NGD-surprise!

[gvonpaul]

For a few months, a co-worker has been asking me to do a restring, setup, etc on his dad's guitar. I agreed, but he never seemed to remember to bring it in. Yesterday, he finally remembered, and brought it in. Apparently he bought this for his dad new ten years ago, dad put it in the closet and never played it.
It's a 2000 Epi Les Paul with a Bigsby type tailpiece, stamped Limited Edition, with nice flame on top. I played it for a while and was really shocked by how well-made it was (I admit, to my shame, being a headstock snob...). The finish is flawless and the fretwork is pretty decent, the neck has a nice big feel to it, and it is dead mint. Not a mark on it, not even the pickguard. Hell, even the strings are clean and they are the same ones on it when he bought it.
I mentioned I would love to have it, made his dad an offer, and he accepted. Acoustically, it sounds great, but plugged in it is rather unspectacular. I attribute that to the electronics and I've already ordered a set of P94's and RS 500k pots to remedy that.
Anyway, here it is:


Nice shot of the flame, though the picture doesn't really do it justice:


PS: Any hints for keeping a Bigsby in tune?

[TresGatos]

Originally Posted by gvonpaul

PS: Any hints for keeping a Bigsby in tune?

Remove it.

Actually once new strings are stretched it's not bad at all. I find it no harder than a Strat to keep tuned.

Great guitar! Congrats.

[EricPeterson]

Keep the nut well lubed and that will help. Great looking guitar.

[ToneBrokerBill]

Very nice. IMHO, Bigsbys get a bum rap for not staying in tune. Keep the nut in good shape and you'll be fine (or at least as fine as you'd be with any tremolo system.)

[cvansickle]

Originally Posted by gvonpaul

PS: Any hints for keeping a Bigsby in tune?

Since you're already willing to pony up for upgrades, why not include a better nut in the mix? Or at least have a tech inspect the stock nut, maybe it just needs a little filing. Big Bend's Nut Sauce is helpful too.

[gvonpaul]

Originally Posted by cvansickle

Since you're already willing to pony up for upgrades, why not include a better nut in the mix? Or at least have a tech inspect the stock nut, maybe it just needs a little filing. Big Bend's Nut Sauce is helpful too.

Well, I thought about a graph tec nut but was wondering if I'd lose anything, tone-wise in exchange.

[vintage66]

Aren't the troubles doubled by the fact that the strings go over a tunomatic bridge? I'm guessing just like the nut, these would need to be lubed also and checked for rough spots.

[gvonpaul]

Originally Posted by vintage66

Aren't the troubles doubled by the fact that the strings go over a tunomatic bridge? I'm guessing just like the nut, these would need to be lubed also and checked for rough spots.

Yeah, I would guess so. I will lube them all up real well when I get the new pickups and change the strings.

[Go Cat Go!!]

That's a gorgeous guitar! Congrats!

[phantasm]

Originally Posted by vintage66

Aren't the troubles doubled by the fact that the strings go over a tunomatic bridge? I'm guessing just like the nut, these would need to be lubed also and checked for rough spots.

A roller bridge could really help it.