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

Longtallronnie · August 2013

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 · August 2013

@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 · August 2013

@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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

Sporky said:

Or look any better.

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

p90fool · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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

.

Sporky · August 2013

I should point out that I don't actually dislike Floyds - on the right guitar they look OK and they certainly work.

My happy-place, trem-wise, is a 2-pointer with cast saddles - the latter for looks. I don't know how the performance or sound changes, but I don't like how the bent steel saddles look, and I am nothing if not superficial.

NickBotfield · August 2013

Sporky said:

I am nothing if not superficial.

You put the super in superficial.

Sporky · August 2013

Thank you!

I'm also trying to put the tiara in something but haven't yet found a word (other than "tiaras") that has "tiara" in it.

Phil_aka_Pip · August 2013

I'm a detractor, and it's not because I expect them to do the Floyd-Rose stuff that Mr Bigsby never intended his invention to do.

I am partially put off by the appearance. Purely a subjective opinion, but I think they're as ugly as sin.

I can also see @p90fool 's point about impeding access to the other controls.

I am willing to concede the point about if you set them up properly you don't have tuning issues, as I once believed that the standard strat vibrato was culpable for tuning issues on my strat, until I had it set up properly, and then the tuning problems disappeared.

However my gut reaction to the device is "it's just 'wrong' and I don't like it"

mike_l · August 2013

Sporky said:

Thank you!

I'm also trying to put the tiara in something but haven't yet found a word (other than "tiaras") that has "tiara" in it.

Princess Sporky of Tiaraland ?

RocknRollDave · August 2013

I have had a few teething issues with the Bigsby on my Gretsch G5120..but as others have said, this is down to set-up issues and a cheap and cheerful nut - Since addressing these things, the Bigsby works much better.

I think for a certain type of music, nothing less than a large, semi-hollow with a Bigsby will do. I'm 99% of the time a hard-tail, solid guitar guy, but every so often the inner Setzer wants to break free...

ICBM · August 2013

A lot of the problem with Gretsches and some other semis is the floating bridge - it tends to move when you use the Bigsby. If you fix them down properly - which can be done invisibly if you don't just crudely ram two screws through the ends of the bridge - they're a lot more stable.

PolarityMan · August 2013

octatonic said:

PolarityMan said:

But they look plain awful!

I think it depends on the guitar:

Yes you're right, they look dependably shit on any guitar.
http://www.jamesrichmond.com/misc/es295.jpg

Basher · August 2013

As always.....

Fusionista · August 2013

Great balancing and sustain gadget for an SG

OilCityPickups · August 2013

By own blend of Brit 60s/70s R&R and R&B works well with a Bigsby ... great for wobbling feedback on some more gain laden numbers. I actually get quite aggressive with it ... and I don't suffer tuning issues. Of course my personal hatred of Floyd-Combine-Harvesters is as well known as Bucket's aversion to the noble Bigsby ... so I won't even go there

Heartfeltdawn · August 2013

ICBM said:

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...

Absolutely. A Tele with a Bigsby doesnt have the same snap to it for my liking. Les Pauls and 335's, they kick butt. The Maestro trem is great on an SG, didn't like it on a 335. It makes the sound a bit more 'plinky' on a 335.

If you get a decent nut, lubricate it, and have decent tuners, you won't have huge tuning issues with a Bigsby.

Heartfeltdawn · August 2013

p90fool said:

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.

String changes are even easier with locking tuners. Any modded guitar I've had with a Bigsby has had locking Grovers to go with it. Super-duper easy string changes.

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

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