Looking for B-bender info!!!

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 8 Oct 2009 1:15 am

Jim, Mike Nihen did the install on my P/W bender a few years ago and did a wonderful job! His Nashville West guitars were a work of art IMHO! Mine was originally a long throw but after a few gigs I took the back off of the guitar and changed the pivots points to shorten it. After a couple of trys I got it right and it's where I want it. We do a lot of "Electric Grass" in the band(s) I'm in and the long throw just wouldn't cut it.. Here's a shot of my Tele with Mike's work inside.....JH in Va.

Charlie McVay · Post by **Charlie McVay** » 8 Oct 2009 4:31 am

Hi Pat,

All the benders out there are good in there own way. It's more about personal preference and how much you want to spend.
I use to build steel guitars and have been building benders for years.

Just like steel guitar, it's the player more than the guitar.Buddy Emmons sounds like Big E no mater what guitar he's playing, just like Brent Mason could play and sound like Marty Stuart if he wanted to or if the song called for that style.

Charlie McVay
www.mcvaybenders.com

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 8 Oct 2009 5:09 am

Jim

I had a P/W for a long time before going to the Glaser unit. I immediately felt more comfortable with the strap attached at the neck-plate - that point-of-balance actually facilitates a feeling of precise control over the length of the 'pull'. That renders a long-throw option irrelevant for me.

I'm just saying that I think you've somewhat over-simplified things by categorising the players I quoted as being one-dimensional with regard to their use of a bender. My experience proves to me that the Glaser is a most adaptable unit that will respond to any musical mood.

I think of a B-bender as another tool for expression - sometimes a protracted bend within a chord, and sometimes a quick and accurate pitch-raise (or drop) within an eighth-note run, and all sorts of other tricks besides. Sure, you can get caught up in the beginning just trying for those first 'Clarence' licks you heard on those Everly Brothers tracks, but eventually a sense of restraint prevails and 'less is more' becomes the order of the day.

Ever since I acquired these two 'Thin Skin' Telecasters of mine back in February I've been doing all guitar-work without a 'bender' - I love these new Teles so much that it's meant virtual retirement for my faithful old Glaser-equipped G&L Asat Classic. While it's good to spend a little time without the pull-string, I'm very excited to be getting 'back on the horse' (hopefully any day now....

)

Charlie McVay · Post by **Charlie McVay** » 8 Oct 2009 7:33 am

Hey Roger,

I have to agree with you a 100% and that is the reason for my above post,

that Glaser style benders are only for quick bends and Parson White benders are for long smooth bends.

I know many players that use my bender and can make it sound just like Clarence White on the old P/W bender.

I make a longer travel if players want that, but most don't. They want the standard travel and it's in the players hands and touch to get that feel if they know how to do it.

Again, all the benders are good in there own way but it's the player more so than the guitar.

Charlie McVay
www.mcvaybenders.com

Eddie D.Bollinger · Post by **Eddie D.Bollinger** » 8 Oct 2009 7:36 am

Good stuff, Jim.

I bought my Tele from a dealer and it had "Custom Shop" tags on it. I believe it says Parsons/Green
on the plate on the back. (Its at the theatre or I would just look and see) This would be just a "Stock"
guitar or factory guitar I believe. There wasn't a Add-on or anything. It has the "nashville" setup with
strat pickup in the middle (It gets in my way)

I put 1300 in it new. I don't know if that is good or bad. I am still learning when it comes to
what to buy and what to sell.

Eddie

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 9 Oct 2009 6:14 am

Good Grief! I forgot to mention Charlie, who I have known (via internet) for a long time and also makes a great unit!

I realize my statement about the styles as related to type of bender is overly-generalized and that all of them can be used for any kind of music; however,in the 35 years I've been playing, working on and tweaking the contraptions I've found that there is a bit of a "Nashville" and "West Coast" camp difference; not with every player, but super-quick "snap" bends (and pedal-steel-ish licks ala Jimmy Olander) are a little more common among Glaser, McVay and Shelton -type players, with a slight edge to the "playing with time", warped, slower and variable-speed bends among PW/Pullstring-type players.

There are TONS of exceptions, so please don't think I was trying to completely pigeonhole everyone. Personally, I'd love to have a Shelton at some point - any slight difference in benders inspires something new in my playing.

For example: My most-played bender is the Pullstring:

Followed by the Nashville West:

...but I also commonly use my Variax 500 with a Higgins peg bender. It has a very short throw, but like Warford with his short-throw Tele I can drift in and out of those Clarence-y zones with it. It's all in practice and HW you use the bender.

I've found that, unfortunately, most players who get one because they want to sound like a steel both don't sound much like a steel and don't really "bond" with the crazy thing. A B-bender to me is a different guitar completely, and I play quite differently than when I play my Trussart, or Jag, or whatever. It's just a natural extension of my playing.

That's why I don't prefer certain benders (although others get great results with them) - they just don't have the organic feel I get with the "keepers" I have. I'm absolutely sure that the same hold true for players who have used Glasers or Sheltons for years.

Basically, with very few exceptions (and those are mostly one-off, hand-built benders that are dismal failures) all of the production units work just fine.

Here's one of those nightmare benders. Yes...I own it. Right no it's completely dismantled, and I'm trying to figure out if the guitar is salvageable for another type of shoulder-strap, body-mounted bender (it has a Strat-like scalloped back):

Sorry - didn't mean to scare anyone!!!!

[/img]

D Schubert · Post by **D Schubert** » 9 Oct 2009 7:27 am

This is a great thread, good pro & con discussion. I started with a hipshot almost 30 years ago. Now I have two benders: a regular-throw Parsons-White and a Forrest-Lee-Jr. that play/feel about the same to me. If I could only take one guitar to a gig, either of these would be fine.

I like the integrated/internal design that doesn't interfere with any of my other guitar tricks and techniques, rather than something with an extra lever that could get in the way.

If you're thinking about re-inventing the wheel and building your own, my recommendation is: Don't do it, spend the same number hours learning to play a well-engineered battle-proven bender instead.

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 9 Oct 2009 11:40 am

One thing that hasn't been discussed here (maybe it's only an issue for me!) is the question of accidental activation of the various benders.

For my purposes, I need to be able to block the bender's action when doing music where I know I won't be using it. I have a custom-built (by Dan Erlewine from a Stew-Mac body and a Warmoth neck blank) Tele with a Parsons/White (standard throw--also installed by DE) which is rather heavy, not quite as heavy as the Fender P/G ones, and although I have the spring set for maximum available resistance, it's very easy to activate the bender. I play classic rock and blues in addition to country/country-rock, and while I'm not Jimi I'm also unable to (don't want to) do the stock-still bluegrass-picker thing, and when I get physical with the guitar the bender presents a problem.

I solve this by plugging the strap-button lever slot with a rubber stopper unless I anticipate using the bender. This is inconvenient because it requires unstrapping to put the stopper in or out, so doing it on the fly mid-song if I change my mind is awkward at best. But it wouldn't be possible at all with a Glaser.

On the website I linked to earlier,

http://www.benderguitars.com/main.html

they offer benders with lockdown that could be engaged or released on the fly. A great idea if you ask me.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 9 Oct 2009 11:48 am

Hi, Brint

Not an issue for me, because (I suppose) I have the resistance set to a fairly firm level. If, though, I wanted to be sure, I can always simply attach a normal strap to the 'regular' Telecaster strap-button and bypass the Glaser's neck-plate attachment.

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 9 Oct 2009 10:40 pm

Roger Rettig wrote:I can always simply attach a normal strap to the 'regular' Telecaster strap-button and bypass the Glaser's neck-plate attachment.

Good point, Roger; I didn't think of that.

I still worry (though I've never tried out a Glaser) about the "guitar falling forward" feel of attaching the strap to a lever on the neck plate.

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 10 Oct 2009 8:16 am

If you look closely at the picture of my Tele at the top of the page you'll see an extra strap button right on the front of my guitar for that exact purpose. Anytime anyone sets in on my guitar I usually move the strap to that peg unless they want the bender........JH in Va.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 10 Oct 2009 8:30 am

If anyone has a problem with their Telecasters 'falling forward' when suspended on a Glaser-style neck-plate fitting, I'd be happy to forward a copy of my diet-sheet!!

A few weeks following my example will negate that problem for ever (am I right, Jerry???)

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 10 Oct 2009 10:23 am

jerry...that's either the ugliest guitar i've ever seen or it's chock full of secret freemason symbols!

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 12 Oct 2009 3:58 am

Hey Chris, that Tele is one "beautiful" guitar. I'm an old California boy and we're expected to be weird anyway. As for the secret "Freemason symbols"... Just take the Emmons logo.....

E..every
M..Mason
M..makes
O..our
N..nation
S..strong

....................JH in Va.

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 12 Oct 2009 5:11 am

Jerry is that a real Tele?..Man all you need is a Budwieser neon sign on it....Ugly..

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 12 Oct 2009 12:01 pm

Is that a "real" Tele, you bet your boots! I picked it up at the factory in Dec. of '82... It's a top loader and a great guitar. "Ugly" no way, it's a work of art. Here's a shot (kinda fuzzy) taken at the DJ Ranch in North Long Beach a week or so after I got it. It had a HipShot bender installed then.......JH in Va.

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 12 Oct 2009 4:14 pm

Jerry thats a great looking original sunburst Tele..I guess a lot of people like to put stuff on but for me I like my guitars to look and sound like what I bought them for..I'm sure you don't plan on selling it so its custom the way you like it..I see you added a couple of Humbuckers so I'm sure your reaching for different sounds..That guitar looks like it would be hard to put scratches on it..

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 20 Oct 2009 12:57 pm

Brint - that's one of the main features of the Pullstring. Dave went through about 30 different springs before he found what worked smoothly/evenly, PLUS still did so when the tension is adjusted.

The Pullstring has spring tension adjuster - it requires one extra small hole in the bottom of the body, and is adjusted with an Allen driver. You can go from nothing but string tension (great for playing while sitting) to REALLY stiff, where you have to really yank on it to get a bend.

With that setup it's easy to find a "happy medium". That was one thing that always bugged me about other benders (and my own PW's, where I had to remove the spring, guess at a good place for it and remove/replace the wood screw that hold the spring. My Nashville West must have 10 screw holes from different tension adjustments!

Marlin Smoot · Post by **Marlin Smoot** » 21 Oct 2009 12:14 pm

All this talk of B Benders makes me want another one...

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 21 Oct 2009 1:47 pm

My Thin-Skin Tele has just arrived from Joe Glaser's shop with the newly-fitted bender!

A wonderfully-neat job, and the action is as smooth as silk; the guitar's body is barely compromised. An already-great guitar is now my guitar-for-life!!!

Photos tomorrow.....