Massive Fail.

[Poxican]

So I decided I'd put new 10s on my new Ibby today and oil the fretboard while the strings were off. So, strings removed, I polished the whole thing and oiled up the 'board. It looks damn tasty before, It was worryingly dry and dull when I got it.

Fact: changing strings on a Bigsby style trem is rather frustrating.

I guess maybe it's easier if you do one string at a time, but I didn't have that option today. So I got it all strung up, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why they kept slipping off the roller bridge....

I'd forgotten to put them under the string tension bar. Idiot. Probably due to being distracted by South Park on telly.

I don't have any spare sets so I had to unwind the strings one at a time, string it under the bar and re-wind each one. And as I'd snipped each string to length after winding it, this was particularly difficult. At least I had a minor victory with the trem; I rotated the spring in it's socket and this has actually made the trem movement smoother.

I was going to use the removed strings to replace the wire on my cigar box guitar but I stupidly snipped them all too short for that purpose when I took them off the guitar, so the CBG is essentially useless for a while longer.

All that said and done, I also made a truss-rod adjustment, so the guitar looks a beaut now and plays better than ever.

Just wanted to share my trials and triumphs on this rainy Saturday afternoon!

[WezV]

i feel your pain, although my trem issues for the day were modern rather than vintage

i just spent ages making a little shim for a steinberger headpiece so that its transtrem could transpose in tune.

i put it down in a 'safe place' ... and now i cant find it!!!

on the bigsby, do you bend the ball end of the string round a pencil first - it can be the difference between a mildly frustrating task and wanting to shoot yourself

[davilazita]

replacing the strings on my SRV strat drives me insane!

[Poxican]

Aah, the pencil trick sounds like a good idea, thanks for the tip

[rdmf48]

I use capo technique, when changing strings on my Bigsby loaded guitar. Bend the ball end of the sting to fit on to the Bigsby, then put enough tension on the string to keep it in place on the Bigsby, and clamp the string down to the fretboard at about the 12th Fret position with the capo. This then frees up both of your hands,and leaves enough length of slack string, to attach the string to the tuner.As you tighten the string up with the tuner, gently release the capo.

[boogie man]

There was a tip on the Dr Robert page of the mag a while back..clamp the ball end of the string onto the bigsby with a clothes peg until the slack is out of the string.

[Midnightminstrel]

Originally Posted by davilazita

replacing the strings on my SRV strat drives me insane!

I have a Deluxe Strat and changing strings is a breeze, especially with the New locking machine heads, It maybe a good Idea for you to invest in a set, it will solve any probs you've got, the last time I changed my strings it took me under 10 mins for a full set thanks to those.

[Lixarto]

Hasn't the SRV got Klusons, though? Dead easy ime.
Bigsby: I use the capo technique if Mrs Z isn't around to lend a hand.

[Poxican]

That capo technique is genius, that's what I'll be doing next time for sure, as well as the pencil trick. Almost looking forward to changing strings now

[rdmf48]

One final detail - once you have got a string on and tightened up, just make sure that the ball end of the string is seated fully in its slot.Sometimes the end of the string will slip slightly. Just slacken the string tension off enough, so that you can ease the string end into it's proper position.