Fitting a Bigsby to a Les Paul, can it be done?

[RGX]

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

[indysmith]

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  :?

[RGX]

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?

[38thBeatle]

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".

[The amazing Phil]

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.

[Bob Johnson]

Pity; I just got rid of a Bigsby that I removed from a Les Paul. That would have done you nicely!

[Ratrod]

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.

[indysmith]

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...

[Ratrod]

Option 2: The Les Trem. No mods needed and you can always return the guitar to it's original specs.

[willo]

Option 2: The Les Trem. No mods needed and you can always return the guitar to it's original specs.

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.

[_tom_]

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

[Elliot]

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/

[The amazing Phil]

Option 2: The Les Trem. No mods needed and you can always return the guitar to it's original specs.

Who makes these and where can they be found?

[willo]

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

[RGX]

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?