tbonesullivan Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Many may remember my H-158 Millennium from past postings and a PSP or two. Well, one thing that has always been less than ideal for me is the functioning of the Bigsby, as well as tuning stability. Now, I know that no matter what I do, it's never going to match the likes of a modern 2 point trem. However I think it still can be better than it is now. It came with the Licensed B50 overseas made Bigsby, which uses nylon bushings for the roller joints. The original Bigsby uses captured bearings, which can be oiled and maintained. So I'm looking into the possibility of sticking a B5 on in place of the B50, as well as having a new nut installed, optimized for tremolo use. It still has the stock nut, but I don't feel that it's as well cut as it could be, and doesn't have the flat bottom string slots cut that you'd usually want on a tremolo guitar. So also getting that re-cut would be on the list of things to do. I LOVE the guitar. The sound is incredible. I'd just like to make it MORE incredible by having a more functional Bigsby. I've always felt that Licensed bigsby has too much slop in operation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockabilly69 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 I'm sure you know this, but just a reminder, Graphite grease on everypoint the string touches can't hurt. I do that on all my Gretsches and it really helps with the tuning! And the idea of recutting a new nut is a good one, especially if you put a graphtec on on there which seem to help with problem guitars. I've never been a fan of those roller bridges but others seems to like them. Good luck sorting your issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbonesullivan Posted June 7, 2019 Author Share Posted June 7, 2019 4 hours ago, rockabilly69 said: I'm sure you know this, but just a reminder, Graphite grease on everypoint the string touches can't hurt. I do that on all my Gretsches and it really helps with the tuning! And the idea of recutting a new nut is a good one, especially if you put a graphtec on on there which seem to help with problem guitars. I've never been a fan of those roller bridges but others seems to like them. Good luck sorting your issues. I've seen tutorials where people coat the entire bottom of the tensioning roller with grease, kinda like how people would coat the top of a kahler with chap stick. I've also heard some say that the licensed and the original are pretty much the same, and others say that the original is far superior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockabilly69 Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 1 minute ago, tbonesullivan said: I've seen tutorials where people coat the entire bottom of the tensioning roller with grease, kinda like how people would coat the top of a kahler with chap stick. I've also heard some say that the licensed and the original are pretty much the same, and others say that the original is far superior. can't hurt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big bob Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 I don’t have any problem with mine. 3 hr gig no issues. Mine are all USA, graphite nut, roller bridge. Maybe you could add locking tuners? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbonesullivan Posted June 7, 2019 Author Share Posted June 7, 2019 4 minutes ago, big bob said: I don’t have any problem with mine. 3 hr gig no issues. Mine are all USA, graphite nut, roller bridge. Maybe you could add locking tuners? Came stock with Sperzel locking tuners, Schaller locking bridge. The problems seem to stem from either the nut, or the bridge. There are some mods that can be done to a Bigsby to make it more "Friendly", but all of those only apply to the USA B5, which has the actual oiled bearings, and not just nylon bushings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big bob Posted June 8, 2019 Share Posted June 8, 2019 Nut is an easy replacement. I’ve really not had any tuning problems with any of mine. Maybe I’m just not that observant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skydog Posted June 9, 2019 Share Posted June 9, 2019 Have you tried the Reverend “soft touch” spring mod? http://store.reverendguitars.com/product/soft-touch-spring/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbonesullivan Posted June 10, 2019 Author Share Posted June 10, 2019 5 hours ago, skydog said: Have you tried the Reverend “soft touch” spring mod? http://store.reverendguitars.com/product/soft-touch-spring/ The problem is more related to the strings not returning to pitch after using the vibrato, and possibly even after bends. I'm going to start out with oiling the bigsby, and also putting some graphite in the nut slots to see if I can improve things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 good luck, that is a great looking gtr! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbonesullivan Posted June 11, 2019 Author Share Posted June 11, 2019 7 hours ago, bolero said: good luck, that is a great looking gtr! It really is. I need to bring it back out of the case. It needs to be played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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