50's GTS with B7 outdoor shots

[Iceman0124]

Finally got some decent looking shots today. The vibramate and B7 is a must have IMO for folks with multiple compatible guitars, add another 5 minutes to a sting change and you can add a bigsby or remove and go stock...no holes drilled

Here she is

 

[Iceman0124]

I really love this guitar, she plays and sounds better than she looks too

 

[ctkarslake]

You are one of the lucky ones to land the 50s tribute GT, nice. And the bigsby looks so sweet on it! Glad to hear she plays great as well. I'm curious how many pieces in the back? Beautiful photos by the way, she is definitely an autumn.

 

[Iceman0124]

3 piece back I belive,...heres a rear view I took when she first arrived

 

[Bordeaux]

Really lovn that Bigsby Iceman! Are those pretty simple to install?

 

[lewddude]

Might be a silly question that will be answered when it gets here, but I ordered a B7 and V7. Does the V7 have any type of felt, or buffer between the bracket, and the guitar?

 

[Iceman0124]

Really simple to install, just remove the stop tail studs,screw the dog bone plate where the stop tail was, attach the endpin plate to the bigsby, screw the bigsby down to the dog bone, screw end pin down, string and done.

Lew, yes, the dog bone and end pin plate have felt pads just like the actual Bigsby unit. Also note, dont go nuts tightnig the dog bone, its a straight plate on a carved top, I just went till I met resitance then backed up 1/4 turn, you want it to be able to rock slightly.

 

[hollowbody]

bah! Iceman, you stole my idea!

i'm waiting for my V7 to come in so I can install my B7. got a question for you though, how's the tuning stablility? I was wondering if it would be ok with the stock tuners, or if i'd have to get some Grovers or something.

I figure I'll get a nice bone nut cut for me at some point, but I'll use the stock one for now.

 

[Iceman0124]

As long as you dont go nuts with the bar its pretty solid. The Kluson style tuners on mine are just fine....where you would likely have stability problems would be kinking/binding at the bridge.

A stringing trick I learned a ways back when I started using bigsby trems pretty heavily was a locking string wrap with as little string as possible wrapped around the post.

 

[Iceman0124]

After a couple days play with the bigsby, it holds tune extremely well with intended use/dive bombs and such not so much (its not intended for those). It is a lot stiffer than the vintage B-12 on my epi sorrento or the import B60 on my Gretch Electromatic which is kind of odd to my mind, the B12 has the tension bar like the B-7, but both hollowbodied guitars have longer string travel than the LP...for some reason I was expecting the LP to be a bit more free moving than other two.

I highly reccomend the Tribute, I know they vary part to part....but honestly I would have a hard time doing a straight trade of my studio tribute for a standard of my choosing. She looks great, and really has "it" where it counts, tone and playability are perfect to me...nothing quite like a P-90 LP run through a loud, clean, Fender tube amp

As stated the vibramate kit is well worth it, perfect....no its isnt, it could be a bit more tansparant if the main plate were thinner, and had polished caps over the main stud screws...but it still works great and for most...it is invisible...combine that with ease of installation and removal with no scars minus some possible finsidh fading....its a winner

 

[Guitartom]

Finally got some decent looking shots today. The vibramate and B7 is a must have IMO for folks with multiple compatible guitars, add another 5 minutes to a sting change and you can add a bigsby or remove and go stock...no holes drilled

Here she is

how does that case fit the Guitar, as good as a Gibson case would??

 

[Iceman0124]

It fits very well, theres a (very) little less room between the head and the bottom of the case than a standard Gibson USA case....if your going to be routinely throwing the guitas in vans and trucks and they will be on the road alot( I'm talking 10K-30K miles or so in less than a year)...I wouldnt reccomend either case for that...but for normal point A to point B to point C, local gigs and such I'd feel fine using either case.

 

[dirty little face]

thanks for the info I wasn't aware of the mounting plate...looks great...

 

[Iceman0124]

Thats what the vibramate is all about, its a plate/endpin plate that retrofits a stop bar tailpiece LP to a bigsby with no hard mods...you get tired of it or need to put it back stock to sell...it can be done in minutes with no trace aside from possibly some spots where the finish faded , and didnt where the hardware was.....

To put a B7 on without the kit, you'd have to first plug the stop bar holes , refinish or major touchup if looks are important....then drill new holes to mount the bigsby.....its a tall order for most folks.

 

[Benjammin]

that baby looks great