Restringing a Bigsby question, not the usual one!

paulnb57

I'm considering a Bigsby and have seen lots of videos regarding restringing and putting a precurve at the ball end to aid the process, using a capo etc.....however my question.....
How do you tune it up to pitch, assuming its just been fitted and never before strung, is there a balancing act against the spring tension? I'm not sure of the bringing everything up to pitch process...
Any advice gratefully received!

Jim54

Pull string tight after putting a precurve on and ball end on pin, then use a capo to lock the string in place (sat at 3-5th fret).  then wind.

ICBM

Just make sure the spring is seated properly in both the cam and the foot, then tune the strings up - simple as that. The one you do first will go flat as you tune the later ones up so you have to go back and do the first ones again, which is normal for any floating trem system, but after a few times round they will stabilise.

paulnb57

Thanks @Jim54 I'm cool with that......I guess my question wasn't worded too well...
Lets say there are no strings fitted, I fit the bottom E and tune to pitch, then fit the A does the bottom E then detune slightly due to the tension of the A and so on, or do you just tune them all stretch and retune and all is good?
On a Strat its a balancing act between string and spring tension, is this the case with the Bigsby?
On a Tele, or other fixed bridge, its fit strings, tune and go......what's the crack with the Bigsby?

Danielsguitars

Fit all the strings as per everyone's advice first, the arm just sits on the spring, it's all pretty easy once you've done it the first time
It's keeping the string on the pin that most people find annoying

Tune it up to pitch and stretch strings until it stays in tune
I also do full bends along the neck on all strings etc
I just keep doing that and going through some chords using the bigsby to see if it stays in tune

I've only just done one recently and love it

paulnb57

Thanks @ICBM / @customkits ; you replied as I was typing...

ICBM

I hope I'm not opening the old can of worms again, but I really wouldn't recommend using a capo - if you do, it's very easy to damage the fingerboard or even the frets with the wound strings as you pull them under it.

If you bend the ball end correctly, you don't need to do anything else or use any other tricks - the ball will stay on the pin even if you don't keep tension on the string… really .

There *is* a technique to learn to get the bend right, but it's really worth doing this because once you've got it - and it's not hard to learn - it becomes second nature and there's really nothing else even remotely difficult or different about it.

paulnb57

@ICBM there is a video on the Bigsby You Tube channel that shows the use of a Capo, but the string is not pulled through the capo....
I see where you are coming from though...

Sassafras

Why would you tune the bottom E up to pitch before you've strung all 6?
Get them all on then tune up.

paulnb57

@Sassafras I would but I was trying to explain what I meant, and whichever way you do it, you can only tune one at a time anyway.....
I usually fit all, 6 tune them roughly, then fine tune....

Gagaryn

paulnb57 said:

Thanks @Jim54 I'm cool with that......I guess my question wasn't worded too well...
Lets say there are no strings fitted, I fit the bottom E and tune to pitch, then fit the A does the bottom E then detune slightly due to the tension of the A and so on, or do you just tune them all stretch and retune and all is good?
On a Strat its a balancing act between string and spring tension, is this the case with the Bigsby?
On a Tele, or other fixed bridge, its fit strings, tune and go......what's the crack with the Bigsby?

Short answer is yes - it's a balancing act with all floating vibratos which is what a Bigsby is. You would find you'd have to retune any string if you tuned to pitch when it was the only string on the guitar as the neck would be under less tension.

axisus

I use a bit of blue tac under the ball to keep in place rather than a capo. Once I started doing that the whole process is pretty easy.

Legionreturns

My local tech guy hooks the string on, then stuffs a sock under it to stop it coming off. Simple solution!

digitalkettle

I wussed out:
http://www.charlesguitars.co.uk/manufacturers/callaham-guitars/callaham-upgraded-main-string-shaft-for-bigsby-vibratos

JDE

I think the op means if there's no strings on the guitar, does the bridge "drop back" like on a Floyd or a floating Strat bridge. And it doesn't, the bar is either rolled forward or backward by the Bigsby arm. The arm isn't held in place by the tension of the strings, but by the spring under the arm. 

paulnb57

@JDE thanks, something got misinterpreted here....youve pretty much nailed it along with
@ICBM ;

Jim54

Legionreturns said:

My local tech guy hooks the string on, then stuffs a sock under it to stop it coming off. Simple solution!

I do something similar but I don't put the sock under the strings, I put it somewhere else.

I think the OP is simply referring to balancing the tuning rather than any actual fitting of strings, No?

In that case get them all on and then start the usual balancing act.

paulnb57

Spot on @Jim54 ;

UnclePsychosis

Yeah just put each one on at a time, once you've got all 6 on they'll all be out of tune but just retune a few times and you'll get them all sorted. 

It's much easier than doing the same thing on a floating bridge. 

SNAKEBITE

ICBM said:

If you bend the ball end correctly, you don't need to do anything else or use any other tricks - the ball will stay on the pin even if you don't keep tension on the string… really .

There *is* a technique to learn to get the bend right, but it's really worth doing this because once you've got it - and it's not hard to learn - it becomes second nature and there's really nothing else even remotely difficult or different about it.

This.

I redid my Squire Tele with the Bigsby at the weekend and had a right mare with the bottom E string, because the bend was not right.

Once I copied the shape of the string I removed it was a breeze.

To keep it all in balance I only change one string at a time.

Cirrus

You can be a smartypants if you want to and anticipate the tuning change by deliberately tuning the first couple of strings you do slightly sharp if you're tuning up and vice versa if you're tuning down.