Re: Bowen Handle?
the reason for such devices as the Bowen Handle and the Bigsby is to NOT have a hole in your guitar, and to not have the "Strat style" bridge. First vibrato on an electric guitar that I am aware of was the Bigsby...SO I might ask why one would want to go with the things where a route has to be done to the guitar body? I see complaints that it is ugly. Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder. "But my guitar wont stay in tune"...tune it with the trem lock engaged, stretch the strings and re-tune. DIs-engage the trem-lock...re-tune...no problems...if the bridge and nut are both clean, straight, deburred, and etc. All things which should be done to a guitar in any case...I have never had tuning issues using a Bowen Handle. "It put dings in the top of my guitar"...yeah...just raise it up where it does not make contact on an up bend...the studs WILL allow for sufficient lift to raise the strings plumb off the bridge, so getting it high enough to not hit the body is a no brainer. "I could only get about a half step out of it"...sounds like someone didn't dis-engage the trem lock...sheesh...with the trem lock engaged there is still a little wiggle room (about a half step)...with the trem lock engaged the strings will go completely slack...not that I would recommend that without a locking bridge and nut...overall, a well designed device. Simple, and uses a coil spring instead of the bent sheet spring from the Maestro vibe.
