ASAT Classic Bigsby install - fair number of pix

Hi All,

I love my ASAT Classic. And I love my Bigsby. And I thought that they were incompatible with out drilling mounting holes into my new (to me) 1994 ASAT Classic.

And then I found: http://www.vibramate.com/vibramate-v5tev2-install.php

So I decided to get the B5 and bridge combo, and install it on my Tribute Classic that I have been messing with. To try it out.

This is what I started with. BTW: That is a Bill Lawrence pup in the neck position.


This is the Vibramate bridge. This is the "after" picture. Notice that I had to take a small nip out of the pick guard. The "before" pic was badly out of focus


I guess that maybe the Fender body is a bit longer than the Tribute Classic body. There is about a 3/16" gap between the Vibramate tailpiece and the end of the body. I chose to "fix" this problem with some washers. The tailpiece is taking the strain just fine, and not bending or warping.




Notice that the Vibramate is not completely mated to the bridge plate. Tightening the strings takes care of that.




A few more notes:

I swapped the bridge pup into the new bridge plate without cutting the wires, or desoldering them, or anything. Just unbolt the pup from the old plate, and bolt it into the new plate.
Per their web page, the saddles are not included in the package. You have to get those separately.
It really is pretty painless, and no holes or scars in the guitar. And it can be reversed easily.
Real time to swap out & install? less than 30 minutes.

My USA ASAT Classic is in getting a setup. I will measure it when I get it back, sometime next week.

Later days,

edg

Hey Ed,

Nice job! I never thought I would go for a Bigsby but that looks like an easy way to give it a try. Do you feel or hear any difference from a standard Bigsby?

Hi Sam,

Outside of the impact of actually using the Bigsby, no difference in feel, and no difference in sound that I can hear, though I am sure that there is one.

Later,

edg

No neck shim required?

Nope, no neck shimming.

edg

Looks great !! .... how do you like that neck pick up ??

Ed, I missed this post. This is a cool setup. Have you had any issues with the strings slipping on the saddles? The break angle can be a problem but if is isn't an issue, no problem! Nice rig!

The G&Ls are a different animal than a Tele. The body more than 1/2 in shorter on a G&L. That is why you needed the spacer -- Darwin

Last edited by darwinohm on Tue Apr 07, 2015 11:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

Darwin,

Thanks. You just saved me some effort trying to measure guitar bodies. I was trying to figure out to measure them accurately, and I was not able to come up with a great approach.

The strings are slipping now, because the saddles are not grooved and I have not cut grooves in them. The current saddles are from allparts, and are not compensated. StewMac has some reasonably inexpensive ($15) compensated saddles. Vs. Glendale which are $65 or so. If I do this to my USA Classic, then I would go for the Glendales.

Given the difference in the body lengths, I am not sure if I am going to do this to my '94 Classic.

Later,

edg

Ed, I recall that I had posted about the Vibramate and my concerns a long time ago. I just found it and here it is.


http://guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=2778&p=16093&hilit=vibramate#p16104

Here is an old post I did on a Bluesboy Bigsby installation, a FYI if you are interested in some of the issues I found. By the way I have done several Fender Teles and they are quite easy if the instructions are carefully followed, but I used the F Bigsby which is designed for a tele.

http://guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=115&t=3098&p=18199&hilit=bigsby+installation#p18199

I recall the size difference being an issue. By the way, G&L no longer routes out the body for the B5 but now has raised the neck pocket so the neck sits higher in the body. -- Darwin

Hi Everbody,

Darwin raises some issues in his post above. I have not run into any of the problems that Darwin mentions in his post. But I have run into other issues, and I am going to address those issues.

1) It turns out that Fender make 2 (two) different Tele bodies. Bet you did not know that. As a result, Vibramate makes 2 different mounting plates for the Tele.

The first one below is the vintage bridge size, that uses the 4 screw vintage Tele bridge. Using the mounting screws as the center line, the vintage Tele is 5.4" from the center line to the end of the guitar. Drawings are at the bottom of the pages.

http://www.vibramate.com/vibramate-v5tev2-install.php

The American Standard Tele body is 5.125" from the center line to the end of the guitar.

http://www.vibramate.com/vibramate-v5teas1-install.php

2) The mounting plate/bridge combo for the vintage bridge has 4 mounting holes, the bridge for the American Standard has 3 mounting holes. Naturally.

3) The ASAT Classic uses the vintage bridge mounting holes. And..... The body is 5.125" from the center line to the end of the body, which is the body length for the American Standard bridge. Naturally.

4) The vintage bridge from Vibramate is a 2 piece affair, and is too long for the ASAT. Unless you use a spacer, as I did.

5) The American Standard bridge from Vibramate is a 1 piece affair. So in order to use it, you would have to fill the 4 holes already there, and drill 3 new holes. Which is not what I want to do.

6) Vibramate does offer a mounting plate for Teles with dual humbuckers. http://www.gretschstore.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=121
The challenge is that there are no drawings connected to it, so I can't tell which body/bridge style it goes to. Because Vibramate show's the bridge as being a 4 screw vintage style bridge, implying the longer body length. But.... The Fender web site shows the dual 'bucker Teles with the American Standard bridge, 3 screws. Naturally.

6b) Their pics show the 'bucker mounting plate as shorter than the mounting plate for the vintage bridge, but longer than the mounting plate for the American Standard bridge. So I have no idea.

7) Fender shows the Carbonita as a "vintage Telecaster", even though is has the 3 screw American Standard style bridge. Same with the 2 Thinlines. Naturally.

I will take another run at the folks from Vibramate & see if I can get this figured out. But I am not holding my breath.

Later,

edg

Good research Ed. I had to sort all this out while installing the F Bigsby on the Bluesboy. I had to route the bridge pickup hole to make everything work correctly. It was a major project but fun none the less! -- Darwin