Why I dont recommend the Vibramate on the h-150

[aarsvold]

A couple of days ago i received my Bigsby B7 and the Vibramate-system which enables you to install the B7 without drilling in the guitar.

For me this sounded perfect since drilling is the last thing I want to do but now I have changed my mind. I might have a guitar-tech do the drilling tomorrow.

Here is a summary of my experiences, I am not an expert doing these things so if have done something wrong during in this installation feel free to tell me so.

 

The problem is summed up like this:

The Vibramate is flat which again makes it not fit the curved top of my guitar. This leads to the Vibramate not having contact with the body on each of its sides. This again lifts the B7 away from the guitar so that the vibrato-arm has a too big angle. I doesnt look particulary nice either. I also feel that this is not good for the sound. (I havent been able to test it with my amp since I installed it)

 

So now I have come to the conclusion that I will have to do the drilling after all. Unless of course, if anyone has a sollution to this. I cant see what I could have done different though. I see some folks are using for instance the B5 and are satisfied with that, but I want to avoid that since i like the B7 better.

 

 

 

 

 

[FredZepp]

In any case... that guitar looks great with a Bigsby on it...

[Millennium Maestro]

Well you can add this attempt to the many other Bigsby aftermarket installs that have gone "not as planned"

 

This is a sign keep her original!!

[big bob]

I've said this before but it bears repeating,

 

B5

[aarsvold]

I have now gotten the guitar back from the guitar-tech which got my guitar earlier this morning. He installed the B7 using screws the normal way and I am very satisfied with how it turned out. As you can see from the pics I also use a rollerbridge so although the string-angle down to the bigsby from the bridge is pretty step it doesnt go out of tune. I can sense that I have lost a very tiny bit of sustain, but that was sort of expected. I guess if you want a vibrato-system thats part of the price you have to pay. The sustain is still very good though. A bonus is that I think the look of the whole guitar became very good.

 

So, heres the pics. If I had showed a pic of me as well, you would have seen a big smile on my face.

(note, the pickguard is not fully mounted on these pics, it just rests on the body for the sake of the pics, it will be mounted thoroughly later today)

 

 

 

[Bombassa]

I have now gotten the guitar back from the guitar-tech which got my guitar earlier this morning. He installed the B7 using screws the normal way and I am very satisfied with how it turned out. As you can see from the pics I also use a rollerbridge so although the string-angle down to the bigsby from the bridge is pretty step it doesnt go out of tune. I can sense that I have lost a very tiny bit of sustain, but that was sort of expected. I guess if you want a vibrato-system thats part of the price you have to pay. The sustain is still very good though. A bonus is that I think the look of the whole guitar became very good.

 

So, heres the pics. If I had showed a pic of me as well, you would have seen a big smile on my face.

(note, the pickguard is not fully mounted on these pics, it just rests on the body for the sake of the pics, it will be mounted thoroughly later today)

 

 

 

Looks very very nice. Good to hear your'e pleased with the result. (I am pleased too )

[DetroitBlues]

Looks nice, but I wouldn't like to see extra holes in the guitar though...

[peteraltongreen]

G[/img]

What a shame.It seems like a dream answer to an age old problem.I like Bigsby's,but I don't like the damage they cause.I don't mind a factory fitted unit,like on Gretsch,as part of original spec.,but I've seen too much damage done to great guitars by badly fitted units.

Peter Alton Green

[aarsvold]

Looks very very nice. Good to hear your'e pleased with the result. (I am pleased too )

Thank you again for giving me the pickguard.

 

 

G[/img]

What a shame.It seems like a dream answer to an age old problem.I like Bigsby's,but I don't like the damage they cause.I don't mind a factory fitted unit,like on Gretsch,as part of original spec.,but I've seen too much damage done to great guitars by badly fitted units.

Peter Alton Green

 

I kind of agree. If you look upon the Bigsby as a temporary thing I think the Vibramate works fine. In that respect I have no problem recommending it. For me its a bit different.

This guitar will probably never be sold and I also always will want to have a bigsby to play with. When I thought of it that way I suddenly realized drilling wasnt that much of a problem. I didnt dare to do it myself though, even though installing seems fairly easy. The man who did it was pro and had done it several times before. I was a bit weary when collecting it but as Ive written before, it turned out very successful.

[DetroitBlues]

I noticed Vibramate has a couple different models, some meant for flattops, some meant for archtops. Did you get the right one?

[aarsvold]

I noticed Vibramate has a couple different models, some meant for flattops, some meant for archtops. Did you get the right one?

 

I got this one. Its supposed to be the right model.

Another bad thing I forgot to mention is that when using the Vibramate on the B7 you are depended on that the distance between the stop-tail-holes and the end of the guitar is exactly the same as on the gibson.

I found it to be slightly shorter on the heritage and therefore the B7 didnt "relax" in its natural state, i had to use some slight force. (sorry for my english). Was this understandable?

When using screws the normal way, you can of course put the drilling-holes exactly where it is natural for them to be.

[NoNameBand]

It looks very good and a good install as well. Regarding the exposed hole, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks but you. It's what you wanted, it's what you got, it's yours and your happy. Good luck and enjoy the Bigsby ride.

[jjkrause84]

I'm glad you got it worked out.

 

Did you consider a smaller spring to get the Bigsby closer to the guitar body?

[aarsvold]

I'm glad you got it worked out.

 

Did you consider a smaller spring to get the Bigsby closer to the guitar body?

Well I have worked it out now since I have drilled the Bigsby to the guitar without the Vibramate. I didnt consider it much because I didnt feel comfortable with the Vibramate as a whole. So I just took it of instead. As i mentioned earlier I look upon this as a permanent sollution and because of that the Vibramate was not it.

[bolero]

hey, it looks great with a bigsby on there

 

congrats

 

I just ordered a vibramate with the B5, primarily for an SG but I want to try it on a LP as well

 

thx for the pics & report!!

[bolero]

ps I'm surprised they don't sell a concave model for LP's...all they need to do is grind the bottom out in a slight curve

[DetroitBlues]

Its interesting how Vibramate doesn't show side shots of the modified guitars. Just like your guitar, we'd never known there was a problem until you showed a side pic. Has anyone considered one of these?

 

http://stetsbar.com/

[jjkrause84]

Its interesting how Vibramate doesn't show side shots of the modified guitars. Just like your guitar, we'd never known there was a problem until you showed a side pic. Has anyone considered one of these?

 

http://stetsbar.com/

 

Don't be too fast there.

 

My roommate just added a B5 onto his Les Paul via a Vibramate and it came out great. It's lifted off at the tail end (doesn't touch the guitar wood) but is otherwise fantastic.

[aarsvold]

Its interesting how Vibramate doesn't show side shots of the modified guitars. Just like your guitar, we'd never known there was a problem until you showed a side pic. Has anyone considered one of these?

http://stetsbar.com/

I actually tried the stetsbar before I wnt for the bigsby. I bought it and returned it to the stores a few weeks later. I have some nice things to say about it, but it had some bad things that was impossible to live with.

First the positive things: Its very very easy to mount, if it suits your guitar though. And it also have a pretty decent look, its pretty ananomous, not like the bigsbys.

The bad thing was really bad. As you might know the Stetsbar is made so that you actually move the bridge itself back and forth by moving the vibrato-arm.

Since this bridge is floating and is mounted to the stetsbar itself, that became a problem. The distance from the stoptail-screwholes to the bridge was simply to short on my guitar. (h-150)

By that I mean that when installing the Stetsbar the bridge came to close to the neck, closer than where the original bridge was. That again meant that it was impossible to intonate the guitar. Yes, I could do some adjustments but the springs holding the bridge back was simply to long. I tried several times myself and also had one of Norways best guitar-tech-buisnesses look at it and it was not possible to solve.

Andother bad things is that it had borplems keeping in tune. This is probably because the stetsbar is flat, and when mounted on a curved wooden guitar it brings some tension in the steel making it not glide like it should be. (thats just my theory)

Well, this was kind of difficult to explain with words, but if any of you are interested I will gladly explain once again.

 

 

My roommate just added a B5 onto his Les Paul via a Vibramate and it came out great. It's lifted off at the tail end (doesn't touch the guitar wood) but is otherwise fantastic.

I have also seen some pics of Vibramate/B5 on Les Pauls. To me it looks kind of weird when it doesnt touch the body in the back but thats just taste I guess. What worries me more is that it looks kind of not solid since it is only attached in the two stoptail-holes. (help me out here, whats the english word? )

But of course, I have´nt had the opportunity to lay my hands on it so I might be a better sollution than it looks from the pics.