Ben

Mainly hand tools/ hand-held power tools. I dont have any thing large like a bandsaw... so I wont be milling the whole thing from a block of aluminium or anything like that. (not like a bandsaw would actually be any use for that)

I'll do it then Cost wise... as far as I can see its going to just cost me the £4.20 for the spring plus whatever the bearings cost, so maybe ~£10-£15 total (which is what.. about $20 ish But if you needed to buy the aluminium tube it could be more. Even if it does approach $33, maybe people could carve a nice ornate handle for it or something or make something that's interesting aesthetically. People make their own knobs and I doubt thats its for economical reasons. I'll keep track of whatever it costs me. I would be interested to know if the spring on the bigsby if fully compressed when the bar is lowered as far as possible. If not I reckon that I might be able to get some more pitch variation out of it by moving the spring further from the pivot (or maybe its closer, we'll see about that one russ )

All the bike terminology is confusing me, but you’re basically talking about using bearings from a bike, right? Also, I’m going to take loads of photos during the build of the Bigsby thing, and then if it turns out to work well I was thinking I might try to make a sort of tutorial. Do you reckon that would be of use to anyone? I'd guess that it will only really be of interest if it works out cheaper than a 'real' bigsby (which it should do), and also if it works similarly well.

I'm guessing if you tried axesrus you are from the UK? if so then there are UK versions of allparts and wdmusic, just search for them in google. I havent the time to check if they sell what you want for you, so have a look.

I found a site that sells the same springs they use on real bigsby's so theres no problem there.

No problem, I think its that simple... If I remember correctly you use a dab of solder to hold the cover in place (?), I'm sure someone else here can clarify that. Also; I dont know how much postage is on this site: http://www.instrumentpro.co.uk/P-SEYSH1?source=froogle but the pickups look cheaper still there. [be warned that they say "Customs, Duties, Taxes and Insurance not included".] Its called a potentiometer (pot) - make sure you get the correct value probably between 250-500k. more likely 500k if you are using humbuckers. Lots of places seel them, like here: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_p...-Pull_Pots.html on that site they also explain what they are and which pot to choose.

+1 Fuzz pedal is great for 60/70s solo's (eg Hendrix), but its crap for chords. They sound muddy and horrible.

Try one in a shop... comparing the overdrive on my amp and a big muff pedal I have it is definitely a different sound, but hearing it yourself will tell you a lot more than words will.

Then don't copy steve vai's jem Seriously though, sounds like a cool project. I too dont particularly like all the gaudy jems and especially not the floral ones, and I've never liked that handle thing.. but I suppose If you're making a replica its a part of the design... You'll be painting it white then? I quite like the white ones Good luck with the project!

Very nice! The new burst is a lot nicer IMO because it shows more of that lovely wood. Great work!

Me too.. That would be great if you're sure you dont mind. I'd be especially interested in the major moving parts really. As for a 'deadline'; there isnt one really. Its 2 and a bit weeks until my exams are over, and before I worry about this bigsby I'll have the body and neck to worry about, so no hurry. tirapop- Needle bearings then.. They dont look expensive so I'll see if I can get hold of them. I understand the issues you describe with ball bearings That makes sense... I might try to connect the 2 sides of it together somehow. Or maybe I could go crazy and combine it with the bridge and make a big ornate thing like this bigsby.(but with the bridge attatched and no pickup coverplate thing)...that could look pretty cool actually! Hmm.. I agree that the further from the pivot it is, the less compreseed it will be, since it will only compress up to the point where its exerting the exact amount of force to counter the force exerted on it due to the string pull, which will be less the further it is from the pivot. I'm not sure that the fact that the bar is non-parralel is the issue really... if you imagine the spring was a rigid block, then if you move it away from the pivot, the bar will depress until it touches it. So (this is hard to describe ) what I mean is that if the spring is in position A near the pivot, and there is a position B (on the bar) further from the pivot, the distance between B and the guitar top will not be the same as if the spring were actually mounted at B... You may be right, but if you take the extreme and put the spring on the pivot and it would have no effect whatsoever. I'm sure this will be settled when I start experimenting with it In fact experimenting may be a lot easier than worrying about it theoretically since theres so may variables to account for. I rarely use vibratos to pull up, usually just to dive, so I dont really mind sacrificing someof the upward motion I may lose by moving the spring away from the pivot. It might even allow more downward travel... Thats one hell of a post.. its taken me nearly 20 mins to write it ! Thanks everyone!

I really like all 3 the LP is probably my favourite, although the black one is cool too

Was the mistake buying 3 sets when you only need 2 ? Seriously, I too have seen it done before so it is definitely possible. I dont want to discourage you from making your own, (and if you do make your own post pics ), but do you know you can just buy the knobs seperately and replace them?

Its been done before: http://www.dealguitars.com/bio.htm http://www.cheekshow.biz/images/Toilet%20seat.jpg http://www.basista.eu.org/fun/2005_10_21/n...ar%20toilet.jpg You could use a toilet seat for the body blank! you'd have the pickup route pre-done for you as a bonus Its a bit harsh saying it looks like a toilet seat though I actually like the design.

And if anyones interested heres a rough mockup of what I'm thinking of for the overall guitar design: Although thats far from certain. The woods I have are oak and pine. I already have some oak ready for the neck, enough oak for the top-cap on the body (quite nicely figured too) and the back of the body will be pine. I was thinking of usind pine for the hardware (pickup cover, bigsby arm, bridge) too, for the visual contrast. I have wood stain to stain the oak, and I'll have spare tru-oil / danish oil to finish it. I might carve the top or I might use a different body shape like a LP, im not 100% sure yet.

Wow! thanks very much for that! Thats all very helpful... I'd be satisfied with that much pitch variation, so I think I'll try to use similar specs for my design as for the real bigsby. Bearings definitely seem advisable then. Pics would be great if your sure its not too much hassle... Thanks again and enjoy your show! That sounds promising as well.. I'll pracitse on some metal rod, because the only spare tuners I have are going on this guitar! I might keep the bridge design as it is then, instead of overcomplicating it. Thanks

Theyre £10 cheaper here: http://www.seymourduncanuk.com/humbuckers.htm £53 with free postage And I'd have thought you should be able to get covers for less than £20 Hell, for £19 you can get a full pickup with a chrome cover here! : http://www.axesrus.com/axehumbuckers.htm And with a bit more searching they sell chrome covers on tha site too for £5 each. http://www.axesrus.com/axepupcovs.htm You need to know the correct pole spacing for the SH1 59's

I like the bearing Idea, and if they're cheap enough I'll definitely try it. I actually just like locking nuts because they guarantee perfect tuning (once the strings have 'settled'- new strings always need retuning for a while), regardless of the fact that it helps with the tuning stablility when you use the vibrato. I very occasionally tune to drop D, and if I manage to make a locking nut that can be more easily unlocked that shouldnt be such a problem. I'll see if I can drill accurately enough for the EZ lok mod with what I have. I'll have practice on some metal rod to see if I really am accurate enough to do it on the tuner posts. I doubt it somehow, but it cant hurt to try. (provided I use a clamp to hold it, not my hand. Then it could hurt to try ) If I cant pull off the locking nut, then graphite nuts arent that expensive, so I could go that route. I'm not 100% convinced... if you wanted to pick up a wheelbarrow, its easier to use the end of the handle, (i.e. max distance from pivot) than it is to lift it closer to the wheel (pivot) That smallparts site looks good, but it's in the US which is less convenient, and a spatula is more in-keeping with the DIY vibe Thanks! BTW, for the bridge I was considering simply using a block of wood with a bit of metal rod glued on top, then placing it under the strings to check the action, then gradually filing more and more of the bottom until its as low as possible without fretbuzz. If I go to low I have veneer I could use to raise it a little. I could also move it around (with it held in place by string tension) until the innotation is as accurate as possible. Is that likely to provide acceptable innotation? I know acoustic guitar bridges are similar(ish) in design to this, and provide ok innotation, but then how often do you use the 15th fret on an acoustic? Otherwise I'll probably have another design challenge on my hands...

I was thinking about trying to build my own locking nut...one that isnt as much of a PITA as the commercial ones. I want something that you can open/shut by hand instead of needing an alan key. I havent put much thought into this yet, I'll get around to it later. Maybe something involving wing nuts.. or some sort of latching mechanism. I probably couldnt easily do the EZ-lok mod because I dont have a drill press. For this reason the pins on the bigsby actually sound like they may be preferable too. I could maybe use a block of wood inside the aluminium tube and (carefully) hammer some small nails through the tube and into the wood. I have a handheld drill, plenty of aluminium tube and plenty of nails so I can easily experiment. Thanks

BTW, how much can a Bigsby change the pitch? 1/2 a step down? a full step? more? I'd guess using an aluminium tube with a larger diameter would allow it to change the pitch even more... but then I'd probably need to either move the spring further from the pivot too to counter the extra turning force from the strings, or maybe use a stronger spring/ more than one spring...

This will be one hell of a guitar when its finished! Be sure to update us in 30 days time!

I wondered what they were! I was just going to feed through as you suggest, althought I guess the pins might be there to help with string breakage? I'd imagine that by feeding through I'd be creating a pretty sharp angle where it contacts the edge of the hole. The teflon idea also seems good.

Didn't know what you were talking about so I did a search, his cost $150 right? I can beat that! I have lots of maths and physics A levels left, which are as fun as they sound. Good luck with your exams! I was thinking about ways of reducing the friction, and ball bearings do sound like a good idea. I'll do some experiments when I get round to building it. I could maybe even try to make a roller bridge from a metal rod and some string ball ends... hmm.... The arm will be a nicer more ergonomic shape than in the diagram BTW. I quite like the idea of making it from wood, I could try to carve it nicely. I'd keep it plenty thick enough though to keep it strong. Just 2 more weeks and I have 100% free time untill october...cant wait!

Its both really.. £29 is £25 more than it would cost to make my own (I already have aluminium tubing etc, I only need a spring) but a large part of it is for the experience. I'm wanting to make this guitar from all the scrap parts I have, so other than this spring there should be almost no other expenses. I have enough wood, tuners, a spare magnet and an excess of wire that I can use to make another pickup, plenty of finishing materials, etc. I also think that having all the hardware self-made would be pretty cool. Body shape wise I'm thinking most likely a LP or LPJR, or maybe a carved top... I dont really know yet. I like flying Vs too... Exams finish in a couple of weeks and I'll then get started.

It does look a little deliberate at the moment IMHO, I think its because its just in the 2 places and nowhere else, its like a pristine guitar wth 2 very worn areas, I think it would look more real if the whole guitar was a bit more beat up. Great paintjob BTW!