Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I've been a Gibson player for years and have always installed Bigsbys on my SGs. It changes the tone, in a good way -- in my opinion -- on the beefy Gibson thing. As much as I want the tremolo, I hate to do it to the Ric (330) if it alters the tone at all. Any experience with this, and are there any other cooler options, other than the little Ric tremolo arm? I've heard that they don't have a return-to-zero point, so tuning is not great, right? They look really cool, though. Any advice?

Stick with the stock Accent vibrato---they attach without any screw holes, so can be added or removed without any penalty.

I think they work brilliantly too.

I think that you'll find that many of the players here really do like their Ric Accent Vibratos. They are really great for lots of shimmer in chords and notes and I've never had any issue at all with tuning. They are really well designed and the construction is solid.

I like the Accent.

Vibramate for Rickenbacker--only a matter of time...

It's gotta be better than their "solution" to putting a B5 on a Flying V!

jingle_jangle wrote:It's gotta be better than their "solution" to putting a B5 on a Flying V!

Best I ever saw: Explorer with Bigsby - pure R'n'R

Yup! And you only have to drill some holes...which is the opposite of the Vibramate's original brief...

The word vibramate doesn't sound political correct though

Lefties go for Bigsby!



Imo a Bigsby on a Ric is plain wrong, it looks too solid on one!

jingle_jangle wrote:It's gotta be better than their "solution" to putting a B5 on a Flying V!

Their "solution" is copied from Gibsons own design, featured on the 1994 Lonnie Mack Flying V.

Well, they are both butt-uggin fugly.

jingle_jangle wrote:Well, they are both butt-uggin fugly.

Yeah, if you like the Bigsby, the Accent is very similar in what it does to the sound when you use it. I have a Bigsby on my Gretsch, and played Pauls Accent equipped Ricks for a while recently, and found them to be more like each other than Floyd types or Fender types. The Accent is really the winner for Ricks in my book, and the change is totally reversable without leaving holes, or having something affect the finish by being bolted to it.

You can get an Accent or a Kaufman, or a boyd if you're lucky
The Accent is a standard Tremolo, but the Kaufman requires you to move it sideways so I've heard.

IvanMunoz wrote:The Accent is a standard Tremolo..

Un, VIBRATO, buddy! CLF got it all wrong, back then, don't you go on continuing to repeat his mistake.

jingle_jangle wrote:Vibramate for Rickenbacker--only a matter of time...

Has it happened yet?

I currently have no plans to put any kind of vibrato (or tremelo, or whatever) on my 330. However... If I were to reconsider, it would have to be a Bigsby, for the simple reason that, (as far as I know) it's the only thing I can get that's left handed.