Heavy strings with bigsby - more or less stable?

[Nick]

So after going through a love hate relationship with my latest guitar (Ovation Viper) for the last 6 months since I bought it, I decided the problem was most likely the plinky 9's it came set up with. I've always said 10's are enough on a 25.5" scale length guitar and my go-to strings have been DR Pure Blues 10's. But I was angry at the play/sound I was getting and wanted a change so I went with some Ernie Ball 11-48's (they were a full $2.20 cheaper than the DR's and I wasn't sure I'd like them). I've always known I liked the sound and feel on guitars with heavy strings that I've played but never thought it would be practical enough for my style of playing, or else I was concerned it would make my fingers fatigue sooner. Man was I wrong.

So I'm now starting to think about giving my other guitars the same treatment the next time I get a setup. My other Ovation has a bigsby style trem and a 24.75" scale. The trem works pretty good with the 10's on it now, should it be more stable with a heavier string or less? Will I have almost the same amount of play with the spring? (Considering the length is shorter than the guitar I put 11's on, I was debating 12's but am undecided, mostly since the frets are so tiny I don't want to gnaw down on them too hard)

[stewart]

i use those ernie ball's you mentioned on my coronado and it's pretty stable (it has a bigsby). 25.5 scale and i don't feel like the strings are too heavy at all. i'm not a bender though.

[Nick]

Not a bender meaning you don't bend strings with your fingers or that you don't use the trem much?

I'm not so much the former, but on this particular guitar I've been known to abuse the trem quite a bit.

[chemistforhire]

I think Bigsby vibrato system were developed around the time when a wound G string was the norm. So any set of strings with a wound G might be slightly more stable.

[stewart]

Not a bender meaning you don't bend strings with your fingers or that you don't use the trem much?

both, really.

[Mages]

the one reason I would think heavier strings would work better on a bigsby is because the spring was probably originally designed to balance with the heavier strings that were available at the time of the bigsbys development.

[Noirie.]

i'm not a bender though.

tee-hee.

[paul_]

i'm not a bender though.

tee-hee.

I found it particularly funny following "I don't feel like the strings are too heavy at all."

[Rox]

I've had baritone strings on a Bigsby and it held a tune ..Not that I'd recommend it .. I did it to see if I can turn my Ultracure into a baritone and it worked . Kept the Bigsby on it and had it set up but a shop ( guy at the shop just shook his head ) and miraculously it worked ..

But to answer ... Thick strings on a Bigsby ? Yep .

[Ankhanu]

I've had baritone strings on a Bigsby and it held a tune ..Not that I'd recommend it .. I did it to see if I can turn my Ultracure into a baritone and it worked . Kept the Bigsby on it and had it set up but a shop ( guy at the shop just shook his head ) and miraculously it worked ..

But to answer ... Thick strings on a Bigsby ? Yep .

That's promising... been intending to get a B5 for my Ultra VI

[Nick]

The tremolo in question is not a bigsby per say but a pretty similar design to a B3:

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[stewart]

i'm not a bender though.

tee-hee.

I found it particularly funny following "I don't feel like the strings are too heavy at all."

I knew all those nights spent watching 'Up Pompeii' would pay off one day.

*high fives self in the mirror*