Please help with personal experience feedback (Bigsby B16, B5, or B50?)

hello rockergirl 21,sounds like you've been gittin a lot of good advice,i just put one on one of my teles just last weekend, they,re correct b-50 and b-5 are the same other than b-50 says bigsby, b-5 has f logo,i put mine in myself, but don,t blame u for havin it installed, it,s tricky in a couple of spots.i also put in a roller nut and it works great, food for thought, see what you're mechanic thinks. b-5's a little cheaper, found more than one on e-bay for a buc-n-a-half. instructions for install are good, google has great install video u should check out. strings are a little more difficult to install,you'll also lose yr string thru body ,but it's not a bad trade, sustain didn't seem to suffer much. if u notice a definate volume loss on bridge pup after it's in, you would notice it when u flip selector switch to bridge, raise the pup closer to the strings. good luck

 

It's Ugly

It's Ugly

 

I agree with post #58 and #62. However, there are teles out there with Bigsby's on them for about as cheap as this mod. Maybe slightly higher. Don't ruin one of your babies if you like them. Or get trem with pedal.

 

i wouldnt do it rocker girl. ive currently got a thread going on this with a kirn tele. aint worth the time or the money if you end up having problems. better off buying a guitar with one installed that ur pleased with, in this case the prs...

 

+1 again

 

Fanning the flame...

Hey there RG21 !! I got me a new pickguard......thought you might like to see it. I was inspired by Randypttt and his red tortoise p/g.
WPO

 

Just wanted to bump this thread than start my own. I was thinking about putting a B5 on, and didn't know about the B16. Looks great. But is there any real difference between the two? Does the B16 keep in tune easier, etc?

Shame they are so damn pricey here in the UK. Probably works out almost paying twice as much as you guys in the states are

And any more pics? I think all the ones that came up on google are from this thread.

 

I bought all my Bigsbys from US-Ebay - even with shipping & import duties the cost at least 30% less than if bought over here...

I don't notice any differences in tuning stability between my B5/B50 and my B16-equipped Teles - the trem unit itself, and the bridge barely make a difference with regards to tuning stability, anyway, the most important factor is a correctly cut nut (and good tuners & correct string mounting technique).

Plenty of pics here: http://www.xs4all.nl/~msengers/htm/gallery.htm

 

Cool, thanks. Yeah I'm an effects pedal junkie, and sometimes buy from america, especially if the shop/seller is willing to mark the $value much, much lower than the actual value so it doesn't get VAT added at customs. I end up saving alot compared to UK prices. I noticed the bigsby's are alot cheaper too.

And I think aesthetically I prefer the B16, though it's more expensive.

 

Here's my Candy Apple Red Bigsby Tele with Fender Custom Shop Texas Special pickups, 4-way switch and locking tuners:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn6Kh56tJyc&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

I love it.

________________________________________________________________

’04 Fender Custom Shop ’56 Stratocaster Relic RI 50th Anniv. Aztec Gold
'10 Fender American Select Mahogany HSS Strat
'07 Fender Custom Shop Vintage Heavy Relic HB Telecaster
'03 Gibson ES-345 RI
Schecter California Custom Hellcat
’10 Squier Classic Vibe 60’s Stratocaster (Fender CS ’69 /Candy Apple Red)
’10 Squier Telecaster w/Bigsby (Fender CS Texas Specials/Candy Apple Red)
’09 Squier Stratocaster HSS Standard (Pearly Gates HB/SSL-1/SSL-1/Silver Sparkle)
’02 Squier Bullet HHH (S. Duncan: Little ‘59/Duckbucker/JB Jr. /LockingTuners)
’10 Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar HH (Fiesta Red)
Breedlove AD25/SR Plus Acoustic

Yamaha S90XS Keyboard