Does anyone know where I could find an exploded view of a Bigsby B6 or B3? I need to see how the spring goes in and how the arm bolts up. I just got an old Epiphone EA-250, and the spring and arm is gone. It's not a Bigsby that's on it, but it's made just like one. Close enough that I think I can use Bigsby parts to put it back together.
Can't get on it right now, but I'd maybe look at ebay listings for them.
The handle connector, arm and spring will set you back almost as much as one of the "licensed" import bigsbys. I know this from experience. I picked up a vintage B6 for my hot rodded archtop thinking I could source those bits cheap and come out ahead.
I wound up machining the arm and connector and using an allparts spring.
All the bigsbys are the same mechanism with different mounting bases. Post a pic of what you have and take some measurments and I will compare it to my B6
I don't have much to add, other than:
C. That said, I saw this the other day and thought of you, Corey. I'd hit it:
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/msg/1994978515.html
poopshovel wrote: ..but I would tend to ASSume they're not good for much other than looking cool, getting in the way, and throwing the guitar horribly out of tune.
If you dive-bomb it like a Floyd, sure... but it used as originally intended: moderate vibrato, then it'll stay in tune about as well as a std Fender bridge.
Every player owes it to themselves to own a bigsby equipped guitar at least once. They do what they do very well. My bigsby'd archtop has no more tuning issues than my trapeze tailpieced archtop.
One neat-o plus is that the extra mass of all that aluminum does indeed help sustain, especially on guitars like hollowbodys that have pretty much none.
Poopy, you're wrong. Bigsbys are pure awesomeness crafted from aluminum. Yeah, they're not for dive-bombing, but you're not a wanker, so that's not an issue, right?
Corey, I don't know for sure where to get an exploded, but I think the patent office website probably has one. uspto.gov or whatever it's called. Failing that, and wander over to gretschpages.com and ask. There's nothing about Bigsbys those goons don't know, and not much about guitars in general they don't know. Got a guy on there right now rebuilding a light-show Rickenbacker.... crazy.
For the spring, I'm told Harley (or is it Indian?) valve springs are just the ticket. Bigsby was a HUGE cyclist, and those are what he had laying around, or so the legend goes. I'm also told SBC valve springs will work. Not so sure 'bout that. You can also shim them in various ways to get the height you want.
For the arm, you're in luck these days. On the bargain end, you could grab a licensed arm.. much cheaper, and most folks can't tell the difference. You have a half-decent chance of picking up a used one, too, since quite a few folks are going to Chet arms or fixed-arms, or something other than stock. I think I may even know someone who's made a couple from scratch. Not much to the arms, really.
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