Guildsby string-thru bar?

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Does anyone know if Bigsby or Callaham make that string-through replacement bar for the Guildsby?
I’d like to get one for my X160 Rockabilly, but I’m not sure if it will fit. I’m just so tired of dealing with the pins! They did a great job of fitting them on the new Gretsch guitars!
And what model of Bigsby is the Guildsby based on? (B6, B5, whatever). Thanks!
 

matsickma

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I didn't try this but couldn't the pins be pulled out of bar and the remaining holes be used to feed the strings through? It might require drilling out the fatter gauge string holes but that may not be to hard.

I'll have to go and look at s bigsby up close.
M
 

jp

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Ingenius and simple as the Spoiler is to solve this issue, it just seems like adding more is not an elegant solution. I know that Callaham makes parts to optimize the traditional Bigsby. My buddy in town explains some of the upgrades in his blog post where he mods a Bigsby for a Tele.

He explains how to pull out the pins of the original string shaft, as explained to him by Callaham.
 

dbirchett

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It may depend on which Guildsby that you have. The parts on the imported (Newark Street) Guildsbys are metric while those on the US models (Everything else) are SAE. The same holds true as to Bigsbys. And never the twain shall meet. Don't know if Callaham makes pinless bars for both.
 
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It may depend on which Guildsby that you have. The parts on the imported (Newark Street) Guildsbys are metric while those on the US models (Everything else) are SAE. The same holds true as to Bigsbys. And never the twain shall meet. Don't know if Callaham makes pinless bars for both.

From what I’ve read, they only make them for the USA made ones! And it’s one size fits all... but not for “ licensed” or “import” Bigsbys. My X160 was made in Corona, but I have no idea where the Guildsby was made.
 

txbumper57

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From what I’ve read, they only make them for the USA made ones! And it’s one size fits all... but not for “ licensed” or “import” Bigsbys. My X160 was made in Corona, but I have no idea where the Guildsby was made.

America.
 

kakerlak

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The pins just screw out with an allen wrench on all the Bigsbys I've seen. I do wonder whether you run the risk of goobering up the threads over time by running strings through them, but, then again, if you're never going back, who cares? I always just bent the ball ends sideways with needle-nose pliers so they hug the posts a little better when stringing up -- never have too much trouble.
 
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The pins just screw out with an allen wrench on all the Bigsbys I've seen. I do wonder whether you run the risk of goobering up the threads over time by running strings through them, but, then again, if you're never going back, who cares? I always just bent the ball ends sideways with needle-nose pliers so they hug the posts a little better when stringing up -- never have too much trouble.

I had a 64 Gretsch Tennessean with that kind of pin set up on the Bigsby. But not so on any of the later Bigsbys. On the later ones, including this Guildsby, the holes do not go all the way through, and the pins are pressed in.
And if I should break a string during a live performance, it would be so much easier to just run the string in and tune it up! (Often on the side of the stage, no table, in the dark, during a break LOL!) For playing at home, not such a problem, although it’s still a PITA!
And if I got the replacement bar, it could still be returned to stock if I ever sold the guitar.

I was just wondering if the Guildsby was based on an existing Bigsby model as far as the dimentions of the bar.
 

kakerlak

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I had a 64 Gretsch Tennessean with that kind of pin set up on the Bigsby. But not so on any of the later Bigsbys. On the later ones, including this Guildsby, the holes do not go all the way through, and the pins are pressed in.
And if I should break a string during a live performance, it would be so much easier to just run the string in and tune it up! (Often on the side of the stage, no table, in the dark, during a break LOL!) For playing at home, not such a problem, although it’s still a PITA!
And if I got the replacement bar, it could still be returned to stock if I ever sold the guitar.

I was just wondering if the Guildsby was based on an existing Bigsby model as far as the dimentions of the bar.

Wait, if the pins won't come out of the roller, then how can you get the roller out of the body of the tailpiece?
 

kakerlak

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There’s a video on YouTube, shows them pulling them out with a set of wire cutters.

I'm just being a pest now, but, if you can get them out some way, and have to to get the roller out, then why not just drill out the resultant holes?
 

matsickma

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Looks like the older bigsbys have the allen screw type of string studs and the newer ones have the single sided cotter pin design. I can see the cotter pin design would be less expensive to make. On those you have to drill the holes out.
I will have to inventory the guitars and parts to see where the cotter pin change was phased in.
M
 

parker_knoll

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The pins just screw out with an allen wrench on all the Bigsbys I've seen. I do wonder whether you run the risk of goobering up the threads over time by running strings through them, but, then again, if you're never going back, who cares? I always just bent the ball ends sideways with needle-nose pliers so they hug the posts a little better when stringing up -- never have too much trouble.

I had a '66 SFIII where the roller bar had had the pins pulled it. It was rock solid tuning wise and easy to string up. The strings had cut into the aluminium bar over time but it didn't seem to matter and I didn't suffer any string breakage. Also, I believe the roller bar is available as a spare part so you could order one to mess around with at no risk to the original.
 
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