Semi-hollow body (335 style) Bigsby tremolo, pros and cons

[tomas83]

I would like to hear it all, my Peavey JF-1 EX did not came with a Bigsby tremolo and I always liked 'em. (See JF-2) Would you put a B7 (or B70) on it, or no? What could I gain and what could I loose? I can't recall if I played a guitar equipped with a Bigsby, but I had couple of guitars in my metal years with a Floyd Rose tremolo. I should mention that I'm playing in a slightly different tuning (B F# C# F# A# C#) so my strings are not as tight as the standard tuning and I sometimes tune into the standard (well half tone down) and dropped D as well.

 

[javabirds]

You might find that the angle break off of the bridge is too shallow for slack tuning and as a result you might find your high e popping off at the worst possible times. This happened on a dot that I added the b70 to. So I bought the roller bridge and tried to play softer. I could raise the bridge but the setup would not feel as good to me. Eventually I sold the whole thing and haven't pined for a bigsby since. They are cool, but I would't put one on my #1 guitar because they change the way it plays and sounds rather dramatically. They are their own thing. Not a fender trem nor a Floyd rose. If you love the way your guitar plays, you are not necessarily going to keep that with the addition of a bigsby.

That said, if you happen upon a great playing guitar with a bigsby installed and love the feel and playability, by all means, add it to your arsenal.

IMHO

 

[tomas83]

Thanks javabirds I appreciate it. Yes, the guitar looks cool with a Bigsby, but like I said I never played one (can't remember at least) so I've got my ears open for experience of others like yourself. My guitar plays like a dream (manufactures website didn't lie surprisingly) and I would be very upset if it would change towards the bad, the action, the intonation etc… and I didn't want to do something (plus I would need to spend money too) and I would end up with not such a great guitar as it is now.

 

[Big_Bend]

I love my Epiphone 335 Jorma Kaukonen guitar, which comes with a bigsby.

I used to have a Gretsch 6119 Tennesse Rose, which I could not bond with, so I sold it. But I missed the Bigsby. I ended up buying this 335 instead. The Bigsby on it is wonderful, the guitar plays great, sounds perfect.


I don't think I would add a Bigsby to a 335, but I was very happy to buy one with it already installed.


I hope you find what you are looking for.

 

[tomas83]

I love my Epiphone 335 Jorma Kaukonen guitar, which comes with a bigsby.

I used to have a Gretsch 6119 Tennesse Rose, which I could not bond with, so I sold it. But I missed the Bigsby. I ended up buying this 335 instead. The Bigsby on it is wonderful, the guitar plays great, sounds perfect.

I don't think I would add a Bigsby to a 335, but I was very happy to buy one with it already installed.

I hope you find what you are looking for.

That is a beautiful axe you've got Big Bend! Thanks, I was thinking about that. Of course if Bigsby would be already there, that's something else I'm only questioning the aftermarket installation of it. Thanks for the answers so far and I hope I hear some more.

 

[MarkWW]

Nice Jorma Sig! Had one and sold it for some reason?

You can't go wrong adding a Bigsby to a 335. The roller bar should provide plenty of angle to keep the strings from popping out. Here is my 335 copy.

image removed

 

[tomas83]

Nice Jorma Sig! Had one and sold it for some reason?

You can't go wrong adding a Bigsby to a 335. The roller bar should provide plenty of angle to keep the strings from popping out. Here is my 335 copy.

That's a beauty right there Mark. That is how mine would look like if I decided to go with Bigsby I was thinking about this…(link removed) since there would be two holes from the stop tailpiece.

 

[A.B.Negative]

That's a beauty right there Mark. That is how mine would look like if I decided to go with Bigsby I was thinking about this…(link removed) since there would be two holes from the stop tailpiece.

A B3 or B30 would be better with that tension bar as you won't need an extra built-in tension bar like on the B7 or B70.

 

[tomas83]

A B3 or B30 would be better with that tension bar as you won't need an extra built-in tension bar like on the B7 or B70.

Thank you, does the B3 (B30) hold on the guitar only by the strap button than?

 

[nrand]

I have owned an Epiphone 250 copy with Bigsby and a Japan market Epi by Gibson ES335 without.
I only have the latter now and do not regret selling the former.
For me the magic of these guitars lies in the bodies and pickups.

 

[itsGreg]

Not a bigsby per say, but I added a burns mark 9 to my sheraton.
Haven't noticed any difference in sound, maybe longer sustain but possibly just in my head!
Tuning stability is the same as before.
It sits better with a strap than it used to and looks cooler. I'd say go for it.

Sent from my H.A.L 9000 using TDPRI app

 

[brookdalebill]

I love Bigsbys on anything they will fit on!
My only sqwawk with them on 335 style guitars is
that they get in the way of the toggle switch.

 

[A.B.Negative]

Thank you, does the B3 (B30) hold on the guitar only by the strap button than?

Yes, 3 or 4 screws through the hinged part into the end of the guitar.

 

[tomas83]

I have owned an Epiphone 250 copy with Bigsby and a Japan market Epi by Gibson ES335 without.
I only have the latter now and do not regret selling the former.
For me the magic of these guitars lies in the bodies and pickups.

You are definitely right about that, the body and the pickups. In case of my Peavey also the neck

 

[tomas83]

Not a bigsby per say, but I added a burns mark 9 to my sheraton.
Haven't noticed any difference in sound, maybe longer sustain but possibly just in my head!
Tuning stability is the same as before.
It sits better with a strap than it used to and looks cooler. I'd say go for it.

Sent from my H.A.L 9000 using TDPRI app

That looks very interesting as well. I'll give it a thought.

 

[tomas83]

I love Bigsbys on anything they will fit on!
My only sqwawk with them on 335 style guitars is
that they get in the way of the toggle switch.

Yeah, my toggle switch is in the same upper corner as Les Paul's though, so I'm not worried about that.

 

[tomas83]

Double post

 

[tomas83]

Yes, 3 or 4 screws through the hinged part into the end of the guitar.

Thanks, so the vibrato still operates the same, but it's not attached. Well, the B3 hinged part is wider than my guitar, I have only about 2 inches there and the B3 is more than 2, I don't know…

 

[GigsbyBoyUK]

I can't see any reason for that added Towner tension bar, apart from trying to cover up the holes left from the tail piece.

The strings CAN pop out of the saddles when you have a Bigsby B3 without a tension bar but a simple and subtle deepening of the slots in the saddles fixes this.

I've never tried a Bigsby on a guitar detuned as much as the OP's though and I would suggest trying that on a friend's guitar if possible before buying a Bigsby.

 

[tomas83]

I can't see any reason for that added Towner tension bar, apart from trying to cover up the holes left from the tail piece.

The strings CAN pop out of the saddles when you have a Bigsby B3 without a tension bar but a simple and subtle deepening of the slots in the saddles fixes this.

I've never tried a Bigsby on a guitar detuned as much as the OP's though and I would suggest trying that on a friend's guitar if possible before buying a Bigsby.

Thank you. Yes, mainly I would not like to have those 2 holes from the stop tailpiece visible and I thought it wouldn't harm the guitar. I tried my tuning on a Floyd Rose tremolo, it did work, but it felt funny I'm guessing since the resistance if the strings detuned is different than the standard tuning. I will pay a visit to Guitar Center and hopefully they will have a Bigsby equipped guitar there and we will see what will happen when I tune it down.