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I would like to put a B7 on my Bravo, but not too keen on drilling mounting holes on the top of the guitar. If screws are the only way that will work, I may or may not go through with it. Does anybody have suggestions?
Thanks,
George
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03-18-2025 03:06 PM
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As far as I know, you need screws.
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Originally Posted by Indybeez
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Why on earth would you want to do that, find another guitar with it already on it.
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Why not B6? It could be a better choice if the neck angle is right... and no drilling is needed.
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The angle is not right. it needs the tension bar. Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive
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B Originally Posted by deacon Mark
As far as I know, Benedetto doesn't offer Bigsbys as a stock option, so that's why.
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Maybe this will help... Originally Posted by Indybeez
Vibramate Bigsby vibrato mount: no drilling!
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It is your guitar so you can do whatever you want with it but even if I liked a Bigsby I would never put one on a Benedetto Bravo. I would find a guitar that work about the same and leave the Benny as it is. To me it is like cutting pickups into an acoustic archtop and making a CES style guitar. A Benny Brave was not made with the thinking a Bigsby would ever go on the guitar. Be sure know that it is your guitar, but I am just telling you my thoughts. Originally Posted by Indybeez
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unfortunately the vibramate requires stop bar tailpiece stud holes to attach, and the bravo has an archtop tailpiece. Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
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You know, I love my Bigsby too. I have them on almost all of my Gretsch and Guild hollowbodies, semi-hollows, Les Pauls, etc. I have a Tele with one, an SG, and even a Strat!
Despite my affliction with Bigsbyitis, I would be remiss if I didn't echo some of the other posters and ask "why?"
Ignoring that, all I can say is that you are likely to ruin most if not all resale value on that guitar if you were to screw a B7 into the top. Its very likely that you might not even be able to find a single buyer for a guitar like that, once modded.
That being said, you didn't come here to be talked out of it, so here's what I would do....
First, I'd start with a B6, not a B7. I can't tell how much angle you'd have once a Bigsby was on there, and to be quite honest, the wooden bridge that is likely on your Benedetto is not ideal for use with a Bigsby. But you can remove the old tail and see how the holes line up. You might get lucky and at least the center hole might be close enough to attach the Bigsby. If so, secure the B6 to the guitar with only the center screw, string it up, and see how it plays. You might have enough angle, you might not.
If it seems to play fine, I would then get the Bigsby hinge drilled to match the hole pattern on your old tailpiece. That way, you can swap back to stock if you ever change your mind or decide to sell the guitar. I would also replace the wooden bridge with a metal one - a Bigsby bridge, bar bridge, or Tru-Arc style should work (and will be better for this application).
If the angle *isn't enough* (you'll know this by looking at the guitar from the side -if the strings look fairly flat, you probably don't have enough tension or angle) your list of options will be greatly reduced. You could try a B3 next, which would sit further back (tension / angle would be increased as a result), but it might look downright goofy (B3's are meant for smaller guitars, Les Paul sized) and you would have quite a reach for the Bigsby bar (it would be further behind you).
Finally, there's the B7, which I wouldn't recommend. But hey, its your guitar, you do you! Good luck...
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...and there's always this:
BIGSBY PEDAL - Gamechanger Audio
I have one, don't like it very much. But if I were seriously considering drilling holes into the top of a $5000+ Benedetto, I might use it anyway!
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I put a Bigsby B3 on my Benedetto Bambino years ago. I love it for a very subtle 1/2 step bend.
One suggestion is get a Compton Bridge for it as well. And if possible locking tuners.
Guitar Bridges | Compton Bridges
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I put a Bigsby B3 on my Benedetto Bambino years ago. I love it for a very subtle 1/2 step bend.
One suggestion is get a Compton Bridge for it as well. And if possible locking tuners.
Guitar Bridges | Compton Bridges
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I wonder how stable bigsby temple's are. I should imagine they would cause all sorts of tuning issues. Back in the day it was all about Floyd rose and locking nuts to keep everything in tune.
If you put any extra holes in the Benedetto it will reduce the value greatly and I cant see why anyone would want to spend money making a high end archtop less valuable. that said, there is something to be said for making your guitar personal to you but it would make sense to do it on a cheaper archtop and preserve the Benedetto. Id go for a comins gcs1
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Taking resale value out of the equation completely, it's your guitar and it's a tool for your music. But anytime drilling or routing is done on softwood (spruce on yours), even a laminate as yours it's going to risk a split. The pickup routing is reenforced and designed that way but the drilling of holes, especially in the belly of a top plate, in the area where the wood is thin and doesn't have the benefit of being close to the ribs for integrity- and designed so for acoustical reasons, is a real risk, at the very least. I would go so far as to say it's inviting a pull out or split, given it's part of an addition that will exert downward pressure; that's asking for trouble and essentially driving a pressure wedge along grain lines where it's the most vulnerable.
In other words: Your Benedetto was built to walk the line between strength and that acoustic quality you value. It was not designed to have that fragile balance compromised by a screw and that additional downward pressure.
But I think you should do it if that's what you really want. It'd be an empirical documentation of just what a top like that can withstand. It's rare that we can tell a real cautionary tale by someone's actual testing the idea.
Do it! If for nothing else, as an experiment of what a thin spruce laminate can withstand. If it does fail, could you make sure you post detailed photos of the failure? I'm really curious but I'd never dare myself.
One thing I might suggest though, before you do that, have a luthier install something like a small mahogany block beneath the screw point, like you'd put a giant cleat if you were repairing a split. This would shore up that area nicely, but it would have a detrimental effect on the acoustics of the Bravo. But you know that and it's not a priority at this point.
Good luck and keep us posted! Go for it! I'm excited.
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When I worked for Ibanez, I bought one of these when it was in the seconds stock room.
I loved it.
I put Duncan pickups in it and it cost me total less than a good road case would.
AFS75T. They're cool guitars. Try one out.
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Why? Don't do it. That guitar has a refined aesthetic. Drop dead elegant design. I assume the sound reflects that.
When you add the bigsby, plus a roller or rocker bridge, and likely locking tuners, you'll destroy the aesthetics, add significant weight, and the tone will change, IMO. Think about why you bought it, what you liked, and how that may change. Your business but probably regrettable in the long run. Why did you even buy it in the first place.?
Maybe sell it and get something more suitably designed for what you need .
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I never had to screw any holes in the top of my Bambino using a Bigsby B3. And have never had any issues with wood splitting?
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You know, the idiom "a fool's errand" was coined for situations like this. You be "tilting at windmills", my good man. Just Don't Do It.
Buy a Gretsch Country Club, ffs.
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My experience having built a couple of custom motorcycles is that what you think may work well, may, in fact, not work well at all. After having lost a lot of money and time chasing something that was not to be, I learned that when a product has been brought to market with a lot of R&D engineering spent to make it work well, it is foolish to think you can re engineer the product to better suit yourself.
Consider me another vote for not doing it. Get a 175 with a Bigsby. They are out there.
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This thread has gotten more mileage that I ever would have guessed. It is so basic because the minute you put the Bigsby on the Benny as mentioned the guitars value drops way down. It drops down so far to me that the guitar has no value really. On the Benedetto sight they are listed at around $6200 with a 10-12 month lead time.
Chet Atkins learned the hard way and even one of the finest guitarists ever made a huge mistake. He took his D'angelico that John made him and cut holes in top a put in pickups. Chet did the worst of the worst, to the best of the best guitars ever made. He finally I believe manage to get the guitar back to John and have him put a new top on it.
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Breaking news-Bob Benedetto just read the title of this thread and produced a moan loud enough to be heard a mile away.
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So maybe I’m mistaken,but isn’t the std Bravo model a laminate top like the Bambino? And as I’ve stated I have Bigsby B3 on my Bambino as well as one on my Elferink Tonemaster carved top. I never have had issues,especially since I replaced the wood bridges with Compton Bridges.
Guitar Bridges | Compton Bridges
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So maybe I’m mistaken,but isn’t the std Bravo model a laminate top like the Bambino? And as I’ve stated I have Bigsby B3 on my Bambino as well as one on my Elferink Tonemaster carved top. I never have had issues,especially since I replaced the wood bridges with Compton Bridges.
Guitar Bridges | Compton Bridges
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