It looks good on a guitar, but there are some issues, glaring issues for me, starting here;
"
When a Bigsby is introduced to the equation, the strings are anchored further back than normal. This causes the tension in the string to increase creating a much “stiffer” feel than if they were strung up with a normal tailpiece."
"Bigsby vibratos were the must-have accessories for pioneering country pickers, rockabilly tearaways and 1960s psychedelic blues experimentalists. These days, they’re as popular as ever with indie rockers and ambient noiseniks.
That’s quite remarkable for a product that has remained essentially unchanged since 1951."
That's the thing, it's not really a hard rock or Blues tool, it's Rockabilly and Jump Blues, and I understand the need to reach for a whammy warble here and there, but the price you pay in playability isn't worth it.
I dropped 2 large on a really nice 60's vintage hollow body - no names mentioned - with a Bigsby, I had finally arrived... except for the absolute miserable playing experience - again for me - of wretchedly high string tension compounded by an inability to exececute any pedal steel - whole step - bends - and I sold it, at a loss, a lesson never to be forgotten.
This is a decent article on the Bigsby Vibrato, as mentioned born in 1951, so Leo no doubt knew it really was a vibrato when he decided to call his vibrato a tremolo, the fabled "synchronized tremolo" and all the tremolos on his amps vibratos.
Let's take a deep dive into the world of these revered vibratos, their history, and the popular mods and maintenance tips that will keep them running in perfect order for years to come
www.guitarworld.com
