Guitar Reviews 4U - Bigsby Springs review
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!
No comments:
Post a Comment