Over 50 guitars are located in the Guitar Gallery: The Quest for Volume within the Museum of Pop Culture. One of them is a 1953 Bigsby guitar. A nearby placard reads:
A California craftsman creates the next-generation whammy bar
In the early fifties, independent craftsmen often took original approaches to making their guitars. One of their inventors,
Paul Bigsby, built custom solid-bodies for famous country players like Jack Rivers and Merle Travis, and lesser-known ones, like Hezzy Hall. Though expensive, Bigsby's guitars were known for their playability.
Bigsby only made guitars for a few years, but his work inspired guitar designer Leo Fender, and Bigsby's whammy device became an industry standard.