Bigsby for my dot

[Harrison]

I wanna put a bigsby on my dot and then maybe some gibson pickups. Does anyone know which bigsby is the one that's best fit?

[Cat]

Dude they look great but you will be using your tuning pegs ALOT more believe me. Let the fever pass and youll realise you didnt really want one anyway :)

Cat

[John Harrison]

I have a Bigsby B-70 on my Hamer Echotone. The tuning issues are minor, compared to the mojo it added.

[Tdot]

I like the look and feel of the Bigsby units, but I couldn't drill or cut my Dot. Txspreacher pointed this trem out to me for my Dot or Melody Maker.

Les Trem

Looks light weight, and sleek. And you can get rid of it without a trace left behind. 8)

[Deaf Eddie]

Watch me go against the grain here...

IF you are dreaming of some gentle Neil Young wiggles, or a bit of shimmering chord vibrato, a Bigsby on yer Dot would be great. I've had 'em on and off for the past forty years, and as long as you use it as it was designed, you'll be fine. My '70s Double Anniversary has the B-7 installed with a set of Grover Rotomatics at the other end, and no tuning issues. I do lube the nut with a little graphite...

Of course, if you're an EVH fan, a Bigsby would be a COMPLETE waste of time. Bigsby tailpieces do not have the range or return-to-pitch reliability that those types of pyrotechniques require.

Now, if you want a REAL Bigsby for an Epi Dot, which might be a bit overkill (no offence, I have a Dot, too), the model you want is the B-7, with the "tension bar" between the roller and the guitar's bridge. This is the model that used to come on REAL Gibson Dots back in the day - I had one.



For a slightly less expensive option, go with the import version of the same tailpiece: B-700. It's the one that ships on most MIK/MIJ guitars that have 'em installed stock. The look is pretty close the US-made unit, and fit and finish is probably comparible at a savings of twenty to thirty bucks. I confess I have not tried one of these myself.



Ah yes, I too long for a Bigsby for my Gretsch-ified Epi Sheraton...

[mark norwine]

Here’s a specific question for those that have put on a Bigsby....

I have a very early 1965 ES-335. It came stock with a Bigsby and a "custom made" plaque that covers over the stop stud holes. In other words, it's a transition model that was drilled for studs, but got a Bigsby instead.

I removed the plaque right after I got the guitar {saved the small brass brad nails}, and to my great pleasure discovered that the body had studs factory installed, not "empty holes in the wood". I immediately converted the guitar to a stop tail, put the Bigsby, plaque & all screws / nails away for safe keeping.....and never looked back!

But lately, I'm feeling the desire....a very GREAT desire...to return the guitar to stock; partially because the gentle shimmer of a Bigsby is very nice, indeed, and partially because the whole vintage market has gone insane, and "originality" is the watchword. No, it's not for sale, but at some point, it might be {if things keep going the way they are....I saw an identical guitar sell for $13,000 at the Philly show}.

But here's the issue....quite a few people have told me that my tone will suffer radically.

True? False?

Has anyone gone from "stop" to "Bigsby" on a thinline of some kind.....and noticed a difference in tone?

Very interested,

mn

[Joe-Bob]

Originally Posted by mark norwine

Here’s a specific question for those that have put on a Bigsby....

I have a very early 1965 ES-335. It came stock with a Bigsby and a "custom made" plaque that covers over the stop stud holes. In other words, it's a transition model that was drilled for studs, but got a Bigsby instead.

I removed the plaque right after I got the guitar {saved the small brass brad nails}, and to my great pleasure discovered that the body had studs factory installed, not "empty holes in the wood". I immediately converted the guitar to a stop tail, put the Bigsby, plaque & all screws / nails away for safe keeping.....and never looked back!

But lately, I'm feeling the desire....a very GREAT desire...to return the guitar to stock; partially because the gentle shimmer of a Bigsby is very nice, indeed, and partially because the whole vintage market has gone insane, and "originality" is the watchword. No, it's not for sale, but at some point, it might be {if things keep going the way they are....I saw an identical guitar sell for $13,000 at the Philly show}.

But here's the issue....quite a few people have told me that my tone will suffer radically.

True? False?

Has anyone gone from "stop" to "Bigsby" on a thinline of some kind.....and noticed a difference in tone?

Very interested,

mn

Mark,

Do not put a stop tailpiece on your guitar! Your guitar is most likely totally stock right now. It almost certainly never had a stop tailpiece. Gibson used to do that all the time when they needed to produce a few guitars with the Bigsby tailpieces (during that timeframe), even the cheezy "Custom Made" placard is OEM. I've seen a bunch of 'em.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Originally Posted by Deaf Eddie

Now, if you want a REAL Bigsby for an Epi Dot, which might be a bit overkill (no offence, I have a Dot, too), the model you want is the B-7, with the "tension bar" between the roller and the guitar's bridge. This is the model that used to come on REAL Gibson Dots back in the day - I had one.

I have a B-7 on my Les Paul. It used to really bother me, because the tension bar limited the range of movement. In my mind, you should get a full-step dip from a Bigsby. Not a dive, but at least one whole pitch. For years I couldn't get it. Then last year I read one of Dan Erliwine's books, where he recommended bypassing the tension bar assuming the guitar had the angle to pull it off. I tried this, and lo and behold it worked great. Not only did I get the full-pitch out of the arm, but my tone opened up noticeably. Go figure.

[Deaf Eddie]

It almost certainly never had a stop tailpiece. Gibson used to do that all the time when they needed to produce a few guitars with the Bigsby tailpieces (during that timeframe), even the cheezy "Custom Made" placard is OEM. I've seen a bunch of 'em.

Yup, that's exactly how my ES-335 was. It was an OLD Dot model, my best guess was '59 - '61, in sunburst... Here I am with it, 'way back when:



And yes, it has the same cheesy "Custom made" badge hiding the stop tailpiece holes - perfectly stock from Gibson, as I too have seen many others that way. Boy, do I miss THAT axe!

As for this:

Then last year I read one of Dan Erliwine's books, where he recommended bypassing the tension bar assuming the guitar had the angle to pull it off. I tried this, and lo and behold it worked great. Not only did I get the full-pitch out of the arm, but my tone opened up noticeably. Go figure.

Wow! Whooda thunk? I haven't tried that, but I know my Annie is a good candidate - because many of them came with the B-6, which had no tension bar... Don't know if there's enough slope to the top of a Dot to use one there.

[mark norwine]

Guys,

Re-read my post....you are correct, stock = bigsby, no stop.

I am NOT considering adding a stop......

I said that I converted it to a stop years & years ago {with absolutly no damage / modding / devaluation whatsoever, because the studs were already in the body}

Now I want to go back to the stock configuration, but I'm concerned about the tone going bad, based on what I've heard from others. I'm looking for someone who has had a 335 {or such} in both configurations who can comment on the tone.

mn

[Deaf Eddie]

Yeah, I hear what you're asking... I too, dropped the Bigsby off of mine, and never put it back. I still have the "Custom Made" plate, although the axe is long gone.

It wasn't so much a matter of TONE as it was the set of .008's that I was convinced I needed to use. That was just too light of a string guage to use with the Bigsby - and yes, there WERE tuning problems, so I yanked it. I never did put it back on.

Tone? Back then, in my circle of friends, if you didn't like the tone you got you changed the batteries in yer FuzzFace...

Ah, impetuous youth.

No help on your question, sorry - just reminiscing...

[Joe-Bob]

Originally Posted by Deaf Eddie

Tone? Back then, in my circle of friends, if you didn't like the tone you got you changed the batteries in yer FuzzFace...

I remember I had a new Little Big Muff...all it would do was feed back...it was cool!

[Ben Harmless]

Mark, I added a Bigsby to my Gretsch Streamliner thinline for about 15 minutes once. I took it off, not because of the tone, but because it didn't have the tension bar, (I had gotten a good deal on it used) and the angle of the strings over the bridge became to shallow to handle the gusto with which I sometimes smack them. I do remember seriously considering the tonal properties however, and I felt pretty confident that the tone didn't suffer too terribly. In the end though, it wasn't enough to keep the Bigsby.

...Of course, now I'm thinking about picking up a B7...

[Deaf Eddie]

Yeah, I finally jumped off the fence with both feet when I saw this deal on eBay:

Bigsby B70

It LOOKS just like the classic B7 to me, but that's only a little more than half what I see B7s go for. It's NOT the B700, so I'm not sure what the difference will be. Maybe country of origin?

I should have it in a week or so, and gimme another week to get it installed, and then I'll tell you what I think, tone-wise. Of course, it's going to be SO subjective - the Sheraton will obviously have new strings, too; and then, there's my handle...

[guitar_ed]

Hi Eddie,

I have a number of guitars with Bigsbys. Some stock from the factory, some I built, and some I modded.

Personally, I love the Bigsby sound & feel. Is it different? Yes. Is it bad? Not in my opinion. Does it stay in tune? Pretty well. Can I do a EVH style dive bomb. Not a chance. But then, that is not my style, so I don't care.

Let me know how it goes, because I have an Epi Dot studio that might need a Bigsby.

Guitar Ed

[Deaf Eddie]

The B70 landed, it's a dead ringer for the B7 EXCEPT for the screw-down tailpiece - the whachamacallit thingy that is hinged over the end of the axe. It's a solid piece, with three mounting screw holes, where the B7 has that goofy cutout and four screw holes. Oh, AND, the box is clearly labeled "Made in Korea."

I hope to get this installed this weekend, I'll let you know how it turns out...

[Deaf Eddie]

Just got the B70 installed on the Epi Sheraton. After ten minutes, I can't image this guitar without one! It looks fabulous, fits great, and works just as expected.

The proviso is, I ain't a Bigsby rookie, so I know what you can and CAN'T do with one, how tough they are to restring, etc... and I can live with it, or I would have never done this.

A few details: Ernie Ball .009 set, and Grover Rotomatics. As a side-effect of swapping all the gold hardware for chrome years ago, I also have the bigger not-quite-nashville-knock-off Epi bridge on the Sheraton - I MIGHT swap it for the smaller tunomatic-look-alike on my Dot at some point, to see if that makes a difference... But, as long as I think the big bridge works OK with the vibrato, it'll probably stay.

As I feared, new strings vs. old strings made so much difference that it's hard to tell if the Bigsby did anything PERCIEVABLE to the tone of the axe. If it actually DID make it a little brighter, that's fine by me, going for a little Gretschy twang with some older GFS mini-sized Nashvilles.

An installation note, as I eyeballed it, I noticed that I had the center screw on the tailpiece about 3/16" south of where the original strap button was. It looks right to me, and that's all that matters.

Pics when I can borrow a camera... For now, I just want to get back to playing with it!

I know there are some who would call this polishing a turd, but this Sheraton just "speaks to me," as it has ever since I picked it up all those years ago. It has a super slim "U" neck that just fits my hand, and an unbelievably low and easy action. It's always been a joy to play, and should be even MORE fun now.

[Deaf Eddie]

It's da coolest!