Bigsby on your main guitar?

[EllenGtrGrl]

Not my main guitar ... just traded days ago for a Gretsch Country Club. Beautiful green archtop, 17" body with spruce top, maple back and sides, with filtertron p/us and a Bigsby.

I am not a Bigsby hater. Love it in fact. It works very well on this guitar. Smooth, addictive sound. That said, if I want to practice jazz, I'd just swing it out of the way and leave it there. With a properly cut nut and some lube on string contact points, Bigsbys present few tuning problems. I haven't yet even changed strings or checked setup on this guitar, and it's already pretty well behaved in that area.

Not sure why, but I think of the Gretsch differently than other archtops. I would not want a Bigsby on my Heritage H575 for example.

MD

I have a 2016 '59 Reissue Country Club, and it also has a Bigsby, though like other vibratos, it wouldn't hurt me if it didn't have it (my first Country Club - a 2003 didn't have a Bigsby and it was a fine guitar IMO), since I hardly every use vibratos. Frankly, changing strings on a guitar with a Bigsby (with the exception of the new version, that holds the string ends differently) is a pain to put it mildly. I think the only reason I don't get rid of the Bigsby, is due to the fact that that once in a very rare while I do have a need or desire for a vibrato bar (as I found out to my chagrin, when I ditched the Bigsby on a 6118 Annie I had a few years ago).

[Gitfiddler]

The first new electric guitar I ever bought was a Harmony H72 w/Bibsby. I played that guitar all over the place, even touring with the USO back in the day. It was my main guitar for many years. To be totally honest, I removed the Bigsby arm after about a year of constant fighting to keep it in tune.

That guitar is long gone (currently being used by a nephew), but I've had a sweet spot for Bigsbys ever since.

I currently have one on a CS356 and Johnny A. and love em! No, not my main guitars, but they do see 'action' once in a while.

[vinlander]

Never was a fan of the wanking bar not even on my heavy metal guitars, but that is my personal opinion.
I had a floyd on my first Ibanez roadstar I bought use in the late '80s and the handle was kept in the guitar case all the time.
The Bigsby is particularly not appealing to me with its size and mass; somehow like I read somewhere, makes me also think old polio leg braces.
I never would own any guitar with one, but again based on my play style and taste.

[Bluedawg]

The first new electric guitar I ever bought was a Harmony H72 w/Bibsby. I played that guitar all over the place, even touring with the USO back in the day. It was my main guitar for many years. To be totally honest, I removed the Bigsby arm after about a year of constant fighting to keep it in tune.

That guitar is long gone (currently being used by a nephew), but I've had a sweet spot for Bigsbys ever since.

I currently have one on a CS356 and Johnny A. and love em! No, not my main guitars, but they do see 'action' once in a while.

Maybe someday I will bring one of these home .....

IMHO the Johnny A is one of those few guitars that requires a Bigsby .... LOL

[Top of the Arch!]

About as useful as a box of rocks for my style of playing. Bob

[Max405]

I have one on my Strat. Well, not on a Bigsby, more like a Smallsby..

[GNAPPI]

I have one on my Strat. Well, not on a Bigsby, more like a Smallsby..

Oops, I forgot (I do a lot of that lately) my strats. They all have 5 springs and the claw is snugged to block any movement so they really don't count do they? Then again a Strat isn't my main git so they don't count.

[Stefan Eff]

There‘s so much nonsense about Bigsbys. They work absolutely perfect within their modulating range if you do it right. A Bigsby needs

• a good nut;
• a good (bar) bridge;
• a good (Reverend) spring.

The Bigs doesn’t change the tone of your guitar if it‘s assembled right.
Cheap TOM-bridges are tone killers, high end bar bridges (dBridge!) opens up your tone.

I don‘t like tension bar bigsbys but I love the B6 types (and of course the ubercool B16 for Tellys).
Honestly, I guess I‘m not able to play a guitar without a Bigs...

[Boston Joe]

I'm not sure why any jazz player would want a whammy bar. Are you doing a lot of dive bombs on Blue Bossa?

[Ray175]

I fitted a Bigsby to my first ES 175D (1959) back in 1976, principally for rockabilly and country work. It's a long time ago but I don't recall loss of tone, and as long as the nut was well lubricated I had no tuning problems. Installing was non -invasive because tailpiece holes were identically placed. When I sold the guitar, I put the original tailpiece back on, and the buyer actually paid extra for the Bigsby!
In total, changing 6 strings took maybe a minute longer. No big deal. I wouldn't put one one my current 1961 ES 175D, because I only use it for jazz. I have a tremolo on my Charvel model 4 superstrat, but I have installed a tremel-no in the cavity which allows me to lock it if necessary, giving the best of both worlds.
So for me, yes, a Bigsby or tremelo has it's place - although I rarely use it.

[Stefan Eff]

I'm not sure why any jazz player would want a whammy bar. Are you doing a lot of dive bombs on Blue Bossa?

No one dive-bombs a Bigsby.

And concerning string changing- if you know how to do it it‘s darn easy and not a PITA.

[Boston Joe]

No one dive-bombs a Bigsby.

And concerning string changing- if you know how to do it it‘s darn easy and not a PITA.

I did say "whammy bar" and not Bigsby specifically, but, OK, why exactly would you want one? I can understand if you're playing rockabilly or country and want that wobbly chord sound, but what does it get you in jazz? I've never heard anyone do any kind of vibrato or bend that you can't do with your fingers. Maybe Sco could do something interesting with it, since he likes that wobbly chorus sound anyway.

Admittedly, I've never been a fan of whammy bars in general. I like the way Jeff Beck uses his (although I think he overdoes it, the technique is cool), but everything else I hear (excluding the country and rockabilly stuff) is all Hendrix/Van Halen type dives, which are more sound effect than music to my ears.

[D.G.]

[Boston Joe]

That's kind of similar to what Jeff Beck does, although Bireli goes for more of a Hawaiian guitar sound. So OK, you can do fake Hawaiian.

Anything else?

[pingu]

Mclaughlin uses a bigsby on an archtop
to swoop down at the end
of phrases ....

Its a very distinctive sound
I'm not keen on it tho ....

[Boston Joe]

Mclaughlin uses a bigsby on an archtop
to swoop down at the end
of phrases ....

Its a very distinctive sound
I'm not keen on it tho ....

I could see a whammy bar being useful for someone like McLaughlin, but he's mostly playing fusion. And even what passes for his straight-ahead playing he goes for a fusiony vibe anyway.

And I'm questioning his taste these days anyway. I saw him with the Five Peace Band a few years back, and his tone was horrible. My understanding was he was using a laptop with Amplitube instead of a real amp. (No doubt you can get some decent sounds out of Amplitube, but his wasn't one of 'em.)

[Zigracer]

I have Bigsbys on most of my electrics. Love ‘em. Guitars are set up properly so they don’t go out of tune.

[Stefan Eff]

I‘m playin different oldskool styles- jazz, swing, rockabilly, country- so to me a Bigsby is as important as my pickups are.

[Greentone]

I had bigsby units on my two Gretsch CA 6120 Nashvilles. Had a Vibrola on my SG Custom. My Stratocasters all had whammy bars.

I simply found that I didn't use them.

[DRS]

[pcpicker47]

My main guitar is a Gretsch 6122-1959 CG reissue. Love that guitar for its versatility....from rock to jazz chord melody. I have never had any problems with the Bigsby at all...I dont use it a lot, but used in the right context, it adds so much to the overall sound. That being said, I wouldnt put one on an archtop guitar that I was using solely for jazz stuff,,,wouldnt see a reason to do so. Still, I dont understand why anyone would "hate" them ?? Like Brian Setzer says, a good guitar should be like a woman....pretty head, smooth neck, curvy body and a wiggly tailpiece

[Robertkoa]

About as useful as a box of rocks for my style of playing. Bob

Exactly - I am seeing these on a lot of Guitars lately .

What style of Music needs one of these ?

AND the Guys who do the Demos ( when I am checking out Guitars online ) can NOT keep their hands off the darn tremolo arm - just because it's there ...

I do like the sound of a blocked tremelo on certain Guitars where you get a resonance from the hollow cavity and the springs - but I would prefer a fixed bridge with a faux trem block blocked underneath ( redundancy of more body coupling )and the springs just along for the ride ringing sympathetically .

It would be interesting to hear a Johnny A with the trem and then one with a stoptail .

Bigsbys are for people who own 10 Guitars and the 11th one has it ...haha.

[Stefan Eff]

Exactly - I am seeing these on a lot of Guitars lately .

What style of Music needs one of these ?

AND the Guys who do the Demos ( when I am checking out Guitars online ) can NOT keep their hands off the darn tremolo arm - just because it's there ...

I do like the sound of a blocked tremelo on certain Guitars where you get a resonance from the hollow cavity and the springs - but I would prefer a fixed bridge with a faux trem block blocked underneath ( redundancy of more body coupling )and the springs just along for the ride ringing sympathetically .

It would be interesting to hear a Johnny A with the trem and then one with a stoptail .

Bigsbys are for people who own 10 Guitars and the 11th one has it ...haha.

Paul Bigsby, the inventor of the Bigsby vibrato, was also a pioneer of the electric guitar and his first guitar was a major influence on the Telecaster, by the way. Your post sounds pretty arrogant and ignorant to me.
Bending strings isn‘t forbidden, vibrating tones isn‘t forbidden as well as it isn‘t forbidden to use jazz influence in other styles.
Gretsch guitars aren‘t quirky designed and the good old Bigsby B6 is a darn cool construction that offers a kind of shimmer you won‘t get from any other vibrato system, if you know how to use it.
What style of music needs one of these?
Rock n‘ Roll, Country, Rockabilly...diversity is the key, man.

[Robertkoa]

I love diversity and do bend strings ..just slightly ( lol)
biased hmmmm. I would say against them .

I do hear the shimmer but seems like a little scooped mids and low mids - not what I want from a Semi or a Hollow - I think I will even employ coil cuts on a Hollow Archtop if I get one but ' twang ' is not what I want to hear from a Semi or Hollow .

"I drink beer very rarely but when I do I use a Bigsby to open the Bottle. "

Actually that sounds even more closed minded - I am on this subject...a bit .

However , I do find the above demo annoying and bright and twangy ...so I guess this confirms that I am hopelessly biased .

One Pro Reviewer said that the Guitar in the above demo sounds like a cross between Gibson's Semi Hollows and Gibson's *full Hollows and if you listen really carefully in the above demo at certain points -

you can't tell at all...lol.

BUT the Reviewer took the Guitar to a Gig- I just can't tell at ALL in that demo.
I want to believe that Review which is NOT this Reviewer - and if so I might try to convince the Manufacturer to make one WITHOUT the Bigsby.

Print Review said these sound
Right in between Gibson's Semis and *Full Hollows- great for me if so .... with full sustain like a Semi or Solidbody is what I would like to find ( Basically a Sadowsky Semi for $1500. asking a LOT I know ).

I don't mind Bigsby's as long as I don't have to play one or listen to it almost return to pitch lol or listen to prolonged twangified warbly Guitar.

'No one is forcing you to listen Robert and your sarcasm is not funny. '

Yeah I can see that part...just a little fun , but I don't like the warbly thing much at all.
I do NOT like wide Vibrato on entire chords.
Diversity ?
Oddly many lower and mid end but otherwise good sounding semi hollow Guitars are ONLY available with a Bigsby ¿?

I can live with the fact that I am arrogant and ignorant on the subject of Bigsbys ..

*To have some type of Guitar which is a Semi Hollow or a 7/8ths Hollow ( just a block under tailpiece ) with a stoptail as phatt sounding as an Archtop or nearly so..would be great though.

And no one or almost no one would want an ES 175 with a Bigsby on it ...would they ?

L5 with a Bigsby ?

Seventy Seven Jazz Hawk with a Bigsby ?

Metheny PM 120 with a Bigsby ?

I love finger vibrato ...Kriesberg...sometimes does wide vibrato on his 175 and it sounds great.


I saw Hendrix as a kid , and his Vibrato Bar ( AKA Tremelo , misnamed) and thought he was great but the whammy bar thing was my least favorite part of his playing ....

Well I bend notes - I didn't say it was' forbidden '- lol....I don't like entire chords bending ...
So Bigsbys are forbidden for myself - I don't actually rule over anyone else ....

I use a LOT of techniques not endemic to Jazz Guitar ...

Whether I like hearing Bigsbys or not has ZERO to do with whether I like or respect the contributions of the Inventor ...what kind of non sequitir nonsense is that ?

Let me try to make this clear to you -
If someone does not like Sushi - and the Asian Chef who introduced it to the USA also is a Medical Doctor who cures Cancer - they still won't like Sushi ...

[Captain Caravelle]

I actually do more chord bending with my fingers than anything else..... but I absolutely love Bigsby's. I honestly don't care if I even use it. On a thinline..... to me they just look so classy. I have one on my Epi Riviera. No tuning issues whatsoever. Also had one on the 62 Gretsch Chet Atkins I used to have. Never an issue. If anything I find they add almost a reverb from the strings below the bridge ringing. I personally wouldn't put one on a full size hollowbody but on a thinline? Gimmie!!!