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Topic: bigsby pedal steel |
Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 14 Feb 2009 9:39 am |
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| i think bigsby steels are the best but i heard it was hard to change strings on one is that true also did they ever make a bigsby lap steel i also wondered if anyone knew how many triple neck bigsbysteel were made i would also like someone to give me their guess on the priceof a t8 |
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Cartwright Thompson
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 14 Feb 2009 10:31 pm string changing difficulties?
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I've owned a BIGSBY since April, 1956. NEVER EVER had any problem whatsoever, attempting to change strings on it.
My only problem is unwinding 32 knobs followed by the methodical rewinding of all those knobs.
Just lazy......I guess.
BILLY ROBINSON, Nashville, TN., former band member with Red Foley on the Grand Ole Opry, played a lap steel, single neck Bigsby. |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 15 Feb 2009 4:55 pm bigsby
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| the reason i wondered if it was hard to change strings is because i read in an article that it took about 40 minutes also what tunings do you use on your bigsby |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 15 Feb 2009 6:15 pm
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My view of the Bigsby guitars are somewhat different than most. Yes, Bigsbys were all the rage. That is... until the Fenders became available. One player after another abandoned their Bigsby for a Fender 1000, such that by about 1960, I can't recall a single high-profile player who kept playing a Bigsby. Of course, it took only a couple of years for the same thing to happenen to the Fenders, and they too were abandoned. Fender didn't have the advantages that players were looking for, and the positive feel and stability of rods won everyone over. With the introduction, and then widespread acceptance of the rodded guitars (first Sho~Bud, then Emmons, MSA and ZB) the cabled Bigsby and Fender guitars passed into oblivion.
Few players today, especially those who still own a Fender or highly-prized Bigsby, like to think about how fast they completely disappeared from the playing landscape. That leads me to believe that even though some players today think of them as a great sounding guitars, the opinion of players back in the early 60s was far, far different.
Of course, it could be that we're a fickle bunch, too!  |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 16 Feb 2009 6:58 pm bigsby pedal steel
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| i would love to own a bigsby but they are way out of my price range but i keep hoping one day in the future i will run across one at a fleamarket or something so for now all i can do is hope because im a long way from rich. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 16 Feb 2009 7:09 pm
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Bigsby steels were the best at the time, but Sho-Bud and Emmons eclipsed them in the 1960's. Almost every pedal steel made today is mechanically superior to the Bigsby.
_________________
-๐๐๐- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 16 Feb 2009 10:36 pm Quad BIGSBY Tunings.....................
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I use the following tunings on my Bigsby Quad:
Closest: C6th w/3 pedals E on top
E7th w/2 pedals raising to A6th E on top
C#min no-pedals/chromatics on bottom
E6th w/1 pedal
This affords me all three of Speedy Wests' tunings and Bud Issac's original "SLOWLY" tuning. |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 17 Feb 2009 1:13 am
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| When you are comparing Bigsbys to any later brand pedal steel you need to remember and understand few things; first of all, when PA was building his steels there was no such thing as a standardized pedal steel guitar. Each of his guitars were custom build to the players specifications and set ups, which were usually just few changes on one or two necks. Secondly, when Fender and Sho Bud hit the market, Bigsby had dramatically cut down his guitar building due to the fact that he was overloaded with work manufacturing his vibrato tail pieces. The waiting time for a Bigsby after -56 was three to four years and price was double compared to a Fender or a ShoBud with a similar set up. The rage for steel players back then was "pedals and more pedals, more new guitars and new set ups", the style of playing steel guitar changed dramatically. Paul Bigsby couldn't care less about mass producing and answering to this demand. Mechanically and craftmanshipwise, Fender was not superior to a Bigsby, just different ( mass produced ), cheaper and more easily available. Sho Bud's "advantage" was the pull rod mechanism in addition to the availability and price. Had PA gone into mass producing like Fender and Sho Bud, I'm pretty sure the guitars would have remained popular and the pedal mechanism would have evolved with them. To put things in perspective, PA was already 60 years old ( he was born in the 19th century and fought the WWI!!!! ) before Sho Bud ever produced the first 10 string pedal steel guitar, and PA quit building instruments before chromatic strings started apprearing on E9 and long before the first Emmons guitar was ever built. You can compare a Bigsby to any later brand pedal steel, but it's just not relevant. I do own both, a -63 Bigsby and a -63 ShoBud and I can't claim that the Bud would be mechanically superior, just different. They both perform just fine to what they were designed for. Craftmanshipwise, as fine and pretty it is, the Bud is no where near to the Bigsby. The desirability is due to the fact that there is a new generation that couldn't care less about hi-tech mechanisms on a pedal steel guitar, but understands the historical importance and beautiful craftmanship of these rare instruments, much like what happened to D'Angelicos two decades earlier. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 17 Feb 2009 4:30 pm
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"You can compare a Bigsby to any later brand pedal steel, but it's just not relevant."
I agree with you, Jussi. I was responding to Daniel's original statement: "i think bigsby steels are the best". If you've ever played one, you know the pros and cons. You can't really compare them to Franklin, JCH or Anapeg, to name a few modern hand-built guitars. The only criteria by which Bigsby is "the best" is historical. Any other comparison is just not relevant.
_________________
-๐๐๐- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 17 Feb 2009 5:30 pm
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Jussi, all the Nashville players that played them sold or traded them and started playing Fenders or Sho~Buds, then later on, Emmons'. And most all the "top" players had one at one time or another, but not one of those top players that I can recall was playing a Bigsby after about 1962 or 1963.
If they had such a really great sound, it seems that surely someone would have upgraded theirs and kept on playing it.
Nope. Whatever "sound" they had was simply overshadowed by all their negative aspects. You never saw or heard of one for 30 years. Then, when the "collector craze" took off back in the early '90s, they mysteriously started to surface and be a great guitar...again, and were worth big bucks.  |
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Lee Jeffriess
From:
Vallejo California
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Posted 17 Feb 2009 5:59 pm
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Donny,Donny,Donny.
Should we all stop playing, because none of us will be as good as Buddy Emmons?.
Lee |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 3:48 am
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Hmm, all the Nashville top players? Donny, you make it sound like there were dozens of them?  I can count Buddy Emmons who switched to a Sho Bud for obvious reasons Then Walter Haynes, who's guitar was originally a non pedal and later "upgraded" by Shot. Then there was the guitar that Johnny Siebert sold to Webb Pierce and Sonny Burnett played ( and later Lloyd Green ). Faron Young owned one and let his steel players use it ( including Lloyd ). Aside from those I can't really think of other Nashville top pros. And even out of those Buddy was the only one who actually ordered one himself. If there actually were many, many others, I sure would like to know, for history's sake! |
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Ulric Utsi-ร
hlin
From:
Sweden
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 5:46 am
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"Bigsby" & "String-Change Hassle" has ME thinkinยด
ELECTRIC(Spanish) Guitar...changing strings on a
guitar equipped w/ a Bigsby pin-mount vibrato
tail-piece can,indeed,turn into a great pain in the
old neck-tie...so much for off-topic voyaging.McUtsi |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 8:55 am
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| Lee Jeffriess wrote: |
Donny,Donny,Donny.
Should we all stop playing, because none of us will be as good as Buddy Emmons?.
Lee |
Strange...I thought we were talking about Bigsby guitars???? 
Anyhow...
| Jussi Huhtakangas wrote: |
| If there actually were many, many others, I sure would like to know, for history's sake! |
Uhh, did you forget Jimmy Day? Anyhow, all these silly arguments are just skirting the real issue. Even if we determine there were only a few Bigsby guitars in Nashville (which everyone sort of passed around), they still stopped playing them. Maybe the strings were bad? Maybe they were all out getting a lube job? At any rate, I can't think of a single instance where one was used on stage or on a recording by a "big name" player after the early '60s. They just vanished from sight.
And my theory is it was probably because nobody wanted to use them.
Sure...
I'll admit they're worth a ton of money.
I'll admit that many famous records were made with them.
I'll even admit they had a unique sound (shucks, most all guitars have a unique sound, according to a lot of players here).
And I'll admit they bring back a lot of memories.
But I simply don't buy into the argument they were "great guitars", or that they are the "best sounding" guitars. If any famous player believed that back then, I think he'd a kept right on playing and using one - at least occasionally.
Don't you??? |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 10:03 am
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No, I didn't forget Jimmy Day, he never had a Bigsby. Jimmy played a Wright Custom before getting a Sho Bud.
And I'm not arquing or claiming they're the best, simply just trying to explain that they didn't really vanish anywhere because there really never were many of them around. When Nashville got into pedal steel bandwagon, which was several years after west coast guys already had, Paul Bigsby would build only a handful of guitars anymore. And the ones that had been already built were not set up or designed for the style of playing that was popular then. That, my friend is the reason you didn't see them much anymore after the early 60's. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 12:46 pm
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| Quote: |
| When Nashville got into pedal steel bandwagon, which was several years after west coast guys already had, Paul Bigsby would build only a handful of guitars anymore. |
Okay, forget Nashville. Did any famous player use one between 1963 and 1983 on a record? On the west coast, maybe? Or in some other (non-country) type of music?
| Quote: |
| And the ones that had been already built were not set up or designed for the style of playing that was popular then. |
So then, you're saying they were pretty much obsolete and useless after the mid '60s? Okay, I guess I'll have to take your word for it.
However, I think they certainly could have been fixed up and used by someone...for something?
(Bobbe played country stuff on his pretty well!)
Finis |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 2:06 pm
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No, not Finis, I'm Finnish! 
I really don't care if famous players made anything with a Bigsby since the 60's. The original owner of mine was a fine steel player and treasured his to his last day and played beautiful music with it. And I guarantee, it's not obsolete or useless, not even in 2009! |
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Matthew Prouty
From:
Warsaw, Poland
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 3:00 pm
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Jussi,
I assure you, your guitar is Obsolete and Useless. Please send it to me in Higley, AZ and I will not only dispose of it for you but I will send you a brand new guitar in its place.
m. |
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Lee Jeffriess
From:
Vallejo California
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 6:39 pm
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Donny, I was just taking your crusty dismissiveness to the next logical conclusion.
Its obvious they haven't been the choice of the hotshots in 50 years.
Jussi, explains the reasons why, very well.
If you saw a guy driving down the street in a 49 Packard, would you tap on his window and inform him, that his car is obsolete, and that most modern drivers are using a Toyota corolla etc?.
Maybe you don't realize that there are a lot of guys, making a lot of music on vintage steels.
People are using 30s bakelites, stringmasters, console grands, Fender 1000/400's, Sho Bud permanents, fingertips.
I have seen Jussi, and Jeremy Wakefield play more music on there Bigsby T8's than most people, who have state of the art D10's.
I Know you know, what Mooney could do with eight strings and three pedals.
I don't think the limitations are so much mechanical, as they are mental.
Lee |
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Todd Clinesmith
From:
Lone Rock Free State Oregon
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 9:38 pm
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Donny,
Your right a Bigsby is not the best steel for top 40 country. It is probably not the best guitar for Ackey Breakey heart or All my X's live in Texas. It is not for every body. To say there they are only good for bringing back memories and just have a unique tone is a huge understatement. Am I going to get my point over to you ... no. Am I going to try and convince you or any body for that matter that they are the best steel out there for the music I like ... no. Different strokes for different folks.
I realize that different players have different needs,ears and have different opinions.
One thing is for sure is country music changed in the 60's and 70' and still is changing to say the least. A lot of pro players sold there Bigsby to get "the next best thing". From the many players of that generation that I have talked to , many regret letting them go , and it's not because they are worth a lot of money .If you don't get it well I don't know what to tell you.
If you wanted to stay a working musician in Nashville you had to change with the industry or get out. Some have got out, and I guess they are obsolete ?? I am not saying this was all over a guitar but definatly playing style and music was a big part of this. This has a lot to do with the changes.
I know players of recent who have had guitars of all abilities and have reverted back to a simple instrument. Tom Morrell, for example. On my last conversation with Bobby Black he says an 8 string guitar is perfect for his playing, and actually prefers this. In Andy Volks book, Joaquin Murphy stated his triple neck Bigsby was the best sounding guitar he ever owned.
Spearmint is also the best gum ever made .
History has a lot to do with what makes a Bigsby in demand , but to many the sound, look, and playability has much more to do with it.
Todd |
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Matthew Prouty
From:
Warsaw, Poland
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Posted 19 Feb 2009 8:27 am
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Todd,
Spearmint made Blackjack obsolete!
m. |
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Bobbe Seymour
From:
Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 19 Feb 2009 11:43 am
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Well boys, I'm playing two Bigsbys all over Nashville live and on recording sessions. My last album "As Time Goes By" was done as a jazz theme session with Nashville finest jazz players (yes Nashville has some) on a D-8 Bigsby. Tone was the reason. Sorry but the new guitars of today just didn't cut it in the tone department.
Half of my youtube videos are on Bigsbys. I love these guitars and have since I saw my first ones in the fifties. www.youtube.com/bobbeseymour
I still play many jobs a year on these guitars in Nashville and may forever,(however long that is).
To belittle these great classic steel guitars in any way just shows how little the belitteler knows about them,(Ha!)
Prices high on them? Sure, as well they should be.And the Clinesmith is a new wonderful chapter in this great piece of history that is continuing on.
Bobbe |
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Mike Castleberry
From:
El Paso, Texas USA
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Posted 19 Feb 2009 2:55 pm A Great Book on Bigsby Steels & Guitars
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I had the honor of shooting pictures of some bigsby steels that one time belonged to some very famous steel guitarist. Those pics were published by Fred Gretsch last month in a book called The Story of Paul Bigsby. The listing on Barn & Noble says it's a paperback book. The ones I've seen are hard back and worth every penny. My book is on order. If you have a love for Paul's inventions, you'll love this book.
Mikel Castleberry
Here's the link to order
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Story-of-Paul-Bigsby/Andy-Babiuk/e/9780615243047/?itm=15 |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 28 Feb 2009 1:42 pm reply
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| what bigsbys did you take pictures of who did they once belong to |
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