Muddy sounding Tele and Hipshot B bender

[Glen Derksen]

I'm having a problem with my Tele sounding too muddy and not sustaining enough. I have a Hipshot B bender on it, there is felt on the underside of the bender, and I don't have the bender screwed onto the end of body like I probably should have...it's held on only with the strab button. Would the problem be solved if I peeled off the felt and put the screws in? Also, those string guides on the bender get in the way when I put on a six saddle bridge, as it's longer than the ashtray type. Do I really need those string guides on there? Thanks.

[D Schubert]

If you're using the conventional Hipshot setup (raise B, lower E), then you should still have 4 strings that come through the original bridge and have nothing "in common" with the Hipshot. Do those strings ring out better than the 2nd and the 6th)?

If so, then you may be right about rigidizing the mounting of the Hipshot.

If not, the problem may come from somewhere else. Electronics? Poor neck-to-body contact?

Did the guitar sound good before the Hipshot was attached? Might be worth your time to remove it and string the guitar normally, to isolate the problem.

[Glen Derksen]

ok, the Hipshot raises the B and G and lowers the E. The rest of the strings sound good except the low E and A. I confess that I have been using cheap strings lately, so, I think it may be time to use higher quality strings. I put a new set of Fender strings on my Jazzmaster recently, and it seems to make a world of difference compared to the crapola strings that I have been using. Those cheap strings I've been using seem to wear out after one weekend of playing a gig.

[Tony Prior]

Those cheap strings I've been using seem to wear out after one weekend of playing a gig.

Well, I change strings every week anyway ! I have always been one to feel that Telecasters need new strings all the time (every week if you are gigging) . I have been using fender 150's or 250's for decades now, I buy them by the case. Tele's are not very forgiving with marginal/worn strings .

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[Glen Derksen]

Teles are not very forgiving with mistakes either.

[Tony Prior]

neither are many people !