Will adding a Bigbsy solve this?

I only have one electric guitar--an Epiphone ES339 ultra. With my amp, the Peavey VYPYR Vip 2, this combo is fantastically versatile. I'm taking the "Surf" music class now here on GT now and surf is usually Fender and whammy. But my guitar in coil tap mode gets a an authentic single coil Fenger-like sound I wouldn't buy another guitar to try to get. As the lessons progress I see the need for a tremrlo. Obviously I don't have to dive bomb or any of that extreme use. Should fitting my axe with a Bigsby do the trick? Thanks folks.

I think you should consider a pedal first ( ie: Digitech Whammy ). For as little as you will need a tremolo bar the inherent tuning issues with a Bigsby aren't worth it. In my opinion.

I don't have a bigsby, but from my reading on how to maintain one, they seem to be high maintenance.

I have a strat and never used the whammy bar, so I had it tightened down against the guitar body. As I learn more songs and start expanding into other genres, I may need to get a guitar with a whammy bar.

Didn't know you could get a pedal that would emulate a whammy bar...that's a pretty cool solution.

From reading reviews, most said the Bigsby was a very positive mod to their guitar that didn't cause tuning problems. They did however all seem to mention stepping up string heaviness to 11's. I have been using 10's but bending hasn't been to tough even to get a whole step.

To the gent with the strat, I'm not a newbie to guitars and had 12 at my max 20 years ago. I never attached the tremelo arm on any, so I can ID with you. I just wasn't that kind of out-front attention seeker lead player and worried about tuning--starting out as a bass player in bands for more than a decade since the late 1970's. Just playing rhythm was a delightful step up that I started accumulating guitars. But the whammy bar was a frontier I was reticent to cross. This Epiphone 339 ultra stays in tune even though I have been making great strides in finally playing lead where bending notes seems to never effect tuning at all. I one had a Parker with Sperzels and even getting that thing in tune was a pain much less staying in tune. But this Epi is un-freakling-believable in it's ability to stay in tune. It has the built-in tuner which is in the bezel of the neck pick-up and checking is easy as it gets. I decided to risk the Bigsby and ordered one. I expect with my reserved approach to things I'll probably use it without the tuning issues. The guitar itself is a real keeper so far.

My wife would throw me out of the house if I acquired 20 guitars :-). At the moment I have 4, though soon to be 3 most likely, and she's not exactly keen :-).

Does your epi have locking tuners? I have a Gibson Les Paul faded studio that just would not stay in tune. Putting graphite in the nut helped, but it was still not perfect. I have a Gibson LP Standard now with locking tuners and it is ROCK SOLID with tuning stability. I was practicing some solos last night for over an hour - plenty of bends - and it was still in tune when I was done. My strat, once I locked down the bridge had not tuning problems.

If you aren't doing dive bombs, you should be good!

Best of luck with the Bigsby when you get it!

Geeps, this is an old post. I bought a fine Strat and got rid of the solid state amp in favor of a Bugera V55 Infinium. I've also bought and learned Native Instruments Guitar Rig since then and bought a Schecter A-6 special edition which has become my favorite. The action is super throughout the 24 frets--it has Seymour Duncans, ebony fret board, hipshot bridge, now if it only had a Bigsby (just kidding on the Bigsby)