Vibramate

StefStoep · 2014-06-10T12:44:27+00:00

Has anybody used one of these before? http://www.vibramate.com/vibramate-v5.php I am considering adding a Bigsby on my SG and I don't want to drill holes into the body. The Vibramate will allow me to add the Bigsby and it fits into the current holes for the stoptail, and then the bigsby fit onto the vibramate. I assume the tone will be different to a guitar with the bigsby fitted directly onto the body. i currently own 3 guitars with stoptails and tune-o-matic bridges, so it might be nice to have the option of the bigsby on one of them and the SG is the natural choice since it is the lightest and adding the extra weight to it won't kill me when standing with the guitar. Do i need to also fit a roller bridge? As i have seen many pics of guitars with a bigsby that has a standard bridge. Any negative aspects of a bigsby that I should be aware of? The pic below is an SG fitted with a Vibramate and Bigsby B5.

singemonkey

Locking tuners won't help you stay in tune. They just make string changes easier. Tuning problems with a Bigsby, as with ~~any vibrato tailpiece~~ any non-locking vibrato tailpiece come from the strings sticking on the bridge or, much more commonly, in the nut slots. Get the nut professionally seen to and add some graphite powder in there for extra lube.

When I asked about it, long time Bigsby users said that a rolling bridge is a tone-killer and does very little for your tuning. Just use your standard tune-o-matic and make sure the saddles are properly cut. That's what I've got and I have no tuning issues.

Hammeron, my guess is you're just not familiar with seeing these guitars with Bigsbys. It's a classic configuration. Mick Taylor rocked a cherry SG with a Bigsby B5 like that when the Rolling Stones were the greatest rock 'n roll band in the world, and a Bigsbyd Tele is a thing of loveliness.

Chabenda

I'm with Hammeron and Vintage Vibe on this.

The creaking sounds of strings hanging up in the bridge and nut (which at least can be alleviated) comes to mind. I had an old sixties SG with one which was great until you grabbed the whammy bar.

Hammeron's right about the looks IMO. It makes it look a bit like a breakdown truck.

AlanRatcliffe

String saver saddles work wonders for bridge binding, but Yeah, a stock TOM is better than the roller bridges.

Looks-wise, a Bigsby brings a certain vibe to any plank, which you either like or don't. I'm cursed with liking the look, but not the trem (any trem for that matter) or the weight. The extra weight actually works well on an SG, BTW - stops neck dive in it's tracks... ?

Chabenda

"The extra weight actually works well on an SG, BTW - stops neck dive in it's tracks... "

Yes - if you stick the whammy bar into the belt loop on your jeans ?

singemonkey

?

My breakdown truck: ?

Riding bareback too...

singemonkey

Oh. Actually, the worst thing about a Bigsby isn't the tuning problems people have when they don't get their nut sorted, it's restringing. You need to crimp the ball ends of the strings with a pair of pliers to get them to stick on the Bigsby pins without falling off while you try to string through the tuners.

Jayhell

singemonkey wrote ?

My breakdown truck: ?

Riding bareback too...

That is a thing of beauty! wow! Can you go nuts on the bigsby without tuning problems or is is it subtle bending only?

singemonkey

Subtle is all you can do on a Bigsby. It just doesn't go that far. Watch some Neil Young in concert to see how much can be done. He does as much as you can but even that's not in the league of a Floyd Rose.

But the Bigsby sounds better for reasons I don't quite understand than a strat or Floyd type vibrato. So while it doesn't go very far, chord dips just sound way better than on a strat or FR type tailpiece - hence their continued popularity, especially in rockabilly.

Explorerlover

singemonkey wrote Subtle is all you can do on a Bigsby. It just doesn't go that far. Watch some Neil Young in concert to see how much can be done. He does as much as you can but even that's not in the league of a Floyd Rose.

Him and a certain mr. Setzer

Psean

Jayhell wrote
singemonkey wrote ?

My breakdown truck: ?

Riding bareback too...
That is a thing of beauty! wow!

+1
looks flippin' brilliant. That reminds me...P90's and a Bigsby are two things I need to have a go on still.

Chocklit_Thunda

singemonkey wrote Oh. Actually, the worst thing about a Bigsby isn't the tuning problems people have when they don't get their nut sorted, it's restringing. You need to crimp the ball ends of the strings with a pair of pliers to get them to stick on the Bigsby pins without falling off while you try to string through the tuners.

USE A CAPO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

singemonkey

Still gotta crimp the strings mate. Otherwise you're going to have tuning probs for real while it all settles in.

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