Doin Montary Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 do bigsbys always knock guitars out of tune or will the higher end models maintain tuning even if your playing Hendrix ? if the answer is yes... lol ... is it the better tuners or is it in the better bigsby itself ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilpanda Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 its pretty common with trems in general. my fix for all my trem'd guitars is a locking nut but I think locking tuners do the same? I dont know Ive never used them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 By their very nature Bigsby's are a bit crude and tend to wander a bit re tuning I have a Deusenberg with the best take on a Bigsby design I've ever played But I still expect it to go out of tune from time to time The spectrum runs from Floyd Rose to Bigsby....if you will <_< V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 A properly sized and filed nut is essential to maintaining tuning with any vibrola type devise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadioXGtr Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 do bigsbys always knock guitars out of tune or will the higher end models maintain tuning even if your playing Hendrix ? if the answer is yes... lol ... is it the better tuners or is it in the better bigsby itself ? The main problem I've had is with initial tuning. Once tuned and broken in, it's not a big issue for me -- but an occasional tuning stray is something I've just gotten used to. I have locking tuners and they are not a remedy. I don't think a locking nut will help, either. Keeping the Bigsby's bearing surfaces lubed helps, but there are a lot of friction points in the string path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR9 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Mine has had no problems at all. It is a pain to change strings but it stays in tune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hall Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 It has always been my understanding and my finding for certain, the Bigsby is more for nuance than hard usage. It takes a good while to figure the Bigsby's usage out to best advantage of the song and the muscian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sproggie Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I don't think Bigsby's and Hendrix go together well. Bigsby's aren't good at big bends. CR9 Nic pic. I cant see the stop bar holes. Are they under the Bigs or are they not there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doin Montary Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 I don't think Bigsby's and Hendrix go together well. Bigsby's aren't good at big bends. if not Bigsby, what type of trem does Hendrix ? ... when i am playing hendrix, i dont set guitars on fire, i am not loud, i dont get feedback, in fact i am usually on acoustic or unplugged. would still like to get some of the bombing effects tho... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvar Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 There is a few thing you can do to make a Bigsby a bit more reliable. 1. If your unit has the 3/4 inch spring, go on the net and order the 1 inch spring. This will have 2 benefits, you will have more travel with the bar, and, it will return more in tune, due to the added tension. 2. Make sure the strings line up straight between the pivot point and the saddles. 3. put graphite on the saddles, and the nut slots. 4. to stop the 'creaking' noise when you use the bar, make sure that the spring is installed where the beginning of the wrap of the spring, is facing the tail end of the guitar. (under the pivot point of the handle) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I've got a Parker DragonFly with a whammy bar, it's not a Bigsby though. It has Sperzel locking tuners and a graphite nut. I don't do dive bombs on it, but it stays in tune quite well. I also "lube" the nut with pencil lead when I change the strings. I think the combination of the locking tuners, graphite nut, pencil lube, the straight path the strings take from tuner to bridge, and the short amount of string between the nut/tuners and bridge/tailpiece all contribute to the tuning stability without having to resort to a locking nut. My Parker with the whammy actually holds it's tune better than my Gibson, Epiphone or ESP and none of them have a whammy. I don't do dive bombs with it, and I follow the instructions before playing; (1) tune (2) wiggle the handle (3) re-tune. After that it's quite stable. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR9 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I don't think Bigsby's and Hendrix go together well. Bigsby's aren't good at big bends. CR9 Nic pic. I cant see the stop bar holes. Are they under the Bigs or are they not there? Thanks. No stop bar holes. It was made for the Bigsby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveg Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Original Bigsby units were supplied with a bridge (for archtops) which allowed movement in sympathy with the movement of the strings when using the unit. When installing a Bigsby on my Les Paul Recording back in '72 I also (eventually) fitted a Schaller bridge with rotating saddles which solved any and all problems - tuning and squeaks. Simple! DG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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