Bigsby alternative for a Tele?

Jimbro66

Having taken the decision to convert one of my Teles to Filtertrons (see separate thread) it's got me thinking that Filtertrons and Bigsbys go together like bread and jam or Morcambe and Wise or......... 

Anyway, the problem I have is I think (personal view, granted) that Bigsby B5s look, er, 'unattractive' on Teles, like a clumsy lump of industrial equipment. The B7 looked OK on my Duo Jet but is probably not much more suited than a B5 to a Tele with traditional-style bridge plate.

So, is there any sort of vibrato that looks neater than a Bigsby for this purpose and that doesn't involve lots of hacking into the body? Or is this a lost cause?

pintspiller

What's the vibrato like on the Hofner "Tele"? I can't remember, but think it is somewhat different.

JookyChap

There's the Stetsbar. Never fitted one but they are meant to be decent..

There is a 'retro fit' one looking which needs no mods:

Surface Mount Retro-fit
Installing the retrofit versions of the Stetsbar is easy and requires no modification to your guitar. The Stop-Tail version uses the familiar "Gibson-style" mounts of your guitars' stop-tail piece and you won't need special mounting tools. The Hard-Tail mounts directly to the existing 5 screw holes in your guitar. The Stratocaster style version clamps into the existing trem cavity. The Telecaster version fits directly to the existing screw holes of the "ashtray" bridge. A neck shim does have to be fitted so it is a slightly more involved fit than the Stop Tail version."



http://www.madisonandfifth.co.uk/assets/Uploads/_resampled/ResizedImageWzYwMCw3NjJd/2014.tstyle.white.jpg

Jimbro66

Thanks for that @JookyChap. I'd seen Stetsbar before but thought it was only for Gibson-style stop tailpieces. I'll have a look at their website to see if there's something to suit a Tele with HBs/Filtertrons.

JookyChap

Must admit I tried one on an SG and it worked great, but looks left me a little cold. Never even seen a Tele one mind.

Jimbro66

So, since posting this question I've been having a look at what Bigsby alternatives there are for a Tele. Here is my list so far but no doubt there are more so please post here if you know of others.

For a standard Tele with the normal bridge/pickup arrangement the two most aesthetically pleasing solutions (IMO) are the Tremking TKS-2 and the Super-Vee Maverick, the latter being my preference. The down-side of both is that they require extensive body routing of the Strat type to incorporate tone block and springs. It's feasible to do but beyond most DIY-ers so there's extra installation costs and permanent changes to the guitar. For a Tele with a bridge Humbucker/Filtertron the TKS-2 and Maverick are not suitable but both manufacturers have alternatives that will do the job. Here are the links:

http://www.tremking.com/faqs        ; https://super-vee.com/index.html

The Stetsbar T-Style vibrato shown in @JookyChap's post above has the advantage that it can be fitted, and later removed if neccessary, without any modifications at all to the guitar. There is the illustrated version to suit a standard Tele bridge/pickup arrangement and also alternative versions (hard tail and oem) to suit Teles with a brige humbucker/Filtertron. To my eye the T-Style version is not particularly attractive with its acres of metalwork. The OEM and Hard Tail versions are neater but still a little clumsy looking IMO. But in fairness any removable system is not going to look as neat as a hidden Strat-type. For me the Stetsbar looks OK on something like an ES-335 or even a LP Special but I'm not sure about on a Tele. Here's the link:

http://stetsbar.com/index.html

Finally, Floyd Rose offer their FRX system which is a retro-fit removable system quite similar to the Stetsbar but their models are for stop-tailpiece guitars only, nothing for a Tele. Here's the link:

http://www.floydrose.com/catalog/tremolos/6:frx-series

So unless any other system comes up, and bearing in mind that I want Filtertrons in the Tele, my preference is for the Super-Vee Bladerunner as a fully installed system or the less elegant Stetsbar Hard-Tail for a non-intrusive removable system  -  both I prefer to a Bigsby B-5. In the way GAS works (as we all know) I'm now thinking about a new Tele body from Guitarbuild routed out ready for Filtertrons and for a Bladerunner vibrato which I'd then get Paul at Retro169 to paint and age for me. Then I'd probably sell the present Warmouth body to help pay for the new one. So, do I,  don't I,  do I,  don't I...........?  Hmmmmmm

BTW @pintspiller I've not been able to find anything on the Hofner Tele vibrato you mentioned.

TheMarlin

The Wilkinson Wigsby looks great.  There are two versions.  Surface mount, and another that requires routing. 

You could always try a Bigsby B17.  Made for tele's, looks way cooler than the B5/50. 

Marlin

Jimbro66

TheMarlin said:

The Wilkinson Wigsby looks great.  There are two versions.  Surface mount, and another that requires routing. 

You could always try a Bigsby B17.  Made for tele's, looks way cooler than the B5/50. 

Marlin

Thanks for that. - I'll look those up. Cheers.

pintspiller

Jimbro66 said:

BTW @pintspiller I've not been able to find anything on the Hofner Tele vibrato you mentioned.

It was actually the Hohner I meant to refer to (I get the names mixed up, Lol). But can't find reference to a trem on the Madcat any more - maybe I imagined it all along!

Jimbro66

Right then. The Wigsby looks good but the only version I can find does need the guitar top to be routed. Does anyone have a link to the other, non-routing, version mentioned by @TheMarlin?

Bigsby B17  - probably meant to be B16? Interesting vibrato unit but still for me too much agricultural-looking metalwork. Also in my particular case it's not useable because of the intended Filtertron pickups but it may well suit anyone with a traditional Tele pickup configuration.

Really the Tele I am aiming at is a bespoke variation on the La Cabronita theme so replacing the bridge of that model with a Bladerunner vibrato is a logical change  -  albeit an expensive one!

SteveRobinson

 Put a jaguar tremolo on. You'll need to cut a hole of course but they work really well on a Tele

TheMarlin

You can also chop a B16. Looks very cool, though does require some metalwork skill. 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=chopped+B16&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#imgrc=-0KAcUVsN1UICM:

Might also need a neck shim....

Jimbro66

SteveRobinson said:

 Put a jaguar tremolo on. You'll need to cut a hole of course but they work really well on a Tele

Now that's something I hadn't thought of but as you say Steve, it works so thanks for the suggestion.



I've never owned a Jaguar but I seem to remember several posts talking about improved replacement bridges for them so do you have any recommendations for a suitable bridge in this type of setup Steve?

TheMarlin said:

You can also chop a B16. Looks very cool, though does require some metalwork skill. 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=chopped+B16&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#imgrc=-0KAcUVsN1UICM:

Might also need a neck shim....

Yesterday I found a photo of a chopped B16 on a Tele but unfortunately I can't find it again today. It looked better to me than the whole B16 caboodle but I can't say I liked it. I know it's very much a personal thing but I really don't like the look of any Bigsby on a Tele. They look great on Gretsches big-and-small and on other archtops but on a Tele?  -  no.  (IMHO of course).

If I wanted a tremolo/vibrato on a standard configuration Tele/Esquire I would probably go for this type



simply because it makes a decent job of preserving the standard look.

But going back to the first post, it's only the desire to fit Filtertrons to one of my Teles that has prompted the idea of also fitting a trem, in which case this next image probably gets pretty close to what I'd like



but with Filtertrons in bezels instead of humbuckers and maybe with a La Cabronita type pick guard, and maybe the pickup selector switch on the top bout if the wiring could be concealed. And just volume, tone and blend controls (In my experience a blend control is very worthwhile with Filtertrons and Dynatrons).

I just have to decide now whether to convert an existing Tele or order a bespoke new body. £££££££££............

Iamnobody

Just make sure you get the right handle!

Jimbro66

Iamnobody said:

Just make sure you get the right handle!

Blimey, which part of his anatomy does he use to operate that

SteveRobinson

The Mustang bridge works well with a Jaguar tremolo, or a Staytrem if you want the ultimate. 

Another option I've fitted to Teles is a Trem King but it's a lot more work and requires specialised cutters. http://www.tremking.com/

Jimbro66

@SteveRobinson said:

The Mustang bridge works well with a Jaguar tremolo, or a Staytrem if you want the ultimate. 

Another option I've fitted to Teles is a Trem King but it's a lot more work and requires specialised cutters. http://www.tremking.com/

Thanks for the bridge recommendations Steve.

The TremKing was one of the two systems I mentioned in my earlier post (the first on 10 Dec) as being the most aesthetically pleasing tremolos for a Tele  -  accepting that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It seemed to me that TremKing is a little coy about the amount of work required to install their units. It's clear from one of their videos that the Strat version will not simply drop into the standard Strat tremolo routings without some enlarging. For a Tele they skip the nitty-gritty of installation altogether and simply refer to routing with supplied templates. No mention of specialised cutters that I can see so your comment as an experienced installer is revealing. My other concern about the TremKing is the constant sawing of the strings back and forth across the carbon pins of the fixed bridge possibly causing wear or breakages?

Accepting the intonation issues of three bridge saddles, albeit compensated, of the Super-Vee Maverick it does appear on face value to be a more straightforward installation than the Tremking. The Strat version, the Super-Vee Bladerunner - which I would need on a Tele with bridge humbucker, is claimed to drop straight into the standard Strat tremolo routing without modification. That means that if I order a new Tele body with 'standard' Strat tremolo routing the Bladerunner should, in theory, be a simple installation. But is that optimistic?

Here is the installion video for the Super-Vee Maverick, which provides more detailed guidance than TremKing give:

ICBM

Washburn Wonderbar



http://university-park.org/guitar/squier/IMG_9892.JPG

Jimbro66

ICBM said:

Washburn Wonderbar



http://university-park.org/guitar/squier/IMG_9892.JPG

Perhaps just a teeny bit clunky compared to

 

   -   but cool for metalheads

Jimbro66

Jimbro66 said:

ICBM said:

Washburn Wonderbar



http://university-park.org/guitar/squier/IMG_9892.JPG

Perhaps just a teeny bit clunky compared to

 

   -   but cool for metalheads

OK, perhaps I should have been less dismissive. The advert for the Wonderbar says 'no routing required' and they claim also to have adddressed a number of the known issues with Kahlers and Floyd Roses. It's still too much of a lump for my taste but certainly no more so than the popular Stetsbar. A possible contender for some.........

SteveRobinson

See also Floyd Rose XRF!

I've fitted a few Tremkings and have the templates and router bit. A Strat needs the block cavity under cutting using a large router bit and bearing. For a Tele I think (iirc) you start by routing a Strat style cavity and then undercut again. The trem itself is excellent in operation and I wouldn't have any worries about its reliability.