dbirchett Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Seriously though' date=' I have found the quality of the B70 to be just as good as the American made B7. Also the 3 mounting holes on the base of the B70 make installation easier than the B7 with it's 4 holes IMHO. Hopefully this helps. - Jay[/quote'] Jay, I am not sure that I agree with this statement, but I have only installed the B7. What I liked about it was that the center was open so that I could hold it in place by the centered end pin before any holes were drilled. With the B70, the center hole is probably not going to line up with the end pin so you are going to have to adjust for that as well and drill the center hole before anything is lined up. Not rocket science but in my mind it cancels out the advantage of drilling fewer holes. Now if the center hole on the B70 happens to line up with the center hole, then I would change my mind. Either is probably going to do the job for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbirchett Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Hey thanks a lot. I was actually looking to buy a Sheraton before I got the JP. I ran across your mods and I have to say you did one hell of a good job! Anyway' date=' thanks again for the advice. I can see what you mean. [/quote'] Thanks for the kind words. Keep us posted on your progress. PM me if you have questions and I will TRY to answer them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 b7 american>b70 import>b700 import comes in blackb7 is best quality' date=' musiciansfriend has em for 120 shipped.[/quote'] Why is everyone assuming the B700 only comes in black? It comes in nickel and gold finish too. FWIW I've heard claims of people actually preferring the 70 or 700 import version, same quality as the 7s version minus the 'USA handmade' pricetag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 Jay' date=' I am not sure that I agree with this statement, but I have only installed the B7. What I liked about it was that the center was open so that I could hold it in place by the centered end pin before any holes were drilled. With the B70, the center hole is [b']probably[/b] not going to line up with the end pin so you are going to have to adjust for that as well and drill the center hole before anything is lined up. Not rocket science but in my mind it cancels out the advantage of drilling fewer holes. Now if the center hole on the B70 happens to line up with the center hole, then I would change my mind. Either is probably going to do the job for you. I had the same problem with the B70 I put on my Dot. I thought it would be an easy line up, and in theory it is. I had to redrill my end pin hole to like up with my B70. Not extremely hard, just one more step that I was hoping I wouldn't have to do. I haven't done a B7, so this is just speculation. Since there is play in the end pin hole at least you can put the end pin in and tighten it up to drill the other holes in the end of the B7 a little easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpdeluxe Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 Back to the issue of tuning problems: I played a '63 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gent as my main gigging guitar for 15 years, and after I discovered the secret, never had tuning problems again. As dbirchett said, heavier strings are a must. I used a .011-.052 set with a wound 3rd. The Bigsby doesn't tolerate low tension strings such as Slinkies. The important thing is to be aware that the Bigsby works by rotating the bar the strings mount on. Every time you tune a string up, you are detuning the other strings, by rotating the bar as you tighten the string. I tuned all the strings close to pitch, then simply tuned up all the strings in sequence until they were all up to tune. It's slower than tuning up a guitar with a stop tailpiece, but once you learn the drill it gets easier and faster. I'm contemplating a Bigsby for my SII, but I've also got my eye on a Gibson SG that I want to mount a Bigsby Palm Pedal on. Now THAT would be a gas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyvn Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 First of all, I would not use a B-7, Get the B-3 instead. The difference is that the B-7 has a tension bar at the top. It is designed to be screwed through the top into the center block of the semi-hollow guitar such as a Dot/335/Sheraton. You don't normally want to screw something like that into an unsupported top. I'm going to check with Bigsby, but it's interesting that my ES-330 VOS reissue came with a Bigsby B7 factory installed. The 330 should have the same hollow body as a Casino, right? Any thoughts about this? Thanks much...I'm wanting to throw a Bigsby on my Elitist Casino and want to get as much knowledge as possible beforehand! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis G Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I put a B700 on my Dot almost a year and a half ago. I wanted a black one, and the 700 was the only one that came in black: I bought it from Amazon, although MF has them (black only) now for the same price I paid then. It says Bigsby on it so who knows what the real differences are. I have four guitars with Bigsby's, and granted use the B's only sparingly, no dive bombing. I've not felt a need to install roller bridges on any of them, since I don't have tuning issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Thanks much...I'm wanting to throw a Bigsby on my Elitist Casino and want to get as much knowledge as possible beforehand! John On the Casino, you want the Bigsby with tension bar --- the B-7, B-70 or B-700. Because the bridge is mounted flush, you need the extra break angle of the tension bar. A B-6, B-60, or B-600 will not work. A B-3 or B-30 can work if you use heavier strings --- no less than .011's, but is still less than ideal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis G Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 "Sister" thread. Worth a read. http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/120546-hot-rodding-an-elitist-casino/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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