Bigsby on p90 or Humbucker Standard

[augustin187]

So I am not a picky or good guitarist. But I am a studio owner and one axe that I am hoping to add to the closet is s Les Paul with a bigsby.

I have 2 equally valued Les Paul standards
One with p90s one with humbuckers

Any one over the other I should lean to when adding a bigsby?

Thanks!

 

[gibson-r8]

Use a vibramate and you can try it on both

 

[metropolis]

Agree with gibson-r8. I've got a few guitars with the 'snakebite' from having a Bigsby fitted but also have fitted one to others with the vibramate leaving no trace. I'd definitely go down that route if I were you, as it maintains the value of the guitars and gives you the flexibility you might need in the studio.

 

[1allspub]

Yes, VibraMate is your friend. Don’t drill holes! Yikes!

 

[Big Al]

Use the Vibramate, (I have them on 7 of my Les Pauls.), both the B7 type and B5 type work well, but I much prefer the B5 type for its very easy installation and I prefer the B5 or B50 Bigsby for looks and function is the same as B7 or B70. Make sure to have a variety of spings so you can find the one that works best. A quality roller bridge will boost functionality but I have some without and they work flawlessly.

Good reverb and tremolo make good playmates.

 

[J T]

If you use a vibramate you should get a spoiler to make string changes a little easier.

 

[dju]

if you don't use the spoiler this is a trick I read about on the interweb that helps making string changes on bigsby's easier....

the old Bigsby restring trick - OffsetGuitars.com

just sharing info if interested.
good luck with which ever guitar you put the bigsby on.

 

[gibson-r8]

I just take my needle nose (pliers) put a bend in the ball end and feed it on the post with the pliers

 

[gmann]

I just take my needle nose (pliers) put a bend in the ball end and feed it on the post with the pliers

Me too, easy enough to do.

 

[Big Al]

Yup. That's how I've always done it. I make sure to grab the ball end by its flat sides, then while still clampin the flat side, I wrap the string around the plier jaws tight too make rhe bend. I use pliers with rounded jaws for a neat bend. I use short nose small pliers that are big enough to make a proper bend.

Sometimes I will bend the ball up, inwards and make sure the flat face is in position to slip the hole onto the peg. I feed the pre bent ball end onto the bridge, under the roller and the bent part onto the pin bar. The ball end should slide into the pin easy enough but you can pull the arm up to see it happen and help seat it if your clumsy.

I sometimes will use a small piece of foam to hold the string in place while stringing up. It is easy and takes longer to read this than to do it.

 

[lure555]

If it weren't for the Vibramate Spoiler I would have thrown my Les Pauls out the window long ago.