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bigsby on 335 style with modified centerblock

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 7:11 am
by Chris Walsh
I have a client, during the construction, wanted the simple stop tailpiece. So, to lighten the load, the plan was to end the center block just after the stop tailpiece and leave that area between the tailpiece and tail block open. Now, he wants to know if adding a bigsby will be a problem. The short answer...I'm not sure. Those lam plates are pretty solid...but over the long haul..don't know it they'll fatigue with that rotational force? thoughts?

Re: bigsby on 335 style with modified centerblock

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 12:14 pm
by Freeman Keller
The B7 has two mounting screws that go into the top of the guitar, one on the treble side just in front of the hold down bar, the bass one is just behind the bar

http://www.bigsbyguitars.com/vibe/wp-co ... 7-1200.jpg

In my humble opinion those need to go into solid wood. I've built two 335 clones, one with a short internal block and a stop bar, one with a full length block and a B7.

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Frankly I would not try just screwing the Bigsby to the laminated top

Re: bigsby on 335 style with modified centerblock

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 12:35 pm
by Freeman Keller
There is an adaptor that allows the B7 to mount to standard LP (335) stop tailpiece studs - often used to retrofit a Bigsby to LP. Here is the adapter but I doubt that it will work with a 335 - if you look at the location of the stop bar and where the B7 sits on the top in the pictures above it looks like it won't work.

http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_Par ... by_B7.html

There is also an adapter to put a B5 on LP studs - this might work because it doesn't extend to the end of the guitar

http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_Par ... minum.html

The problem would be the fact that the B5 is designed for flat topped guitars, the side profile might be wrong on an arched top (and with the adapter it will sit higher off the top).

One last comment - if you put a Bigsby on it, use a roller bridge.

Re: bigsby on 335 style with modified centerblock

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 3:57 pm
by Bill Raymond
n my humble opinion those need to go into solid wood. I've built two 335 clones, one with a short internal block and a stop bar, one with a full length block and a B7.
Molly bolts? Wallboard anchors?--no, jusr kidding!

Re: bigsby on 335 style with modified centerblock

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 2:30 am
by Chris Walsh
He referenced this...and I should have in my original post...sorry...

http://townerusa.com/

the bigsby b-6

Re: bigsby on 335 style with modified centerblock

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 11:21 am
by Freeman Keller
Chris, I have no experience with that product so I can't comment on it. I would say that as long as the vibrato is mounted to solid wood it should be OK - even if it flexes the top I seriously doubt that the laminated wood would fail. However what I would worry about is the finish - I have an old L5 clone on my bench right now that has the jack in the (laminated) side. There are little finish cracks radiating out from the jack from all the years of wiggling the cord - wood is fine (fwiw I like to reinforce the insides of any of these laminated plates but thats a different subject).

Re: bigsby on 335 style with modified centerblock

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 8:40 pm
by Chris Walsh
well...after checking out the mounting situation.... I don't have it right in front of me..but ..I think the screws are 2" #8's....ahhh...that's a little more beef than I've ever made in a tailblock! :) I think to be safe, it would have to be the full block