vibramate experiments: H150, H535

[bolero]

well I purchased a vibramate & tried it out, figured I'd post my thoughts/results here for anyone else

 

I got a flat style one, which is typically not used on Les Paul style guitars

 

first I put it on a 150 I got from Jack Baruth ( thanks!! I love that gtri! ) and it worked great. since the carve on the body drops off fairly steeply from the post holes, and the bigsby mounts flat, it was raised almost an inch at the back, which looked a bit odd if you looked parallel to the body.....but further than 2 feet or so you wouldn't notice anything strange, and to be honest I quite liked the look of it on there. it certainly worked 100% fine, I left it on for a couple months. here's a pic of the two of them together:

 

 

 

I think that style bigsby looks slick on a LP/H150

 

*however*

 

I got the urge to put a bigsby on my 535 as well...and looking at it, it has a much more gradual top carve, since the body is longer. One thing that has always bugged me about bigsby's on larger hollowbody gtrs is how far away they sit, relative to the bridge...I like being able to palm the handle & strum at the same time, and also prefer the string break close to the bridge as well. I know you can get extra long handles for them but they look sorta goofy & sometimes don't fit in the case very well

 

so I pulled it off the H150 & tried the H535....wow!! it's a perfect match on there. the back raises up a bit, but nowhere near as much as the H150.....and I really dig where it sits. and..no holes drilled: the vibramate screws into the studholes, and the bigsby just mounts on top. here's a pic:

 

 

 

 

 

so if anyone is considering putting a bigsby on a H535 & doesn't want to drill holes, I would highly recommend using this setup.

 

I wish i could take better pictures, they are blown out but good enough for reference

[eljay]

I put a b5 on my SG last week w/ a vibrate. Good product!

 

eljay

[brentrocks]

i had a vibromate on a 555...worked great

[DetroitBlues]

I think there is another Vibramate for Carved Tops for use with a B7 if I'm not mistaken.. If I had a 137, I think the B5 would be great.

[tulk1]

Did you notice any significant additional weight after adding the Vibromate?

[bolero]

a little bit, but the 535 is so light it's not a big deal

 

it seemed to make more of a difference on the 150

[jjkrause84]

Looks killer, dude!!!

 

(Makes me miss 'Big Red'...my red 535, I must say. Shoulda never sold it!)

[bolero]

 

 

here's a better picture, my cheap camera flash totally blows out the colour in that other pic

[LK155]

Bolero,

Did this cause any problems with the 535 fitting into the case? You using a standard Heritage TKL case?

Thanks.

[DetroitBlues]

Doesn't the arm pop off? If so, I wouldn't think it would be noticeable when closing the case. Another point, I think I should make is not to put a Bigsby on a full hollow-body (at least not a B5). There is a lot of extra pressure on the top that is supported with the center block of a semi-hollow body, but there is no extra support on a full hollowbody.... It may not be an issue, but I think prolonged use may cause the top to crack.

[GuitArtMan]

I don't get it. Do you use it to lube the trem?

 

[bolero]

hahah

 

lots of room in the case

 

why would the arm pop off? it's bolted onto the plate, which is secured to the 2 studs...any guitar with those 2 universal stud holes will work with that thing