Bigsby on a Les Paul and Bridge String Angle

Hi Gang,

My 2015 Joe Bonamassa LTD Epiphone Les Paul arrived this week. After a very few minor tweaks, she's playing very smoothly. The Gibson Probuckers are smooth as silk and the growl like a rabid dog with the volume to the roof.

However, even though I've replaced the default 10's with a new set of NYXL 9's, the strings feel more like a set of 11's with a heavy bottom. After digging into this and noticing that my other LP with 9's plays much more "loosely", the only thing I've noticed is the angle of the strings coming from the roller of the Bigsby to the bridge. It's massively sharp.

Short of tossing the Bigsby, has anyone come up with a solution for lessening the angle of the strings? Should I bypass the roller? Shim the Bigsby mounting points? Other ideas?

Okay - since I knew the change would only cost me a set of strings, I took the chance and re-strung the guitar with the strings going over the roller bar.

Et Voila! There is still enough angle from the main Bigsby roller to retain proper tension while relieving the extreme angle over the bridge. The result is a much more playable Les Paul with that sweet Bigsby Tremolo sound.