BIGSBY VIBRATOS

Bigsby Vibratos
Vibratos come and vibratos go, but Bigsbys live forever. This most ancient of whammy bars has been with us since the early 1950s, and was first offered by inventor and guitar- and steel-guitar maker Paul Bigsby around the time that Gibson offered its first solidbody electric model, the Les Paul, in 1952. Despite its heritage, however, the Bigsby unit tends to elicit a "love it or loath it" response from many players: those who don't work well with the device find it just gets in the way, or throws their guitar out of tune when they do try to use it, whereas those who get it wouldn't want their wobble from anything else.
The Bigsby has proliferated because it is one of the only, and by far the most popular, vibrato tailpieces that can be retrofitted to a wide range of guitars without major modification other than the drilling of a few small holes for its mounting screws. As such, it often proves the best vibrato for use on classic Gibson and Epiphone models such as Les Pauls and SGs, where it partners perfectly with a Tune-o-matic or wrapover bridge. It is still available as an option on models such as the Gibson Custom Shop 1957 Les Paul Custom VOS and Epiphone ES-295. The keys to getting the most from your Bigsby lie in understanding its limitations, and in setting it up. -Gibson Guitars

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