Bigsby

Bigsby

Also known as: Paul Bigsby, Bigsby Guitars, Bigsby Vibratos, Bigsby Electric Guitars

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Bigsby is an American manufacturer of vibrato tailpieces for electric guitars, founded by motorcycle shop foreman and machinist Paul A. Bigsby in Downey, California in the late 1940s. Bigsby's original vibrato, designed in collaboration with guitarist Merle Travis, became the first commercially successful whammy bar system and set the template for every pitch-bending tailpiece that followed. Pa...

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Bigsby is an American manufacturer of vibrato tailpieces for electric guitars, founded by motorcycle shop foreman and machinist Paul A. Bigsby in Downey, California in the late 1940s. Bigsby's original vibrato, designed in collaboration with guitarist Merle Travis, became the first commercially successful whammy bar system and set the template for every pitch-bending tailpiece that followed. Paul Bigsby also built a small number of pioneering solid-body electric guitars and pedal steels that influenced later designs by Leo Fender and others.

The company's core catalog centers on its vibrato tailpieces, organized into the Kalamazoo Series (B3, B5, B6, B7, B12, B16) for traditional archtop, semi-hollow, and flat-top installations, and the Lightning Series (B30, B50, B60, B70, B500, B700) aimed at modern builds. The units are factory-installed on instruments from Gretsch, Gibson, Epiphone, Fender, Guild, and others, and have long been associated with rockabilly, country, surf, and rock tones.

After Paul Bigsby sold the company to Ted McCarty in 1966, Bigsby changed hands several times, eventually being acquired by Gretsch, and later becoming a subsidiary of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Alongside the production vibratos, Bigsby has issued limited-edition guitars that reinterpret Paul Bigsby's original solid-body designs.

Bigsby has 9 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Guitar Bridges and Tailpieces and Solid Body Electric Guitars. Their gear is featured by 16 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Pop, and Electronic. Notable users include Nancy Wilson, Alex Turner, and Kirk Hammett.

Artists Who Use Bigsby

Nancy Wilson uses 2 Bigsby products

Nancy Wilson

Guitarist · Heart

Alex Turner uses 1 Bigsby product

Alex Turner

Guitarist · Arctic Monkeys

Kirk Hammett uses 1 Bigsby product

Kirk Hammett

Guitarist · Metallica

Jack White uses 1 Bigsby product

Jack White

Singer, Guitarist · The White Stripes

Jamie Cook uses 1 Bigsby product

Jamie Cook

Guitarist · Arctic Monkeys

Brent Hinds uses 1 Bigsby product

Brent Hinds

Singer, Guitarist · Mastodon

John 5 uses 1 Bigsby product

John 5

Guitarist · Marilyn Manson

Efrim Menuck uses 1 Bigsby product

Efrim Menuck

Guitarist, Keyboardist · Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Francisco Durán uses 1 Bigsby product

Francisco Durán

Singer, Guitarist · Los Bunkers

Luke Gruntz uses 1 Bigsby product

Luke Gruntz

Singer, Guitarist · cleopatrick

Roberto Burgos uses 1 Bigsby product

Roberto Burgos

Singer, Guitarist · Sweet Trip

Duane Eddy uses 1 Bigsby product

Duane Eddy

Guitarist · Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes

Frans van Zoest uses 1 Bigsby product

Frans van Zoest

Singer, Guitarist · Di-rect

Cornell Dupree uses 1 Bigsby product

Cornell Dupree

Guitarist · The RH Factor

Kennedy Brock uses 1 Bigsby product

Kennedy Brock

Guitarist · The Maine

Emily J Burton uses 1 Bigsby product

Emily J Burton

Guitarist · Fireball Ministry

Community setups featuring Bigsby

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blaketallent

blaketallent

Gear IQ 238

neale_scott

neale_scott

Gear IQ 569

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