Bought a Bigsby Bender, just need a guitar

Bought a Bigsby Palm bender. From my research it appears to be a B7 style(?).
Pics when it arrives.
Unfortunately, won't fit anything I own.
Suggestions? Silvertone, Harmony, ...?

Harmony Rocket is a great sounding guitar. could look and sound cool with the bigsby.


http://p2.la-img.com/306/22769/7973143_3_l.jpg

Bought a Bigsby Palm bender. From my research it appears to be a B7 style(?).
Pics when it arrives.
Unfortunately, won't fit anything I own.
Suggestions? Silvertone, Harmony, ...?

Where on earth did you find it? I have looked around and nobody seems to sell them, except for eBay sellers asking $1000 or so for them.

I've put the Bigsby palm pedals on 335's, Les Pauls, Gretsch style guitars. Never figgered out a way to do them on a Tele style. I modded one (palm pedal unit) that ended up with four benders on it; it made it's way around the globe and finally ended up in the capable hands of fellow forum member Gumbo in Australia. He managed to put it on his Tele.

As far as cost, I've never paid over $125 for one. I saw the one of the "Bay" the guy was asking $995.00 for it, but he is nuts and it will never sell for that unless it is to someone nutsier than him.:lol::shock:

I've put the Bigsby palm pedals on 335's, Les Pauls, Gretsch style guitars. Never figgered out a way to do them on a Tele style.

Couldn't you used the standard Tele kit that you would use for fitting a bigsby trem?

Or do what I did...

BTW - anyon know where I can find a new Bigsby logo to fit over the screw on the front?

Absolutely could fit one on a tele NOW, MrTwang; gorgeous lookin' rig, there. At the time, tho, I quit using palm pedals and went to the HipShot B/G benders which I still prefer to this day. 25 years ago I wasn't nearly so confident with "fitting/altering" stuff to make it work as I am now. Plus, I now have access to lotsa tools and resources for advice/help that I didn't have back in the early 80's.

Aaahhhh, how did we make it back then without the TDPRI and the InterMess??????

Absolutely could fit one on a tele NOW, MrTwang; gorgeous lookin' rig, there. At the time, tho, I quit using palm pedals and went to the HipShot B/G benders which I still prefer to this day.

Yes, I'm with you there. I find the Bigsby levers get in the way when I'm not using them. When I first got them there was a lot of guitar swapping going on but once I discovered the Hipshot the Bigsby guitar was used for recording only.

Fellow forum member and super picker J.Hayes uses to palm pedals and loves them. I always ended up either cutting the levers down short or modifying the "bend angle" somewhat. I certainly don't dismiss the palm pedals cause I've heard guys use them to great effect. For my Chet Atkins/Merle Travis type thumb pick and finger style the palm pedals are simply in my way.

Others cite the G lever on the HipShot as being "in their way". The way I get around that little issue is run the G lever in the same direction as the neck, tighten it down to where you couldn't move it with dynamite, and cut the end of the lever off to where it falls just behind the saddles. Works great for me. Will see if I can get a pic up of one of mine done this way. (photobucket has been a little un-cooperative at times)

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd52/dedrinkel/mytelecasters007.jpg

Guess I got more than "one" of these beasties, huh...??????:lol::grin:

I paid a bit more than $125 unfortunately- got it for $200.
Oh well. I've been looking around at. "335ish" guitars. Maybe a ES135, Guild T100...
Something that I won't feel bad drilling holes in...maybe something that already has a B7 on it.

I paid a bit more than $125 unfortunately- got it for $200.
Oh well. I've been looking around at. "335ish" guitars. Maybe a ES135, Guild T100...
Something that I won't feel bad drilling holes in...maybe something that already has a B7 on it.

ya have to consider when I said I never paid over $125 for one, I haven't bought one in many years, as I now exclusively use HipShot systems and my P/G highly modified bender system with B/G/and A benders on it.

I don't reckon $200 is a bad price. I was just saying that the guy on Ebay trying to get $999.00 out of HIS is gonna be trying for a llooooonngggggg time....:twisted: $999.00 IS a VERY bad price!

to add to the collection. I'd like to find a gold one for my Ibanez Artist solid body in the short version. I have two gold BPP's on an Epiphone Sheraton and an Epiphone Riviera P-93. I also have 'em on a Gibson SG, an old Gibson Les Paul, two Epiphone Les Pauls and an Epiphone Casino.... I think that $180 or so is all I've ever paid for any of 'em. The one on my Casino was given to me by a guy who got in in a box of musical stuff he bought at a yardsale and didn't know what it was but he'd seen one on another of my guitars so he just passed it over to me, no charge. Another one I aquired by placeing an ad in the "Wanted To Buy" section on the Steel Guitar Forum and picked one up for $100.... I put an ad there recently to find another gold one but haven't had any luck at all on that one.... Here's some shots of mine..........JH in Va.

of the Bigsby Palm Pedal guitars. The first is an Epiphone Les Paul in a silver sparkle finish.... Then a shot taken in the mid seventies outside of a club I was working in Huntington Beach, Cal. called the "Swizzle Stik" The BPP is on my old '68 Gibson Trini Lopez guitar. It was a three lever version as I'd aquired an extra lever from a guy who put a BPP on a Telecaster and just used the B lever and sold me the "cut off" G lever for $10.... I sold this guitar about 8 years ago to a guy but I took the 3rd lever off of it and I don't remember where I stashed it as I can't seem to find it anymore... Next is an action shot of my old Gibson Les Paul taken at a private party in Newport News, Va. Next is a shot of my BPP Hero and old friend Al Bruno at a gig in Las Vegas a few years ago. The last is Al on guitar and me on steel at a club somewhere in Las Vegas a couple of years ago... Al was the man with a BPP for many years but due to an affliction he's not able to pick much anymore for any period of time......JH in Va.

Hey JH! I've been checking out your posts on the Bigsby. Great info and guitars! Sorry, the one I bought isn't gold; I would have traded. As it is, the B7 style that I bought appears to limit my options. Too long to go on a LP style or Tele type guitar without extending pass the bridge so I've been looking for a guitar to fit the Bigsby. Harmony Rocket, ES-135...
JH, what's the smaller version your using on your LP style guitars?
Thanks!

Hey JH! I've been checking out your posts on the Bigsby. Great info and guitars! Sorry, the one I bought isn't gold; I would have traded. As it is, the B7 style that I bought appears to limit my options. Too long to go on a LP style or Tele type guitar without extending pass the bridge so I've been looking for a guitar to fit the Bigsby. Harmony Rocket, ES-135...
JH, what's the smaller version your using on your LP style guitars?
Thanks!


If you've got a hacksaw and an electric drill, you can MAKE the smaller version...that's how Dan Balde did it.... :shock:

...although both Jerry and I bought ours already 'Balded'.....:lol:

The smaller version is the same frame as the Bigsby Vibrato made for solid body guitars. I did at one point "cut off" of of the longer "trapeze" type and put it on a LP Jr. In Dan Balde's old website he alway said that the BPP wouldn't work on a Les Paul due to the curve of the top but that's just not true as I have 'em on three Les Pauls as you can see with no problems at all. I always cut off about a half inch or so from the G lever as it makes it more usable and a little more out of the way....

When Boomer Castleman first invented the palm pedal he had a different frame but when he approached Bigsby about manufacturing it they wanted him to redesign it to use the same frame as the Bigsby Vibrato, probably so there'd be less tooling costs.......

He Gumbo, how 'bout posting a picture of your guitar, it's very unique and I wish it was mine..........JH in Va.

Hi Jerry...ok, but this is a bit of an old pic since there are a couple of changes since then...almost Christmas here and life's got a bit busy with family stuff...

...BTW, MERRY CHRISTMAS Folks!! :lol:

Now you got me "droolin" ......... That's one fine and very unique guitar if there ever was one.......JH in Va.