Excellent video. Came here looking to see if an SG with a fixed bridge could be fitted with a vibrola. Got that answer and some good tips on guitar building/modding in general
Put one on my Gibson Firebird after seeing your vid. . They say it kills sustain. Nonsense, setup, and even more sustain. They say it will not stay in tune. Nonsense, setup, it will stay in tune. They say it looks killer. True, I agree. Cheers man, from NL, very cool vid. Thx!
I'm installing a short Maestro unit and a roller bridge on a Epiphone L P Mark2 Special next week. The tail piece anchors sit about 2 mm above the face of the body. Not planning on filling the holes🤠, but a great solution for grounding/ filling is flat top Allen/ hex/ star screws of the proper thread/ size. Just get the same finish as your trem, and adjust the height for contact.
I've been wanting to add the Maestro Vibrola on my firebird for a while but I can only find the ones that have the Gibson logo on ebay. Where did you buy yours?
Love my '61 Reissue Gibson SG, but man was it unplayable from the factory. Beautiful finish, neck made me WANT to play on, and it just looks great all around. It's just a disappointment that Gibson offers these with Vibrola (like I bought) but never addressed how easily they go out of tune. I so much as looked the Vibrola arm the wrong way and it's back to tuning the strings after EVERY SONG. Had to put in work to set it up with paying more money to upgrade the trash Gibson ABR-1 Bridge to rollers, locking tuners, and a sacrifice to the guitar gods that it would finally stay in tune (used nut sauce and all the other tips/tricks). All of that and I'm now happy to say I can play up to TWO songs before having to retune. Ended up getting an Epiphone SG to compare/contrast. I rarely reach for the Gibson one now and I'm gonna sell it in a couple months if the Epiphone keeps up staying in tune consistently. All I had to do with the Epiphone was swap out the PUPs with the Whole Lotta Humbuckers and she sings at my gigs! The Gibson SG looks a little better than the Epiphone SG, but get the Epiphone version if you're looking for tuning stability. The LP I got still sounds better than the Epiphone, though. It's a mixed bag.
One thing I have noticed installing the Maestro on a client guitar is: the end strap pin is not on the centre line (it is 5-6mm too low). Make sure you take your centre-line from the neck and bridge not where the strap end-pin is! My Maestro is positioned correctly but the strap pin is not. I decided not to move the strap end-pin after the Maestro instrallation as it is not that important. Hope this helps someone. Victor...
Mark the two upper holes with an OWL hahahaaa Where do I get an owl? I'm installing one of these on a client SG today. Thank you so much for the video :) Victor...
"All Guitars in track are recorded with this SG after the mod.": so it sounds like it stays in tune pretty well... ? Thanks for the upload: looks stunning ! \m/
Awesome video man; could you explain a little more on like the ground wire and how to connect it? Is it like if I had the tailpiece touching the bushings it good? Thxs
The ground wire needs to be connected. The way you connect it doesn’t matter. I’ve upgraded my SG a couple of weeks ago and drilled a hole for the ground wire. In the video the tailpiece touches the bushing. This will be Allright but a cable with solder on the bridge will be your best solution.
I'm contemplating doing a temporary install of just the plate with maybe some added weight inside of it using friction double-sided tape. Friction sticking as opposed to adhesive will ensure that I don't damage the nitro. Derek Trucks who is a world-class slide player did exactly that with his SG. All he has there is the ornamental piece and probably some extra weight as well in there. So I'm going to start with the Derek Trucks mod as I'm not a big fan of tuning my guitar every few minutes
What holds the tremolo arm assembly in place? Is it just string tension? I'm talking about the the part with the slotted string holders that you slide on at about 8:02. I just got one of these tremolo units but haven't installed it yet. My arm assembly doesn't fit snugly at all and would fall out unless the string tension is enough to hold it in securely. Great video BTW!
Peter Gromlich that part you mean slides over the tailpiece frame, iT stays in place bij the tailpiece and string tension. On Some SG guitars the neck is at a wrong angle. Then this system won’t work. You need tension on your tune o matic bridge.
A little late to the game here, but.... Did you notice any improvement in the guitar's balance? Did the head/neck heaviness change to any noticeable degree? I don't imagine you would know the weight of these parts, but would say they have some degree of heft to them or would you describe them as 'lightweight', let's say?
Hey man, great video. I’m thinking about buying the 2019 61 SG standard with the maestro vibrola and was wondering if putting a batwing pickguard on would be fine
It would be awesome! I'm huge fan of batwing pickguard for SG, it looks way better than small pickguard in my opinion. Cherry Red SG Standard with the maestro vibrola and batwing pickguard = the best looking guitar ever.
Thanks for posting this video Bob. I apologize if someone has already asked the question but where did you get the vibrola assembly? Did you take it off another guitar or can you buy it from Gibson? Thanks!
Thank you for a great guiding video! One question, doesn't it lose its grounding when you pull up the vibrola arm and make a big ground noise or zap your hand?
Great video. I bought a Maestro clone on eBay (long tail) to put on my lefty SG 60's Tribute, but the shop here in Nashville just said the neck angle is not right for it. The bridge is set for good low action... and the bridge is too low like that to have proper downward pressure on the top of the Maestro. Can't seem to find info on how high the bridge would need to be for it to work (angle of the neck is not easy to measure)... so I can find my next SG and make it happen. The only Gibson lefties with the vibrolas are out of my price range. Any idea of what I could look for? What measurements are you speaking of in the comments... when you say to take measurements? How can I know? thanks!
Awesome. I just got one for my guitar. I might just take mine to a luthier tho. But is there a way to cover the holes on the side? I thought it would cover that. I mean I guess functionality is more important which is why I got it but my OCD 😬
I am possibly going to be getting a sg with the maestro vibrola from Gibson, ive heard some bad things about the tuning and was wondering if you knew any mods or tips to help fix this?
All Gibson guitars have got some tunings issues.. I think a good set up by a skilled luthier can help a lot. I always use big bends nut sauce on the nut and bridge and change the strings regularly. The meastro is a moving part so all points of possible friction need attention. Good luck!🤘🏼
@@bobvanlieshout142 alright, thanks you! im probably going to change the smaller pick guard to the big one as well. Ive done this on much, much cheaper guitars successfully before but doing it on one that’s like two grand that will probably be the most expensive guitar il ever own kinda scares me that ill damage the finish or something, any tips or something you know that could help me out here as well?
You can first work with a piece of paper. Just cut out the pickguard and use it als your format. Always be careful and go to a skilled luthier if you’re not sure about it.
I've never used one and I can't quite see how this works but when you use the trem doesn't it disengage from the surface of the guitar where it is grounding with the tail pin socket and consequently create grounding noise?
plantagenant all your answers are in the video. I decided that my tailpiece bushings where at the right place concerning my ground. When you pull the trem up this will disconnect and you will hear ground noise. BUT there is not one moment in my playing style that I even think about pulling the trem, because this system is not made to do that. It’s made to add small amounts of vibrato by lightly pushing it down. You can always drill a hole from the control socket to the tailpiece of the vibrola. That is the spot to connect your ground. Good luck!🤘🏼
@@bobvanlieshout142 Cheers for that. I have a Tokai Firebird that would look great with one.....next decision is whether to go for the rather pricey Gibson one or get a considerably cheaper Korean/chinese one...probably try the import one as I'm only going to give it a bit of a wobble now and then! :)
I just recently bought the gibson 61 sg reissue in exclusive wine red and wanted to do this. The moment I saw the drill come out I removed the Vibrola from my purchase lmfao
hey man can you show how to remove the vibrola only but not the tailpiece. it'll end up looking like angus young's sg at 1974. btw enjoyed the vid but unfortunately i can't do it XD
Thanks man, you can remove the arm by unscrewing the screw. Angus uses the vibrola tailpiece as his “stoptail” om that era. If you want it to look like Derek Trucks you will have to take out the vibrola system and put the tailpiece back on.
Schaller makes a trem system that will work on a Lespaul . I have looked at them on eBay at one time not long ago less than 200.00 for it if I remember plus it's made in Germany so it's built well ! They make them for the SG as well but they don't look as nice as a layer style tremolo but probably stays in tune better ! Or you could save up some money and buy a Alex Lifeson Lespaul that's set up with stereo wiring plus a Floyd Rose locking trem system on it !
Excellent video. Came here looking to see if an SG with a fixed bridge could be fitted with a vibrola. Got that answer and some good tips on guitar building/modding in general
Thanks! 🤩
That why many people suck at communicating in general these days
Thank you for not subjecting viewers to non essential chatter. Gives me a better idea on whether I want to do this or not. Thank you very much!
Put one on my Gibson Firebird after seeing your vid. . They say it kills sustain. Nonsense, setup, and even more sustain. They say it will not stay in tune. Nonsense, setup, it will stay in tune. They say it looks killer. True, I agree. Cheers man, from NL, very cool vid. Thx!
Thanks man! Bij mij blijft ze ook strak in tune🤩
@@bobvanlieshout142 Geweldig!
I'm installing a short Maestro unit and a roller bridge on a Epiphone L P Mark2 Special next week. The tail piece anchors sit about 2 mm above the face of the body. Not planning on filling the holes🤠, but a great solution for grounding/ filling is flat top Allen/ hex/ star screws of the proper thread/ size. Just get the same finish as your trem, and adjust the height for contact.
Bob, just teasing on the owl comment! Great vid...thanks to you, I have decided to add the trem system to a Firebird I am going to build.
Good luck! I hope my video is going help you with the built!😃
I've been wanting to add the Maestro Vibrola on my firebird for a while but I can only find the ones that have the Gibson logo on ebay. Where did you buy yours?
For my FB VII, I modded the trem arm with sheet rubber and a few jazz picks turned into washers finished with a locking nut. It stays put very well.
Nice mod! 😃
@@bobvanlieshout142 The trick is to find the right bolt or use a thinner one( which is what I did).
Love my '61 Reissue Gibson SG, but man was it unplayable from the factory. Beautiful finish, neck made me WANT to play on, and it just looks great all around. It's just a disappointment that Gibson offers these with Vibrola (like I bought) but never addressed how easily they go out of tune. I so much as looked the Vibrola arm the wrong way and it's back to tuning the strings after EVERY SONG. Had to put in work to set it up with paying more money to upgrade the trash Gibson ABR-1 Bridge to rollers, locking tuners, and a sacrifice to the guitar gods that it would finally stay in tune (used nut sauce and all the other tips/tricks). All of that and I'm now happy to say I can play up to TWO songs before having to retune.
Ended up getting an Epiphone SG to compare/contrast. I rarely reach for the Gibson one now and I'm gonna sell it in a couple months if the Epiphone keeps up staying in tune consistently. All I had to do with the Epiphone was swap out the PUPs with the Whole Lotta Humbuckers and she sings at my gigs! The Gibson SG looks a little better than the Epiphone SG, but get the Epiphone version if you're looking for tuning stability. The LP I got still sounds better than the Epiphone, though. It's a mixed bag.
One thing I have noticed installing the Maestro on a client guitar is: the end strap pin is not on the centre line (it is 5-6mm too low). Make sure you take your centre-line from the neck and bridge not where the strap end-pin is! My Maestro is positioned correctly but the strap pin is not. I decided not to move the strap end-pin after the Maestro instrallation as it is not that important. Hope this helps someone. Victor...
Good solution! 😃
Yea... That would be bad
Mark the two upper holes with an OWL hahahaaa Where do I get an owl? I'm installing one of these on a client SG today. Thank you so much for the video :) Victor...
"All Guitars in track are recorded with this SG after the mod.": so it sounds like it stays in tune pretty well... ? Thanks for the upload: looks stunning ! \m/
Cool Rene it does! I did a lot of mods and also did a good set up. Even with heavy vibrating the trem it stays in tune very well.
@@bobvanlieshout142 Can you make a video on how to setup a maestro vibrola
Awesome video man; could you explain a little more on like the ground wire and how to connect it? Is it like if I had the tailpiece touching the bushings it good? Thxs
The ground wire needs to be connected. The way you connect it doesn’t matter. I’ve upgraded my SG a couple of weeks ago and drilled a hole for the ground wire. In the video the tailpiece touches the bushing. This will be Allright but a cable with solder on the bridge will be your best solution.
Thanks for posting! Did you notice much difference in the tuning stability with this on? And did it make any difference to the tone?
Yes and yes! It stays in tune better after a good set up. It sound more open, more crispy sparkles🤩
I'm contemplating doing a temporary install of just the plate with maybe some added weight inside of it using friction double-sided tape. Friction sticking as opposed to adhesive will ensure that I don't damage the nitro. Derek Trucks who is a world-class slide player did exactly that with his SG. All he has there is the ornamental piece and probably some extra weight as well in there. So I'm going to start with the Derek Trucks mod as I'm not a big fan of tuning my guitar every few minutes
What holds the tremolo arm assembly in place? Is it just string tension? I'm talking about the the part with the slotted string holders that you slide on at about 8:02. I just got one of these tremolo units but haven't installed it yet. My arm assembly doesn't fit snugly at all and would fall out unless the string tension is enough to hold it in securely. Great video BTW!
Peter Gromlich that part you mean slides over the tailpiece frame, iT stays in place bij the tailpiece and string tension. On Some SG guitars the neck is at a wrong angle. Then this system won’t work. You need tension on your tune o matic bridge.
@@bobvanlieshout142 That's what I thought. So the tension is enough to keep it firmly in place.
Yes!
Great vid. How well does it stay in tune if you dont use the tremolo bar?
JoeyJoeJoe Jr Shabadoo I use it and it stays in tune very wel! If I don’t touch the trem it stays in tune to!
Im wonder if there’s a way to install a vibrola without drilling like Bigsbys with vibramate
A little late to the game here, but.... Did you notice any improvement in the guitar's balance? Did the head/neck heaviness change to any noticeable degree? I don't imagine you would know the weight of these parts, but would say they have some degree of heft to them or would you describe them as 'lightweight', let's say?
Yes! My SG always had a neckdive and that problem is solved with this geen. Iets not heavy weight but you will add some weight.
Hey man, great video. I’m thinking about buying the 2019 61 SG standard with the maestro vibrola and was wondering if putting a batwing pickguard on would be fine
Thanks! I think it will work!
It would be awesome! I'm huge fan of batwing pickguard for SG, it looks way better than small pickguard in my opinion. Cherry Red SG Standard with the maestro vibrola and batwing pickguard = the best looking guitar ever.
Thanks for posting this video Bob. I apologize if someone has already asked the question but where did you get the vibrola assembly? Did you take it off another guitar or can you buy it from Gibson? Thanks!
I bought it from Crazyparts.de they have great vintage correct products!
@@bobvanlieshout142 Thank you!
Great video this help me a lot!!!
Thank you for a great guiding video! One question, doesn't it lose its grounding when you pull up the vibrola arm and make a big ground noise or zap your hand?
Hi, where can I buy a chrome gibson vibrola maestro ?
Thx.
I bought mine on crazyparts.de
Great video. I bought a Maestro clone on eBay (long tail) to put on my lefty SG 60's Tribute, but the shop here in Nashville just said the neck angle is not right for it. The bridge is set for good low action... and the bridge is too low like that to have proper downward pressure on the top of the Maestro. Can't seem to find info on how high the bridge would need to be for it to work (angle of the neck is not easy to measure)... so I can find my next SG and make it happen. The only Gibson lefties with the vibrolas are out of my price range. Any idea of what I could look for? What measurements are you speaking of in the comments... when you say to take measurements? How can I know? thanks!
Nice work. Where other than ebay do you buy the Maestro Vibrola? I would like on with the Gibson markings on the plate, most I've seen are plain.
I found mine on crazyparts.de
Ebay is where I got my epi vibrola
Reverb.comm Getting a Lp/ SG make over parts🤠
Is the tail piece cover necessary for function or is it purely cosmetic?
Pure cosmetic
I don't have an owl. Can I use an awl instead? And no demo?
Awesome. I just got one for my guitar. I might just take mine to a luthier tho. But is there a way to cover the holes on the side? I thought it would cover that. I mean I guess functionality is more important which is why I got it but my OCD 😬
It’s beautiful. Does it stay in tune?
It does!
Where do you purchase this owl 🦉?
Jon Reynolds I bought it from www.crazyparts.de
How much do they charge for this type of service?????????? I want to do this with my SG.
memyself4ever1 that depends on who is doing the service. I’m based in the Netherlands.
What does the ground wire have to do with the Vibrola? Ive been thinking about installing one on my SG standard and im a bit confused.
Normally your groundwire is connected to your tailpiece, you need to make this connection in a other way.
Me to
Is the owl a hoot, snowy or barn variety?
tjm5492 it should have been "awl", of course.
Great video! Where'd you find the tailpiece?
Where did you source your vibrola unit from? Cant find a genuine gibson one anywhere it seems.
I am possibly going to be getting a sg with the maestro vibrola from Gibson, ive heard some bad things about the tuning and was wondering if you knew any mods or tips to help fix this?
All Gibson guitars have got some tunings issues.. I think a good set up by a skilled luthier can help a lot. I always use big bends nut sauce on the nut and bridge and change the strings regularly. The meastro is a moving part so all points of possible friction need attention. Good luck!🤘🏼
@@bobvanlieshout142 alright, thanks you! im probably going to change the smaller pick guard to the big one as well. Ive done this on much, much cheaper guitars successfully before but doing it on one that’s like two grand that will probably be the most expensive guitar il ever own kinda scares me that ill damage the finish or something, any tips or something you know that could help me out here as well?
You can first work with a piece of paper. Just cut out the pickguard and use it als your format. Always be careful and go to a skilled luthier if you’re not sure about it.
@@bobvanlieshout142 thanks
It looks great even without the tailpiece cover
Where did you find that lyre Vibrola?
Angus Young www.crazyparts.de
Cheers mate
Ohh and did it come with the arm? Thanks mate
It came with the arm. I didn’t fill up the bushings because I like to maybe change it back someday.
Bob van Lieshout ok cheers
I've never used one and I can't quite see how this works but when you use the trem doesn't it disengage from the surface of the guitar where it is grounding with the tail pin socket and consequently create grounding noise?
plantagenant all your answers are in the video. I decided that my tailpiece bushings where at the right place concerning my ground.
When you pull the trem up this will disconnect and you will hear ground noise. BUT there is not one moment in my playing style that I even think about pulling the trem, because this system is not made to do that. It’s made to add small amounts of vibrato by lightly pushing it down. You can always drill a hole from the control socket to the tailpiece of the vibrola. That is the spot to connect your ground.
Good luck!🤘🏼
@@bobvanlieshout142 Cheers for that. I have a Tokai Firebird that would look great with one.....next decision is whether to go for the rather pricey Gibson one or get a considerably cheaper Korean/chinese one...probably try the import one as I'm only going to give it a bit of a wobble now and then! :)
plantagenant I bought mine from www.crazyparts.de its an exact clone af a original Gibson tailpiece.
How did you adjust the lower part towards the strap button?
Vadilak Glak I think your answer is in the video. Starting at 2:35
Is there really no way to cover those holes ? For examples with the screws of tune-o-matic?
I really want to swap out the bigsby on my 1974 SG with a maestro but I don't think it would be practical enough
You still use this guitar ?
Did you find yourself having tuning problems ?
I still use this guitar, with a proper set up done by a pro luthier this guitar doesn’t have any tuning issues.
I just recently bought the gibson 61 sg reissue in exclusive wine red and wanted to do this. The moment I saw the drill come out I removed the Vibrola from my purchase lmfao
Please ! Play with Maestro Vibrola!
Would it be the same with an Epiphone SG
Depends on what type of Epiphone. Check out the rest of the comments. I think some guys had a discussion on this topic.
awesome! would this work on my epiphone sg pro? probably a stupid question but i shouldn't take any chances for a $100 guitar part!
I think it will! Take your measurements and check before you order😃
how does it function at the end?
Is there enough break angle to keep the strings in the saddles? The vibrola tailpiece is a bit higher than the regular stoptail correct?
Yes! There is enough break angle.
hey man can you show how to remove the vibrola only but not the tailpiece. it'll end up looking like angus young's sg at 1974. btw enjoyed the vid but unfortunately i can't do it XD
Thanks man, you can remove the arm by unscrewing the screw. Angus uses the vibrola tailpiece as his “stoptail” om that era. If you want it to look like Derek Trucks you will have to take out the vibrola system and put the tailpiece back on.
@@bobvanlieshout142 can you do a tutorial
Would this work on an epiphone sg pro?
Eggiee James, I gues it would. Take Some good measurements before you start.
Bob van Lieshout do you happen to know the screw sizes that are used to screw in the vibrola tail piece to the guitar?
xXToxicKillz97Xx i don’t know.. i gues they are around 3mm
Very instructional
You tune your guitar on its back and dont stretch your strings??
how can you cover the old holes?
JackJames9648 the holes left by the stop rail? I think I would search for a piece of mahogany, paint it nitro cherry and try to fit it on top.
@@bobvanlieshout142 that s exactly what i wanted to know...if the vibrola wasn t so expensive i would have alredy taken to a luthier
Why do most people say that the maestro tremolo is useless?
Most people are useless. It works well for small wobbles and balancing the guitar and looking killer.
Where did you buy the Vibrola?
Sameron Cameron www.crazyparts.de
Did it come with the arm??
Where to buy one?
Duenferra www.crazyparts.de
Wanted to put a vibrola on my sg too but I don't want to drill it
3:35 - "Mark the upper holes with an owl" ??? Did you mean, mark the upper holes with an 'awl' ???!!! I don't have an owl but I do have an awl!
Ditto..... I too, noticed that......
@@bryantrockfield9865 Some Utubers can't even spell the title right!😅
Great vid!! Now to find a owl and a 10ft wrench..... :-)
Can i install it in les paul?
I've never seen any Les Paul with a Maestro vibrola. I guess the tailpiece is too long for the body. I would recommend too put on a Bigsby!
Schaller makes a trem system that will work on a Lespaul . I have looked at them on eBay at one time not long ago less than 200.00 for it if I remember plus it's made in Germany so it's built well ! They make them for the SG as well but they don't look as nice as a layer style tremolo but probably stays in tune better ! Or you could save up some money and buy a Alex Lifeson Lespaul that's set up with stereo wiring plus a Floyd Rose locking trem system on it !
Why not put both E strings on to get the proper alignment
It looks like a 1969
It does!
PORQUE MEJOR UNO MODERNO FLOYD ROSE AXR?
You’re not going to let us hear it in action?
As you could have read in the description:
Music:
All Guitars in track are recorded with this SG after the mod.
I like the maestro but I dont like the look of the old bridge screws in the guitar body. Plus drilling new holes on my body! Not a fan.
lol owl
just a crime, in my opinion.
I did 666 years in hell for it 😈