Mounting a bigsby trem on a tele

[whee]

Okay, this is a pretty major and irreversible change, but i want to mount a bigsby trem on my lite-ash tele.... The body seems pretty decent, good pickups but i reckon with the added mass of the trem + the coolness it adds, the guitar will be in heaven!

question(s) here:

- anyone done this before, any idea how complex this will be for a first timer?
- know any guitar techs who are able to handle such a mod?
- so far the bigsby kits i've seen online will end up converting the bridge to 6 saddle one, instead of leaving it as 3. anyone know how i can retain the configuration?
- where can i get such a kit around here?
- cost?

thanks mates

 

[theblueark]

1. I installed one on my superstrat. It had a floyd rose in it originally. Very troublesome. Recommend for beginner only if you have some experience with woodworking and the physics of a guitar (scale length, string spacing, intonation, etc), want to experiment and learn, and are not too afraid of messing up.

2. Couldn't find one. But I didn't look very hard. Wanted Malcom, but he said he'd only show me the measurements.

3. I recall seeing a mod where it's possible. Search around for bigsby tele sites, there's a big community out there.

4. You'll probably want to get an original Bigsby. I don't trust the copies. The licensed ones I'm not too sure. Original one can't be found first hand in Singapore, order online.

5. I got my bigsby cheap at an online clearance sale for $100. I'm using a schaller roller bridge which set me back another $100 or so.

Pic:

 

[edder]

roller bridge is a must.

 

[whee]

roller bridge? i was watching some installation videos etc, and i had the impression that the bigsby kit comes with a bridge?

 

[theblueark]

I'm not sure what kit you're talking about, url linky?

Mine was just a bigsby tailpiece. Then I bought the bridge on my own that suited all my criteria, roller, string spacing, intonation.

 

[whee]

here you go:

Bigsby B5 Vibrato Conversion Kit for Telecaster review at Kaboodle

YouTube - Bigsby Vibrato Installation - B5 Telecaster

 

[DjThugs]

well...if u want a bigsby kinda system without all the hassles of drilling or irreversable changes,u can try an alternative @ Stetsbar

 

[theblueark]

Ok here's the giant bigsby tele community I was talking about: PROJECT TELECASTER - BIGSBY GALLERY

If you look through the gallery, you'll see there are quite a few methods for the bridge. Here's 3 notable examples:

The one in the kit you're talking about:

Another popular type:

The standard tele bridge modification I mentioned. Not too popular:

The links at the top will give you some more information, and the pdfs provide the accurate measurements you'll need to undertake the conversion.

If you decide to go my route and get the bridge and bigsby seperately, here's where I got my roller bridge: Electric guitar, Tune-o-matic bridges at Stewart-MacDonald

Mine's the Schaller one, but do your research and see which one will be more suitable for yours. I personally like the roller bridges, but some people feel they kill some sustain.

 

[whee]

well...if u want a bigsby kinda system without all the hassles of drilling or irreversable changes,u can try an alternative @ Stetsbar

hmmm the stets bar looks interesting, but the whole deal about the bigsby is also the changes it does to the tone. i think it lends some weight to the tele tone, which is beneficial, afterall teles can be rather prickly and piercing due to excessive highs in the bridge..

 

[whee]

Blueark:

Just curious, why's the third option less popular? Afterall, it retains the traditional tele bridge system... Is it more difficult to assemble or something?

 

[theblueark]

It's because of the string break angle.

With a tunomatic/mustang style bridge, the strings are lifted quite high above the body of the guitar. They then break down at a fairly steep angle to the bigsby. This steep angle helps with the sustain. You see a similar theory applied on les pauls.

Look at the angle on this:

And compare to these:

And even this(note the lack of one of the bars on the bigsby):

There are people who use the vintage bridges and report no problems, but i'm skeptical because I believe in a steeper angle.

You'll need to do some work for either method though.

With a tunomatic style:
Due to the higher bridge, you'll need to shim your neck so that it breaks at an angle too, similar to a les paul.

With a vintage style:
You'll need to notch the bridge as you can see in the pics, to allow the strings to pass through cleanly. I have heard of people not notching the bridges and simply allowing the strings to lean on the metal, but I think that's a very bad practice.

By the way, there is this discussion forum you might want to check out. It's a bit disorganized but you may find some stuff. TeleModders.com Discussion Group - Aimoo Community