Bigsby trem bar opinions/experiences?

[frankmcr]

Seriously contemplating the purchase of a guitar that happens to have one. I like that they still look like something a mad genius cobbled together in his basement, but have heard some negatives re string breakage and tuning/intonation issues with them. Would welcome any opinions from those in the know.

PS - the correct term is vibrato tailpiece but trem bar is so much easier to say. IMHO . . .

[Gordon Currie]

You'll likely get all kinds of opinions. I agree they look cool in a retro way.

I personally detest them - I can never do really subtle pitch changes with them. They are pretty heavy compared to modern systems so more force is required. And I found that they didn't return to tuning consistently.

As always, YMMV.

[PTony]

I’ve found that...

1. A BiggsFix is a must for Bigsbys. It reduces the string break angle. Therefore increasing tuning stability. More info is available online. I’ve owned numerous Bigsbys and have added one to every Bigsby equipped guitar.

2. A “Super Squishy Spring” is also a must. Sold by the same gentlemen mentioned above. While it does nothing for tuning...it sure makes using the Bigsby much easier and enjoyable.

3. A well cut nut is vital. While it’s important no matter what the guitar, it’s even more vital in a Bigsby equipped guitar.

4. .011’s also aid in tuning. .010’s can work...but .011’s really seem to help keep things in tune a bit better.

5. A quality bridge also aids in tuning stability.

I’ve not experienced string breakage and I use my Bigsby in a live setting multiple times a week. Granted, I never pull up on it, and I don’t treat it as a Floyd Rose.

Hopefully these suggestions will aid in your decision.

[Steel and wood]

I put an after factory Bigsby on my Samick Greg Bennett Royale semi. (Advised to change the bridge from a stop tail tune-o-mattic to a roller bridge which I did and covered up the holes left behind using a "custom made" plaque which you see on Gibson 335's with after factory Bigsbys). I also put a Vibramate Bigsby on my Telecaster which meant no drilling into the body.

Love the look (doesn't get much better than my Telecaster in particular in my opinion) but more importantly love the ability to apply "gentle" vibrato to chords (not so much single notes) when the mood suits.

Good luck!

[rockabilly69]

I love Bigsbys, but they work better on some guitars than others. On Gretsch guitars they work great, especially with their Bar Bridges! On other guitars, break angle becomes a concern, especially when used with things like the Vibromate and an ABR bridge. I like the stock spring on my Gretsches and they don't require the BiggsFix, so not a must on my guitars, and I've owned at least ten guitars with Bigsbys, I currently own three. Things that are critical with a Bigsbys are properly cut and lubricated nut slots and bridge saddles. As for string breakage, or intonation problems, I haven't run into that, but tuning instability is very common in guitars with badly set-up Bigsbys! Some like them, but I don't personally like the Vibromate system as I don't feel they allow for the proper breakangle and I've had one on a Gibson SG, Gibson Firebird, and Gibson Les Paul Special and I didn't trust the tuning stability on any of those!

As for using Bigsbys, with practice it's very easy to get a gentle vibrato with them, and I think they are GREAT!

Here's my current Bigsby machines...

[Steel and wood]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

I love Bigsbys, but they work better on some guitars than others. On Gretsch guitars they work great, especially with their Bar Bridges! On other guitars, break angle becomes a concern, especially when used with things like the Vibromate and an ABR bridge. I like the stock spring on my Gretsches and they don't require the BiggsFix, so not a must on my guitars, and I've owned at least ten guitars with Bigsbys, I currently own three. Things that are critical with a Bigsbys are properly cut and lubricated nut slots and bridge saddles. As for string breakage, or intonation problems, I haven't run into that, but tuning instability is very common in guitars with badly set-up Bigsbys! Some like them, but I don't personally like the Vibromate system as I don't feel they allow for the proper breakangle and I've had one on a Gibson SG, Gibson Firebird, and Gibson Les Paul Special and I didn't trust the tuning stability on any of those!

As for using Bigsbys, with practice it's very easy to get a gentle vibrato with them, and I think they are GREAT!

Here's my current Bigsby machines...

Your orange 6120 is truly something else!

[GingerLefty]

Originally Posted by frankmcr

Seriously contemplating the purchase of a guitar that happens to have one. I like that they still look like something a mad genius cobbled together in his basement, but have heard some negatives re string breakage and tuning/intonation issues with them. Would welcome any opinions from those in the know.

PS - the correct term is vibrato tailpiece but trem bar is so much easier to say. IMHO . . .

Bigsby's are like bowties!!!
https://imgflip.com/i/1n79vx

[PTony]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

I love Bigsbys, but they work better on some guitars than others. On Gretsch guitars they work great, especially with their Bar Bridges! On other guitars, break angle becomes a concern, especially when used with things like the Vibromate and an ABR bridge. I like the stock spring on my Gretsches and they don't require the BiggsFix, so not a must on my guitars, and I've owned at least ten guitars with Bigsbys, I currently own three. Things that are critical with a Bigsbys are properly cut and lubricated nut slots and bridge saddles. As for string breakage, or intonation problems, I haven't run into that, but tuning instability is very common in guitars with badly set-up Bigsbys! Some like them, but I don't personally like the Vibromate system as I don't feel they allow for the proper breakangle and I've had one on a Gibson SG, Gibson Firebird, and Gibson Les Paul Special and I didn't trust the tuning stability on any of those!

As for using Bigsbys, with practice it's very easy to get a gentle vibrato with them, and I think they are GREAT!

Here's my current Bigsby machines...

I too own and have owned numerous guitars with Bigsbys. And I agree that Gretsch guitars seem to favor Bigsbys.

Regarding the spring...I had never replaced the stock spring for a softer spring. But once I did, I've never keep a stock spring in place again. Using the Bigsby for shimmer is effortless and smooth with the softer spring. Personal preference of course.

Addressing the Biggsfix...for ME, a floating bridge responds differently than a fixed bridge, and often times has less of a string break angle. The strings on the fixed bridges that I've owned seem to have a more pronounced break angle before moving under the lower roller.

For ME, the Biggsfix addresses this perfectly by reducing that severe string break. While neither the spring nor the Biggsfix are a MUST on a Bigsby equipped guitar...IMHO I've found them to be a viable solution that aids in tuning stability.

FWIW, your Gretsch stable is stellar. I'm a sucker for blue...and that Jet is stunning!

[FrankHudson]

With my intermittent finger joint stiffness issues I've grown to appreciate vibrato bridges more than I ever did in my youth.

I have several guitars with Bigsby setups. I like them. I suppose part of the charm is the connection to a design by one of the pioneers of mid-century electric guitar, but as a system they work well enough for me.

As with any vibrato system, it's best if all areas of possible slack and stiction are addressed. I personally don't have any Bigsby units without the front "tension" bar, so I don't find it's presence annoying.

I have locking tuners on one Bigbsy-equipped guitar, but on conventional tuning posts I try to avoid too may wraps. I like Teflon-y Tusq nuts too, but conventional slot lube can help. Make sure you don't have too narrow or deep a set of nut slots for your string set! Roller nuts or zero-fret might be a plus too, though I don't have either with a Bigsby. I have a roller bridge on one and Tusq Teflon-y saddles on another. I think they're a plus, but I can deal with conventional steel Tune-o-Matic style saddles/bridges. Again lube contact points lightly, but lube. I also use Elixir strings on two of my Bigsby electrics (currently Nanoweb coating). I think they help along with light lube at the nut, saddle and tension bar contact points. Traditional flat-wound strings may also help with friction at contact points.

I bend up and down, most often mild to moderate, but in my wildest Neil Young moments I'll do the wrong thing with them and I've bent upwards enough for the spring to drop out of it's cups! Kills the mood right there.
It goes without saying that your Steve Vai/Van Halen etc style bends (even Jimi Hendrix style bends) are not what the Bigsby was designed for.

I should try the soft spring sometime, as the Jazzmaster, Jaguar trem feel is softer, and I use those too.

I haven't had string breakage issues. Nor intonation issues. I suppose a bar bridge might not have ideal intonation, but I don't have any of those setups. I currently don't use heavy strings or find them necessary, though of course they are part of the traditional sound of the Bigsby era.

In theory, sound-wise they'd change the sound of a Tele or a Gibson style stop bar guitar even when they aren't being used. I haven't noticed a marked effect there having 2 Teles, a 339 sized semi-hollowbody a solid body and an full-hollow archtop with Bigsby setups and somewhat similar guitars in each case without them.

Since my earliest days with Stratocasters I've gotten in the habit of shaking the trem arm a little while not picking after a I've done a "you know it's not designed for that" bend. In theory if something is "sticking" that's designed to free it. But I'm not sure that's necessary if you've paid attention to the contact points.

Hope any of that helps.

[frankmcr]

Thanks everybody! I guess I'll go for it & be prepared to do some tinkering as needed.

[Carbonius]

A poorly functioning Bigsby will mess you up... even when you don't touch it!!

It is LIKE a floating trem in that when you do bigger bends, other strings also move. Mine was driving me crazy at first. Whole step bends would leave OTHER strings out of tune. However having the nut slots slightly V shaped at the back side of the nut, applying "Nut Sauce" AND strings wound the PRS method has all helped.

There is another option for you if the Bigsby is just too much of a hassle. This tip came right from Mr. Biggs of BiggsRix Tuning Stabilizer (the Bigsby fix guy mentioned above). If you just can't get it to work and you want a stable guitar, get some copper pipe, cut a piece to go where the spring is and all will be fine. It is a supper cheap fix that doesn't hurt the guitar and is entirely reversible.

Now that mine is dialed in pretty good, I love it. My TV Jones equipped Godin Montreal Premiere Ltd sounds fabulous with it. You just can't go nuts and expect good things. It was not designed for crazy whammy bar tricks, but for moderate vibrato.

[maxtheaxe]

FWIW I added one to a 'Gibson SG Classic', mainly because it was neck heavy and I wanted to balance it on the back end. This was a B5 and I also used a V5 Plate Mate to mount it and a Schaller roller bridge.

It actually made the guitar sound better to me...brighter & more balanced, better 'sono-coupling' to the body. It stayed in tune pretty well and didn't cause any problems with bending strings with my fingers & having other strings go out. It didn't have a whole lot of travel...certainly not as much pitch bending as a typical Strat is capable of, but it worked fine for vibey warbles.

If I'd kept that guitar I probably would have put locking tuners on, which I regard as a must for vibrato-equipped axes, and as already mentioned, a properly cut nut that doesn't bind strings is also a must.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by PTony

...Regarding the spring...I had never replaced the stock spring for a softer spring. But once I did, I've never keep a stock spring in place again. Using the Bigsby for shimmer is effortless and smooth with the softer spring. Personal preference of course.

Addressing the Biggsfix...for ME, a floating bridge responds differently than a fixed bridge, and often times has less of a string break angle. The strings on the fixed bridges that I've owned seem to have a more pronounced break angle before moving under the lower roller.

For ME, the Biggsfix addresses this perfectly by reducing that severe string break. While neither the spring nor the Biggsfix are a MUST on a Bigsby equipped guitar...IMHO I've found them to be a viable solution that aids in tuning stability.

FWIW, your Gretsch stable is stellar. I'm a sucker for blue...and that Jet is stunning!

I've tried the softer spring in my blue Jet (the one made by Reverend not the Biggsfix), and I liked the stiffer feel of the stock one. Maybe I'll try the Biggsfix one to see if I like it better. It's only $15 so it's not going to break the bank I can see how the Biggsfix would improve aftermarket Bigsby systems and maybe would have helped in the Vibramate installs I did, they are just un-necessary for most Gretsch guitars with the optimal break angle.

Thanks for the nice comment on my Gretsch's. The blue DuoJet originally had a TruArc blue glass bridge on it that looked so cool, but when the guy I bought it from shipped me the guitar, the bridge broke in shipping! So I had to use the space control bridge that is pictured. Since then, I swapped the bridge for a TruArc Titanium bar bridge, and holymoley does it sound good!

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Steel and wood

Your orange 6120 is truly something else!

Thank you, I just got it a few days ago specifically for fingerpicking in my solo shows and I really like it because of the low string clarity of the T-Armond pickups.

Originally Posted by GingerLefty

Bigsby's are like bowties!!!
https://imgflip.com/i/1n79vx

https://reverb.com/item/20592575-big...ickel-sorkinbr

[Steel and wood]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

Thank you, I just got it a few days ago specifically for fingerpicking in my solo shows and I really like it because of the low string clarity of the T-Armond pickups.



https://reverb.com/item/20592575-big...ickel-sorkinbr

Yep, can you please stop posting pictures of your new 6120. (Fuelling a severe case of GAS just when I thought I was long over it).

Stunning guitar!