Bigsby vibrato tailpiece: Difference between revisions

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The Bigsby vibrato tailpiece (or Bigsby for short) is a type of mechanical vibrato device for electric guitar designed by Paul Bigsby and produced by the Bigsby Electric Guitar Company^{[citation needed]} (currently an independently operated subsidiary of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation). The device allows musicians to bend the pitch of notes or entire chords with their pick hand for various effects.^[1]

Bigsby was inspired to create a new vibrato system after being tasked by Merle Travis to repair the Kauffman Vibrola on his Gibson L-10.^[2] The Bigsby system would debut in 1951,^[2] with the first example going to Travis.^[3] By the mid-1950s, Bigsby had ceased production of his own guitars and began only producing a range of vibrato tailpieces.^[3]

Design

The Bigsby vibrato unit is installed on the top of the guitar and includes a 'rocking bridge', not a 'roller bridge'. The lever arm of the Bigsby is spring-loaded and attached to a pivoting metal bar, around which the strings of the guitar are installed. In the neutral or unused position, the pressure of the spring counterbalances the pull of the strings, resulting in constant pitch when the strings are played. When the arm of the Bigsby is pushed down towards the top of the guitar, the bridge rocks forward causing the strings to loosen, lowering their pitch. When the arm is released, the strings return to normal pitch. The arm may also be lifted to raise the pitch of the strings.^[2] The Bigsby is highly controllable within its range of motion and usually requires little force to operate. It is ideally suited to musicians who use slow, subtle, or extended bends. It has limited range compared to vibrato units using longer springs contained internally. Competing units, like the Floyd Rose and the Fender synchronized tremolo (or strat-style) are therefore preferred by some players.

Bigsby vibratos are still factory-installed on a variety of electric guitars, including certain instruments branded as PRS (Starla), Epiphone, Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, Guild, Hamer, Ibanez, and Schecter Guitar Research, as well as luthiers companies such as MotorAve. Many electric guitars can also be retrofitted with a Bigsby, which requires no additional routing, but may require additional holes to be drilled. Adapters, such as the models sold by Vibramate, can be used to install a Bigsby Vibrato on a guitar without drilling any holes. Variations in guitars, such as between flat top and archtop, require different models of Bigsby.

Ownership

Bigsby was sold by its previous owner, Gretsch, to Fender Musical Instruments Corporation in January 2019.^[3]

References

^ Babiuk, Andy (2009). The Story of Paul Bigsby The Father of the Modern Electric Solid Body Guitar. FG Publishing. ISBN 9781476854885.
^ ^a ^b ^c Price, Huw (July 22, 2022). "Everything you need to know about the Bigsby vibrato". Guitarist. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Beckner, Justin (August 8, 2022). "The Story of Bigsby Guitars: the solidbody electric guitar's unsung hero". Guitar. Retrieved August 23, 2022.

External links

Bigsby guitars, producer of the Bigsby vibrato tailpiece.
History of Bigsby guitars.
Vibramate

[1] Babiuk, Andy (2009). The Story of Paul Bigsby The Father of the Modern Electric Solid Body Guitar. FG Publishing. ISBN 9781476854885.

[Price-2] Price, Huw (July 22, 2022). "Everything you need to know about the Bigsby vibrato". Guitarist. Retrieved August 23, 2022.

[Beckner-3] Beckner, Justin (August 8, 2022). "The Story of Bigsby Guitars: the solidbody electric guitar's unsung hero". Guitar. Retrieved August 23, 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

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+{{Short description|Device for electric guitars}}
-{{No footnotes|date=April 2009}}
+{{use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
-[[File:Bigsby Tremolo Hardware on Airline Coronado DLX.jpg|thumb|right|325px|Bigsby Tremolo Hardware on an Airline Coronado DLX]]
+{{more citations needed|date=August 2022}}
+[[File:Bigsby Tremolo Hardware on Airline Coronado DLX.jpg|thumb|right|325px|Bigsby B50 Tremolo Hardware]]
+The '''Bigsby vibrato tailpiece''' (or '''Bigsby''' for short) is a type of [[vibrato systems for guitar|mechanical vibrato device]] for [[electric guitar]] designed by [[Paul Bigsby]] and produced by the [[Bigsby Electric Guitar Company]]{{citation needed|date=August 2022|reason=The official name of the Bigsby factory seems not mentioned on anywhere, in my eyes.}} (currently an independently operated subsidiary of [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation]]). The device allows musicians to bend the pitch of notes or entire chords with their pick hand for various effects.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Babiuk |first1=Andy |title=The Story of Paul Bigsby The Father of the Modern Electric Solid Body Guitar |date=2009 |publisher=FG Publishing |isbn=9781476854885}}</ref>
+Bigsby was inspired to create a new vibrato system after being tasked by [[Merle Travis]] to repair the [[Kauffman Vibrola]] on his [[Gibson L-10]].<ref name=Price>{{cite magazine |last1=Price |first1=Huw |title=Everything you need to know about the Bigsby vibrato |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/how-bigsby-vibratos-changed-guitar |access-date=23 August 2022 |magazine=Guitarist |date=22 July 2022}}</ref> The Bigsby system would debut in 1951,<ref name=Price /> with the first example going to Travis.<ref name=Beckner>{{cite news |last1=Beckner |first1=Justin |title=The Story of Bigsby Guitars: the solidbody electric guitar’s unsung hero |url=https://guitar.com/features/opinion-analysis/the-unsung-story-of-bigsby-guitars/ |access-date=23 August 2022 |magazine=Guitar |date=8 August 2022}}</ref> By the mid-1950s, Bigsby had ceased production of his own guitars and began only producing a range of vibrato tailpieces.<ref name=Beckner />
-The '''Bigsby vibrato tailpiece''' (or '''Bigsby''' for short) is a type of [[vibrato systems for guitar|mechanical vibrato device]] for [[electric guitar]] designed by [[Paul A. Bigsby]].  The device allows musicians to bend the pitch of notes or entire chords with their pick hand for various effects.
-The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a [[whammy bar]], vibrato bar, or tremolo arm, the latter a misnomer since [[vibrato]] is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces ([[tremolo]] is a rapid fluctuation of the [[loudness|volume]] of a note, while ''vibrato'' is a fluctuation in [[pitch (music)|pitch]]). The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to [[Leo Fender]], who also used the term "tremolo" to refer to what is really a vibrato effect (see [[vibrato unit]]).
 ==Design==
+[[File:BigsbyVibrato.jpg|thumb|[[Epiphone]] Casino VT with Bigsby.]]
-The Bigsby vibrato unit is installed on the top of the guitar and works in conjunction with a rocker bridge.  The arm of the Bigsby is spring-loaded and attached to a pivoting metal bar, around which the strings of the guitar are installed.  In the neutral or unused position, the pressure of the spring counterbalances the pull of the strings, resulting in constant pitch when the strings are played.  When the arm of the Bigsby is pushed down towards the top of the guitar, the bridge rocks forward causing the strings to loosen, lowering their pitch.  When the arm is released, the strings return to normal pitch.[[Image:Epiphone Casino VT.jpg|thumb|left|100px|[[Epiphone]] Casino VT with Bigsby.]]  The arm may also be lifted to raise the pitch of the strings. The Bigsby is highly controllable within its range of motion and usually requires little force to operate. It is ideally suited to musicians who use slow, subtle, or extended bends. It has limited range compared to tremolo units using longer springs contained internally.  Competing units, like the [[Floyd Rose]] and the [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender]] ''synchronized tremolo'' (or [[Fender Stratocaster|strat]]-style) are therefore preferred by some players.
+[[File:Gibson Les Paul vintage, with carved, Bigsby Patent No D 169,120.jpg|thumb|Gibson Les Paul with a Bigsby]]
+The Bigsby vibrato unit is installed on the top of the guitar and includes a 'rocking bridge', not a 'roller bridge'. The lever arm of the Bigsby is spring-loaded and attached to a pivoting metal bar, around which the strings of the guitar are installed. In the neutral or unused position, the pressure of the spring counterbalances the pull of the strings, resulting in constant pitch when the strings are played. When the arm of the Bigsby is pushed down towards the top of the guitar, the bridge rocks forward causing the strings to loosen, lowering their pitch.  When the arm is released, the strings return to normal pitch. The arm may also be lifted to raise the pitch of the strings.<ref name=Price /> The Bigsby is highly controllable within its range of motion and usually requires little force to operate. It is ideally suited to musicians who use slow, subtle, or extended bends. It has limited range compared to vibrato units using longer springs contained internally. Competing units, like the [[Floyd Rose]] and the [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender]] ''synchronized tremolo'' (or [[Fender Stratocaster|strat]]-style) are therefore preferred by some players.
-Bigsby vibratos are still factory installed on a variety of electric guitars, including certain instruments branded as [[PRS Guitars|PRS]] (Starla), [[Epiphone]], [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender]], [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]], [[Gretsch]], [[Guild Guitar Company|Guild]], [[Hamer Guitars|Hamer]], [[Ibanez]], [[Schecter Guitar Research]] as well as luthiers companies such as [[Motor Ave]].  Many electric guitars can also be retrofitted with a Bigsby, which requires no additional routing, but may require additional holes to be drilled. Adapters, such as the models sold by Vibramate, can be used to install a Bigsby Vibrato on a  guitar without drilling any holes. Variations in guitars, such as between [[Flat top guitar|flat top]] and [[Archtop guitar|arch top]], require different models of Bigsby.  Bigsby units ship with their own rocker bridges, though these are often discarded in favor of more adjustable alternatives such as the [[Tune-o-matic]] style bridge or [[Fender Jazzmaster|Jazzmaster]] style bridge.  The rocker bridges that come with the Bigsby do not offer individual string [[Intonation (music)|intonation]] adjustment, and have relative string length preset for string sets with a wound G string, rather than for the plain G string preferred by many electric guitarists today.
+Bigsby vibratos are still factory-installed on a variety of electric guitars, including certain instruments branded as [[PRS Guitars|PRS]] (Starla), [[Epiphone]], [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender]], [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]], [[Gretsch]], [[Guild Guitar Company|Guild]], [[Hamer Guitars|Hamer]], [[Ibanez]], and [[Schecter Guitar Research]], as well as luthiers companies such as [[MotorAve]]. Many electric guitars can also be retrofitted with a Bigsby, which requires no additional routing, but may require additional holes to be drilled. Adapters, such as the models sold by Vibramate, can be used to install a Bigsby Vibrato on a  guitar without drilling any holes. Variations in guitars, such as between [[Flat top guitar|flat top]] and [[Archtop guitar|archtop]], require different models of Bigsby.
+==Ownership==
+Bigsby was sold by its previous owner, [[Gretsch]], to Fender Musical Instruments Corporation in January 2019.<ref name=Beckner />
 ==See also ==
+*[[Vibrato systems for guitar]]
 *[[Tailed bridge guitar]]
+==References==
+{{reflist}}
 ==External links==
-* [http://www.bigsbyguitars.com/ Bigsby guitars], who still produce the ''Bigsby vibrato tailpiece''.
+* [https://www.bigsby.com/ Bigsby guitars], producer of the ''Bigsby vibrato tailpiece''.
-* [http://www.bigsbyguitars.com/history.html History] of Bigsby guitars.
+* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060424120659/http://www.bigsbyguitars.com/history.html History of Bigsby guitars].
 * [http://www.vibramate.com/index.php Vibramate]
 [[Category:Guitar bridges]]