Buying and fitting a Bigsby to a Les Paul

[philmcg]

A friend of mine Keith Harris who doesn't use the internet wants to fit a Bigsby to his Left Handed Les Paul (copy)
and has asked me if I can find a supplier. He wants a Gold one.
There are a few adds on the well known auction site but they all come from the USA. Here is one of the adds..

www.the well known auction site.co.uk/itm/NEW-REAL-BIGSBY-B7-G-VIBRATO-TREMOLO-WAMMY-LEFTY-TAILPIECE-GOLD-4-LES-PAUL-BODY-/281147283184?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item4175af16f0

I found a YT demo on how to fit them using a Bigsby B7 and a Vibramate V7
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWyGMfb243Q

The the well known auction site add doesn't mention the Vibramate V7 - can the bigsby be fitted using the original bridge ?
or is the Vibramate V7 essential? Would I have to source that separately ?

Does anyone know if there is a UK supplier to avoid all the import taxes etc?

Many thanks... Phil

[Charlie Hall]

Hi Phil,
Mark had a Les Paul that he had retro fitted with gold hardware, Classic 57's and a Bigsby. The Bigsby looked the same as the one in your link, with the extra roller that is supposed to be needed for Les Pauls. The bridge was not changed, and I see Neil Young's Les Paul has a Bigsby with a Tune-A-Matic bridge. It seemed to work OK up to a point but maybe because the bridge post screw threads are quite thin and therefore could flex enough for light use. I wouldn't be happy with it but then again it won't be a problem for me as I don't plan to have another Les Paul. Apparently Schaller makes what is said to be a suitable roller bridge.
Mark found that the additional roller on the Bigsby, where the strings are supposed to go under, interfered with (there is something I don't like about that expression, but nevertheless) the return to correct pitch. His solution was to put only the two E strings under the roller, and the rest of the strings over the roller. My opinion of the roller is that it would work better if it used proper bearings.
Regards,
Charlie

[philmcg]

Thanks for the good advice Charlie that all makes good sense.
I think I'll go for the one on the well known auction site tomorrow unless anyone knows of a UK supplier.
Many thanks for your reply.

Cheers Phil

[somebodyelseuk]

Hiya Phil.

www.wdmusic.co.uk/

I have a Gretsch with a Bigsby on, that also uses the FMIC version of the tunomatic bridge. On that (archtop hollow body) the bridge rocks on the posts a, like on a Jag/Jazzmaster and stays in tune for wobbles. They really don't do much more than that anyway - not even half the range of a Strat, I don't think.
When it comes to fitting, in theory it's easy enough, but you HAVE to be careful when fixing it to the front as it may need shimming. The frame will twist very easily and that will screw the tuning stability in a big way, so it's vital that what it tightens up against is on the same plain, so to speak.
Cheers, Julian

[didier]

There is another model of vibrato which can be fitted to a les Paul type of guitar, that's the Stetsbar : www.stetsbar.com/

Didier

[philmcg]

Hi Julian, Thanks for the info I agree nothing will be as good as the Strat tremolo's.
Keith is going to try one out before committing - Being a LP copy the Bigsby would be almost as expensive as the guitar.

Hi Didier - Thank you for the link to the Stetsbar web site I have relayed the info onto Keith - According to the description they sound very good and there is a UK stockist.
It's a case of never playing the guitar because it hasn't got a tremolo - we get so used to them on the strats and find it strange playing a guitar without one.

Many thanks for your replies.. Cheers Phil

[DaveC]

Hi Phil,

I'll add my endorsement of the Stetsbar.

They fit to the guitar without any modification, they're available in gold, nickel or chrome and they work flawlessly.

One UK stockist is Allparts.

Regards
DaveC

[philmcg]

Thanks very much Dave - I watched a YT demo on how to fit the Stetsbar and gave Allparts a call and have ordered a chrome RH one for my Gibson ES 335 .(£175) That should give me some more inspiration to play it.
Allparts haven't got a gold LH one in stock (For Keith's Les Paul)but they gave me the name and phone number of their supplier "Madison & Fifth" so Keith is ordering one direct from them.

Thanks everyone for your replies it certainly was a big help.

Cheers Phil

[DaveC]

Hi Phil,

I believe that Madison and Fifth can supply a "vintage" arm that looks more like the Bigsby than the Strat. I think that you'd have to buy it as an extra.

Don't forget to use some "Nut Sauce" .

Regards
DaveC

[rogerbayliss]

I got a Stetsbar on my Gibson 335 and fitted without modification. Only thing I do not really like is the trem arm is held by O rings and can be a bit sloppy as well as stiffer to move out of the way. Once setup they are quite good though and probably better than a Bigsby and look neat.

[didier]

Mar 12, 2014 16:06:17 GMT DaveC said:

I believe that Madison and Fifth can supply a "vintage" arm that looks more like the Bigsby than the Strat.

Here is how it looks :

I think that you'd have to buy it as an extra.

It's sold as an extra directly by Stetsbar.com (around $50), not sure there is a left handed version.

Didier

[philmcg]

Hi Dave, Roger and Didier - Keith has ordered his gold LH one from Madison and Fifth - a 2-3 week wait as it's a special order.
I think I prefer the look of the standard tremolo arm to the Vintage one.I'll make Keith aware that they are available.
Roger - I don't like sloppy tremolo arms so hope when I get mine it's OK. Mind you this happens on some Strats as well.
The YT demo doesn't show any sloppyness maybe they have updated their design ??
Here is the demo that impressed me.


Cheers Phil

[rogerbayliss]

Same as mine Phil Pro 11 I have managed to tighten mine a bit more but do not like the rubber O ring idea for tightening the arm ... maybe a felt washer might work better.