It's player grade now! I use embroidery floss instead of strings to align trems, its a bit less wily. Tie off an old ball end grommet for the tail slot. The tuner will cut the thread if there's too much tension but there's enough strands of the floss you wont cut through them all at once. There's 2 approaches to the tuning situation. 1) Stock ABR bridge that has the 6-32 threaded posts, use domed thumbwheels and nylon saddles, or better the Graphtech ABR saddles. White is period "correct." The wound string windings will bite the saddles and rock the bridge on the domed saddles, so you're kind of replicating the Fender Jazzmaster/Jaguar/Mustang stock bridge nightmare but with the Maestro it can actually work. I like it because it looks right to my old eyes. 2)A good locking roller bridge with very stable posts and tight body bushings, minimum Tonepros but better is better. Lube the roller bearing surfaces and string grooves. Both solutions need the nut worked over really well, not just the slots but the height so the strings arent buried in the slot, the back of the slot needs to be "relieved," in a particular way, some old school techs know how. At least bone, no plastic or Corian, brass will burr up. Plus regular lube jobs, name your poison, I like Super Lube, others like Chapstick or graphite. Or do a new Tusq nut. (Sam Deeks has a super clever solution for Gibson nuts, google that. He uses the Graphtech replacement part for the unobtanium Gibson height adjustable nut and has a machinist friend make a slotted bottom part out of Graphtech blanks. A gunsmith could do it. It's a nugget of genius.) The trem string slots should be lubed too. Then string it one-wrap-over the-rest-under or use the luthiers knot. If your nut slots are cut, widened at the top and relieved on the peghead side the right way it should be the end of all your heroic measures. And your G string will be in tune more often than not. Ta-da!
Tangentially, ran into a fellow who put a short Maestro on his Special with a wrap around bridge, strung the 2nd 3rd and 6th strings in the vibrola, left the 1st 4th and 5th strung on the wraparound: portable lap steel. Coolest trem set up I've ever seen
I've only met one guitarist who owns an expensive Gibson SG with this vibrato. And he took it to a pro. Who changed the tuning saddles on the bridge to black tusk nut. Changed the nut to tusk and cut it properly. And used Wilkerson locking tuners. And I've played it, and it stayed in tune. Even when I got wild on it. But the steel saddles and regular bone nut will give you tuning problems.
nice vid. vibrato kinda crooked, but can just loosen the screws and adjust so that the strings rest in the center of the vibrato saddles. they break if resting in the corner of the vibrato as in this vid. the tuning issues only happen when strings aren't stretched. gotta stretch them by pulling on them as you install and tune. this set up is perfect otherwise.
Thanks. I traded my friend for the guitar and pulled the Maestro off. I then stripped the paint from the body, filled in the holes, and am getting ready to repaint. Now it will be in the original configuration.
I know this SG owner wanted the Vibrato installed, but I could never keep mine in tune no matter what other hardware or strings I installed aftermarket on my '61 SG Reissue. Hope he enjoys it and has better luck than most of us have had with the tuning stability issue, but I ended up just keeping the Trem arm pointed back until getting around to taking it off and throwing it away. My PRS SE trem takes a long time to go out of tune so I'm convinced the Vibrato is just a flawed design.
I think they look cool and want to put one on my special i bought an aftermarket version for it i am cheap! Cool looking standard i love the light finish thanks for posting.
Funny... Most gigging guitarists just took this crappy design of a vibrato off. I have my fathers '69-'70 crossover SG Standard. He pulled this thing off shortly after buying his guitar back then. He had a luthier install the stop bar tail piece after cursing about his guitar going out of tune constantly.
You were saying that you pulled a Bigsby B7 off of the SG. I bought an SG with a Bigsby B70 already on it. I did a little searching to find out which model was on my SG and the B70 seems to be an exact match. I didn't know that a B7 would work on the SG? My question is, do I have the wrong model trem on my guitar, or do both models (B7 and B70) work with the SG ??? I am also putting a Vibrola on my SG, and my plan was to put both E strings on it to align it, before I started drilling any holes. So it was refreshing to see you do it that way too. There's something about a white guitar that draws me to them, especially a white Gibson SG, when I see a white guitar, I want to buy it !!! I have a "white" SG which is more like a yellow, but hopefully, one day I will get an alpine white SG !!! I just subscribed to your channel, Thanks.
I pulled it off because it would not work. My friend had tried to install it and it did not fit. The Bigsby B5 is normally what I would install on an SG.
I'm not crazy about a black pickguard on it, but it's fine. I'd rather have a solid white or white mother of toilet seat pickguard!@@guitarcollectorguy
Awesome J🎸《☆》I totally agree Brother👍🏾I like my Epi Firebird VII With the Lyre Vibrola. It ads a Special tone I think😁but if it hadn't come with it I'd leave it be. Maybe there's an Epiphone or Gibson LesPaul waiting for a Bigsby somewhere. I was thinking about putting a Floyd Rose on one of my Epiphone LesPauls but it's a big route hole to do it. Now you can buy LesPauls with Floyds installed. I think it kind of neuters the crunch that LesPauls are famous for after hearing some sample sounds so I lost interest in getting one✌😎☮
Great video. Just a quick question, you mentioned that a Bigsby B7 will not align properly with the SGs bridge? Just curious why. Don't Les Pauls and SGs use the same tuneomatic bridge, with I'm assuming the exact same string spacing? So if a B7 is designed for a LP, I image it should align with the SG as well? I'm really curious about this since I'm about to install a B7 on my SG, and I really appreciate any input.
Hello, I am desperately looking for a Gibson Maestro Lyre vibrato to install on a 1968 SG Melody Maker. Where can I find this new Gibson Maestro Lyre vibrato?? Thanks for the answers.
@@guitarcollectorguy it’s all good!!! I’m gonna try it on a really crappy lp copy before (potentially) messing up a decent Epi. Thank you just the same!
I installed one on my epiphone SG but it throws it out of tune. It's a bolt on neck though, cheap guitar. I never had tuning problems with my 1960s Gibson with a Maestro Vibrola.
It's player grade now!
I use embroidery floss instead of strings to align trems, its a bit less wily. Tie off an old ball end grommet for the tail slot. The tuner will cut the thread if there's too much tension but there's enough strands of the floss you wont cut through them all at once.
There's 2 approaches to the tuning situation. 1) Stock ABR bridge that has the 6-32 threaded posts, use domed thumbwheels and nylon saddles, or better the Graphtech ABR saddles. White is period "correct." The wound string windings will bite the saddles and rock the bridge on the domed saddles, so you're kind of replicating the Fender Jazzmaster/Jaguar/Mustang stock bridge nightmare but with the Maestro it can actually work. I like it because it looks right to my old eyes.
2)A good locking roller bridge with very stable posts and tight body bushings, minimum Tonepros but better is better. Lube the roller bearing surfaces and string grooves.
Both solutions need the nut worked over really well, not just the slots but the height so the strings arent buried in the slot, the back of the slot needs to be "relieved," in a particular way, some old school techs know how. At least bone, no plastic or Corian, brass will burr up. Plus regular lube jobs, name your poison, I like Super Lube, others like Chapstick or graphite. Or do a new Tusq nut. (Sam Deeks has a super clever solution for Gibson nuts, google that. He uses the Graphtech replacement part for the unobtanium Gibson height adjustable nut and has a machinist friend make a slotted bottom part out of Graphtech blanks. A gunsmith could do it. It's a nugget of genius.)
The trem string slots should be lubed too.
Then string it one-wrap-over the-rest-under or use the luthiers knot. If your nut slots are cut, widened at the top and relieved on the peghead side the right way it should be the end of all your heroic measures. And your G string will be in tune more often than not.
Ta-da!
Tangentially, ran into a fellow who put a short Maestro on his Special with a wrap around bridge, strung the 2nd 3rd and 6th strings in the vibrola, left the 1st 4th and 5th strung on the wraparound: portable lap steel. Coolest trem set up I've ever seen
I've only met one guitarist who owns an expensive Gibson SG with this vibrato. And he took it to a pro. Who changed the tuning saddles on the bridge to black tusk nut. Changed the nut to tusk and cut it properly. And used Wilkerson locking tuners. And I've played it, and it stayed in tune. Even when I got wild on it. But the steel saddles and regular bone nut will give you tuning problems.
nice vid. vibrato kinda crooked, but can just loosen the screws and adjust so that the strings rest in the center of the vibrato saddles. they break if resting in the corner of the vibrato as in this vid. the tuning issues only happen when strings aren't stretched. gotta stretch them by pulling on them as you install and tune. this set up is perfect otherwise.
Thanks. I traded my friend for the guitar and pulled the Maestro off. I then stripped the paint from the body, filled in the holes, and am getting ready to repaint. Now it will be in the original configuration.
Resting in the corner of the vibrato? Pls explain what u mean here. Tks
@@globalnova if the string rests in the corner of the saddle of the vibrato bridge. it needs to be centered
@@youradhere6204 "saddles of the vibrato bridge" ? corner? anyway doesn't matter.
I know this SG owner wanted the Vibrato installed, but I could never keep mine in tune no matter what other hardware or strings I installed aftermarket on my '61 SG Reissue. Hope he enjoys it and has better luck than most of us have had with the tuning stability issue, but I ended up just keeping the Trem arm pointed back until getting around to taking it off and throwing it away. My PRS SE trem takes a long time to go out of tune so I'm convinced the Vibrato is just a flawed design.
Maestro Vibrola 👍👍👍👍👍
I think they look cool and want to put one on my special i bought an aftermarket version for it i am cheap! Cool looking standard i love the light finish thanks for posting.
Thank you!
Funny... Most gigging guitarists just took this crappy design of a vibrato off. I have my fathers '69-'70 crossover SG Standard. He pulled this thing off shortly after buying his guitar back then. He had a luthier install the stop bar tail piece after cursing about his guitar going out of tune constantly.
To each his own. My friend wanted it...
You were saying that you pulled a Bigsby B7 off of the SG. I bought an SG with a Bigsby B70 already on it. I did a little searching to find out which model was on my SG and the B70 seems to be an exact match. I didn't know that a B7 would work on the SG?
My question is, do I have the wrong model trem on my guitar, or do both models (B7 and B70) work with the SG ???
I am also putting a Vibrola on my SG, and my plan was to put both E strings on it to align it, before I started drilling any holes. So it was refreshing to see you do it that way too. There's something about a white guitar that draws me to them, especially a white Gibson SG, when I see a white guitar, I want to buy it !!! I have a "white" SG which is more like a yellow, but hopefully, one day I will get an alpine white SG !!! I just subscribed to your channel, Thanks.
I pulled it off because it would not work. My friend had tried to install it and it did not fit. The Bigsby B5 is normally what I would install on an SG.
I'm the same way about white guitars.
I was wondering!? The B70 worked okay.@@guitarcollectorguy
I'm not crazy about a black pickguard on it, but it's fine. I'd rather have a solid white or white mother of toilet seat pickguard!@@guitarcollectorguy
Awesome J🎸《☆》I totally agree Brother👍🏾I like my Epi Firebird VII With the Lyre Vibrola. It ads a Special tone I think😁but if it hadn't come with it I'd leave it be. Maybe there's an Epiphone or Gibson LesPaul waiting for a Bigsby somewhere. I was thinking about putting a Floyd Rose on one of my Epiphone LesPauls but it's a big route hole to do it. Now you can buy LesPauls with Floyds installed. I think it kind of neuters the crunch that LesPauls are famous for after hearing some sample sounds so I lost interest in getting one✌😎☮
where can i buy a vibrola like yours, i also want one for my sg guitar
I think this is the one I purchased - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09927MDJ7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Great video. Just a quick question, you mentioned that a Bigsby B7 will not align properly with the SGs bridge? Just curious why. Don't Les Pauls and SGs use the same tuneomatic bridge, with I'm assuming the exact same string spacing? So if a B7 is designed for a LP, I image it should align with the SG as well? I'm really curious about this since I'm about to install a B7 on my SG, and I really appreciate any input.
It can be modified to fit.
www.everythingsg.com/threads/bigsby-b7-on-gibson-sg-standard.38047/
Great! Thanks for this link!
Hello, I am desperately looking for a Gibson Maestro Lyre vibrato to install on a 1968 SG Melody Maker. Where can I find this new Gibson Maestro Lyre vibrato?? Thanks for the answers.
I am really sorry that I do not.
@@guitarcollectorguy
thank you where can i find this vibrato maestro lyre thank you
@@anjypaul2937E-bay. When you get it just lubricate the bridge and nut with any kind of oil.
Can you theoretically add this same vibrato unit to an Epiphone Trad Pro 2 Les Paul? Or is the string spacing too weird?
I do not know if it would fit. Sorry.
@@guitarcollectorguy it’s all good!!! I’m gonna try it on a really crappy lp copy before (potentially) messing up a decent Epi. Thank you just the same!
The bridge is not square that can' be correct, is it?
It is square. It is just the angle of the camera.
I installed one on my epiphone SG but it throws it out of tune. It's a bolt on neck though, cheap guitar. I never had tuning problems with my 1960s Gibson with a Maestro Vibrola.
Yes but.....Sister Rosetta Tharpe!!
I like your videos!