the old Bigsby restring trick

[i love sharin foo]

This isn't something new, but I've been doing it for many years. I figured maybe showing a couple photos could help somebody else out down the line.

I take a pair of needle nose pliers and bend a loop at the ball end of the string. Then when you slip it on the peg, it stays put.


In this picture you can see the string just laying there before I started to wind it. They basically snap into place and stay put. No string through bar, none of those Vibramate adapters, no capo, just one quick bend with a pair of pliers is all it takes.

[Telliot]

Yep! It works great as long as you keep tension on the ball end as you’re working.

[i love sharin foo]

Yep! It works great as long as you keep tension on the ball end as you’re working.

I don't even do that ! I just bend it to a smaller diameter than the bar and they snap on and stay put.

[HNB]

I make my son hold the ball end in place.

[sciuri]

Every guitar tech/setup tip should be done with a sparkle guitar.

[Surfysonic]

Yep! It works great as long as you keep tension on the ball end as you’re working.

I don't even do that ! I just bend it to a smaller diameter than the bar and they snap on and stay put.

Same here. Good topic for folks new to dealing with re-stringing a Bigsby!

[i love sharin foo]

Every guitar tech/setup tip should be done with a sparkle guitar.

Yes!!

[OffYourFace]

NGL, I HATE restringing Bigsbys... I personally would use this: CG

[i love sharin foo]

NGL, I HATE restringing Bigsbys... I personally would use this: CG

Try the plier method next time Mike! I promise, it’ll save you time and aggravation. I’d rather restring 12 Bigsbys than 1 Rickenbacker R tailpiece. I hate those bastards!!

[OffYourFace]

NGL, I HATE restringing Bigsbys... I personally would use this: CG

Try the plier method next time Mike! I promise, it’ll save you time and aggravation. I’d rather restring 12 Bigsbys than 1 Rickenbacker R tailpiece. I hate those bastards!!

i've done the plier thing for about 20 years (off and on)

[bessieboporbach]

I am bewildered that people have trouble stringing up Bigsby-equipped guitars. All you have to do is hook the ball end in place, and put a capo on. Boom, you're done.

[Fiddy]

Works for a Mustang vibrato assembly too.

[lizardville]

Get one of this.
It made my life so much easier:

https://stringraytool.com/

[Jonesie]

I am bewildered that people have trouble stringing up Bigsby-equipped guitars. All you have to do is hook the ball end in place, and put a capo on. Boom, you're done.

I even do it without the capo. I do bend the ball end though to make it easier to hang on to the post. The trick is just keeping tension with your right hand when going to the headstock.

[cestlamort]

Thanks for sharing the tip. I've been bending the ball end for stringing a bigsby probably since the second time I had to change strings (and, oh, the bridge isn't attached either! aaack ---> makes you figure out how to do it). It's always bit baffling that people have trouble figuring it out.

The hardest part of stringing a Ric tailpiece is the crappy manufacturing of the R tailpieces themselves, due to uneven slots etc.
I found that using a bit of thread/dental floss/string/fishing line/whatever threaded through the ball end (and pulled away from headstock) helps keep the string in a poorly manufactured slot until it catches. It also works to be able to reseat the ball end if it comes loose.