Guitar Reviews 4U - Bigsby Springs review - Spring heights and Bigsby lever height adjustment on the Bigsby

 

Guitar Reviews 4U - Bigsby Springs review

 Bigsby Stainless Steel Springs spare parts

part no, 1802775006  

If you're upgrading Bigsby units or fitting one from new onto a previously non-Bigsby guitar, you may find that the lever height isn't at the right place when you fit it and tune up the strings to pitch.

Don't be tempted to bend the Bigsby bar, as this can make the bar foul the tailpiece when you fold it round to store the guitar in the case. What you need is this Bigsby spring assortment kit to set the lever height correctly.

The Bigsby lever should have about 1/4" or 6mm approx. gap between the lever and the top face of the tailpiece when the lever is folded back round as a guide of measurement.

Often the Bigsby lever height is determined by factors including the mounting angle of the Bigsby, string tension or the guitar dimensions, such as neck break angle. 

Some OEM fitted springs to Bigsby 'pattern' units may not be as high spring tension as the Stainless springs and as such may take a bit more swapping and trying out to get the ideal lever height for you. 

Fixing the right level of lever height can often be achieved by using a different height spring. Bigsby supply these stainless steel springs to do the job in the above kit. These kits should be priced at around $20 USD.

In this Bigsby set you have 4 springs at 18, 21.5, 26 & 29mm heights (or 5/8, 7/8, 1 1/16 & 1 1/18" if you measure in Imperial), 1 white plastic and 1 fibre spacer washers. 

The plastic spacer is also used as a small height adjuster, this is also used where one spring is too low and the next one too tall, so you can 'jack' the spring height by using the white plastic spacer - it also stops corrosion between the spring and Bigsby casting.

The fibre washer in the pack is a gasket, it is fitted to the spring end opposite to the plastic washer and is there to stop any electrolytic action corrosion starting between the aluminium casting of the Bigsby and the Stainless Steel spring, which can be accelerated if wet such as water or sweat gets between the different metals. 

The plastic spacer used at the other end of the spring also stops that corrosion process. 

To change the existing spring  on the unit if mounted on your guitar do not just pull the lever upwards, but slacken the guitar strings tension off, then remove the old spring and check the size against the ones in the pack and also see if there is a plastic washer fitted, this might be worth looking at to see if that factor can be incorporated to adjust the lever height with a smaller spring and this spacer in place.

The Stainless Steel springs in this kit may be stronger than the existing spring on your unit and in this case, an equivalent sized Stainless Steel spring might well make the lever sit as high or higher - if the old spring was weaker in tension, it will compress more easily.

It will be a case of trying springs until you get the right height, it should not take many minutes usually to get to the right lever height I have found.

Another factor affecting lever height can be string tension. The strings loop over the centre bar and compress the spring under the lever when the guitar is tuned to pitch. 

Heavier and higher tension strings can increase the load on the guitar and compress the single spring down more, hence the inclusion of the spacer to make a small height adjustment, or you can use the taller length springs to make the lever height sit higher and at the right height for your playing preference.

The Bigsby has come a long way from a motorcycle valve spring from the original!

Guitar Reviews 4U - Gretsch 6118T Anniversary and Gretsch 5420T 2 Tone Anniversary Green guitars

 

Guitar Reviews 4U - Gretsch 5420T & 6118T guitars -

The Gretsch 'Anniversary' Green models compared

How does the new Chinese made 5420T 'Anniversary' 2 Tone Green guitar stand up against the current 6118T Anniversary? lets take a look in this Guitarreviews4U review.

Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones with his 1962 era 6118 G tailpiece guitar 

fitted with Hi-Lo Tron pickups, tone switches and rare bound fingerboard

Having owned a 6118 Anniversary guitar a few years ago, I was recently looking at buying another. It was one guitar I should in retrospect not have sold but we all know how this happens! 

My old 6118 was a 2003 Japan made guitar and had a rare feature of the neck heel merged to the lower side panel of the guitar body, unlike the standard 'V' neck heel profile which matches the top side to make a symmetrical V shape. Mine was a 6118 that I added a B6C Bigsby to make it into a 6118T.

Post 2014 Gretsch 6118T modern version with new Trestle Bracing

some early Japan reissues from the 90's have the white bound fretboard

My 6118 was a non-Bigsby guitar and had a G cutout tailpiece like the Brian Jones guitar, the 6118T version also offered by Gretsch has the Bigsby B60 type unit fitted. Both versions were shown in the 2007 Gretsch catalogue but featured the then standard Filterton pickups and Tone Circuit switching using the 2 switches.

Gretsch have 'reissued' the 6118 in various forms over the years, most recently in the late 1990's where these Japan made guitars featured a larger than normal headstock and a Bigsby B6 type unit on the Bigsby equipped models, not the B6C. This was often the fashion then where the Japan guitars would feature configurations that were never on the original guitars. The range was rationalised around 2000 and the guitars were more aligned to how they were originally specified.

Gretsch refers to the 5420T in Green as ' Two-Tone Anniversary Green'

The 2 Tone Cadillac Green inspired paint colour scheme has remained on the anniversary model since the guitar was introduced, even though there have been alternative 2 tone colours like copper and bamboo yellow and a rare Jaguar Tan special colours for example, the 2 tone Green/Green scheme has remained the most popular.

The 6118 was always placed as a lower cost alternative to the 6120 and was often favoured by working musicians and session players as it was unfussy and reliable. Gretsch were quick to use automotive paint colours on their guitars and this immediately elevated them from the staid and unexciting dark wood or sunburst stain used on most of the other rival products from Gibson, Kay and Guild. Most 6120's were 'Western Orange' stain, unless special orders using car colours,

Chinese made Gretsch 5240T - special edition in the 2 tone "Anniversary" Green

with pickup only switching and Tone knob is the obvious difference

visually to the 6118 - shown here pre-upgrade to the Bigsby B6C

I was really pleased to see the 5420T series guitars for 2023 featured a 2 Tone 'Anniversary green' model and this prompted me to look for another 6118, the Gretsch website refers to the 5420T colour scheme as "Anniversary Green" - so I thought this might make a good base to upgrade to look more like a 6118T as an alternative, as I was finding 6118's thin on the used guitar market.

Gretsch 6118 G Tailpiece non-Bigsby version

I did look at a 6118 on Ebay but this deal didn't work out, however, seeing the new 5420T reviews and hearing the guitar on youtube I decided to buy one, finding one at Peach Guitars in Essex, who were great people to deal with and the guitar was a good price too. 

The 5420T guitar now featured Trestle Bracing and I was eager to see and hear how this would compare to my Korean made 5420T in Fairlane Blue.

Gretsch 6118 Open back machine heads

Both the 5420T and 6118 guitars feature 'open back' machine heads, Grover sta-tite on the 6118 and a budget lookalike version on the 5420T, the 5420T machines are not the best quality and one broke on an older 5420T I had that fell over, I will likely replace these machines with Wilkinson WJ45 units as I did on my 5420T Fairlane Blue guitar which really improved the sound and tuning or fit Gotoh locking machine heads.

Gretsch 6118 rear view - the 5420T is the same colour too

using a Versailles Green like shade from Dietzler's chart below

Dietzler 1958 Cadillac Paint colours -

found their way onto the 6118 guitar

Acadian (Light) and Versailles (Darker) Green colours

as used on the 6118 shown on this vintage paint chip chart

Although the 6118 is a more of a 'budget' version of the 6120 guitar, the 6118 does feature an Ebony fretboard on the pre 2015 models, a nice quality touch. The 5420T Korean guitars used Rosewood boards, now for the 2023 Chinese production they use Laurel wood for the boards. The frets are nicely finished and vintage type and are easy to play.

I used my 6118 for playing with a 5 piece jazz combo and it sounded really nice. A late friend of mine had a 6118 he used in jazz bands and they were popular with session and combo players since and most like the great colours, I certainly do. The 5420T Anniversary is a great looking guitar much like the Fairlane Blue guitar when that was released to great acclaim.

I could not resist fitting a 6118 nameplate to my Green 5420T!

It added the finishing touch to the headstock as you

will see from the comparison pictures below

The 6118 Nameplate made in Japan and came from Blackrider guitars

in the US who I have bought Gretsch spare parts from before 

Gretsch 5420T and 6118T Headstocks -

the 5420T here has an anniversary name plate added -

the 5420T guitars give you a great base to upgrade

Template for the 5420T nameplate addition-

I made this aid from a piece of 2mm artboard card - 15mm by 46mm marked off -

the 15mm measurement from the logo to the top of the nameplate 

was taken off the Brian Setzer Hot rod 6120 I had to hand -

looking at the Gretsch brochure this seems to be the accepted position spacing

used for Gretsch guitars with name plates on the headstock face

Gretsch 5420T 'full anniversary' conversion

The 6118 features the Tone Circuit switching -

The front switch is for the pickup positions and the rear switch 

for the 'mud' tones when switched to up or down positions.

Gretsch 6118T 2003 note the unusual 'merged' neck and side 

detail - the colour finish 'wraps' on both back and sides and is a 'smoke green'

Gretsch 5420T wiith FT5E pickups - upgraded with Bigsby B6C

these sound nice and bright and will be left on the guitar

I replaced the supplied Bigsby B60 off the 5420T with a B6C unit that I in-filled the Bigsby name with a dark green colour paint to make it look really spiffy against the minty green top. The B6C is a much nicer looking unit and works better as well. I think the tone is improved with it.The Blade saddle Tunamatic was replaced with a Vanson Roller Saddle version that works nicely to aid tuning stability.

Schaller Straplocks were fitted to this 5420T -

note that the strap button posts on the Chinese 5420T are left hand threaded 

on the thread post that screws into the body wood. The Japan and Korean guitars 

have right handed threads that screw into the wood.

The screw on knobs on the Chinese and Korean guitars have different threads too.

The body and necks are Canadian Maple on both 6118 and 5420T guitars, both guitars now feature Trestle Bracing, the 6118 has a rosewood neck and bridge base and the 5420T uses Laurel. Build quality is really excellent as you would expect, comparing the 5420T against Japanese Terada guitars you can see it has a high quality finish.

This price point allows you to buy a guitar you can easily upgrade if you desire and the 5420 and recent Streamliner guitars have shown they are platforms for easy upgrade work. I've used 5120 and 5420 guitars on stage with jazz bands, they sound great and are easy to play and also great if you are a pop music player and want another guitar that looks and sounds good and different! 

It is nice to have the cache of a 6118 if you can afford one, saying that, they are not unreasonably priced when compared to other brands and Gretsch Japan guitars really do it for me, I often use them live with jazz bands. However, I had a 2420T Streamliner and that was a really nice guitar too, so price isn't always a good guide for quality.

Gretsch 6118T 2003 with Filtertrons and Space Control Bridge -

were part of the professional series fitment until around 2016 when the 

'Player' models were introduced and Hi-Lo Trons were used to

replicate the 1960 era 6118 guitars

Modern Gretsch 6118T with Hi-Lo Tron style pickups

In conclusion, the 5420T is a great guitar for the money and you can upgrade it as you desire or not at all if you want to keep it stock, the 6118 is good if you can buy one, having owned both guitars I like both too, I do like the fact that the 5420T has bound F holes and neck/ headstock, I think this really finishes it off against the 6118 that looks plainer without these features.

My only real issue with the 5420T is the machine heads, the Streamliner features some nice sealed units, I wish Gretsch would use these on the 5420T and this would  improve the tuning stability and make it just a nicer guitar, I have Gotoh locking machines in stock as fitted to the Brian Setzer Hot Rod, so that might be a further upgrade when the time comes to change the strings on my 5420T!