If you have already tried the tips above, this next set of information details and discusses materials and possible changes for your guitar. As mentioned above, the nut is the number one area to focus on when setting up your Bigsby equipped guitar. Yes, tuning machines and saddles also make a substantial difference, but the nut is generally where issues persist and focus needs to be directed.
A properly cut and polished nut allows the string to return to its zero point in tune each time a string is bent or vibrato used. Aiding in a properly cut nut is the material itself. Different materials have different properties, the merits of which must be decided by the individual player. Very dense and transfers vibrations well. Quality polished bone or ivory is very slippery and very durable. Some legal statutes apply to products made of these materials.
Micarta is a thermosetting plastic high-pressure laminate comprised of different materials including linen, canvas, paper and others. Very durable and has been used on guitars since the s. A high compression material sometimes impregnated with Teflon to aid in string movement. Said to have many of the characteristics of bone and ivory with more consistency. Often used for saddles too.
Locking tuning machines are made by a whole host of different manufacturers including Sperzel, Schaller, Gotoh, Grover and others. The basic idea behind a locking tuning machine is to lock a string in place by means other than wrapping it. This can be achieved in a few different ways including a locking string shaft cam. By wrapping a string in place on a guitar in the traditional non-locking way, the surface area on which it could slip is much greater. Overlapping on wrapped strings are often a point of tuning instability on any guitar.
By using a locking tuning machine any style, and brand that locks a string in place without a single full wrap, you are decreasing the area on which a string can bind or get hung up. When using a vibrato, this becomes even more of an area of interest since you are putting slack, or pulling taut the string.
Common bridges used with Bigsby tailpieces:. Gretsch Rocking Bar Floating unit, no individual saddles, rocks back and forth when vibrato engaged. Gibson TuneMatic Both ABR-1 and Nashville and Stationary non-floating , features 6 individual adjustable saddles, strings ride over saddles when vibrato is engaged. Roller Bridges Generally, a Tune-O-Matic style bridge but has roller saddles in place of traditional saddles. Guitar nut material: If you have already tried the tips above, this next set of information details and discusses materials and possible changes for your guitar.
Micarta Micarta is a thermosetting plastic high-pressure laminate comprised of different materials including linen, canvas, paper and others.
The plate is then held in position by masking tape as I gently tap in a brass escutcheon pin at each end. The pickup covers are fixed onto the baseplates by two blobs of solder.
Having broken through the solder joints, the covers lift off fairly easily. The new covers are pushed on and I clamp them tight ready to be soldered on. Instead, I decide to de-solder the existing pickup wires while working through the f-holes and run fresh wires from the volume pots to the pickup cavities. Installing pickups 1 of 2 The replacement cover is clamped tightly onto the pickup and new solder joints are made to hold it Screw connectors are used to get around the problem of short pickup lead-out wires and they should be placed on the opposite side to the pole screws.
I then install an electrical screw terminal in each pickup hole to create solderless connections for the pickups. No doubt many ES owners have considered having a Bigsby conversion, but may have shied away due to concerns about it adversely affecting tone. Having previously tried a stock trapeze tailpiece on my own ES — just out of curiosity — I quickly reverted to the Bigsby for the extra midrange weight and sustain it provides.
Clearly a stop tailpiece semi-solid is a very different proposition, but not so long ago, I fitted a vintage Bigsby B7 to a ES Now before any of you begin rattling off outraged emails, I should point out that the guitar in question left the factory with a Vibrola — a device that adds a lot of unnecessary weight, feels somewhat unnatural to use and generally results in tuning chaos.
The finished ES, with Bigsby installed. The owner had removed the Vibrola and even sourced a vintage aluminium tailpiece.
To my ears, the tone is freed up and more dynamic. Of course, none of this matters unless the pickups are capable of capturing the enhanced acoustic qualities. Their naturally bright, clear and detailed character suits this guitar perfectly and no doubt this revamped ES will be seeing action very soon indeed. Get busy with our other DIY projects here. Nita Strauss becomes first solo woman to top Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in over three decades.
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Learn to play guitar like David Gilmour in five minutes. Guides DIY Workshop. How to install a Bigsby on a Gibson ES By Huw Price. The strap button. To hold the Bigsby in place, a large washer must be used between the strap button and the hinge plate.
Getting things aligned. The E strings are loosely tensioned to help line up the Bigsby and establish where the screw holes need to go. A large clamp with protective cork pads holds the Bigsby firm while the screw-hole positions are marked onto masking tape. Pilot holes for the hinge-plate screws are drilled into the side of the body at the tail. Screwing into place.
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