The Steel Guitar Forum

Does anyone know if there's a web site for Joe Glaser and his B-bender? (I can't seem to find one.) I am thinking about having one put into a Tele. I already have a Tele with a Parsons/White B-bender. Thanks in advance. Boo

Dunno about a website.
Glaser Instruments: 434 E. Iris Dr., Nashville 37204 (615) 298-1139
B-Bender: (615) 297-4687

The Glaser will pull two strings. One when the neck is pushed down and another when the guitar is pushed away from you through a clip hooked on to a belt loop. I THINK you can now hook them on to any two string you want.

At the start, one pulled the B string a whole tone and the other pulled the G string a half tone. Much the the same as a 4-5 and 6 grip with pedals A B. I'd sure like to play with one.

Bob.

Do you know about Dave Borisoff's Hipshot? http://www.hipshotproducts.com/bender.htm

I had one on my Tele and have been known to have one on my Melobar. Very cool.

Joe G. has no web page, the last I heard. http://www.emando.com/builders/Glaser.htm

His B Bender is strap activated, the G bender is belt hook activated.

As always, I know I can count on the Forum for help. Thanks to everyone.

Pete, what kind of bridge do you use for your B-Bender -- with the Parsons/White bender (on an ESP Tele), I keep wearing a groove in the saddle. I actually have a Hip Shot as well and that wore a groove in one of the old style Tele bridges on a re-issue Tele. What do you do to avoid that?

Thanks in advance.

Boo

boo,
i had an old whanger bar bridge-tailpiece that had individual bridge pieces with rollers in them...so i adapted one to my tele with a parsons-white bender.
jimmy oleander with diamond rio has a glaser and it also has rollers in the bridges.

There's pix of my Tele with Parsons White Bender at http://pedalsteel.tv/InstDisk/Pages/Bender.htm

It has an American Standard Tele Bridge. I never had any saddle wear. If your RI saddles are Brass, that might be the reason for the wear. I use Liquid Graphite in the Nut and Saddle of the B string.

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Joey Ace on 10 May 2002 at 06:25 PM.]</p></FONT>

To quiet down my Fender Nashville B-Bender guitar-we converted to graphite nut and use powdered teflon (available from Hoppes the gun care manufacturer)on the second string bridge saddle

I didn't get noticeable wear on my saddle, but the saddles aren't brass on that Tele. I'm sure glad Chris, Joey, and Paul had some good input on this one. I love the SGF.

Thanks to everyon; this is all incredibly helpful -- you guys are the best.

Do you guys have ballpark prices to get a b-bender installed on a pre-existing Tele? If so what is the difference between the Parsons White and the Glaser? Turnaround time? Thanks!

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Mattman in "The Big Sleazy"-:
S-10 Dekley, Suitcase Fender Rhodes, B-bender Les Paul

I have a Japanese Fender Tele (Foto Flame)with a Glaser B & G bender in it. The round trip price was about $975 if I recall correctly. However, aside from their impeccable work, I hope you have patience. I sent it to them in April and got it back just before Christmas. Something like the human gestation period. The installation is way less invasive than a Parsons/White. Also, you could try Bigby Palm Pedals from Dan Balde. He has a website. Great guy. I have a DeArmond 7 string that he rigged up 5 palm pedals and a hip lever on. It's tuned to 'B' and played with a slide. Nowhere near the price of a Glaser or Parsons/White. Different, though.

Matt,
The main differences between PW and Joe Glaser benders are:

The PW requires a MUCH larger route. The route is done from the back.

The JG is done from the front, under the pickguard.

Both are activated by a Guitar Strap Pull.
The PW's pull in the same place as original.
The JG's pull is on the neck plate, so your strap connects directly behind the neck pocket.

Different players perfer the feel of one over the other. I like the PW.

I choose the PW because my custom "Tele" has a beautiful top that I don't want hidden by a pickguard. I also liked the strap position.

Both units are well respected and have seen lots of pro-use.

Have a close look at the link in my above post to see the back and strap peg routes.

Here more PW pics: http://www.midtown.net/~drguitar/bender.htm http://www.aarvak.com/pressrel/pwdbpr.html

It's been 10 years since I purchased it so I won't comment on price. They're expensive.
If cost is a problem, the Hip Shot is a lot less expensive.
Will Ray does remarkable things with a Hip Shot.

Best regards,
-j0ey-<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Joey Ace on 12 May 2002 at 06:22 AM.]</p></FONT>

Thanks guys! I have an epiphone EZ-bender(palm bar) on my LP. I love it because it sounds so thick and creamy compared to a tele. Love the tele sound, but it is a completely different animal on a LP. Not sure if epiphone still makes these, but they are non-invasive, and mount on any stop bar tailpiece. I think it was only $30 or something like that.

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Mattman in "The Big Sleazy"-:
S-10 Dekley, Suitcase Fender Rhodes, B-bender Les Paul

Regarding B-string wear on the saddle...

For the 3-to-a-bridge brass saddles, you can flip the 1st/2nd string saddle over after a year or two and start on a fresh surface. Or buy a second set of three to use as replacements for the next 5-10 years. Same applies for steel saddlepieces, except that it takes them even longer to wear out.

Some guys will braze or epoxy a small piece of stainless or other hard metal into that 2nd string location to cut down on wear, but that may change the tone of the 2nd string.

I grooved my saddle on purpose, to eliminate B string wallowing. As the groove wears deeper, I just raise that end of the saddle. It's not wearing all that fast. Lubrication helps a lot. I use Triflow, but 3/1 oil and graphite are also popular. Cuts down on wear and and eliminates sticking.

Regarding types of bender...

I used a HipShot for years, and while it worked okay, it always felt a little lightweight. Now I have two Teles with Parsons-White benders, and there is more of a PSG feel with the spring & string fighting back against you. For my ears, it sounds a little more musical and less cartoonish -- maybe because it takes a few more microseconds and a few more foot-pounds to get from B to C#

Gene Parsons is now offering a long-stroke bender or a conversion kit -- as an upgrade -- with action more like the orignal on Clarence White's / Marty Stuart's guitar. With about 1.25" of stroke instead of 0.75" for the regular P/W bender. Marty said years ago that that was the secret.

Nothing bad to say about Glaser, HipShot, etc. but I'm a confirmed P/W man.

I used GraphTech saddles on the bender I built and they seem to work fine. I built one on a Mexican Nashville Tele recently and discovered that the angle of the strings through the body is lots more steep than the old Tele's. I will have to re-make it because it breaks strings. Darn! Whatever Mr. Glaser charges, its worth every penny. If you don't think so, try to build one yourself and you will change your mind!

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Doug Earnest
The only Zum Keyless U12, Zum2000U12,Sierra12,Sho-Bud ProII D10 PV DPC 750 ProFex 112E, Fender Cyber Twin