NEW DUESENBERG MULTIBENDER

Wolfgang Bednarz · Post by **Wolfgang Bednarz** » 23 Nov 2006 2:43 pm

Hey Guys,
look what I have found, the new Duesenberg Multibender. Its a item that can buid on a Strat-style guitar and you can play some nice Pedal Steel Licks. Maby its possiole to mount it also on a lapsteel. Click on the link, they have a lot nice demonstrations videos there.
What you guys thinking ? http://www.goeldo.de/gshop.php?p=bender

Michael Breid · Post by **Michael Breid** » 23 Nov 2006 3:58 pm

I can see the possibilities. Especially if you can mount more than three benders. It would be possible to rig up an E9th tuning and use the benders just like a steel. Hmmmmmmm. Yes, I can see the possibilities.

Chuck Fisher · Post by **Chuck Fisher** » 25 Nov 2006 4:48 pm

I think this s pretty cool, looks like a pretty small package, too. HMMMMMMMMMMMMM....

Iain · Post by **Iain** » 27 Nov 2006 6:13 am

I was just going to post about this!

Looks like a great idea. Can anyone see how it would work (IF it'd work!) on a lap steel? I have a Bennett (UK maker) 6-string lap that'd LOVE to have this mounted on it(!)

I also have a Duesenberg Starplayer TV: VERY well made guitar, so I'll bet this is a nice piece of engineering.

John Bushouse · Post by **John Bushouse** » 27 Nov 2006 10:37 am

How do you think it compares to the Bigsby Palm Pedals?

Duesenberg

Bigsby

[This message was edited by John Bushouse on 06 December 2006 at 08:33 PM.][This message was edited by John Bushouse on 06 December 2006 at 08:34 PM.]

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 27 Nov 2006 12:56 pm

That thing sounds great! Another possible way to travel with the pedal steel sound.

Did they explain (in German)what tuning the guy was using on his strat?

Dan Sawyer · Post by **Dan Sawyer** » 27 Nov 2006 2:55 pm

The instrument is tuned to open E (E B E G# B E) and the levers are working as follows:
1. string: from E to F (extralever)
2. string: from B to C# (standardversion)
3. string: from G# to A (standardversion)

On the examples for standard guitar the two levers work as follows:

2. string: from B to C#

3. string: from G to A

Mike Ihde · Post by **Mike Ihde** » 28 Nov 2006 12:33 am

And the best part is the levers can be pushed out of the way. I tried a bigsby palm pedal years ago and hated having those arms always there in the way.
Look like a cool gadget. What's the price?

Max Laine · Post by **Max Laine** » 28 Nov 2006 12:58 am

It looks like it fits only Strat style guitars. The price is 245.-EUR equals 321 USD.

D Schubert · Post by **D Schubert** » 28 Nov 2006 7:28 am

If you click on the tiny flag logos, you get translations...the Union Jack gives you English.

Dan Sawyer · Post by **Dan Sawyer** » 28 Nov 2006 7:20 pm

Aside from needing space to mount it, is there any reason you couldn't use it on a non-pedal steel?

Martin Huch · Post by **Martin Huch** » 6 Dec 2006 7:26 am

Hi everybody ! Thanks a lot for your interest in the new Multibender, that I developed with Duesenberg Guitars. Of course we know, that it`s not a new idea. The palmbender was invented in the late sixties by a guy named Boomer Castleman. At least two companies produced their versions of palmbenders and still do, but as you know, there is nothing in the world of musical instruments, that couldn`t be improved in details....
That`s what we did. You can get a lot of information including the videoclips I did on www.goeldo.de (as mentioned earlier: click on the union jack for english version)
Important: If you want to mount this version on a lap steel (which is great!!), keep in mind, that the string spacing is for regular guitar and that you need enough space behind the bridge
(appx 3,3 inch) Beside of this you have to drill two more holes through the basic plate,
which is a two minute job...
If you are very, very patient, wait for the lap steel version, which is planned for the future.
Note: in my oppinion more then tree levers are REALLY hard to handle. But two or three is big fun, see video clips.
Again: Thanks for your interest, I´ll keep you informed about this pocketpedalsteel!! Martin

Dan Sawyer · Post by **Dan Sawyer** » 6 Dec 2006 1:09 pm

Hmmm… very interesting. Thanks Martin. A "pocket" pedal steel. Maybe you are planning a lap steel version with the A + B bends like on a pedal steel.

I like your bender a lot. How much space is needed behind the bridge to install the multibender on a lap steel?

Keith Cordell · Post by **Keith Cordell** » 6 Dec 2006 1:24 pm

Very nice playing, Martin... I enjoyed your rendition of one of my favorite Steely Dan songs. Will this unit work for a Telecaster? I may have missed it on the site but saw no reference to that.

Michael Aspinwall · Post by **Michael Aspinwall** » 6 Dec 2006 5:41 pm

[This message was edited by Brad Bechtel on 06 December 2006 at 07:25 PM.]

John Bushouse · Post by **John Bushouse** » 6 Dec 2006 8:32 pm

Martin, just so you know, I didn't mean to imply that Duesenberg was in anyway that the multibender was a new idea; I'm just wondering in what ways it's different (there are some obvious cosmetic differences, for example). Hopefully someone will have the opportunity to play both and give their thoughts.[This message was edited by John Bushouse on 06 December 2006 at 08:33 PM.]

Martin Huch · Post by **Martin Huch** » 7 Dec 2006 5:24 am

[img=http://www.martinhuch.de/multibender.jpg]
Okay, I see, we need BIG pictures to see what we`re talking about.
First of all I want to pay tribut to all the great people, who worked on the palmbender idea
throughout the last 35 years. Thanks a lot !!
As I told you before: We didn`t reinvent the wheel, but perhaps made it a little bit rounder…: In this Strat version:
1. You don`t have to drill any holes in your instrument, just use the six tremoloscrews and
the special bracket on the backside, and the unit is fixed perfectly.
2. Good bye tuning problems: the string is frictionfree guided via rollers (one is unvisible
inside the "middlebridge")
3. Raise or lower the string (when lowering, use the included returnspring)
4. You want to move other strings than 2 or 3? Just do it: Slip the lever to the stringposition
you`d like to work on, put on the string: ready for a new change.
5. You want a third or even more levers? Loose two little allen screws, remove the main axle add the lever, ready for one more change. (BUT, as I mentioned before: two or three levers
are easy to control, but more can really be a pain i. t. a……and often end up in a circus show.
6. Swing arms are really important to fit the players hand, but of course, swing arms are not
new. We constructed it with a combined screw through screw (whow, hard to pronounce for a Kraut)
That means, the tuning screw goes through the fixing screw of the swing arm. So we could get rid of one visible screw. And here we are at the "cosmetic" thing !!
7. We didn`t want to look the Multibender like a locomotive from the age of the goldrush ! I don`t need to explain all the visual changes compared to other bendersystems, because
I think, the picture speaks for itself. For an example take the hidden ballends or details like the "halfmoon" at the side of the strat bender, that just covers the empty hole where the tremoloarm used to be.

Keith: Thanks a lot for your nice words on my playing. Yes, Steely Dan`s "Pearl of the Quarter" is really a pearl of a song ! Unfortunately my dog didn`t like it. You can watch her leaving the room during that song. Stupid little girl prefering Shakira…..Your Tele question: no, we decided to make this first
version of the Multibender for Strat style guitars, because other than different bendersystems, our main interest with this unit is pedal steel simulation and not B and G bending on a regular guitar, (but of course you can use it for that as well,see videoclips!!)
And the Strat is without a doubt the most popular choice for slide players (Lowell George, Bonnie Raitt, Ry the guy,
Sonny Landreth, Derek Trucks and many many more) I personally like to play pedalsteel
stuff on the strat, because it offers me a lot of that old Fender 400 sound, which is amazing !!
By the way, Ronnie Wood grabbed one of our prototypes on a Diego Strat when playing in
Hannover /Germany. This guy is just too impatient…….
You can meet us and the Multibender at Namm in January . Take your chance and check it out ! Gentlemen, have a nice day !! Martin

db · Post by db » 22 Dec 2006 4:08 pm

The only "down-side" is that the picking position is pushed towards the neck pick-up!
For Poor-Tone!
The tips of the pedals should be behind the bridge!
Very cool, in that it is a reversible installation!
Dan Balde
www.bigsbypalmpedals.com
db
[This message was edited by db on 22 December 2006 at 04:12 PM.]

Martin Huch · Post by **Martin Huch** » 23 Dec 2006 7:00 am

??? Merry Christmas and peace on earth !

[This message was edited by Martin Huch on 23 December 2006 at 08:50 AM.]

Jason Dumont · Post by **Jason Dumont** » 23 Dec 2006 1:25 pm

Well I sure didn't notice a loss of tone from the sample clips!
I have GOT to get one on a steel. The metal work looks first rate. Keep up the great work!

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 30 Dec 2006 10:32 am

I'm going to be getting one soon. I currently use a Hipshot with two benders and three levers for detuning. I love it but,,, whenever I use the B bender to raise the 2nd string, the 3rd string goes flat. Drives me crazy. I talked to someone who just installed a Duesy, and explained to him how to test it. He confirms that there is no drop in pitch on other strings when either or both benders are engaged. That's very good news. I will be getting a Deusy and will use it along with the strap bender I received recently from Jim Sliff (Thanks again Buddy!). I will then be able to rasie the B, and G a whole step, and the 1st string a half step via the strap pull. In the chord form of a C in the first position, I will then have the equivalent of the A,B,and C pedals of a steel. Gotta pay some bills first, and then, Duesenberg time!
-John Billings_
Performance Steel Guitars
http://steelguitaramericas.com/

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 30 Dec 2006 10:34 am

One question. I can't view the videos on my Mac. It says an unsupported codec was used to compress the file. Anybody know what I need to install? And NO, there's no way I'm ever going back to a pc!

Martin Huch · Post by **Martin Huch** » 30 Dec 2006 1:16 pm

Hi John, as a mac user you can download the following extension for your quicktime player. Then the quicktime player can read Windows Media Files. Enjoy the clips !
Here`s the link:

Link to download on Microsoft web site.

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 30 Dec 2006 1:18 pm

Thanks, I'll give it a shot!

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 30 Dec 2006 1:55 pm

Maybe I missed it, but, does this device sacrifice the vibrato/joy stick?

I agree, in working position the levers impead access to the bridge for muting, etc., but otherwise an interesting new toy.