If you’re anything like me, you likely consider the Bigsby tailpiece to be one of the great inventions of the 20th century. Fluid, comfortable, and musical.
Or, like many, you may consider it to be a giant intonation and tuning-stability nuisance that should be melted back down to the aluminum core it came from and remade into something that is actually the tiniest bit useful. Like a beer can.
Regardless of where you stand, the Bigsby has undeniably become a major player in the style and function of guitars. Never having played a Bigsby before, I remember picking up a Gretsch Duo Jet for the first time and being fascinated with how wonderful just one chord could sound. And after just a year with a Bigsby, my entire playing style was affected. Picking up my hardtail Les Paul or Tele just… didn’t quite do it for me anymore. But I knew what to do.
I went to my local shop and asked my trusted luthier to install a Bigsby on my guitar. And for the next hour, he talked me out of permanently drilling holes into my $1,500 investment. To this day, I am thankful for that man. Because just a year later, another one of the world’s great inventions was released. It was called The Vibramate. And it was worth waiting for.
The Vibramate is an expertly engineered plate that allows us Bigsby enthusiasts to install a Bigsby on many of the world’s most popular guitar models without drilling a single hole.
I’ve personally used the Vibramate on a Les Paul and a Telecaster for years, but I decided to try out their V7-335 model, which allows you to put a B7 on a 335-style guitar. They have two different models for different lengths from the tailpiece to the strap pin. We had an Epiphone Dot in the office, so we purchased the 8.0” V7-335 Model and went to town.
VibramateAll Filler, No Driller
Not only do you not need to drill any holes, but the Vibramate and Bigsby are secured with elements already factory machined into your instrument, such as the Tailpiece Studs and Strap Pin.
After your strings are off of the body, installation takes less than ten minutes and only requires a Phillips head screwdriver. As long as your guitar was manufactured properly and you purchased the correct plate for your model, you shouldn’t have any issues installing on most of the popular guitar models. Vibramate even has a handy guide to let you know which models fit which guitars.
Installation
Vibramate String Spoiler
In the case of the Dot, the V7-335’s plate screwed into the body very securely via the existing tailpiece studs. The B7 then screws into the plate, which has felt pads on the bottom to protect your guitar’s finish. An additional plate is used for the underside of the tail end of the B7 – which also has felt padding – and screws into the existing strap pin hole.
Believe it or not, you’re basically finished at this point. String it up the old fashioned way (with a capo, of course) or check out yet another stroke of mechanical genius from Vibramate – The String Spoiler, which sits on your existing Bigsby pins and allows you to string a Bigsby with the ease of a stop tailpiece. For $30, this is a must have for anyone who rocks a Bigsby.
Performance
Once your Vibramate is on, you’ll be hard-pressed to find differences in playability, stability or action from a hard-drilled Bigsby. As with all Bigsbys, they’re subject to the standard-issue level of intonation and tuning quirks, but the Vibramate does not help nor hinder in this field.
Vibramate claims that users may actually see an increase in sustain over the traditional Bigsby installation because the Bigsby is now secured deeper into the guitar body through the tailpiece inserts, as opposed to small screws. I don’t know that I personally noticed an increase in sustain, but I can certainly say that it does not affect it for the worse.
No longer do we have to spend long hours lying on the chaise lounge pondering the pros and cons of tone over destructive modification. If you don't like the Vibramate, you can always just take it off, put your original hardware back on, and your guitar will wake up none the wiser.
But let’s be honest – chances are, you’re not going to take it off.
Bigsby Vibratos and Guitars