Sorry for the long post! Perhaps these mods might help someone in the future...
I wasn’t bonding with my G6128T-59 Duo Jet and it took me a while to figure out why. I wanted more sustain, the strings felt stiff, and the Bigsby felt very limited, especially compared to a dialed in Jazzmaster/Jaguar vibrato. So, I finally got around to adding a Tru-Arc bridge, Curt Mangan round core strings, a Chet Atkins wire Bigsby arm, and a new Bigsby spring. Now, I love the Bigsby and the overall feel of the guitar way better! I’m still mixed about the V shaped neck and wonder if I’d like the C or U profiles that other Duo Jets have.
1)
The Tru-Arc bridge — totally worth it! The Space Control bridge looks pretty cool. But the stainless steel Tru-Arc definitely has more sustain and allows more behind the bridge resonance/harmonics to come out, which I love about offsets. For me, it makes for a livelier and more gratifying playing experience. I imagine a Compton bridge would be just as great, and it might be fun to try an aluminum version of either some day. The Tru-Arc is also a rocking bridge, which might be adding to the overall improvement of the Bigsby’s feel for me.
2)
Roundcore strings — I’ve never been picky about strings but they definitely feel more slinky and seem to feel better than hexcore strings for this guitar.
3)
The Chet Atkins wire Bigsby arm — I was starting to think maybe I just don’t like Bigsby’s, but the Chet arm makes it feel much closer to an offset vibrato. It is 1000% better and more versatile than the stock arm for me! Here’s why:
- a) It is longer and the length is adjustable. The stock arm doesn’t extend very far past the bridge pickup, while the 8” Chet arm could extend to the neck pickup if I wanted it to, and for larger bodies, it also comes in a 10” version. I often like to hold the vibrato arm with my pinky and ring finger as I pick, rather than having to reach back to the arm between notes, so the length of the arm is important to me.
- b) The Chet assembly has 360 degrees of swivel. I often like to have the vibrato arm hover over or near the strings (exaggerated in this photo). The stock arm assembly has a notch that prevents the arm from swiveling over the strings at all, which makes it feel very limiting to me. Some people ground down the notch, and Callaham makes a 360 arm bracket (>$40) as well.
- c) The Chet arm with its bent shape can be rotated along its shaft to change the angle and adjust how high it sits above the guitar, and it can go from quite low to quite high, using just an allen wrench. The stock arm is flat and pretty much stuck at one height, and any adjustment requires trying different springs, washers, or coins.
- d) Along with the ergonomic angles, being cylindrical instead of flat allows for better control in both upwards and downwards directions, so you can bend notes sharp and control the flutter amplitude more. The flat stock arm for me feels less controlled.
4)
A longer Bigsby spring — Because of how the Chet arm is angled, it does require a longer spring (1” or 1 1/8” compared to the stock 7/8”). I tried a Reverend soft spring (which only comes in one size), and I liked the wobbly feel of it, but in resting position it compresses more than the stock spring does, so both vibrato arms rested too low for my setup. YMMV. The stiffer Bigsby 1” or 1 1/8” springs work great for me though.
I’ve read great things about the Duane Eddy Bigsby arm as well, but I’m very happy with the Chet arm! Altogether, the ergonomics and adjustability make it way more versatile than the stock arm for controlling different speeds, depths, and attacks of vibrato. Aesthetically it doesn’t look as streamlined, but I like it in a sort of vintage-y or even steampunk kind of way.
I realize I shouldn’t try to make a guitar into something it’s not, but these mods have made it a lot more familiar for someone going from offsets to a Gretsch, and it has opened up my eyes as to how good a Bigsby can be.
) with either. Hopefully, someone on here can chime in that has had experience with the Chet arm.
