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Brian,,,"It would be interesting to get a quote from a steelguitar builder to make a Tele bender. "
If only one was gonna be made, it would cost just as much. But if the order was for, say, 100? He'd go to his machine shop, find out how much for the CAD program, which wouldn't be that much for something this simple, and find out how much the shop was going to charge. They'd cost a lot less. But, as we're such a small market, that method is most likely unrealistic. Too bad for us! Unfortunately, benders are being made almost on a hobbyist level as far as the business and manufacturing are concerned. Butt again, tiny market..... It's too bad, because if they were less costly, more players would probably buy them.
Also, I'm not disparaging any of the bender builders! They're dedicated, and they provide us with what we need. But because of the market, none of them get to gear up to an efficient manufacturing model.
At Performance, if I need to build a changer, a far more complex unit than a bender, I got to the parts bins, get 10 scissors, 10 fingers, an axle, 2 pillow blocks and a handful of bronze shim washers. I take them to the bench, and in 15 to 20 minutes, I've put together the heart of a steel guitar. I wish that benders could be built that way, because that would result in savings for the buyer, and bigger profits for the builder.
Dale, if you were referring to my comments in your post, I think you missed my point! But perhaps I'm mistaken about your reference?
Best to all,
JB
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