Re: Where to find a Bigsby B50?

mtmattan

Hey guys,

Anyone know where to find a Bigsby B50?
They cost around $80 on eBay,
But does anyone stock them locally?

Kind regards,
Matt.

Keira-WitherKay

if it's for your tele , maybe consider the B5 it's the "better or rather best model" about $199 but i'm sure it's worth the extra cash ...... as with any trem system one surely wants the best to avoid any stability issues......

oddly enough i was on the bigsby site today , also thinking of one for my tele ...... not 100% certain yet .....just thinking ?

and if you watch that video of how to install one into a telecaster damn they do it in 15 min ....... if you not watched it yet , you should.... i thought it was way more complicated than that to install

i see they offer full kits with all the parts needed........ it seems ......

if i recall singemonkey had a bigsby installed on one of his les paul's so he'll have hands on info for you ,

MikeM

Just remember, it adds weight, can be a hassle to setup, makes your tuning less stable.

Like Keira says, if you're gonna stick one on, make sure it's at least the right one.

singemonkey

Ok. Hold your horses.

Is there any evidence at all that the B50/B70 behaves *any* differently at all from the US units? As far as I'm aware, the only difference is that the US units are whatchamacallit, ground, whereas the licensed (Korean?) units are cast. So unless you're worried that the arm might break, I don't see any reason to panic. The original units are a lot more expensive. I got one, but then I felt I had the money to spend at the time. There are considerable savings in getting the licensed units. And when the OP is even then shopping around for best prices, the correct response might not be, "Spend another $120 for some undefinable reason."

The Bigsby is a very simple design. There shouldn't be any reason why the licensed units would be any less stable, tuning wise, than the originals. I would say: if you've got an instrument that isn't critical (you can take no chances with it) then feel free to try the much cheaper cast units. But I doubt you'll find them cheaper in SA than you can get them from stewmac.

Bigsbys are wonderful vibrato systems though, ignore any haters ? The transparency and fidelity of the sound as they dip is unique. Of course, the dip isn't very far, but that too is part of their charm.

Keira-WitherKay

singemonkey wrote Bigsbys are wonderful vibrato systems though, ignore any haters ? The transparency and fidelity of the sound as they dip is unique. Of course, the dip isn't very far, but that too is part of their charm.

how come .and i ask not to argue but since i don't know enough about em.......... and in fact i'm also considering a bigsby ....

is that i read so many complaints over them ........re stability and tuning issues ...... and i understand they not a "wammy dive" system but a tremelo "shimmer" system and thats what i want ... so i understand the hectic wammy users dissing it for not doing the van halen dives .
but i'm a stickler for tuning stabilty ........

and like you said there are very vocal "haters" out there of the system .....and i read at least one gripe /issue with them for every post i read that praises em -

for me it's about the vintage vibe of them ..they look gorgeous but if they unstable i'd rather not mess with my beloved tele cos i would see it as a vintage look "gimmick" enchancement .....and i do so love a vibrato so i'd use it but it's NOT an essential for what i do .

and 2nd how much does it detune when you bend a single string do the rest of the strings get badly effected or not......cos surely like on any wammy when you bend the bar moves somewhat

singemonkey

Keira, I don't have a very technical understanding of it, so this might be slightly off. But you can drop the pitch by about a tone with a deep bend. To my ear, the relative pitch of the strings is far less affected than a strat vibrato tailpiece. I think this is part of what gives Bigsbys - what I consider - their greater musicality to other vibrato systems.

Tuning instability is much over-hyped with this system, and is mostly referred to by those who don't have them. I asked about everything: locking tuners, roller bridges, graph-tech nuts.

The consensus from owners was that rolling bridges suck tone and are completely unnecessary. This goes double for traditional unslotted Tele saddles. Locking tuners, as someone wisely pointed out, are mostly a convenience since correct string wrapping technique achieves the same stability. The nut? Well, a well cut bone nut should be all you need, but a graph-tech nut may be useful.

I think the story about tuning came about in the sixties when people were trying to emulate Hendrix and compared the tuning unfavourably to the Strat tailpiece for that kind of heavy vibrato work. Continuous use will result in more tuning than usual, but it's not like say, the Gibson vibrola where you'll literally be out of tune after using it once. Here's my summary: I wouldn't want a Bigsby if I had to stay in tune throughout an entire show. But if I could tweak the tuning every three or four songs, I'd be more than happy.

Mine, I realised, was a bit stiff. I played a Gretsch Electromatic in the store a wee while back and I realised that's what a Bigsby is supposed to feel like (and that was a B60, btw). Very light to the touch. Total control with just the fingertips. Mine's not as bad as it was, and I'm still wondering whether to have the spring cut slightly shorter to reduce the tension.

Finally Keira, my advice to you would be to find a store that has a Bigsby'd Tele and get a sense of the feel and tone of that particular combination. I'm a fan though. I reckon if I ever got a Tele I'd probably get a Bigsby'd Tele. And yes, they do look cool as hell ?

mtmattan

Thanks for the input guys!

I've always been a fan of Bigsby's, not only because they look pretty damn cool but also because I find the regular Floyd Rose on my Strat too excessive if you just want to add a BIT of character to your playing.

From what I've read the B50's don't have any real disadvantage to the B5's. The other reason I'd go for the B50 is I'd like to put one on my Epiphone SG, and putting a $150 B5 on a $300 guitar doesn't seem quite right.

I'd also like to put one on the cheapie SG so: 1. I know exactly how to install it (or if I'm capable of doing so). 2. So I can decide whether or not it's worth adding one to my beloved do-not-mod-unless-absolutely-essential USA Tele.

But Keira, I know exactly how you feel about the Tele - got mine 5 years ago and all I've wanted to do since then is 1. Add a Bigsby 2. Put in a 3rd strat Nashville-type pickup.