aldiablo Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Hey guys, So I've decided on getting an Epiphone Elitist Casino in Vintage Sunburst. Gonna be ordering it this week. Can't wait now! I'm also gonna be ordering a Bigsby to get fitted onto it as I've gotten quite used to having one on my Gretsch and have incorporated it into some songs and now need one to get through a whole set. I wont be fitting it myself. I'll have my guitar guy do it as I wouldn't trust myself with it. Have any of you guys had any experience in putting a Bigsby on a Casino and which one works best? I know either a B3 or a B7 works on it. The B7 requires drilling I know and has the tension bar. It also seems to be the more popular choice. Paul and George had one on their Casino's from the look of it and I've read that a lot of people prefer the tension bar as it gives more stable tuning etc. The B3 doesn't require drilling, which is a plus, and has no tension bar. I have one of these on my Gretsch as it came with it and it works just fine. The tuning is fine on it to. Well as good as can be expected from a vibrato arm. They'll always send it a little out now and again. The main plus of the B3 is that you dont need to drill into the guitar but I'm thinking there must be a reason why players tend to go with the B7. Any advice or opinions? Thanks, Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 I'd go with a B7, apart from the extra tuning stability,they just look soooo cool. You don't have to drill any holes if you use a Vibramate, which is a system of adapter plates that uses existing holes and mount points to attach the Bigsby. Vibramate Website Don't forget for best operation you want the least amount of resistance on the strings, a roller bridge and TusqXL nut are an ideal combination for achieving this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 The B7/B70/B700 was specifically designed for thinline guitars (like the Casino) where the bridge mounts directly into the face of the guitar. The B3 does better on guitars with a floating bridge mounted on a wooden saddle. The reasons have to do with the break angle of the strings over the bridge --- the steeper angle provided by the roller bar on the B-7 makes for more downward pressure on the bridge, which creates more sustain, better note definition, and strings seated more securely in the bridge saddles. I have a Casino with an Epi Vibro-tone (modeled after the B7) with the roller bar, and a Sorrento (which is pretty much a single cutaway Casino) that came with a B-3. The Vibratone is definitely better --- smoother and more sustain. When I got the Sorrento, it came with light strings (9's or 10's), and they would slip out of the bridge saddles on heavy bends. I replaced the strings with 11's, and the B-3 works fine with them (no more slipping), but I would definitely advise the roller bar B-7 style for a Casino over the B-3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkuss Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 B7 all the way. I think for an Elitist the USA Bigsby would be a fitting match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 I gotta agree on the B7, they just look soo nice. The Vibramate won't work on the Casino. Teh Casion doesn't have a stop tailpiece. It won't work on any 335 style guitar for that matter. The distance from the stop tailpiece is too far from the end pin on the guitar. I have a Vibramate and B7 on an Agile AL-3000M Necktru, LP clone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonCarlos Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Don't know if you can still find these out there, but I always liked the vibratone on my casino. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkuss Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 With the B7 another advantage is that if you ever sell it you will draw more interest from potential seller for a few reasons. -Reliable combination of Casino and B7. I think a lot of people would be wary of buying a Casino with anything but a B7 style or Epiphone original vibrato unit. -The B7 would never need upgraded. It's a perfect match - I've sometimes been put off guitars because it had a cheaper unit attached and often different holes need to be drilled for an upgrade. Especially on an more expensive model like this one. -The George Harrison/Paul McCartney factor. But then again, if you intend on keeping it forever and you want something else then you should go with what you want! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldiablo Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share Posted June 28, 2011 Thanks for the replies and advice guys! I actually emailed Bigsby about it there and they replied pretty quickly, which is cool. The guy that got back to me was really helpful and he confirmed that both a B3 and a B7 fit and work fine on a Casino but that a lot of players prefer the B7. He didn't give an opinion on which he thought would work best though. He did say that the B3 and B11 are the standard models. He said that the B7 is generally reserved for guitars with a centre block as it requires screw but that often the Casino, especially newer models, are thick enough to handle the drilling. I'm assuming the Elitist can definitely handle the B7 and drilling right? I'll definitely put a set of 11's on it anyway. I'm assuming that they come with 10's? Those Vibramate's look interesting, handy to. It's a pity they dont fit the Casino. The B7 does look real cool on a Casino alright. Put one of them on and take the scratchplate off and they look great! Just like George and Pauls! As I said the main plus point to the B3 is the no drilling thing. Plus I've had a good experience with one on my Gretsch. A White Falcon and a Casino are two different guitars though and as I said there must be a reason why you only really see B7's, or a vibrato like in, on a Casino. I actually dont think I've ever seen a B3 on one. The Bigsby guy did confirm that they work fine on one though. Maybe it's just that the B7 works better. The only down side is the drilling into the top. Plus I seem to remember using a guitar with a B7 or something like it years ago and the stringing up was a bit of a pain with the tension bar there. It's something you'd get used to I guess. It's a good point to Clarkuss that a B7 wouldn't turn potential buyers off but would actually probably draw them to it more. Not that I'm planning on selling it. Hell I haven't even gotten it yet! Any of you guys had much experience with installing a B7? How many holes actually need to be drilled etc.? Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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