daveinspain Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I have a couple Gibsons with tremolo, a SG Standard with Lyre Maestro tremolo and a Johnny A. with a Bigsby... Both are great guitars. I never use the tremolo on the SG because it destroys the tuning and seems to always be in the way when it's in the ready to use mod. Looks great though . The Johnny a has Bigsby, not as bad on the tuning but I'd still be afraid to use it in the middle of a song and it's very big and clunky. I just picked up a Strat and I gotta say the tremolo is transparent. Doesn't get in the way, just hangs there ready to go and the guitar stays in tune... Maybe my Gibbies with tremolo aren't set up right or something? Who uses tremolo (whammy bar) on their guitars and which ones work well? BTW, I still love my Gibsons not defecting or anything like that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G McBride Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I have an American Standard Strat that I have never put the bar on. I always played without on. I just picked up a Les Paul XR-1 with a Bigsby on it and have played it a for one day. I think I like the Bigsby and maybe I should play the Strat with the Bar on it and see if I like that. The Bigsby doesn't seem to ruin the tuning too much on the LP but I have only played for a few hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 .... Maybe my Gibbies with tremolo aren't set up right or something? Who uses tremolo (whammy bar) on their guitars and which ones work well? .... I've got roller bridges on my LPs (Les Trem) and my Melody Maker (maestro) has bridge saddles - no tuning issues during or after trem use. I've used all kinds of trems/whammies - maestro, bigsby, Les Trem, Fender, Floyd - never had any trouble . . . . . once the nut (and saddles) were cut and lubed properly. So yes - setup can be an issue. Have the nut slots checked for proper width to accommodate your string gauge, and have the headstock side of the slots eased toward the peg to reduce the pinch. If you've got saddles make sure they're slotted properly for your string gauge. I use Big Bends Nut Sauce - available from most guitar retailers. <no affiliation> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 I've got roller bridges on my LPs (Les Trem) and my Melody Maker (maestro) has bridge saddles - no tuning issues during or after trem use. I've used all kinds of trems/whammies - maestro, bigsby, Les Trem, Fender, Floyd - never had any trouble . . . . . once the nut (and saddles) were cut and lubed properly. So yes - setup can be an issue. Have the nut slots checked for proper width to accommodate your string gauge, and have the headstock side of the slots eased toward the peg to reduce the pinch. If you've got saddles make sure they're slotted properly for your string gauge. I use Big Bends Nut Sauce - available from most guitar retailers. <no affiliation> Thanks I'll have a look at all that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenced Fred Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I've got a Bigsby on my Les Paul, and I ues it all the time. I use 11s and it doesn't go out of tune by much anymore compared to 10s. I might bump it up to 12s, but those are kind of hard to find... I hate Strat tremolos. I do like the jazzmaster style though on Fenders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S t e v e Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 who needs a tremelo system of any kind?, ever heard of vibrato? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl00dsm0k3 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 i like floyd rose better than bigsby maestro and fender Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAS44 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Well that Strat does have a roller nut, can come in quite useful. I never use the tremolo but she stays in tune perfectly. Glad you're enjoying it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The RandyMan Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I have both a Strat with trem and a Les Paul with a Kahler. I use the tremolo only occasionally on both but like them both and haven't had any problems with either one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 mechanically locking tuners or a locking nut would help w/the Maestro & Bigsby both.......also, pre-stretch new strings farther tan you ever plan on stretching them w/the bar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awel Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 who needs a tremelo system of any kind?, ever heard of vibrato? Steve, should I remind you Gary Moore in 1987 with his Floyd Rose Strat? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I've got roller bridges on my LPs (Les Trem) and my Melody Maker (maestro) has bridge saddles - no tuning issues during or after trem use. I've used all kinds of trems/whammies - maestro, bigsby, Les Trem, Fender, Floyd - never had any trouble . . . . . once the nut (and saddles) were cut and lubed properly. So yes - setup can be an issue. Have the nut slots checked for proper width to accommodate your string gauge, and have the headstock side of the slots eased toward the peg to reduce the pinch. If you've got saddles make sure they're slotted properly for your string gauge. I use Big Bends Nut Sauce - available from most guitar retailers. <no affiliation> Interesting.....I'm about to try roller bridges on a couple of Les Pauls...solid brass ones, and a solid brass tail.. ( for the purpose of using all nickel strings, without losing brightness..).. Anyways, I find Bigsbys very stable, even without a roller bridge..There are several types of Strat trems, I've not encountered many problems... Perhaps it takes practice to get used to a trem system.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G McBride Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I changed the strings out on my Bigsby equipped Les Paul yesterday. That is something I will have to master because it is not as easy to do as my Strat. Any tricks to that I need to know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I changed the strings out on my Bigsby equipped Les Paul yesterday. That is something I will have to master because it is not as easy to do as my Strat. Any tricks to that I need to know? Use a cap while changing strings........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 after my '04 Mexi-Teles 3rd ^E break in a years time, at the head "tree", I replaced the flat metal tree that had been worn to a sharpedge by 5 yrs string movement with a "roller tree" from GFS......$4.95 (for a pair). I can see the rolling motion as I use the bigsby, pretty neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brundaddy Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 who needs a tremelo system of any kind?, ever heard of vibrato? No. What is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 who needs a tremelo system of any kind?, ever heard of vibrato? No. What is that? you know.....those things they sell in "adul tores"......and like me they're "Banned in Bama" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I refuse to call it a tremolo bar when the effect it produces is vibrato - but that's besides the point (too bad Leo got that one wrong). I have a Parker Dragonfly/Maxxfly with Sperzel Tuners and a Graph Tech nut. It actually stays in tune better than my non-whammy guitars. I suspect it is because the Sperzel tuners have less than one wind on them. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I changed the strings out on my Bigsby equipped Les Paul yesterday. That is something I will have to master because it is not as easy to do as my Strat. Any tricks to that I need to know? I use a pair of needle-nose pliers to crimp the string at the ball end. Makes it a lot easier to get the ball end on the axle pin. For my Bigsby equipped guitar I have Sperzel Trim-Loks which helps makes the process a whole lot easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Maybe my Gibbies with tremolo aren't set up right or something? Who uses tremolo (whammy bar) on their guitars and which ones work well? Hmmmm. I love Bigsbys on Gibsons and Epiphones. A few years ago I put Bigsbys on my SG and Sheraton and my only regret is not doing it sooner. I love the look & feel of a Bigsby and I get a lot of use out of them bending chords. Recently got an SG Classic and sold the Sheraton. First thing I plan to do with the money from the Sheraton is get a B5 on my Classic. Feels really naked without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I refuse to call it a tremolo bar when the effect it produces is vibrato - but that's besides the point (too bad Leo got that one wrong). I have a Parker Dragonfly/Maxxfly with Sperzel Tuners and a Graph Tech nut. It actually stays in tune better than my non-whammy guitars. I suspect it is because the Sperzel tuners have less than one wind on them. Notes A friend of mine has lent me his Parker to try for a while. It has the most stable tremolo I have ever played in my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 For what it's worth, even in my olden days when I had several guitars with various whammies, I always blocked the motion so functionally they weren't there. The Bigsby worked fine on the Gretsch back then, but... No thanks. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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