pauliepaulie Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Hi all. I've noticed that when I use the Bigsby on my Casino, the bridge (stock) rocks a bit. It's a bit disconcerting as I suspect it causes undue stress on the body where it meets the bridge. Is it a problem? All points where strings meet nut and saddles have nut sauce applied. Ta, Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeoff Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 I don't see any problem ————————————————–————————————————– Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 IMO the 'daddy of Bigsby-dom' Gretsch mostly use roller bridges for this reason... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vomer Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 I'd guess it's the bridge moving on the posts rather than the studs moving in the body. Could you confirm this? If it is, I wouldn't worry about it, or if it bothers you (it would me) you can replace the bridge with a locking Tone Pros for around 40 of our English pounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Absolutely nothing to worry about. In fact, Bigsby made a bridge to go with their vibratos that rocked on the posts, the intention being to reduce the chance of strings binding on the saddles and improve tuning stability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 IMO the 'daddy of Bigsby-dom' Gretsch mostly use roller bridges for this reason... V Not true --- Gretsch uses a variety of bridge types on their guitars, only one of which is a roller type. Interestingly, this bridge is disliked by many Gretsch enthusiasts. Gretsch did, however, invent the "rocking bar bridge" which they used on many of their guitars, including the Country Gentleman. This was a curved piece of metal with string slots, and is designed to rock on the base with Bigsby use. The flaw in this design was that it did not always match the fingerboard radius, resulting in uneven action. There is a company now (Tru-Arc Bridgeworks) that has perfected this design and makes rocking bar bridges to exactly match the radius of a specific guitar (not just Gretsches, either), and are offered in brass, aluminum, copper, stainless steel and glass, each of which has different tonal properties. I have Tru-Arc bridges on two of my Bigsby-equipped guitars, and can testify that they are excellent for their intended purpose. They also enhance tone and sustain even when the Bigsby is not in use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigneil Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Not true --- Gretsch uses a variety of bridge types on their guitars, only one of which is a roller type. Interestingly, this bridge is disliked by many Gretsch enthusiasts. Gretsch did, however, invent the "rocking bar bridge" which they used on many of their guitars, including the Country Gentleman. This was a curved piece of metal with string slots, and is designed to rock on the base with Bigsby use. The flaw in this design was that it did not always match the fingerboard radius, resulting in uneven action. There is a company now (Tru-Arc Bridgeworks) that has perfected this design and makes rocking bar bridges to exactly match the radius of a specific guitar (not just Gretsches, either), and are offered in brass, aluminum, copper, stainless steel and glass, each of which has different tonal properties. I have Tru-Arc bridges on two of my Bigsby-equipped guitars, and can testify that they are excellent for their intended purpose. They also enhance tone and sustain even when the Bigsby is not in use. Yea, my Gretsch has an ordinary tune-o-matic style mounted on a bit of wood. and it rocks a little with the play in the mounting pins when i work the bigsby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliepaulie Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Yes, it's the whole post that rocks from the surface of the guitar. I assumed that the strings would slide over the saddles rather than forcing the bridge to rock. Ta. Paulie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vomer Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 That's not so good then. I've seen Les Pauls where the studs have been pulled forwards as the wood has failed. Options would include ignoring it and hoping it doesn't get any worse, assuming it's not already affecting your intonation too badly, or getting advice from a luthier about replacing some wood around the stud area. Patching the front of the holes with the usual glue and toothpicks method might work but it would need careful finishing. Get luthier advice would be my advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Don't the modern Casinos have posts that screw into studs mounted into the body though? It would take a lot of force to compress the wood fibres across the surface area of a bridge stud. It's more likely to be a combination of play between the post and stud, play between bridge and post, and flexibility in the post itself. Even on 60s guitars with the bridge posts screwed directly into the wood I've handled many 330s and Casinos with Bigsbys and don't recall ever seeing one with the posts or surrounding wood damaged through use of the Bigsby. The closest comparison I can think of is on vintage Les Pauls with the posts mounted straight into the body, where the posts themselves sometimes end up bent forward. I just checked the bridge on my Gibson ES355 to see if the bridge rocks when I use the Bigsby and sure enough it moves - but i've owned it for 20 years, use the Bigsby as a big part of my playing style and it hasn't developed any issue in the time I've owned it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliepaulie Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 thanks Jayyj for checking yours out too. That's exactly what I'm getting. There is no visible damage, I was just concerned that it may cause damage down the track, and thought it odd that it did it rather than the strings slide across the saddles. Maybe they all do it. I guess I should just CTFD (Calm The F… Down) as an old friend puts it, and just play it. ta, paulie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vomer Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 It would take a lot of force to compress the wood fibres across the surface area of a bridge stud. It's more likely to be a combination of play between the post and stud, play between bridge and post, and flexibility in the post itself. This is what I was asking, although Jayyj expressed it better. If the wood is OK, you can leave it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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