Members Armchair Bronco Posted March 27, 2010 Members Share Posted March 27, 2010 Here are a couple photos of my SG Classic paired up with my minty '65 Ampeg Gemini I G-12 and my orange IKEA Gorm pedalboard. The first one is with my SG Classic before I Bigsby-fied it. The second one is after I installed the Bigsby using a Vibramate mounting plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ferdinandstrat Posted March 27, 2010 Members Share Posted March 27, 2010 Hot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members m90guy Posted March 27, 2010 Members Share Posted March 27, 2010 Nice little simple rig you got there! SG looks great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted March 27, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 27, 2010 Thanks. I think the Bigsby is way too close to the bridge with the Vibramate, so if I keep the Bigsby I'll probably end up mounting it conventionally directly on the body. I'll scoot it back about 1.5" or so.Right now, to use it comfortably, I need to strum over the front edge of the neck pickup. My usual strumming location is in the middle of the engine room, right between the neck and bridge P90's.This means I'll have to drill holes and cover up the holes used for the stoptail.At least the Vibramate gives me a chance to mess around with the Bigsby for a month or two without modifying my SG Classic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ferdinandstrat Posted March 27, 2010 Members Share Posted March 27, 2010 Thanks. I think the Bigsby is way too close to the bridge with the Vibramate, so if I keep the Bigsby I'll probably end up mounting it conventionally directly on the body. I'll scoot it back about 1.5" or so. Right now, to use it comfortably, I need to strum over the front edge of the neck pickup. My usual strumming location is in the middle of the engine room, right between the neck and bridge P90's. This means I'll have to drill holes and cover up the holes used for the stoptail. At least the Vibramate gives me a chance to mess around with the Bigsby for a month or two without modifying my SG Classic. Or you could slightly re-adjust and save a lot of hassle.Anyway, quality rig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members leftystratman Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 did you notice any loss in sustain after installing the bigsby? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctor Morbius Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 Nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 Very nice, and damn that Gemini is minty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted March 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 did you notice any loss in sustain after installing the bigsby? Nope. Keep in mind that I'm using a Vibramate mounting plate, so the Bigsby isn't screwed directly into the body. In fact, the Vibramate is actually canted forward, towards the headstock. I've read that Bigsbys on flat top guitars like my SG can actually *increase* sustain if installed properly (and conventionally). My tuning stability has decreased slightly because the Bigsby doesn't always return to absolute zero. But I've also read that it can take a couple of weeks for the spring to settle down. In the meantime, I've ordered a set of 6 Graph Tech black teflon saddles for my Nashville TOM bridge, and that should help the Bibsby to return to zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fewlio Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 I'd like to do the same to my SG Classic. Where can I find the parts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted March 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 I'd like to do the same to my SG Classic. Where can I find the parts? Try eBay. Look for auctions that combine both the Vibramate (you need the "Short Tail" model for the SG) and the Bigsby B5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members handen Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 I'm more interested in that Ampeg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted March 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 I'm more interested in that Ampeg... That was my millennium CraigsList score from 2009. I bought it for $750 from a local guy who was the 2nd owner. Apparently, the original owner was some guy in New York who was quite wealthy and decided he wanted to take up electric guitar in his 40's or 50's. The story goes that he used this amp 2 or 3 times, gave up, and stuck it in a closet. 45 years later it was re-discovered when he died and his estate was sold.Or so the story goes. Anyway, it's all original (tubes, tolex, dolly, Jensen C12Q speaker) except for the leather handle. When I bought it I had the 2-pronged plug replaced with a modern grounded plug, and I had the death cap removed.Awesome, awesome amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members St. Andrew Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 cute Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mistersully Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 dude... i love your set-up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wedgehed II Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 Sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elias Graves Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 Nice work. And I'm liking the Ampeg, too. EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brewski Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 sorry but putting that big POS hardware thing on that guitar is simply criminal. probably ruined the tone as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members humbuckerstrat Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 Nope. Keep in mind that I'm using a Vibramate mounting plate, so the Bigsby isn't screwed directly into the body. In fact, the Vibramate is actually canted forward, towards the headstock. I've read that Bigsbys on flat top guitars like my SG can actually *increase* sustain if installed properly (and conventionally). My tuning stability has decreased slightly because the Bigsby doesn't always return to absolute zero. But I've also read that it can take a couple of weeks for the spring to settle down. In the meantime, I've ordered a set of 6 Graph Tech black teflon saddles for my Nashville TOM bridge, and that should help the Bibsby to return to zero. I got the Graphtech saddles I ordered for my archtop yesterday. They do dull/darken the tone a bit, but I can live with that.They do, however, increase sustain when I bend a note in the upper registers, like around the 18th fret. That's a nice plus.(LOL, you can see the reflection of my camera in the pic:lol:)[EDIT] The reason all of the saddles are screwed to the back of the bridge is because the strings would intonate sharp otherwise. But even with all of the saddles pushed back like that, the G and B strings still ring sharp.The guitar is in need of a good setup, I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members unworthy Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 What's an "IKEA Gorm?" D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sdgails Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 sorry but putting that big POS hardware thing on that guitar is simply criminal.probably ruined the tone as well. HC dumbass quote of the year keep playing the Agile's son Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted March 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 sorry but putting that big POS hardware thing on that guitar is simply criminal.probably ruined the tone as well. Hey, the thread wouldn't be complete (or legit) without at least one hater. That's fine. Bigsbys aren't for everyone. I'm even taking a "wait-and-see" approach by using the Vibramate. But ya' see: I have this tone in my head. From Greg Sage and The Wipers. He used an SG with P90's. Got that. He used an Ampeg Gemini I. Got that. His SG had a Bigsby. Just got that. Next on my list is a silicon Fuzz Face pedal (gonna build my own real soon now). After that, I need to buy and restore an old EchoPlex tape unit. With this gear, some luck and a lot of practice, I'll be able to cover this song from 1979 ("Potential Suicide") and nail Sage's tone: [YOUTUBE]0ioS5Y-iJIk[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alecto Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 sorry but putting that big POS hardware thing on that guitar is simply criminal. probably ruined the tone as well. Yeah, he's really unhappy with the tone he's getting now with his Bigsby on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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