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previous: Doc Re: Graphtec saddles and a properly cut nut,...(m) -- 10/20/1999 4:48 PM

Rollers, rollers, rollers !

10/20/1999 8:08 PM
moocow	Rollers, rollers, rollers ! Gretch uses a roller Tune-O-Matic style bridge on some of their Bigsby-equipped reissues. I've used the Schaller roller bridge and it works very well with a Bigsby. It has the same post spacing as the Gibson TOM, but the guitar will need to be drilled for the large Schaller bushings. Also, the Schaller bridge radius is too large to match the 7 1/4" radius of a vintage Fender fingerboard. The high and low E strings will be kind of far from the fingerboard, which will bother some people. Still, I've used it on a reissue Telecaster and Jazzmaster, and both guitars play well and stay in tune. Some people say that heavier strings help keep a Bigsby in tune. I've always used 11's, so I don't know what happens with smaller strings. About five years ago, the Fender Custom shop built the fanciest Telecaster w/Bigsby I've ever seen. The "Bigsby" tailpiece was actually a design by Trevor Wilkinson. Instead of a single tension bar, it had six rollers, one for each string. The bridge was a roller version of a Wilkinson Telecaster bridge and the nut was a single roller Wilkinson. It also had Gotoh vintage style locking tuners, and the headstock was kicked back like a Gibson. This was done to eliminate friction caused by the string tree. An inquiry was made as to the availability of this Bigsby variant, but Trevor said that Fender only made about 12-16 of these guitars and they didn't think there would be enough demand for such a bridge/tailpiece to put them into production.

10/20/1999 8:08 PM

moocow

Rollers, rollers, rollers !

Gretch uses a roller Tune-O-Matic style bridge on some of their Bigsby-equipped reissues.

I've used the Schaller roller bridge and it works very well with a Bigsby. It has the same post spacing as the Gibson TOM, but the guitar will need to be drilled for the large Schaller bushings. Also, the Schaller bridge radius is too large to match the 7 1/4" radius of a vintage Fender fingerboard. The high and low E strings will be kind of far from the fingerboard, which will bother some people. Still, I've used it on a reissue Telecaster and Jazzmaster, and both guitars play well and stay in tune.

Some people say that heavier strings help keep a Bigsby in tune. I've always used 11's, so I don't know what happens with smaller strings.

About five years ago, the Fender Custom shop built the fanciest Telecaster w/Bigsby I've ever seen. The "Bigsby" tailpiece was actually a design by Trevor Wilkinson. Instead of a single tension bar, it had six rollers, one for each string. The bridge was a roller version of a Wilkinson Telecaster bridge and the nut was a single roller Wilkinson. It also had Gotoh vintage style locking tuners, and the headstock was kicked back like a Gibson. This was done to eliminate friction caused by the string tree.

An inquiry was made as to the availability of this Bigsby variant, but Trevor said that Fender only made about 12-16 of these guitars and they didn't think there would be enough demand for such a bridge/tailpiece to put them into production.

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