting these issues.

My only serious issue, and the reason I keep trying and removing Bigsbys is that I use the guitar controls all the time, and the really do get in the way for me, both on semis and Teles.

Longtallronnie

I love them, I fitted a B5 to my SG with a vibramate kit and to my ears it gave it a slight clangy quality that hinted at a tele. I then took it off so I could fit it to my 335. 

I'd like to fit a B7 to the semi as they look better but I'm not sure if I'd like the unit being further back. I tried my mate's casino with a B70 and it felt wrong. That could be the neck joint though.

stickyfiddle

@longtallronnie If you didn't like the B70 on a Casino you'll hate it on a 335- the gap between bridge and bigsby is far bigger on a 335 than a Casino.

Longtallronnie

@stickyfiddle

I do wonder if I'd get used to it though as it does give slightly better access to the volume/tone controls. 

axisus

p90fool said:

My only serious issue, and the reason I keep trying and removing Bigsbys is that I use the guitar controls all the time, and the really do get in the way for me, both on semis and Teles.

Hmmm ..... those could be an issue for me as I use tone and volume a lot on my guitars.

Sporky

Bucket said:

And a Floyd can do everything else too.

Except stay in tune when a string breaks.

And no-require huge chunks of wood to be removed.

Or look any better.

mike_l

Sporky said:

Or look any better.

Bad Sporky, Floyds look awesomes. Because they are awesomes.

p90fool

Bucket said:

My views are well documented (or were before MR went down...)

I won't try to argue that they don't sound good for shimmery/wobbly stuff, but surely other trems will get close to that? I bet you could get 80% of the way there even with a Floyd. And a Floyd can do everything else too.

I know you hate them, but at least Bigsbys don't change the inherent nature of the the guitar. It's a bit of a myth that Floyds totally kill sustain, but they do radically alter the envelope of the note, which is a deal breaker for those of us who play clean most of the time.

A Bigsby'd guitar has an appendage which you can choose to ignore or even remove entirely, but a Floyded guitar is nothing but scrap to me, I just can't get anything I need out of it, whether I use the vibrato or not.

lustycourtier

Majorscale said:

If you are looking for a retro looking trem but want absolute fantastic feel, control and very good stability check out the Duesenberg tremolo units. There are normally some selling on ebay and they come in the usual Bigsby configurations. Without a doubt the best feeling, smoothest trems I've ever played and in my opinion superior to a Bigsby (owned both by the way).

 The Duessy trem is fanstasic. Third only to Jag/Jazzmaster and Bigsbys.

Bucket

Sporky said:

Bucket said:

And a Floyd can do everything else too.

Except stay in tune when a string breaks.

And no-require huge chunks of wood to be removed.

Or look any better.

I prefer them to be flat-mounted so strings don't go out of tune, and a little bit less wood has to be removed.

They don't look great, admittedly, but there are many guitars on which a Floyd looks at least "normal". Bigsbies are woefully ugly on pretty much everything IMO.

ICBM

A Floyd can't do what a Bigsby can do any more that the other way round. It's not just about the ability to change the pitch of the strings, it's *how* they do that which makes them sound different - the relative detune of each to the others - which is mainly to do with the extra length of string behind the bridge, and at the nut.

The Floyd has no extra length at either end so the sound is very dramatic with a big difference between the light and heavy strings. The Bigsby is at the opposite end of the spectrum which is why it sounds the least effective but very 'musical' (to me). The Strat is in the middle, the Jazzmaster is closer to the Bigsby, etc.

You can definitely get more than a semitone range out of a Bigsby, too - about a minor third down on the low strings if you set them up with the arm higher (you may need a stiffer spring, I've made them from cut-down air rifle springs), and the pull-up actually beats any other type, if you catch the spring when it falls out .