well im doing it. bigsby on an rs 2.

[Mikeymac]

AAHHHHH the agony of it all....can someone take it in for you...WAIT JUST ONE MINUTE...You never order anything mail order and you never go anywhere,RIGHT...soooo whatsca doin,where you goin...I thought you had a couple of kids you can't bribe them to hang out and take the box in 

We're headed to Kansas City till Saturday afternoon; related to my new job starting July 1.

If it doesn't come today, I'll definitely have one of my sons stop over and check the mail and bring it in the house. I might have some time after lunch before we leave to get the Vibramate put on...so if the B5 shows up, I can drop it on the guitar pretty quick and string 'er up! Might even get a pic or two taken and posted, we'll see.

[tulk1]

We're headed to Kansas City till Saturday afternoon; related to my new job starting July 1.

If it doesn't come today, I'll definitely have one of my sons stop over and check the mail and bring it in the house. I might have some time after lunch before we leave to get the Vibramate put on...so if the B5 shows up, I can drop it on the guitar pretty quick and string 'er up! Might even get a pic or two taken and posted, we'll see.

An early Welcome to KCMO!

[Mikeymac]

An early Welcome to KCMO!

Thanks! We're staying on the southside - right off 435 and Nall Ave. The event we're at is being held at Hillcrest Covenant Church on 88th & Nall. Headed home this afternoon. Which means the Bigsby's going on tonight (if it's there)!

[JOYCEfromNS]

Which means the Bigsby's going on tonight (if it's there)!

Hope so!! No pressure but I think there is at least a few of us awaiting your experience before deciding 

[Mikeymac]

 

Here are a few pics!

Just a question for unclrob or anyone who has experience with Bigsby's:

How long does it take (with stretching, playing in, etc.) to keep a Bigsby in tune?

Is there an easy way to keep the ball end of the string on the little post while getting it attached to the tuner? I'm looking for the perfect item to stick under there to hold it on, but I haven't found it yet...thanks!

Some good news: it still fits in the case (with the arm spun around toward the butt of the body)!

[L07 Shooting Star]

Looks real good on there Mikeymac.  I know I have some tips on stringing up one of these that I saved, but I gotta look for it.  Stay tuned.

Kurt

[L07 Shooting Star]

Here is a link to Bigsby's web page regarding re-stringing.  http://www.bigsby.com/vibe/resources/how-to-string/

The trick is to
1.  Pre-bend the string as suggested.  One of my reference books suggests pre-bending the string around a wooden dowel first.
2. Make yourself a foam wedge that you can shove under the string to hold it in place until you get it tight enough on the tuning peg to keep it there.

I've only replaced the strings on my Bigsby equipped Gretch 2 times so far, and I did it the hard way.  I will be making myself a foam wedge to keep in the case for future string changes.  No doubt others will have some tips.

Regarding the strings staying in tune:  I've found that new strings do need to have been played for awhile and the Bigsby applied a number of times till they settle in.  Even then, my particular guitar returns a bit sharp sometimes after using the vibrato.  I seem to be able to get it back on pitch by wiggling the arm a bit.  It's not a big problem though and it mostly returns in tune.  I don't have a roller bridge, just the regular OEM asian made Gretch version of a tune-o-matic bridge on it.  I've had conflicting advise on using roller bridges.  Some say it's the only way to go with a Bigsby and others say it robs tone and isn't a good trade-off for the improvement it makes in the vibrato returning to pitch.  So far, I'm happy with the bridge the guitar came with.

Hope this helps,  Kurt

[unclrob]

Kurts got it the correct way.Me I use a pliers to hold the ball end when bending or just my fingers but I've been doing it for a long time.I find that once I have the ball hooked I pull the string tight and lay my arm on top of the string over the finger board.Feed the end thru the tuner post ,using my first finger I hold the string in the nut slut and pull extra string for winding around the post up about two inch's with my thumb with the other hand and a string winder wind the string up.As for keeping it in tune make sure the nut slot is big enough so the string move's freely.Remember to always guide the arm up or down don't let it bounce freely.At least 3 wraps on the post for wound strings and 4 on plain strings.DON'T overlap the strings on the post.DO make sure the string is pushing up on the evenly towards the post hole.It take's a while to get use to string up a Bigsby and using one but once you get it your use of all othe type's of vibrato arms improve's.Start with simple things along the line's of simple chord vibrato in songs then once you've made it there getting crazy like Neil Young is a piece of cake.A good song to start with would be Runaway this song will help you get your timing together.As always I'm a pm,email or phone call away.


The job looks great,What do you think of the vibromate system?

I have installed the roller bridge on a few guitars and Gretsch use to come with there version and there not much different from the tunamatic.

Kurt if you look close at the bridge on the Gretsch you will see that I shaved the back side of it.Due to the down pull of the Bigsby which cause the strings to rub against it causing some tuning issue's.

[L07 Shooting Star]

Rob, I didn't know you had done that, or I maybe forgot, but yes I just checked it out and the re-shaping is obvious.

[Mikeymac]

Yeah, I bent the strings next to the ball when I put them on. Then I used the rubber pad of a Planet Waves capo pressed up against the string post and ball to hold them in place while I worked on the tuner end. The PW capo is narrow enough to sit in there lodged against the ball and post while leaving some room for the strings to pass under the roller and over the saddles, etc. I'll be looking for a better solution for next time, though.

The tuning stability is getting much better (it's only been around 15 hours since the first set of strings went on last night). So I think I'll be happy with the stability for the "treming" I'll be doing!

Also, unclrob, I like the Vibramate for a couple reasons: first, no new holes, and second, it raises the Bigsby up enough that the strings don't hit the back of the bridge after they come out from under the roller. If I was mounting one of these without the Vibramate, I'd probably move the whole unite back a little more to compensate for the angle and keep the strings off the bridge.

I don't know if that's a purposeful part of the Vibramate design, but it works perfectly for that! 

Here's some great Bigsby vibrato work by Johnny A. Enjoy!!! 

[Mikeymac]

Somewhere in this five part interview, Johnny A talks about the Bigsby trem, and how he thinks it's great, and he doesn't understand why some folks can't keep it in tune. Like I said, he mentions that somewhere in this series of interviews/demos.

[Tio Kimo]

ok, i'll come clean.

i am NOT one of those anti bigsby people, but when you suggested one for this guitar, I had a facepalm/moment of silence in it's honor.

I was wrong. It absolutely fits.

Well done!