Bigsby

Bigsby is a company that manufactures vibratos and guitars. A vibrato is a device that is attached to electric guitars, which causes a ’vibrato’ effect. This effect constitutes a rhythmically altering pitch in the output that render a human-like characteristic to instrumental music. This technology was created by Paul Bigsby, an ex-motorcycle manufacturer who changed his line of business to musical instruments. Paul discovered his new talent when a friend of his, Merle, knowing Paul’s mechanical prowess, lent Paul his guitar for repairs.

Bigsby products can be grouped into three main categories - vibratos, guitars, and pedal steels. The main guitar from the company’s stable is extremely thin having three main parts - the body, fretboard, and headstock. The six strings of the guitar stretch from the body and are wound around the tuning pegs on the headstock. These tuning pegs are inline and can be turned in either direction to alter the string’s tension to get the proper pitch. The guitar body is made of maple with a piano polish and a rosewood fingerboard.

The vibrato is fixed to the upper part of the guitar and is connected with the rocker bridge. This spring-loaded mechanism is connected to the strings. The player can move this device to either raise or lower the pitch of the strings. The bigsby vibratos are often preinstalled on many Fender and Gibson guitars. The telecaster and the epiphone also use the bigsby.