Looking to upgrade my Tremolo to an original Bigsby

[Danielknoll]

Hi there,

I am nearly finished building my GR-1SF and am thinking about investing in the Bigsby Temolo.

Does anyone know what model Bigsby I need to buy to fit this guitar. I see it looks like a B7...but there are a few B7 options out there.

Can someone help

Thnx


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Monkeesfan1965]

https://www.bigsby.com/products/vibratos/kalamazoo-series/

I opted for the B7 on my ES175 copy, as it already had the holes from the original tailpiece attachment.

[Simon Barden]

I'd first take some measurements to find out whether the B7 is suitable. You don't want the roller bar to end up too near the bridge or you'll have issues with the strings catching on the rear of the bridge and too great a break angle.

Looking at the Bigsby website, I can't see any variations apart from nickel/gold finish and left/right handed versions.

The B6 is more Gretsch-like, so you might want to consider that if you are going for a real Gretsch vibe. The B7 is stated as being designed more for Thinline guitars, whilst the B6 is designed to go on full-bodied guitars. That's one reason the B6 doesn't have locating screws up at the trem end whilst the B7 does. However, I've seen both types used on hollow bodies and of course, the kit trem is a B7 style.

You may of course want the cheaper option and go for a Lightning series trem, so a B60 or B70 instead of the Kalamazoo series B6 or B7. The Lightning series are made in Korea using die-casting, whilst the Kalamazoo series are USA made using sand casting. You'll probably find that the Lightning ones are actually a bit better finished. Both series are made from aluminium.