I absolutely hated it, you have to use your fingers to push down on it and there is virtually no travel because the shaft has a too small diameter.
It will never compare to the fulcrum trem.
I have mine set to where my wrist rests and my fingers float with the trem arm under my palm, the action is good and there is no wasted time grabbing and swinging away the trem arm.

I know exactly where you are coming from. Well I think you can guess I am a big Brian Setzer fan. I waited ages till I found a Gretsch like his that came in used to the old Sam Ash and they called me up to tell me they had one . I actually almost bought it without even trying it out as I was in my twenties and of that mind frame. Well anyway thank God I did as I hated everything about the guitar. After never playing anything but Fenders it just felt so weird and the bigsby felt like a motorcycle kickstand. I sat there three hours trying to talk myself into buying it but I had to leave it behind. To tell you the truth it even makes me appreciate what Setzer can do on that bad boy even more. The guy is just phenomenal.

I had a Chet Atkins Tennessean for many years. I liked the Bigsby, it was perfect for subtle temolo sounds, which happens to be the way I play a trem.
I could easily push the bar out of the way with the tips of my fingers, or pull it into position while picking. I can do the same with my fulcrum style trems also.
Not a bad setup, just different.
Plus, all that additional hardware is good for balancing out a neck heavy guitar!

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Guitars For Vets

Hi StrayCat: +1 to every word of that!

One time here I found myself suggesting the Yamaha SA503 TVL to a guy who was looking for an instrument with soapbars and the full seven sound pickup selection.

Then I found myself in a Yamaha shop and thought: hey, let's give that guitar a whirl. I was perfectly ready to buy on the spot because it is a pretty instrument and contains features I'd like to have - in theory.

And that's what demo'ing is for, because it was a horrid guitar. The neck felt completely uninspiring, and most importantly I could not give the slightest shimmer to the Bigsby without it flying right out of tune. Actually, under my hand it felt nice, but return to pitch was an unknown concept.

Someone will say that is because that Yammy comes with a generic Bigsby type bridge, not the "real thing". But in fact I've had exactly the same experience in the past demo'ing top line Gretsch instruments - which is a big shame to me. In theory I'd love to have a Gretsch!

How Brian Setzer does it I simply do not know. A true master at work!

Cheers - C

Yeah, I think Bigsby's were only meant to be used in small doses. But in that framework, they can serve their purpose well .. and (just my opinion) they look cool.

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...