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

axisus · August 2013

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 · August 2013

They are perfectly serviceable for shimmery type wobbles.

octatonic · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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)

stevebrum · August 2013

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

meltedbuzzbox · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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

They do have great reviews though

PolarityMan · August 2013

But they look plain awful!

daveww · August 2013

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 · August 2013

PolarityMan said:

But they look plain awful!

I think it depends on the guitar:

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

DrBob · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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

Evilmags · August 2013

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.

Sporky · August 2013

I do think they look best on bigger guitars.

axisus · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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

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

ICBM · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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

Majorscale · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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.

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

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