Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Speaking of cool Bigsby mods, I like the one that Paul W. likes to do - namely, he removes the tab, or lug with the screw hole that is nearest the bridge, and then drills underneath the spring, thus hiding that forward screw and giving a cleaner footprint to the B5.

kiramdear wrote:Speaking of cool Bigsby mods, I like the one that Paul W. likes to do - namely, he removes the tab, or lug with the screw hole that is nearest the bridge, and then drills underneath the spring, thus hiding that forward screw and giving a cleaner footprint to the B5.

Yes yes yes. Aesthetically it works so much better on Rickenbacker guitars with ramps. I don't really mind that little tab so much on other instruments like an SG, but it really bothers me on Ricks.

Grey wrote:Is it really a 'problem'? It takes a few extra seconds, i've never had any problem with those little posts on the bigsby and i've never had to use any tools to do it, either. If you can restring a guitar then you can setup a bigsby.

I'm with you, Erik, IIRC I actually find the pins to be useful when restringing a guitar with a Bigsby, and like you, I don't use any special tools. .

doctorwho wrote:

Grey wrote:Is it really a 'problem'? It takes a few extra seconds, i've never had any problem with those little posts on the bigsby and i've never had to use any tools to do it, either. If you can restring a guitar then you can setup a bigsby.

I'm with you, Erik, IIRC I actually find the pins to be useful when restringing a guitar with a Bigsby, and like you, I don't use any special tools. .

Yes, I'm with you fellows on this.

I'm tickled pink for all of you who have no problem stringing a Bigsby.

But for the rest of us, we DO have a problem stringing a Bigsby, i.e., those of us who go to the trouble and expense of boring holes through this contraption or who buy a "quick fix" product (for $40.00) that is specifically designed to capitalize on the huge demand to address this frustrating problem.

Also, for those of us who play live, an extra few minutes is a luxury we don't have when a string breaks. But whether or not a performance is live or sitting at home by the fire, if a task requires more time to complete than it should, and a solution is at hand, then I'm all for it!

Here's two videos that show the easiest way for stringing for a Bigsby-equipped guitar.




Works for me.

My father uses the capo method, I just hold it with my thumb and it works the same.

Po-TA-toe, po-TAH-toe, whats it matter? Enjoy your Bigsbys....

I can kind of see both points of view regarding the difficulty of stringing up a Bigsby (of any kind). If Andy is taking off all of the strings when putting on a new set, it can very frustrating to do--although not as bad as restringing an "R" 12-string tailpiece!

It wasn't until I saw the suggestion (on this forum) to replace the strings one at a time that it became a lot easier. Having the other strings keep constant tension on the Bigsby makes it so much easier. Then, all that's needed is a little bend of the ball end to keep it on the mounting pegs. But I must admit, drilling through the bar is an elegant solution.

kiramdear wrote:Speaking of cool Bigsby mods, I like the one that Paul W. likes to do - namely, he removes the tab, or lug with the screw hole that is nearest the bridge, and then drills underneath the spring, thus hiding that forward screw and giving a cleaner footprint to the B5.

Sorry for the dumb question. Are there any pics of this mod?

Andy

I do the pinch bend on the ball end also; it works great. This also works great for restringing the "R" tailpiece-it's easier to hook the string into the underside slot; I use the capo for restringing a Rick 12 (or any Rick) with the "R" tailpiece, but haven't felt the need to with the Bigsby.

Getting back to the original question. Has anybody tried a Vibramate kit so the installation would be reversible?

http://www.vibramate.com/index.php

Spanky(Andy) wrote:

kiramdear wrote:Speaking of cool Bigsby mods, I like the one that Paul W. likes to do - namely, he removes the tab, or lug with the screw hole that is nearest the bridge, and then drills underneath the spring, thus hiding that forward screw and giving a cleaner footprint to the B5.

Sorry for the dumb question. Are there any pics of this mod?

Andy

Sorry, I can't remember exactly, but if you search through Paul's section and the "Projects Nearing Completion" thread in particular you may get lucky. I wish I could be more helpful.