Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: RGX on October 01, 2005, 12:34:52 AM
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I have a friend who is about to buy a great telecaster complete with bigsby trem and it makes me want one on my epiphone Les Paul. Can it be done, who can do it in the London area and how much do you reckon it would cost?
Oh, and would it play terribly? :lol:
Thanks all
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It can definately be done; ask feline? Some early Les pauls had them on anyways. Don't be expecting anything drastic from a bigsby, you can only really use it for a little vibrato. anything more than a semitone, and you'll probably be ripping the arm off. I don't see it being a very cost-effective way to improve your guitar! I certianly wouldn't do it :?
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It can definately be done; ask feline? Some early Les pauls had them on anyways. Don't be expecting anything drastic from a bigsby, you can only really use it for a little vibrato. anything more than a semitone, and you'll probably be ripping the arm off. I don't see it being a very cost-effective way to improve your guitar! I certianly wouldn't do it :?
Yeah I know they have problems, tuning and such, I just love shaking out chords on them, not looking for metal divebombs. :lol:
And they look so damn cool, I play hard rock with a country edge (think guns n' roses/aerosmith) with a bite, I reckon it could add some cool subtle vibrato to chords etc.
Thanks for your reply, any idea of where I can get it done and how it will affect the "play" of the guitar?
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As Indy said, it can be done. It will affect the play of the guitar and the tone but that is probably what you want anyway. I reckon Jonathan from Feline will chip in shortly and may give you "chapter & verse".
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If you get one that's designed for archtops and attatches only at the side, that probably will affect tone, but if you're willing to have holes dirlled in the front they do make a model for carved top guitars that screws on. Which is closer to a stop bar, so I'd imagine doesn't sound a million miles away from one.
I know if I ever get a LP it's getting a Bigsby, and that's all there is to it. They look awesome. I know Jimmy Page had a LP Custom with one, sadly that got nicked, but I reckon that was one cool guitar, no mistake.
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Pity; I just got rid of a Bigsby that I removed from a Les Paul. That would have done you nicely!
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Sure it can be done. Bigsby sells ready made kits these days. Iswear by them. There's no divebombs and such but the vitage vibe and sound is great. It will alter your tone, you're adding a big lump of metal to your guitar. The string vibrations will be transferred to the body throughout the Bigsby's surface. Another great advantage of a Bigsby is that you still have a fixed bridge to palm mute on. Check out the site http://www.bigsbyguitars.com you can see how it will look on a Les Paul. My advice: go for one of the Korean made Bigsby's, they're a lot cheaper and just as good.
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I definately understand going for it for the aesthetics! it looks AWESOME, but theres gotta be better ways to spend your money, surely. from that bigsby site, it looks like you could probably fit it yourself. If your not 100% confident, wait for Jonathan to clock on...
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Option 2: The Les Trem. No mods needed and you can always return the guitar to it's original specs.
(http://www.stewmac.com/catalog/images_1lg/4616_1lg.jpg)
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Option 2: The Les Trem. No mods needed and you can always return the guitar to it's original specs.
(http://www.stewmac.com/catalog/images_1lg/4616_1lg.jpg)
yes i want one of those, i think it will look cool on my silver LP; i dont care if i use it or not.
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yes i want one of those, i think it will look cool on my silver LP; i dont care if i use it or not.
:lol: I kinda want a gold one for my LP aswell
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Mr Les Paul himself has a bigsby on his, er, Les Paul, so it can be done, option 3 - check out http://www.stetsbar.com/
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Option 2: The Les Trem. No mods needed and you can always return the guitar to it's original specs.
(http://www.stewmac.com/catalog/images_1lg/4616_1lg.jpg)
Who makes these and where can they be found?
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here are some things:
http://www.allparts.uk.com/acatalog/TremoloTailpieces.html
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tailpieces/Electric_guitar_tremolos/Les_Trem_Stop-Tailpiece_Tremolos.html
:P
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Thanks so much for the links, really helpful, I think I'll get a kit. More questions, If I get one specifically designed for the Les Paul, how will it change the tone? Will I still be able to play metal on it occasionally? :P
And also, tuning issues? Does it tend to screw up if you smack the bridge around, palm muting and such?
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Mostly that lump of metal will add sustain. The custom bridge plate I had on my Tele was bigger and heavier than the stock one. It gave the guitar more sustain and made it sound beefier. I have two guitars with a Bigsby. I don't know how they sound without it because they were on it when I got them.
The Reverend never has any tuning issues, the Dean does ( a little bit), maybe the new strings have to settle a bit. No problem with heavy palm muting. Other trem systems tend to go sharp when you go ape on the palm muting. If you really want to avoid tuning issues, get a graphite nut, a roller bridge and locking tuners.
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Mostly that lump of metal will add sustain. The custom bridge plate I had on my Tele was bigger and heavier than the stock one. It gave the guitar more sustain and made it sound beefier. I have two guitars with a Bigsby. I don't know how they sound without it because they were on it when I got them.
The Reverend never has any tuning issues, the Dean does ( a little bit), maybe the new strings have to settle a bit. No problem with heavy palm muting. Other trem systems tend to go sharp when you go ape on the palm muting. If you really want to avoid tuning issues, get a graphite nut, a roller bridge and locking tuners.
I need a nut replacement actually, the D string slot is cut too low and rattles open. :(
Locking tuners are another upgrade on the horizon, by the time I'm finished with this guitar all that will be original will be the wood. :D
Currently i want:
Mule or Riff Raff in the bridge
Mule in the neck
Bigsby trem
Graphite Nut
Locking Tuners
Upgraded Caps and Pots
Damn lack of funds. Thanks for the info, sounds like a worthwhile upgrade especially if it boosts the sustain. As long as it doesn't change the fundamental characteristics of the guitar too much I reckon I'm going for it.
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by the time I'm finished with this guitar all that will be original will be the wood. :D
Thats the way my Epi is gonna be eventually :lol: Its all worth it though :D
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Actually string stretching with the Bigsby when you first restring it is a lot easier and less painful than running your hands up and down under the strings and pulling them up.
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You might want to add this to your list of upgrades: Schaller rolling bridge, $39,36 @ Stewmac.
(http://www.stewmac.com/catalog/images_1lg/1266_1lg.jpg)
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Ooooh sweet, yep that's on the list, should help with inotation/tuning as already mentioned.
This is getting expensive! Any other suggested upgrades for the Les Paul? I've been wanting to upgrade the wiring but I have no idea what I'm doing, handy with a soldering iron though.
Going for a hard rock, Slash meets punk meets New York Dolls tone.
Thanks for all your help, I posted this in a few forums and none of them were half as helpful as you guys. 8)
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To be honest, I always felt graphite was better than rollers because there's no moving parts to impare vibrations.
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My Bigsby retrofitted LP:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v671/5F6-A/F1000033.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v671/5F6-A/F1000035.jpg)
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Wow, that looks so cool. What a classic!