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Adding a bigsby to a 2011 studio


ajzwart

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Hey guys! So I've wanted to add a bigsby tremolo to my LP for a while now, and I've just got one question. A gc employee said it really cuts the sustain LPs are known for, but I Remmeber reading here that it doesn't change, and possibly even increases sustain! Any thoughts/knowledge that could back up these statements? Thanks!

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A G.C. employee ???? Just hired on from Burger King ????

 

The answer is subjective...But.......A Bigsby will NOT decrease sustain if installed right............

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Vibramate is totally unnecessary unless you just want to blow extra cash for no reason.

 

The strap button will fasten the Bigsby tailpiece to your LP, and string tension will guarantee proper alignment. After the strap button is reattached (but before the final turns of the screw bite everything down) string up and tune up, then crank that screw home.

 

I have this setup and have played it through the Gulf Coast, Midwest, and West Coast. Never had a problem and never needed an adapter kit or drilled any holes.

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Vibramate is totally unnecessary unless you just want to blow extra cash for no reason.

 

The strap button will fasten the Bigsby tailpiece to your LP, and string tension will guarantee proper alignment. After the strap button is reattached (but before the final turns of the screw bite everything down) string up and tune up, then crank that screw home.

 

I have this setup and have played it through the Gulf Coast, Midwest, and West Coast. Never had a problem and never needed an adapter kit or drilled any holes.

 

My nerves would prevent me from using that installation variation.

I would be constantly thinking something might accidently contact the Bigsby hard enough to move it and scrape the top. . :-k

 

 

.

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My nerves would prevent me from using that installation variation.

I would be constantly thinking something might accidently contact the Bigsby hard enough to move it and scrape the top. . :-k

 

You could use a big nail or super glue.

.

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A G.C. employee ???? Just hired on from Burger King ????

 

The answer is subjective...But.......A Bigsby will NOT decrease sustain if installed right............

 

Installing it won't effect sustain one bit. It's USING it that is a problem.

 

rct

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On a side note, I have been thinking of getting one of these myself. My question is, will it still fit in the original Gibson HSC????

 

 

I have the vibramate on my LP Deluxe. I fit it into the original Gibson case by turning the vibrato arm so that it points toward the bottom of the guitar -- as far as it will go clockwise. It's been over a year. No problems. I really like how it augments the tone of the mini humbucker pickups.

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+1 on the Vibramate.

 

At first glance, it looks to be awful thick, but once you install it, you wont notice it again.

 

Better than drilling holes into a beautiful top. Besides, what is REALLY wrong in investing another ~$100 into a guitar you love in order to protect it?

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You might want to look at the Stetsbar tremolo systems. They install with existing holes, without any modification to your LP, and you can go back to the original bridge any time you want.

 

The Stetsbar keeps the strings in tune well when you are not pressing or lifting the trem bar, so bending strings don't de-tune [flatten] the other strings. The range is about two octaves - you can't go down to floppy loose.

 

If anyone has tried a Stetsbar trem out, i'd like to hear about it, because i am about to order one. B)

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You might want to look at the Stetsbar tremolo systems. They install with existing holes, without any modification to your LP, and you can go back to the original bridge any time you want.

 

The Stetsbar keeps the strings in tune well when you are not pressing or lifting the trem bar, so bending strings don't de-tune [flatten] the other strings. The range is about two octaves - you can't go down to floppy loose.

 

If anyone has tried a Stetsbar trem out, i'd like to hear about it, because i am about to order one. B)

 

I've been looking at those also. It looks like it'd be ultimately simple to install, and certainly no modifications. Also, the Bigsby to which a Vibramate attaches is the version with the tension bar, which I hear is not as stable tuning-wise as the typical Bigsby (as on a 6120). My question about the Vibramate is the travel. In other words, can you use it to get a good gentle partial half-tone pitch change for just a little "warble" like a Bigsby, or is it more of a Floyd sort of divebomb thing.

 

So, I'd also like to hear from anybody who has experience with this gizmo.

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I've been looking at those also. It looks like it'd be ultimately simple to install, and certainly no modifications. Also, the Bigsby to which a Vibramate attaches is the version with the tension bar, which I hear is not as stable tuning-wise as the typical Bigsby (as on a 6120). My question about the Vibramate is the travel. In other words, can you use it to get a good gentle partial half-tone pitch change for just a little "warble" like a Bigsby, or is it more of a Floyd sort of divebomb thing.

 

So, I'd also like to hear from anybody who has experience with this gizmo.

I have Bigsby's on all my guitars except my Strat. I have no problem with any of them staying in tune. It is all about how you install them and then set them up. I always change out the bridge saddles and nut to Graphtecks. On my Les Paul I used a Vibramate...so no drilling extra holes. Another good option is a Towner roller. I used this on my Midtown Custom and it works perfectly. As long as you remember a Bigsby is not a Floyd Rose you will be fine.

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I have Bigsby's on all my guitars except my Strat. I have no problem with any of them staying in tune. It is all about how you install them and then set them up. I always change out the bridge saddles and nut to Graphtecks. On my Les Paul I used a Vibramate...so no drilling extra holes. Another good option is a Towner roller. I used this on my Midtown Custom and it works perfectly. As long as you remember a Bigsby is not a Floyd Rose you will be fine.

 

Fine looking guitars you have there!

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I've heard a couple before/after videos showing Bigsby installs and I have heard people say both about the sustain but on my 5120 Gretsch I don't have any complaints about the sustain. Of course the only thing stock on that is the body, neck, frets and Bigsby but even before that it had decent sustain. I can say that you can expect a warmer/darker tone.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I just recently put a Bigsby on my 1999 Clasic LP using the Vibramate adapter. It went on smooth as sik and now stays in tune better than before. Why I am not sure but it stays in tune and has great sustain. I love it!

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hi!

 

my two cents as a Bigsby afficionado. Yes, the Bigsby does decrease the sustain. This can be barely noticeable (like in the case of my horseshoe bigsby on an Epiphone G400 = SG), although I have to admit that this problem got better when i removed the vibramate and screwed the bigsby directly on the body. remember that a rather massive piece of metal has to vibrate as well as the remainder of the guitar when you pluck a string, and this energy may be lost to some extent ...

 

tuning stability is not the big problem with a roller bridge and fat strings - i use 012-sets. when comparing the epi to my sg standard, it is evident that there is slightly less sustain, but that may also be a matter of wood, quality and so on. the SG standard is the better guitar, no doubt ...

 

on another cheap semiacoustic - a vgs mustang 110 - i just removed the bigsby. no. 1 problem of that guitar is that the hardware, including the pickups, suck - which is little surprise for a 380 € guitar (... but it looks so cool :) ...). problem no. 2 with the bigsby was that the tone literally died in seconds. I guess that the problem here was the fact that the B3 from a gretsch (without the additional push-down roller) applied too little pressure on the bridge. after removing the B3 and re-installing the stringholder, everything was fine again.

 

so - as a simple advice - try it, and get rid of it if it doesn't work ...

 

yours

wolfi

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