Q: I just changed the strings on my Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman from the .11s that the previous owner had put on to a set of .09s, which are easier on my fingers. It sounds great, but for some reason, the Bigsby vibrato tailpiece handle now sits a bit too high off the body to easily grasp when I’m playing. I don’t see an adjustment anywhere to correct this, so I was wondering if you had a solution. I’d hate to have to go back to the heavier gauge strings!
A: There is an adjustment, but you just can’t see it! Unfortunately, you’ll have to remove your new strings to get to it. Once you have the strings off, lift up the handle of the Bigsby to expose the heavy spring. Remove the spring, and you’ll see there are plastic spacers underneath that adjust the bar height. Unfortunately, from here it’s a trial-and-error process. You might want to remove all of the spacers and see where the handle sits once you’ve restrung your guitar. If it’s right where you want it, that’s great. If it’s a little too low, you might have to put one of the spacers back in to lift it up so that it’s at a comfortable height. By the way, if you lose the spacers, almost any plastic washer of similar size can be purchased at a hardware store and used to adjust the height.