As many of you may be aware, in addition to my 2014 SG, I also have a 1974 Gibson SG Special, which I nicknamed, "The Kraken". This SG originally came with the Gibson-stamped, Bigsby-style vibrato.
This is how it looked originally:
My largest frustration with this guitar has been the vibrato. It has never stayed in tune well. I have done many things to improve it's tuning stability. While these efforts have have provided incremental improvements in the tuning stability of the system, it has never been what I've wanted it to be.
At one point, I added an aluminum spacer as a tailpiece extension. Aside from adding some visual uniqueness, part of the idea was to make the break angle under the front roller bar and over the bridge less extreme, hoping to help a little with tuning stability.
This is what that looked like:
However, aside from any tuning issues, there is another annoyance I have with Bigsby-syle vibratos: they are fairly bulky and really obstruct access to the controls. This is actually almost more of an issue to me. I can choose not to use the vibrato, but it will always be in my way any time I want to adjust volume or tone!
So, I've decided to make a change; albeit, a reversible one.
In short, I've decided to go the opposite extreme.
Since this guitar originally had a Schaller "harmonica" bridge (one of the best bridges Gibson ever used, in my opinion!), the bridge stud size is a metric 8mm x 1.25 thread. So, I'm going to take advantage of those beefy bridge bushings and convert this into a wrap-around bridge guitar!
Here is somewhat of an idea how that will look (the bridge in the picture is a roller bridge, which will be replaced):
To deal with the exposed holes, I will be fabricating another tailpiece extension, similar to my previous mod. I'll attach it using the existing screw holes. It will be a visual piece only, similar to Derek Truck's SG.
Anyway, it has been a very long time since I have really played this guitar and I'm anxious to get it back into the rotation!
This is how it looked originally:
My largest frustration with this guitar has been the vibrato. It has never stayed in tune well. I have done many things to improve it's tuning stability. While these efforts have have provided incremental improvements in the tuning stability of the system, it has never been what I've wanted it to be.
At one point, I added an aluminum spacer as a tailpiece extension. Aside from adding some visual uniqueness, part of the idea was to make the break angle under the front roller bar and over the bridge less extreme, hoping to help a little with tuning stability.
This is what that looked like:
However, aside from any tuning issues, there is another annoyance I have with Bigsby-syle vibratos: they are fairly bulky and really obstruct access to the controls. This is actually almost more of an issue to me. I can choose not to use the vibrato, but it will always be in my way any time I want to adjust volume or tone!
So, I've decided to make a change; albeit, a reversible one.
In short, I've decided to go the opposite extreme.
Since this guitar originally had a Schaller "harmonica" bridge (one of the best bridges Gibson ever used, in my opinion!), the bridge stud size is a metric 8mm x 1.25 thread. So, I'm going to take advantage of those beefy bridge bushings and convert this into a wrap-around bridge guitar!
Here is somewhat of an idea how that will look (the bridge in the picture is a roller bridge, which will be replaced):
To deal with the exposed holes, I will be fabricating another tailpiece extension, similar to my previous mod. I'll attach it using the existing screw holes. It will be a visual piece only, similar to Derek Truck's SG.
Anyway, it has been a very long time since I have really played this guitar and I'm anxious to get it back into the rotation!
