Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Have many modded their Rick's with bigsby's here? I only find one photo of a fireglo modded 330 on google. No video's on youtube. I'm thinking of getting back into the Rickenbacker world and might put a bigsby on it. It seems like sacriledge to do that to a 360 in my opinion though.

That's not sacrilegious at all, it seems to me. Rick and Bigsby have a traditional connection ever since Lennon slapped one on his 325. Witness the 325V59 which sports a B5 from the factory. I have one, and I also have a 430 which wears a B5. I've seen a few pics here on the board of 330s and 360s with the end-mount models of Bigsbys, too, and nobody seems much outraged about it. I think they're very cool looking.

Bigsby makes the best, and for me, the only whammy I would want for my guitars. Of course, any time you drill holes in your Rick you affect its resale value, but if your guitar is really a player for you then a Bigsby is a respectable option for a modification.

All IMO. of course.

I agree with Kira its a one way road that you take there is no going back after the holes have been drilled.I recently added a Accent that i disagreed with as it did not suit me and was happy to go back to the R on the particular guitar.If you want it go for it but take heed its not everyones cuppa tea.

Okay, well this thread needs some you-know-whats. Nothing to be ashamed of here:



Also, here's a previous thread with some pics of a strikingly beautiful 330 with added Bigsby:

viewtopic.php?f=51&t=392301&p=589628&hi ... by#p589628

And here's a nice looking (if not strikingly beautiful) 340 AFG with Bigsby B-5 added:

I agree that they're cool and historically accurate. I may end up getting a 330 and doing this. I just couldn't bring myself to do it to a 360 though.

pocaloc wrote:historically accurate

I disagree with that bit - because John Lennon put one on his guitar and there are models that come out of the factory with a Bigsby doesn't make it historically accurate if you add it to another model.

What does count is if you're going to like the modification or not. If you add it an don't like it there will be some holes.

I'm sure a member with said mod might be able to upload a youtube video so you can hear what it sounds like.

I do agree with you on not adding it to a 360 - it looks horrible. It suits the 330 much more!

Not mine..........

I haven't been brave enough to do it to mine, but I do like the thought of it - it has a look like it "means business".

Hey Werner, I guess I should't have said historically accurate. I guess I mean precedent has been set by impressive people with awesome results. Not that this all matters if it's what I want. Being a fan of Rickenbacker does place you as someone who respects the history of rock though. I also think these are classy guitars, and I would want to do it justice.

All of these examples are really cool. Thanks for the pics. That would be awesome if anyone wanted to post a video of a bigsby-ized Ric on youtube.

pocaloc wrote:Hey Werner, I guess I should't have said historically accurate.

Hey, no probs

If you do opt for modding it with a Bigsby then share a picture with us. I think a 330 because of the straight sides is much more visibly suited for a Bigsby than a 360 - evidence shown above!

I've had several with Bigsbys.........I loved 'em all. I think the 330/340 does lend itself visually better
than the other models. They now make a Bigsby that does not require holes to be drilled in the top
of the guitar......I just had an ES-335 with one of them on it.......and it looked/worked great. Don't
know if it would work with a 330 or not though.

Here's a thread from several months ago that has photos of Ricks sporting various Bigsby models: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=389602&hilit=bigsby+330

Thanks for the info guys!

I have a lefty 620 with 3 pickups and a bigsby and I love it. Very functional and looks cool. Pain to re-string though.