Pinecaster with a Bigsby

[RotelliCaster]

I have had a new neck lying around for a few months now.
I bought it for, Who knows what. The natural thing for me to do was, ask Marty to cut me another Pine Body, so I did just that.



I decide that I wanted to do one with a Bigsby Tremolo and told Marty to skip drilling it for string ferrules or the bridge. He has the Center line marked and I believe he marked the bridge holes with a pencil.

Any advice for getting everything lined up on an un-drilled body, will be considered and appreciated.

I dig the bee's wax finish that I did on my last Pinecaster, but I have been thinking about some sort of a white wash finish, something that will let the grain show through. I thought maybe take some Lacquer and thin it way down, brush or wipe it on and sand it out again. has anyone done a white wash finish? I'm not sure how well this will work on White pine either.

[Jack Wells]

What type bridge will you be using? I'd probably obtain the Bigsby you will be using before you do anything. I guess you could go ahead and start finihsing it.

I don't have a lot of experience with pine but in the past it didn't really take the MixWax stains very well.

[RotelliCaster]

I have a B-5 kit for a Telecaster. It has the tremolo pickup plate and the rocker bridge.

[Jack Wells]

Did the Bigsby come with instructions? That picture looks like you bought it from the Stratosphere aka reliablefender.

Here are the instructions if you need them.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~msengers/download/b5tele_eng.pdf

[ajgus]

Saw a tutorial on youtube for installing a bigsby, maybe it was posted here, but I can't remember...no help, I know.

[Ironwolf]

The tutorial on Youtube is good, just follow its steps, BUT, make all your measurements for hardware mounting holes as precise as humanly possible. Especially the holes for the bridge mounting inserts.

[RotelliCaster]

I have seen the video and It has some helpful tips.

The thing is, both the video and the instructions show you how to add it to a tele that is already built. One that has the neck mounted, a pickguard, a bridge and mounting holes for reference points.

All I have is a center line. I have to get the neck on as Striaght-ish as I can, Then make sure the I mount the pickup plate and bridge just right (North/South) for intonation. Then I have to get it centered (East/West) so the strings run straight up the fretboard and the pickup doesn't rub the sides of the hole.

Both, the video and the instructions show so good info and will help, but it is still at this point a crap shoot.

I recently added a Bigsby pickup plate, a Tune-O-Matic bridge, a stop tail piece and an Epiphone Ez-Bender to a Tele. It turned out fine, but it is a tiny bit crooked and I had all of refernce points to work with.

[Jack Wells]

The thing is, both the video and the instructions show you how to add it to a tele that is already built. One that has the neck mounted, a pickguard, a bridge and mounting holes for reference points.

OK ............. you're building the guitar ....... right? So build it and add the Bigsby.

The instructions don't use the original bridge mounting holes as reference. It just says fill the old holes with dowels.

I think you need to read through the instruction a little more. They make perfect sense to me. If after reading and thinking about it, you still are unclear on something, I would be happy to answer specific questions.

If you're planning to mount the Bigsby before you actually assemble the guitar ............ that's a bad plan.

[RotelliCaster]

Originally Posted by jwells393

OK ............. you're building the guitar ....... right? So build it and add the Bigsby.

The instructions don't use the original bridge mounting holes as reference. It just says fill the old holes with dowels.

As always, all you ever wanted to know about Tele's and more, is right here!
All you gotta do is ask!!!!

all of the Tele's I have built have had the holes for the bridge so that it could be mounted and then you can string-line the neck and get it square.
Then drill for the PG after you position it using the neck and the bridge.

We ain't got none that here. There will be allot of measuring on this one and checking it against other guitars.

If Marty marked the standard bridge mounting holes, I'll be able to place an ashtray style bridge over the marks and then trace it. This will greatly help with the N-S-E-W placement of the bridge and pickup plate. I know this from the last one I did.

[Jack Wells]

I think when you mount your pickup into the Bigsby bridge plate and place the pickup in the cavity that will pretty much locate the bridge for you. I'm sure you'll have a little movement Longitudinal and lateral directions. Measuring 25.5 inches from the nut can help locate it in the neck direction. To locate in the other direction you could use strings and weights like I did here.

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It would be a little more difficult for you since the bridge would be loose. Once the bridge plate and bridge are installed, installation of the tremolo unit should be pretty straight forward.

[RotelliCaster]

Originally Posted by jwells393

I think when you mount your pickup into the Bigsby bridge plate and place the pickup in the cavity that will pretty much locate the bridge for you. I'm sure you'll have a little movement Longitudinal and lateral directions. Measuring 25.5 inches from the nut can help locate it in the neck direction. To locate in the other direction you could use strings and weights like I did here.

......

......

It would be a little more difficult for you since the bridge would be loose. Once the bridge plate and bridge are installed, installation of the tremolo unit should be pretty straight forward.

Now that's what I was looking for!!!!

You were holdin out!

Thanks J

[RotelliCaster]

it looks like the 25.5 mark is about in the middle of the Intonation screw. is that what you did there?

[Jack Wells]

I have other Telecasters. I set the bridge based on how their saddles are positioned. Position of the saddles in that picture is meaningless. They're positioned as they are to get them out of the way.

[RotelliCaster]

No disrespect, but that doesn't make any sense, or maybe I don't understand what you are trying to tell me.

I said "it looks like the 25.5 mark lands in the middle of the intonation screw", so that you can compensate with plenty of threads in either direction after you've mounted the bridge.

What is it your telling me about saddles and other Tele's?

Like I said, no disrespect, I want to understand.

It's so easy to read a tone into an email or a message.

[Ironwolf]

First, you must set your neck. Use a string running down its center line and down the bodies centerline to line it up and fasten it down.

Next check your plans/templates. The front edge of the bridge/pickup baseplate lines up with the front edge of a standard MIM bridge plate. I don't know if that's the same size as other model plates, maybe some one else here can chime in.

You now have the front cross body alignment. Next center the plate side to side on your centerline. Tape it down and mount with a couple of the small screws.

Mark the rest of your hole locations. CAREFULLY mark and drill the bridge insert holes.

There now, Bob's your uncle. Now mount the Bigsby itself as shown in the video.

[Nick JD]

Has anyone else ever had to set a string up at less than 25.5" to get it to intonate?

It seems to me that the little e and B string might be 25.5 ish, but the rest are always longer, like 25.6+

Err on the side of longer rather than shorter or you can end up with over-squashed springs.

[RomanS]

Nick JD has got it right - with bridges like TOM or the Jazzmaster type from the Bigsby kit, which have much less range for intonation setting, usually you set the saddle for the high E almost as far to the front/neck as possible, and place that saddle 25.5" from the nut (or 12.25 from the 12th fret, which makes measuring easier), then mark the hole for the bridge stud on the high E (with your kit, the other stud will be at the same distance - with TOM bridges, the stud on the bass side is usually a bit farther back).

[RotelliCaster]

Wahooo, The body came today! It looks incredible front, back and on the edges. Marty priority mailed it Saturday. From NY to OK over the weekend is impressive.

I also got another set of Keystones that I had been waiting, they came today as well. I am a little disappointed that the neck pickup is not the new covered version like had requested and had been waiting on. None the less they are a set of Keystones and are awesome pickups. I'm pretty set on using a chrome neck pickup and plan to go with a blackguard or one of my tooled leather PG's.

Now I'm not sure what pickups to try. I have a set of Tonerider Vintage Plus in my MIM that I like real well, they are just good classic Tele pups. I love the low noise, higher output and the overall tone of the keystones and I wonder what comes close to them with a covered neck pup. Any suggestions here?

I'll post some pics of the grain pattern tonight and see if I can get any finish suggestions.



This is the Bee's wax finish I did on my last Pinecaster.
The finish has gotten richer and deeper in the last few months. It has gotten a few more coats of wax and has had allot more bare hand rubbing.

I hope to get some more great input from all of you.

Ciao!

[RotelliCaster]

The grain looks great!]

Dry


Wet with some Naphtha to make the grain pop.




I took measurement pics and pickguard variation pics too.
I'll post those as necessary.

[odiemann]

After finishing my pine body, I would have some concerns about putting any vibrato device on one. They are very soft. I could see screwholes that are stressed giving way over time.