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Speaking of using a Bigsby to rip your strings off...

gobrowns19gobrowns19 Posts: 1,447
edited September 2006 in Musicians and Gearheads
We're playing this Saturday at a coffee shop [:D], and after viewing that Neil Young SNL RITFW video where he uses his bigsby to rip off all the strings, I'm really inclined to try this. I'll be using a guitar that is built in the shape of a Les Paul. I believe it's a harmony or something? Regardless, he said I could do that at the end of the show as long as I restring it, etc etc. Now I'm curious if it's possible I could really jack his guitar up or not. I don't have the money to repair it, and I would feel like an ass fucking his guitar up, but, if I could do it correctly, it would be amazing. Any tips?
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Comments

  • gobrowns19gobrowns19 Posts: 1,447
    Oh, BTW, for those who haven't seen it, here's the link...

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=ObVxM-KOZKo
    Happiness is only real when shared
  • StoneG82StoneG82 Posts: 806
    oh yeah! i posted about this in my Bigsby thread. here's what who's_pearljam? said to me about doing it with my sg:

    "Ok, here's the potential damage that you could do though!:

    Pull off a tuner, or crack the nut or mess up your floating bridge or crack your neck."

    I don't know if that pertains to the type of guitar you're talking about or not....

    personally, I think you could get away with it if it's just this one time. just be careful.....
    "What’s Orphans? I don’t know. Orphans is a dead end kid driving a coffin with big tires across the Ohio River wearing welding goggles and a wife beater with a lit firecracker in his ear." - Tom Waits
  • StoneG82StoneG82 Posts: 806
    oh by the way-

    that is probably my favorite Neil performance. it's insane.

    I read somewhere that he had to work out with his trainer before the show to get himself pumped up to that level of intensity.
    "What’s Orphans? I don’t know. Orphans is a dead end kid driving a coffin with big tires across the Ohio River wearing welding goggles and a wife beater with a lit firecracker in his ear." - Tom Waits
  • gobrowns19gobrowns19 Posts: 1,447
    I did read that, but I don't know much about the difference between SGs/Les Pauls, and was wondering if SG's were really fragile or something. Thanks for the info.
    Happiness is only real when shared
  • gobrowns19gobrowns19 Posts: 1,447
    StoneG82 wrote:
    oh by the way-

    that is probably my favorite Neil performance. it's insane.

    I read somewhere that he had to work out with his trainer before the show to get himself pumped up to that level of intensity.

    That is awesome. It's my favorite Neil performance as well. I don't think I could put out that much energy, and i'm many years younger! Lol, wow, Neil's awesome....
    Happiness is only real when shared
  • StoneG82StoneG82 Posts: 806
    gobrowns19 wrote:
    I did read that, but I don't know much about the difference between SGs/Les Pauls, and was wondering if SG's were really fragile or something. Thanks for the info.

    SG's are generally pretty fragile, because the necks are really thin.

    the body is pretty thin too.

    LP's on the other hand tend to be pretty durable.
    "What’s Orphans? I don’t know. Orphans is a dead end kid driving a coffin with big tires across the Ohio River wearing welding goggles and a wife beater with a lit firecracker in his ear." - Tom Waits
  • gobrowns19gobrowns19 Posts: 1,447
    Damn, it will be soooo cool doing it in front of under 25-30 people, lol. [If we get that lucky]
    Happiness is only real when shared
  • DriftingByTheStormDriftingByTheStorm Posts: 8,684
    gobrowns19 wrote:
    I did read that, but I don't know much about the difference between SGs/Les Pauls, and was wondering if SG's were really fragile or something. Thanks for the info.

    dude you're not even supposed to put .11 strings on your SG, let alone go popping them off by forcing out your tremolo arm!

    yikes!
    :(
    If I was to smile and I held out my hand
    If I opened it now would you not understand?
  • moster78moster78 Posts: 1,591
    I put .10s on my SG, and all my axes. My roommate has one of those Harmony's with a bigsby. A total Les Paul knockoff. I say if you don't care about potentially damaging your axe, go for it. I wouldn't, but thats just me! Have a good gig regardless!
  • samquigleysamquigley Posts: 220
    Important things to remember:

    1) Those old LP Deluxes had maple necks, not mahogany like the Standards. Notice you never see a Fender with a broken headstock? Maple necks. Well, that and Gibson's stupid truss rod cavity design.

    2) If you can't afford to replace your mate's guitar, don't even think about trying it.

    3) Asking questions like this is not rock 'n' roll.
  • gobrowns19gobrowns19 Posts: 1,447
    In reply to Answers 1+2, thanks for the advice.

    In reply to Answer 3, of course it's not rock and roll, it was a question.
    Happiness is only real when shared
  • samquigleysamquigley Posts: 220
    Oh, and I've had cuts on my face from breaking a string more than once before. Strings have a way of finding your eyes. Especially when there's three of them for each eye. Again, not very rock 'n' roll, but worth thinking about.
  • gobrowns19gobrowns19 Posts: 1,447
    I always thought Rock and Roll was about having no rules? But yeah, thanks for the thought. The more I think about it, I could just picture the whole guitar snapping in half with my luck. Lol.

    Peace.
    Happiness is only real when shared
  • Falcon1Falcon1 Posts: 1
    gobrowns19 wrote:
    Any tips?

    Make sure you have a video of it to post on here when your done.




    How To Tie A Necktie
  • enharmonicenharmonic Posts: 1,917
    As long as you can cover any potential damage to the instrument, might as well go out there and cop a Neil Young move or two...just don't wear those jeans! :D

    Remember, Neil has access to the best tech's in the world, and could probably have that guitar rebuilt to the exact specs if push came to shove. You however, likely do not. That kind of pressure on a neck is just asking for trouble.
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  • who's_pearljam?who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    StoneG82 wrote:
    oh yeah! i posted about this in my Bigsby thread. here's what who's_pearljam? said to me about doing it with my sg:

    "Ok, here's the potential damage that you could do though!:

    Pull off a tuner, or crack the nut or mess up your floating bridge or crack your neck."

    I don't know if that pertains to the type of guitar you're talking about or not....

    personally, I think you could get away with it if it's just this one time. just be careful.....


    Ha ha!! Two bigsby string breaking threads on one page!

    You won't know if you're going to wreck anything until you do it, but make sure you have the right place and time, too. And your own guitar!

    Imagine the look on your friends face after you masterfully rip the strings off, and the neck cracks at the nut and the strings whack the surprised looking people in drinking coffee in the front row, picking pieces of string and wood out of their hair and lattes, and there's the nut over there in the corner because the strings dug in to the slots and bound up and tore that off too.

    Pulling on the strings enough to break them is like tuning all your strings up to breaking point which is a lot of pull on the neck and a lot of pressure, just more fun!

    Ok, there's the cautionary tale.


    That said,,,Have fun doing it though! :D
    You have to do it with feeling thought. It can't be contrived looking. Also it might not be very rock and roll it there are 8 people in the audience. If it's a packed house, more impact.

    And by the way, a set of 9's would break easier, too!
    Be kind, man
    Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
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