Guildsby Advice

SFIV1967

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1. Don’t know if it’s true but I heard that proper alignment of those types of movable wooden based bridges are as thus:
Bottom lower bout of bridge corner aligns with lower bout f hole corner, and vice versa for the other side(see pic attached).
That might be maybe right for a specific model but intonation needs to be set up very differently!
By the way, the whole bridge is 180 deg wrongly placed! The bass side is on the trebble strings here! It needs to be the opposite way!

1672402723662.png

The lower part of that lengthy post explains how to set up intonation on a floating bridge:


Ralf
 

Dan Beckley

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Thanks Ralf,

I actually switched that bridge around 180 yesterday and set up the intonation. The bridge is now sitting much more level with the pickup and further back towards the tail end of the guitar. Some good tips in that post - taping out the bridge position when changing strings will be a real time saver!
 

Guildedagain

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not what I'm used to with bigsbys. Are all guildsby's like this?
The Bigsby appeared on Merle Travis's guitar in 1951, such is the technology, old, with it's share of minor - for me major - pitfalls, and if you've liked them so far, then a bit more suffering will just build character, maybe even become a signature style, getting around something that doesn't work properly but sure looks hot on a guitar.
age the chrome using the distilled vinegar trick I've seen on YouTube. Any ideas on removing the black paint from the tail piece?
Aged chrome looks horrible, often cracked and rusty, looking more like bits of a shipwreck than a vintage guitar part, but why remove the black? Why? Have you owned a guitar long enough to really "enjoy" the things you did when you were "young and foolish"? 9 times out of ten for me I wish I had not done it, and guitars age quite well on their own.
appears your bridge saddle is mounted backwards.
Not only that but the Bigsby takes a metal saddle to deal with the rocking/gliding motion of the strings.

Screen Shot 2023-01-01 at 7.01.44 AM.png
 

swiveltung

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Hi all,

Second post here....

I was hoping for some advice regarding a guildsby I have just fitted to my 62 Starfire 2. The job went smoothly enough butwhat I've noticed since fitting it is that the guildsby arm stops quite short of the strings meaning that I can't pick strings whilst holding the trem arm. Not an issue when wobbling at the end of chords but it's just not what I'm used to with bigsbys. Are all guildsby's like this? Are there aftermarket arms that allow more movement towards the strings?

Also, I think I'm going to take it back off and age the chrome using the distilled vinegar trick I've seen on YouTube. Any ideas on removing the black paint from the tail piece?

Any info on these two topics will be be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan
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The Gretsch guys deal with this a lot. You can get an "Atkins arm" which are better anyway, or just a bracket that allows wide rotation of the arm, but be aware that neither of those fit all models! Filing is an oft used option.
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Guildedagain

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taping out the bridge position when changing strings will be a real time saver!

Maybe, maybe not.

Depending on what strings are on the guitar, the bridge may need to move to compensate for gauge changes, however slight, and deadening of strings that causes intonation issues.

And it's so easy to set the bridge in the right place on the bass, then treble side. I do it by ear but you can confirm with a tuner.

The procedure is to make the 12th fret note right - a true octave when fretted - in regards to the open string. The harmonic at the 12th fret is slightly irrelevant.

A floating bridge is a beautiful thing actually, much better than fixed.

Bridges sometimes need to be pinned to deal overly vigorous use of the Bigsby, so if you're talking Pretty Woman to the next level that's something to think about.

About 66,400 results (0.44 seconds)


Bigsby and Floating Bridge Setup - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com › watch




Some tips and tricks for the mysterious and crafty Bigsby vibrato, and the equally tricksy floating bridge.
YouTube · Sean Kerns · Mar 12, 2021

Pros & Cons of Pinned Bridge | Gretsch-Talk Forum
https://www.gretsch-talk.com › threads › pros-cons-of-...



Apr 13, 2010 — Some guitars the floating bridge stays and doesn't float around when played with the Bigsby. My G6121 Jet doesn't float around my Duane Eddy ...
Pinned bridge ..? | Gretsch-Talk Forum
Nov 16, 2011
Pinned Bridge --good or bad??? | Gretsch-Talk Forum
Mar 5, 2014
Adjustomatic bridge moving with Bigsby use - Gretsch-Talk
Aug 29, 2011
Is A Pinned Bridge Preferred? | Gretsch-Talk Forum
Aug 19, 2022
More results from www.gretsch-talk.com
 
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Where the spring sets there's usually a washer there you can take that out to lower it or you can cut off a section of spring with a hacksaw or reverb has a softer or spongier spring you can get for about $10. I've done the cutting and washer removal which helped a lot.
 

mavuser

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I just can't get on board here, take it off and start over. sorry...it's a 62...it will look fantastic with the correct hardware. the way it looks now, is just wrong. especially for a 62...anyone on this thread, telling u otherwise, is being a little too nice about it. or they are just lying.

just have the screw hole touched up. Get the correct Guildsby and make it right.

We all make mistakes. Certainly I have personally made much bigger mistakes, than the one u have shared with us here. It is how we recover and make it right, that matters the most.

this one is for you

 

Guildedagain

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Where the spring sets there's usually a washer there you can take that out to lower it or you can cut off a section of spring with a hacksaw or reverb has a softer or spongier spring you can get for about $10. I've done the cutting and washer removal which helped a lot.

What are you trying to do, make the Bigsby even worse by making the spring weaker?

The spring is usually washered to raise tension, a penny fits perfect and probably has decent tonal qualities, just make sure it is year matching to the guitar.
 

Guildedagain

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If you tap tested today's clunkers you would get nothing. The last decent pennies, old composition, we made in 1986.

Not that hard to find a matching year penny.

It is a perfect fit and the thickness optimal. Any more and the spring could jump out.
 

GAD

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1982 is the year they changed over from copper pennies in the US.

1964 is the year they changed over from silver dimes and quarters.

I don’t remember anything about nickels because nickels suck. LOL
 

Prince of Darkness

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1982 is the year they changed over from copper pennies in the US.

1964 is the year they changed over from silver dimes and quarters.

I don’t remember anything about nickels because nickels suck. LOL
We had a similar situation in Britain. One and Two pence coins (like the pre-decimal "copper" coins which preceded them) were made from a bronze alloy, which contained 97% copper with 2.5% Zinc plus 0.5% tin. In 1992 the rising copper price led to these being replaced with copper plated steel, consisting of 94% steel and only 6% copper. "Silver" coins used to all be made from cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel), but again the price of copper led to the five and ten pence coins being replaced, in 2011, with nickel plated steel (94% steel, 6% nickel).
 

GAD

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We had a similar situation in Britain. One and Two pence coins (like the pre-decimal "copper" coins which preceded them) were made from a bronze alloy, which contained 97% copper with 2.5% Zinc plus 0.5% tin. In 1992 the rising copper price led to these being replaced with copper plated steel, consisting of 94% steel and only 6% copper. "Silver" coins used to all be made from cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel), but again the price of copper led to the five and ten pence coins being replaced, in 2011, with nickel plated steel (94% steel, 6% nickel).

I have a tube of sixpence coins that I bought for my Brian May reviews. A few are silver but most are not.

Guild-BrianMay-BM01-Sizpence.jpg
 

teleharmonium

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What are you trying to do, make the Bigsby even worse by making the spring weaker?

The spring is usually washered to raise tension, a penny fits perfect and probably has decent tonal qualities, just make sure it is year matching to the guitar.
As a daily Bigsby users who maintains about 8 of them, in my experience the soft spring performs far better. I do bends that you would think come from a Fender or even a Mosrite vibrato. The coin or washer(s) raise the handle so that it zeroes at the right height.
 

Dan Beckley

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I just can't get on board here, take it off and start over. sorry...it's a 62...it will look fantastic with the correct hardware. the way it looks now, is just wrong. especially for a 62...anyone on this thread, telling u otherwise, is being a little too nice about it. or they are just lying.

just have the screw hole touched up. Get the correct Guildsby and make it right.

We all make mistakes. Certainly I have personally made much bigger mistakes, than the one u have shared with us here. It is how we recover and make it right, that matters the most.

this one is for you


I've only just came back to this thread - I didn't actually realise that there had been more reply's.

You are completely right - it was a mistake and one that I regretted instantly upon learning the errors of my ways. I took the guildsby off and and replaced it with the stock G Harp tailpiece with the two holes in the top looking up at me as a reminder not to be so rash in future. I will as you suggested get them touched up.

I did manage to get my hands on an early 60's bigsby B6 which I'm now thinking of fitting. It's not the guild branded variety but I have seen some photos of early Starfire's with 'non guild' B6's fitted. Is there anything to consider before fitting this one?

I have been looking to purchase an aftermarket 'bigsby guild special bridge' in aluminium to go with it but all of the UK sellers are currently out of stock and postage from the US is extortionate. I did find one that is called a 'bigsby OEM bridge' in chrome that looks similar. Would this bridge work? Or would I be better waiting to get my hands on the aluminium 'guild special' one?

Here is the link to the 'OEM' bridge....


Many thanks
 
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