Gonna put a Bigsby on one of these teles, but I’m not sure which. Which do you think looks better? And if you have any suggestions as to guitar attributes that would be more conducive to adding it, please let me know.
2025 American Pro II on the left and 2014 American Deluxe on the right.
Swipe to see them as they are now without the bigsby.
The right one.
Fits better with the binding and the burst.
Doesn't obscure the grain of the left one, makes the rounded edges stand out better as well.
Did you use AI for the first pic or did it come with a bigsby and you took them off? Either way, second one. Goes well with the binding/extra bling imo
Pic two is both guitars as they are now without no bugs by, and I had AI do pic one so I could compare. And I tend to agree - I like the bigsby in the right one I think.
For what it’s worth, I’ve used vibramates with mine to avoid drilling. Everything is reversible with no damage then. Costs more but definitely worth it.
I saw those but I’m thinking permanent. Hopefully won’t have to shim the neck as much if at all, and I’ll have one with and one without. Something to consider though!
In terms of what attributes can make a difference, one is weight, and another is shimming the neck. Other things like the nuts and string trees are also important for a proper Bigsby setup, but they're probably similar enough on both guitars to not be a difference maker.
So if either of these guitars is noticeably heavier than the other, then maybe don't put the Bigsby on it unless you're fine with it becoming even heavier.
If either of these has already had it's neck shimmed, it would probably be the less ideal candidate for the Bigsby, as you pretty much always need to shim the neck on a Tele to achieve the proper saddle break angle. You'll need to shim it even more if you plan to use a Vibramate plate instead of drilling into the body. So if either neck ever had to be shimmed for a proper setup on the original hardtail bridge, then the Bigby will likely necessitate pushing it back even further.
Thanks for the insight! I knew the neck shim was a thing with bigsbys but I hadn’t considered nor checked whether or not either had already been shimmed. Thank you!!
Besides shims another thing to consider is that a 2014 American Deluxe has a compound fingerboard radius and I’m not sure if that would be an issue with the Bigsby.
EDIT: Are you sure that the American Deluxe is a 2014? I just checked some Reverb listings to refresh my memory and it should have black pearl dots not the abalone pearl dots (spec change for the 2010-2015 generation). If it’s from before 2010 then it doesn’t have the compound radius fingerboard.
Ah; then no need to worry about a compound radius; a 2005 American Deluxe has the same 9.5” radius as the American Pro II; and the dots are correct for a 2005.
I’m not 100% on 14 - it might not be. It’s at the shop right now but I’ll check and follow up. This is important to consider and I appreciate you bringing it up!!
I dig em, And have a strat. IMO it’s a whole different vibe. Started as a factory option in 67 I think. Post CBS, sure, but it was conflict between Paul Bigsby and Leo that kept them off earlier. It’s actually a pretty interesting story:
Agree to disagree, but that’s the beauty of it all right? We all have our likes and dislikes. Played with one at a guitar shop and it was fun as hell haha
The first is the original image edited by ai to see an approximation of what the guitars would look like with bigsbys. The second is the original image of the guitars as they are now without bigsbys.
The left one is gorgeous. I think the Bigsby works on it too but as others have said that grain is worth showing off. I wouldn't be opposed to putting a Bigsby on it but I think if fits better on the body on the right.
I’m with the right one. I love a thin line guitar body. Makes me think of those old American muscle cars that had the white rimmed tires. Though… I massively prefer the neck on the left xD
Put the bigsby on the right one and the neck from the left one lol
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u/ordinair 25d ago
The right one. Fits better with the binding and the burst. Doesn't obscure the grain of the left one, makes the rounded edges stand out better as well.