Restring Wildkat?

[jrwoodall]

Hi - I recently got the turquoise wildkat I have been waiting for. Since it is used, I am cleaning it up and restringing. This is the first guitar I have owned with a Bigsby, and I have seen two different ways to restring - both over and under the roller before the bridge.

 

Is there a right / wrong way?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Ricochet]

It's supposed to go "under". As such the stringangle from the roller to the bridge is too steep, giving all sorts of troubles in regards to tuning and Bigsby-functionality. I found stringing it "over", solved the tuning issues, and presented me with a more convincing "wobble/shimmer" from the Bigsby. So to answer you question, that would be right for me.

[marvar]

I have a wildkat- I run the strings under the roller-I have no tuning issues with it whatsoever-

Do yourself a favor, or 2:

Put graphite in the nut slots.

Take a small rat-tail file and make sure the saddles are smooth on the bridge

Get the 1inch spring for about 7 bucks,(Wildkats come with the 7/8 inch) You will also have more travel with the bar, and, since there is more spring pressure, it will likely return better in tune. When you replace the spring, make sure the part where the spring begins is facing the rear of the socket (for less creaking)

[BKitten]

It goes in the bridge groove, under the rolley, and then over and around the last bit. Looks like this:

 

 

Some people go over and bypass the rolly thing because they reckon it "increases tone" (pffft) but I think that's delusional. The pictured method is the correct method. No it won't stay in tune perfectly but it's not meant to - Bigsbys were superceded for a reason.

[Ricochet]

 

Some people go over and bypass the rolly thing because they reckon it "increases tone" (pffft) but I think that's delusional.

 

LOL well since I'm the only one I know off who actually does topwrap his Bigsby(on a Wildkat)....

Did you try it, or are you just parroting someone elses opinion on matters? You must have tried, since voicing your opinion without actually having the experience is well...delusional.

[TP]

I keep my strings under the roller as well on my Casino. I have tried it over the roller and in my opinion I got a better tone from going under. It increases the break angle similar to an acoustic with a proper fitting saddle. You want a break angle over the saddles in my opinion to help keep good tension on the string. I do alternate tunings sometimes like Drop D, DADGAD or my favorite on the Casino, Open G ala Keith Richards. I feel running the strings under the roller (combined with a wound G string) helps with the tension when tuning down.

 

To be honest, I don't use a tremolo very often. It's nice to have occasionally, but I mostly like it for the look and because it keeps the Casino balanced when hanging on a strap.

 

Here's how mine looks...

 

[Ricochet]

TP that's a beauty.

 

I must stress that the topwrapped Bigsby has particularly worked well for me on 2 guitars both with a very acute angle from under the roller to the TOM-bridge.

On the Casino or similar guitars the traditional way of stringing up a Bigsby would probably work best.

 

Look at my SG(and the Kat above) and see the proximity of the roller (to the TOM-bridge) resulting in a very steep angle to the bridge, and you'll understand why going over worked for me.

 

[TP]

TP that's a beauty.

 

Look at my SG(and the Kat above) and see the proximity of the roller (to the TOM-bridge) resulting in a very steep angle to the bridge' date=' and you'll understand why [i']going over[/i] worked for me.

 

 

Thanks Ricochet.... I am really enjoying my Casino as it is my first ever P90 pickup guitar.

 

Seeing those photos of the placement of the rollar to the bridge, I can certainly understand why you would go over. Those roller bridges are right up by the bridge. On my Casino, you can see there is a considerable amount more room for a gradual upslope for the break angle.

 

Thanks for noting that, I had not considered the proximity of the rollar to the bridge in my prior post.

[BKitten]

LOL well since I'm the only one I know off who actually does topwrap his Bigsby(on a Wildkat)....

Did you try it' date=' or are you just parroting someone elses opinion on matters? You must have tried, since voicing your opinion without actually having the experience is well...delusional.

[/quote']

 

Yes I tried it. Not on purpose, just accidentally restrung the whole thing once the wrong way. Made no difference that I could detect, not better or worse. Just meant that now I had a redundant roller. I looked at the roller, wondered "what's that for?" then realised a bit later "oh crap the strings are meant to go under that" so I changed it back. Once again no tonal difference. Tone on an electric guitar is 80% fingers, 15% amp settings, 4% pickups and 1% everything else in my experience.

[Ricochet]

Fair enough, your milage may vary as they say.

FWIW I never claimed it sounded better alltho the tone did change(to my ears).

The main point of the exercise was a better funtioning Bigsby and tuningstability.

[jrwoodall]

I really appreciate the comments, and the enthusiastic debate! I just tried it over, and with the next set of strings will go under. Even across the web, there is mixed feedback on both. For example on a gretsch site that shows how to restring with a bigsby, I found four, and while none address it directly, 2 went over and two went under.

 

Thanks again!