First Try at Stringing a Starfire with a Guildsby

Hello folks.

I waited a week and some but received my new Starfire VI from half way across the country (from Ontario). What a beautiful guitar!! Even with the dead strings strongly suggesting it was a demo handled by many with dirty hands, it still chimes!

Anyway, I went to change strings, and I never had a bigsby before so got really confused by how to hook the strings on the tiny studs protruding from the bar. Went on youtube and found out. But then I loosened all my strings before I realized my bridge is not attached. Yikes! It's sliding everywhere. Question is, does it matter that much where it sits once I tighten the new strings on. Seems it WOULD matter. And if it does matter, is there a technique for finding just the right place for that bridge?

Thanks

Rick

D-55
F-412
NS Starfire VI
Godin xtsa koa

Intonating any bridge is a matter of tuning the 12th fret. On the e strings, high and low, play a harmonic at the 12th fret. Then you want to match that pitch with a fretted 12th pitch. If the fretted note is higher, move that side of the bridge closer to tail; if the fretted note is lower, move it towards the fretboard. It'll be a back and forth with the two e strings until both work; when you adjust one, the other will be moved slightly. Just keep honing until they're both good.
When you change strings next time (assuming you use the same brand, same gauge) use a little masking tape to mark the bridge first.

The answer to the first question is, "Yes it does."

Acorn House answered the second question correctly.

The other questions, not specifically asked would bring forth these answers:

The best way to change strings on a Bigsby is one at a time. That way the other strings hold the floating bridge in place. To change the strings, take a pair of needlenosed pliers and bend the ball end into a 180 degree hook just a little larger than the Bigsby axle. If you have a tension bar Bigsby, Place the hooked end under the tension bar and pull it back to the axle where the pins are. Place the string on the pin and push the string up against the angle. Keep tension on the string and run it over the bridge and nut and attach it to the tuning peg. It becomes much easier every time you do it. Now, it takes little more time for me than a non-Bigsby guitar.

There are ways to hold the bridge base in place. The most secure way is to pin it. Personally, I wouldn't but many, many people do. Just be careful where you pin it and I would try to use the least obvious way possible. A screw through the top of the bridge base and into the top of the guitar is not the least obvious. A couple of long-used and well respected ways to secure the base to the top would include using violin rosin (resin) on the base of the bridge. That doesn't really help if you take all the strings off but it will keep it from sliding. Another method is to take thin double sided tape and attach one side to the bottom of your bridge. That won't permanently attach the base but will keep it in place as long as you don't bump it.

On my X-170 sunburst, when I found the sweet spot for the bridge, I took a pencil and made a light outline around the ends of the bridge so that I can immediately see where to put it if it gets moved. With the sunburst, I can easily see it in the middle of the yellow. If you have a dark guitar, obviously that won't work and I would not use anything other than pencil to mark it. Otherwise, when you take off the strings use some painter's tape (not masking tape) and tape the bridge to the top. Get it all strung up and the tape should easily come off leaving no residue.

This may be more basic than you need but maybe someone will benefit.

Another trick I use for getting the Ball ends to stay on the Bigsby without having to keep constant tension on them as you begin tuning them up is to take some soft foam and cut you out some wedge shaped slices. Then you can put the ball end on the bigsby post and squeeze the foam wedge underneath it to maintain pressure on the ball end and post. After you string up and get tension on the that particular string you can just remove the foam wedge. This is something I came up with do to limited use of my Left arm and not always being able to maintain tension on the string. It makes things a Whole lot easier and keeps the strings from slipping off.

Some of the Newer Bigsbys are String through to eliminate the string post problem all together, Gretsch is now using them on their higher end guitars.

Another option that makes things extremely easy is a Vibramate String Spoiler. Makes string changes as easy as on a non bigsby guitar, They run around $30-$40 depending on the finish. Here is a link.

http://vibramate.com/vibramate-string-spoiler.php

TX

Here's some helpful hints: pre-bend the ball end of the string before hooking it around the roller studs (you can use a pen or pencil to bend it on); similar to txbumper's tip but get a common wedge shaped rubber eraser and wedge it in to hold the ball ends on the roller while you thread through the tuners; and I highly recommend once you get the bridge properly intonated, mask off the bridge feet location (painter's tape works great) and then secure the bridge base to the guitar using some thin double sided tape using a small rectangle on the bottom of each bridge foot (Scotch double sided poster tape is very thin and works great).

I love all the Bigsby tricks. I put the ball end on then pull up on the string (keeping tension) while tuning up. The only difficult one for me is the last one (high-e).

I laugh when people complain about stringing up a Floyd Rose and usually comment that they must have never strung a Bigsby.

I have a Vibramate Spoiler on one of my SGs. Works great: changing strings is easy peasy. I plan to put one on my Gretsch too if its current set of Thomastik George Bensons ever gives out (I'm beginning to wonder…).



-Dave-

Thanks everyone. So many helpful suggestions!

I realize the time and effort many people expend replying to others' questions. This forum is an awesome place!

Rick

Tension bar Bigsbies are a bit of a pain to restring, the piece of foam (or rubber, an eraser works great too!) trick works great for that. Single roller Bigsbies...I've done that probably literally a thousand times or more, so I don't think about it much. Pre-bend the string, attach, pull up on the string and keep tension on it with your hand until the tuning machine takes over.

Steve Hunter markets wedges for this purpose. They are available for a nominal cost through Amazon. I think Bigsby or Gretsch also markets the same thing calling it a Bigsby Buddy.

I had a 70's ( I think) Starfire 5 and I used to change the strings one or two at a time and used a pencil to pre-bend the ball end so they sat on the little studs...Worked fine for me...

I find that the Guild and Gretsch signature tail pieces on arch-top guitars can also be difficult to re-string sometimes! It is so easy for the ball end of the string to back up a little and slip out of the slotted groove. A trick that I came up with is a leather golf glove for my right hand. It allows me to comfortably apply pressure to the string, while I wind the machine head with my left hand... especially the unwound metal strings. And the cool thing about a golf glove is that you can actually buy just one glove. :biggrin-new:

Bill

Also, you can use some painters tape. A life saver when I was stringing up Steve's mandola.

*wind, wind, wind, wind* <looking back>, "*#%{^*#^!"

I take some needle-nose pliers and actually bend the ball end at an angle to the rest of the string (rather than trying to curl the string itself). Probably end up with something like a 100-110° angle to the rest of the string and it really makes it want to stay on the string posts. It seems to work better than an evenly curled string end, which kind of wants to pop off as a unit. Found a pic of somebody bending it like I'm talking about:

It is a gorgeous guitar. Congratulations.

vastier said:

Hello folks.

I waited a week and some but received my new Starfire VI from half way across the country (from Ontario). What a beautiful guitar!! Even with the dead strings strongly suggesting it was a demo handled by many with dirty hands, it still chimes!

Anyway, I went to change strings, and I never had a bigsby before so got really confused by how to hook the strings on the tiny studs protruding from the bar. Went on youtube and found out. But then I loosened all my strings before I realized my bridge is not attached. Yikes! It's sliding everywhere. Question is, does it matter that much where it sits once I tighten the new strings on. Seems it WOULD matter. And if it does matter, is there a technique for finding just the right place for that bridge?

Thanks

Rick

D-55
F-412
NS Starfire VI
Godin xtsa koa

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