Bigsby or no?

[ksdaddy]

Last week I picked up a '58 Gretsch with a regular tailpiece. Not really a trapeze but stamped, rigid and heavy. I bought a Bigsby B6 for it and while it does what it's supposed to do, I also found it to be a tone killer. The unwound strings go thud instead of twang, like they've got lint hanging off them. Dead as a doornail. I'm guessing it has mainly to do with the decreased break angle behind the bridge.

 

I'm going for the rockabilly thing (other than Telecaster that I already have). But I'm now questioning how prevalent tremolo was in the 50s other than Duane Eddy. Brian Setzer makes it look like rockabilly couldn't exist without a Bigsby and guys like Reverend Horton Heat echo it. I wonder how much is revised history.

 

Just trying to justify my thoughts of yanking it off there and going back to the original tailpiece, even though it's only been on there a half hour.

 

Doesn't make sense to choke the life out of a guitar for something I may never use. Or find myself using as a crutch.

 

Thoughts?

[rct]

Friends don't let Friends bigsby.

 

rct

[Dennis G]

Well, I have four guitars with Bigsby's. Two came that way (Gretsch 5122DC and Ept Wildkat). I added a Bigsby to my Casino and Dot. I don't dive bomb with it, and hence have no tuning issues. If you like 'em, go for it.

[EVOL!]

Friends don't let Friends bigsby.

 

rct

 

 

:(

[EVOL!]

I love tremolo bars. Both my SGs have Bigsbys and the other guitar I abuse listeners with is a Jazzmaster. However, if the Bigsby is hurting the tone of you guitar, take it off. It's better to be bathing in delicious sounds than to suffer through a guitar that doesn't do it for you.

[pippy]

If it's killing the tone then take it off and don't give it a second thought.

 

P.

[stein]

Not much experience with Bigsby, but my understanding is most folks most of the time like them not for the whammy, but because of the look, and that it is an improvement to the tone.

 

I wonder why in your case it sounds so dead compared to before? Is this often the case?

 

Not expecting you would do what I would, but if it were me I would leave it on and mess with it just to see if I could learn why. Then if it is a "fail", at least I will have learned something.