The official forum for all things Joe Bonamassa, guitars and blues music
You are not logged in. Please login or register.
Joe Bonamassa Forum → Joe's Guitars, Amps and Gear → Bigsby B7 for Les Pauls and other arch top solid bodies.
Just ordered a Bigsby for my LP so mine too can look like Joe's 58' Reissue. Any advice on installing it? I'm also going to put a Tonepros ABR-1 bridge on it so I can lock it down since its a vibrato. Also does a Bigsby equipped Les Paul still fit into the standard gibson Les Paul Case?
Well no thanks to the board on this one but I felt like giving an update. The Bigsby was backordered by a week, so I'll have to wait on it. As for the Tone Pros ABR-1 Bridge... I already love it! I cut the saddles myself so I'm happy with it. Over all I've noticed that playing the LP classic unplugged make a huge difference in sound and volume alone on this one. I just hope the Bigsby will add to the coolness of this piece. I'll have pics when I'm done so stay tuned.
Sorry brutha, no experience here with Bigsby's. I would have chimed in if I did. Good luck with your customized Paul. Pics would be cool.
http://www.zzguitarworks.com/servlet/th … olo/Detail
I put this one on my 58 LP a few months back. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but seeing how there's no midifications made, you can remove it with no holes, dents, scrfatches, etc..... It's of super quality and the guy shipped it lightning fast. It took all of 15 mins to install and another 5 to restring it (its a bit tricky), but I took my time and read direction as well. I like it a lot. It's perect for that Jimmy Page "Come on Everybody" vibe.
Ben
AD3THREE, I installed a bigsby B7 on an Epi les Paul Gold Top, one of the korean ones they made a few years back. The guitar is loosely based on Neil Young's Old Black. I've done it out with a dimarzio firebird pickup in the bridge, stainless stell scratch plate and truss rod cover and a chrome cover for the neck P90. I have always meant to get round to finishing it off (Locking tuners & Actually paint it matt black).
I got a roller style bridge installed which I thought would help with tuning problem but have been left pretty unimpressed with it.
I am a huge Neil Young fan and his guitar has always been one of my favs. The reason i got the Epi in the first place was because Neil's is a modified gold top.
Anyway, the tonepros sounds like a good choice. To be honest I'm not a huge fan of the look of Joe's Bigsby equipped les paul. The Black and chrome of Old black as just too cool looking.
As far as installing goes, you will be left with holes where the stop tail piece once was. I just have too black rubber caps covering those which are mostly hidden under the bigsby. They will look fine once I finally get around to painting the guitar.
Ah cool, I knew if I sturred the fire a bit I'd get some posts! Fuzzblues very insightful I kind of figured they had some way of covering up the holes or at least hidding them so I never even thought about will the holes look ugly on the guitar after its done, but cause I'm not planning on painting mine. A while back I was going for that wild reliced look on it and basically didn't know what I was doing so its pretty bad. Everyone tells me it looks old which is what I wanted but up close it doesn't look like a naturally reliced guitar it looks like I took a brillo pad to it and put tons of little scratchs on it (because thats what I did like an idiot@!) Also I had Neil on the brain when I clicked buy it now. 
I always dug the look of a Paul with a Bigsby, so I very well may install one one day. The Paul that I've got is the one I'll be buried with so I'm not worried about resale value as far as holes in the finish go. My next mod on the very very very long list is to buy an ABR1 from Pigtail Music and have my tech install it legitimately instead of doing what I did: buying a Gibson ABR1 and drilling it out for Nashville posts.
I will need to be confident that my guitar won't be constantly out of tune though...
I had loads of tuning issues with my bigsby when I first had it installed. Make sure the nut cut is spot on. You may also wish to cinsider a set of locking tuners.
The bigest sticking point was the nut which I had to recut.
Something else to be aware of is starp button has to go through a bottom section of the bigsby, This can make it awkward getting a strap on especially if you use schaller locking starp buttons. I had to use a washer to that the strap button stuck out far enough to allow the strap to lock in place.
As long as you use a lubricant on the saddles and in the nut you should be OK. Be aware though that this isn't for an EVH style. A step down at most, Up a 1/2. Its not really for that dive bombing though. Just a really sweet vibrato.
Ben
You may also wish to consider a set of locking tuners.
Locking tuners on a Paul? That's like the 8th Deadly Sin...
Nah I don't want any of the EVH divebombs or I would have bought a Les Paul Access and sold the guitar I got. I really dig some of the sound Jimmy Page used to get with his black beauty that was stolen. Its the little things that make a big difference. Can anyone tell me if the Bigsby will sonically change the tone of the guitar any? Like will I loose a little sustain doing this? I'm going back and forth alot on weather I want to do this or not. I've got the part paid for it was just back ordered by 5 days so its not here yet. If I don't like it though I promise one thing it won't stay on that guitar long. I'll have 45 days to return it if I hate it, but I'll have those ugly holes to deal with.
As long as you use a lubricant on the saddles and in the nut you should be OK. Be aware though that this isn't for an EVH style. A step down at most, Up a 1/2. Its not really for that dive bombing though. Just a really sweet vibrato.
Ben
If I had a ton of Les Paul's, I'd imagine one would have a Bigsby on it. But I'd never use it. Sorry I cannot give you any input! 
Well the holes will suck major. Look into the ZZ guitar bigsby. It fits w/o any mod holes. It screws into the TP stud holes. I use it on my 58 for that Pagey Jam on the RAH dvd.If you don't like it take it off like it was never there. If its B/O can't you still cancel the order?
Ben
Its musicians friend so I got 45 day. how does the tone get affected? is it thinner or any noticable change at all to the tone?
Its musicians friend so I got 45 day. how does the tone get affected? is it thinner or any noticable change at all to the tone?
Honetsly I didn't notice much, but I also didn't attach my to the body. It basically floats about the top because of the sytem design. I'm a type of player that likes a consitancy in tone so all ym guitars have the same p/u's just different features if you will. Bigsby, Greeny mod, Standard wiring.... The fact that it doesn't sit on the body I think helps w/ resonation and keeping a closer sound in tone. There was no stopping me b/c I wanted to play that Page doing Cochran thing lol.
C'mon Everybody,
Ben
Ok I got it yesterday and I've installed it during my lunch break at work. It looks great! I'm a tick to far to one side but functionally its working fine and I think you'd have to look over it with a fine tooth comb to notice it. It stays in tune just fine and believe it or not I can get really close to a dive bomb and keep my tuning with it. I think it might have gave it a little more brightness to the sound but remember I also changed the TOM to a tonepros so that might have done it also. It plays just like it did before and hasn't changed the guitar too much for me. I love it! I'll post pics soon!!!
Joe Bonamassa Forum → Joe's Guitars, Amps and Gear → Bigsby B7 for Les Pauls and other arch top solid bodies.
Powered by PunBB, supported by Informer Technologies, Inc.
Currently installed 2 official extensions. Copyright © 2003–2009 PunBB.