B7 On A Telecaster

[ktrip]

I'm currently doing a custom, and have decided to put a Bigsby on it, but here's the deal. I have looked at the B5, and while it's nice, I'm not totally in love with it which makes me question spending the 150 bucks for it. What I really do like is where the bigsby has more size to it, whereas the B5 looks kinda skimpy. Would it be possible to put a B7 on a telecaster, or is it too long?

[j. pierce]

Going from this blueprint I found via a google search, it looks like you don't have the 7 inches Stew Mac lists as the distance from the hinge to the tension bar, so it doesn't look like it'd fit on a stock tele body.

[heggis]

The B5 with the Fender "F" on it is quite nice, and I like that a lot more than the B5. In addition, I also think the (cheaper) B50 and B500 models look better than the original B5. They are a little more modern. Have you checked any of those out? How about a B3? Doesn't have a tension bar, but it might fit.

Heggis

[j. pierce]

while the lack of a tension bar might make the B3 short enough to fit on a tele, it means you need a lot more break angle - more than even a TOM provides, most likely - you probably need something like a Gretsch Duo Jet or an archtop uses - a tuneomatic style bridge on a riser. While this can be compensated for in neck angle and fretboard height above the body, I don't know if that really accomadates itself well to the Tele style. I suppose you could also something like some of the Rickenbackers have, recessing the tailpiece area to lower it in relation to the bridge.

I have a B50 on one of my builds, and I really can't tell much difference between it and a B5 - is there really a difference at all other than place of manufacture?

Also worth looking at might be the B16 unit - unlike the B5, which necessitates the use of a separate replacement plate for the bridge, the B16 combines the trem, the bridge plate, and the pickup surround in on unit. If you're going with a traditional tele bridge p'up, it might fit your bill.

(here's a link to one at Elderly: http://elderly.com/accessories/items/B16N.htm )

[heggis]

The B5 and the B50 looks slightly different from each other, and in my opinion the B50 looks better of the two. The logo on the B5 looks a little worn or something, the writing is not as clear. I actually prefer the look of the B500 out of all three, with the pointy bit, and I also like the Fender version. I don't think there is any issue in terms of quality. The B50 is good enough that it gets used by Gretsch, Framus and several other big brands.

Heggis

[ktrip]

Thanks for all they replies. I probably will go with the B50 since it has that beefier look to it. The lack of a tension bar on the B3 would definitely take away from the whole tele feel, and the B16 just doesn't have that vintage look. Now, I want the bigsby logo on it, not the fender logo. Where should I look for the best price? The most common I've seen is 150, but you never know if there's some random place that has it cheaper.

[Mickguard]

This site ought to give you some ideas.

[heggis]

Thanks for all they replies. I probably will go with the B50 since it has that beefier look to it. The lack of a tension bar on the B3 would definitely take away from the whole tele feel, and the B16 just doesn't have that vintage look. Now, I want the bigsby logo on it, not the fender logo. Where should I look for the best price? The most common I've seen is 150, but you never know if there's some random place that has it cheaper.

You should be able to get a B50 a fair bit cheaper than that if you browse around for a while. I find that searching google for prices can be helpful. Use the search term:

Bigsby B50 $0..$150

and it will find the item with prices between those two values. Good luck! (I just tried it and found places that had it for like $75)

Heggis

[Saxon Marsh]

Thanks for all they replies. I probably will go with the B50 since it has that beefier look to it. The lack of a tension bar on the B3 would definitely take away from the whole tele feel, and the B16 just doesn't have that vintage look. Now, I want the bigsby logo on it, not the fender logo. Where should I look for the best price? The most common I've seen is 150, but you never know if there's some random place that has it cheaper.

You should be able to get a B50 a fair bit cheaper than that if you browse around for a while. I find that searching google for prices can be helpful. Use the search term:

Bigsby B50 $0..$150

and it will find the item with prices between those two values. Good luck! (I just tried it and found places that had it for like $75)

Heggis

Bigsby B5 clone in Gold from AXESRUS £28 Excellent value

[SwedishLuthier]

Ahrg...how could I miss that one. I just ordered a B50 for five times the money. I have the same make copy on a guitar and it works fine. At least for the amount of whammy work I do on that one. Whel, I ordered the complete Tele conversion kit, but I could easily saved some nice money on that one and order the pickup plate and the bridge separately

[Mickguard]

Ahrg...how could I miss that one. I just ordered a B50 for five times the money. I have the same make copy on a guitar and it works fine. At least for the amount of whammy work I do on that one. Whel, I ordered the complete Tele conversion kit, but I could easily saved some nice money on that one and order the pickup plate and the bridge separately

I've had both the licensed and cloned versions of a couple of Bigsbys -- the only difference between the licensed version and the copy from what I could tell was the lack of the Bigsby logo -- otherwise it's pretty apparent they're made in the same factory. Although I have to say the difference in price wasn't that huge-- I paid 39 euros for the clone, and 65 dollars or so (back when the dollar was worth something) for the licensed version. I actually preferred the copy because the spring was stiffer. But if you gotta have the logo, then the Bigsby is the way to go.

My understanding is that the 'authentic' Bigsbys are made from a different metal and using a different process -- they're more rustic-looking, and the clones are possibly lighter in weight.