Does your B-bender render your other teles worthless?

I'd like to get a B-bender down the road, but I'm wondering if I'll still need my regular Tele when I get it. What if any disadvantages occur by using the B-bender as your main axe? Is it easy to accidentally bend the string? I like the b-bender that is activated by the strap, not the hip-shot one.

My B Bender Amer. Nashville, like the others, is very heavy, so when I stand up with the strap on the weight of the Tele somewhat engages the Bender making it delicate and tricky to keep the B string in tune. In my case, I have to get a little shorter spring or one with a bigger radius or cut some loops off mine to create stronger tension. For me that is the only drawback - now, the upside - you would not need another Tele once B licks become part of your routine...you won't want to play a regular - - - unless you use different pickups in another Tele and need that sound. But basically, once you have a Bender you really wont want to play the other guitar much.
Then, given the money, I would not get the Parsons/Green Fender - I'd get the best regular Tele I could and send it to C. McVay for one of his benders. And then, many of the new licks I am learning calls for much more G bending work....for more modern/rockish licks I would opt for a G bender....But for the price, a Fender Bender is really hard to beat.

Patrick,

That spring issue on a PG or PW can be a big problem for me. On my Evans Pull String, I can quickly adjust the spring tension from almost nothing, to very stiff, and anything in between. I found out, due to my playing style, I need the high spring pressure or I'm pulling the b string sharp when unintended. And, like Ormond, although I have two others without benders that I love, I only play the Pull String at gigs. I intend to have one installed in at least one of the other guitars asap! Go for the bender....either B or G or both but, keep your other Tele as well....just my opinion.

No it doesn't render the other teles useless, it just gives you another tool in the shed. Go for it!

My experience is that having a B-Bender Tele does not make my other Teles less useful. My 97 52 RI with Parsons White B and G benders is my main axe, but I still enjoy playing my other two Teles. As a previous poster noted, they are different animals/different tools and have different purposes. I play bender style guitar with the bender guitar and more straightforward rock, blues, and country with the other two.

My P-W bender guitar also does not have an issue with accidental bending...the springs are the exact tension where they should be and it takes a decent amount of pull on the strap to activate the benders even slightly.
I'd have to be leaping off a high stage for the bender to accidentally activate either bender.

All my teles have benders in them.....

All my teles have benders in them.....

Mine as well, except for the ASAT Classic with the G&L trem. I'd always choose a bender.

You will still be able to play (and will still want to play) whole songs w/o activating the bender. When you're first starting out, it may be best to rig a 2nd strap button so that you can turn the bender OFF to practice w/o it. Or, put it down and play your other guitar. The natural tendency will be to over-use it to the extreme when it's new. I did a blues/jazz gig a few weeks ago with my bender guitar and NEVER activated it once (except to show somebody what it was, between sets). It will become another tool, like a bigsby, phase switch, drop-d tuner, etc. after you use it long enough.

My non-bender Teles are starting to grow Bigsbys.

My bender weighs a ton; I don't think I'd want to use it for an entire gig, if I was standing up.

FWIW, I've never owned a guitar that made any of my others "obsolete."

All my teles have benders in them.....

Mine too... except for the one that doesn't get used much. Lack of Bender isn't why it doesn't get played, but that's part of the reason.

Paul, Please dont delete this...

No, for the original question. ANY Tele is useful, even a POS with a warped neck (jack up the saddles and use it for slide)

My benders are 13oz, and the meat I take out of the wood is relative in weight, so they always weigh in the 7-8lb range. There is no need, or room for an extra strap button (unless you have a McVey or Glaser) if the guitar doesnt weigh 9lbs or more.

My old paisley weighs 7.5 lbs with an original PW. And I jump all over the stage without unwanted bending.

Strap activated benders are extensions of your style of playing. They should never activate unless you want them to.

BTW I play everything from my Floyd Rose Speedloaders, to my Strats and LPs... none of which have benders.

There is a time and place for bender guitars. And when I was only using one guitar, I did use a bender, but doing artist gigs like the one I have now. I need whammy's, benders, and Tele's set up for slide. It just depends on the songs, gigs, and if you need the other guitars.
If you have 10 Tele's, then you must feel that each have their own tone and feel. And what you need for a particular tune may not involve a bender.

maybe Im old fasioned but I just learnt how to bend a string with me fingers.
a bit of behind the nut bendign never hurt too

I thoight about a b-bender but couldn't bring myself around to have the 52ri routed.

I did alot of bends before I got a bender. I have a 52 reissue with Van Zandt pickups(no bender) that has my tone, for my licks and the bender never changed that. I suppose I could try and make my 96 american fender bender sound like it but its got it's own tone, and like one guy said it's heavy, bender or not every tele has it's own sound and personality. It would be a shame not to play a good one just because you have a bender, my 2 cents.

I think all of us still "bend" the strings with our fingers, too!

I'd like to get a B-bender down the road, but I'm wondering if I'll still need my regular Tele when I get it. What if any disadvantages occur by using the B-bender as your main axe? Is it easy to accidentally bend the string? I like the b-bender that is activated by the strap, not the hip-shot one.

No, I use my non bender tele's for the following:

Boat Paddle
Use as a shovel to dig out of Folsom Prison
Tame un-ruley guest at a gig
Chock for my boat trailer
Practice for the Olympics in the Javlin toss
To send a "high fly ball to center field"
Firewood


Not really, I don't have any tele's without a bender. :lol:

Depends on what you are going to use your B-bender for. If you're after the Clarence White sound, go for it. That's what it was designed to do.

If,on the other hand, you're going to make faux pedal-steel sounds, then do yourself, and the rest of the band (and the audience), a big favour and buy a real steel-guitar! I'm talking 10-strings, E9th tuning, 3 pedals and 5 knee-levers at the very least.

Faux pedal-steel just doesn't cut it. I am up to here with one of our local musicians who has a B-bender and thinks he's Lloyd Green or Paul Franklin. Hot licks every bar for every song and a big B-bender finish, every time...problem is he can't play country to save his life. He can play Latin, jazz, blues and rock, but he can't play country!

So, use your B-benders wisely, and tastefully, and you won't get up the nose of cranky ol' pedal-steel players like me! (FWIW my two teles don't have benders, my two steels, a Carter D10 8X5 and a Fessenden D12 9X9, bend every string except one!)

I love the sound of a B-bender when it's used well, but there are times when it really makes me cringe!

dieselten: Give it to us straight! Don't sugar coat it!! :lol: Just kidding, of course....I have heard other steel players, at times, express their feelings about guitar players who play too many faux steel licks. And I've known steel players who outright tell the guitar player "leave the steel licks to me...", and I can't blame them. My band doesn't have a steel player, so I don't feel I'm stepping on anyone's toes, though, I love playing with a real good steel player and would rather have one in the band, than not! Your point is well taken here!

B-bender playing is a style all on its own. The only real similarity with a pedal-steel is the mechanical similarity - you're raising a string a whole step on a lick or within a chord - and the signature sound of the Telecaster is what always dominates.

My Glaser benders (on a JV Tele, a wonderful new Thin-Skin '62, and a G&L Asat Classic) are as light as a feather - and the adjustment allows a wide range of 'feel'. The Thin-Skin was 7.4 lbs before the installation and weighs the same afterwards!

I have mine set 'firm' enough that the guitar can just hang on the strap and not raise the pitch at all; it's a non-issue for me.

Stupid Question, can someone explain what a B Bender is ?

Stupid Question, can someone explain what a B Bender is ?

No Stupid questions, just stupid answers..lol.

B-Bender is a guitar accessory that enables a player to mechanically bend the B-string up a whole tone (two frets) to C-sharp. There are several different designs, but all use levers or pulleys inside or outside the guitar body that are activated by a pull or push of the guitar neck, body, or bridge. The resulting tone sounds much like a pedal steel guitar and contributes a "country" feeling. Originally designed for the Fender Telecaster, B-Benders are now available to fit many solid body electric guitars, and even acoustic guitars.

I have not used my B Bender at all since seriously working on the Country lead stuff. I figure I will get all the runs, solos and songs learned first. After I have my Sea Legs at 100% stability I will go back and add some bender stuff as a flourish. I do not want to be caught somewhere with just a regular guitar and not be able to play because I do not have my bender with me.

My non-bender Teles are starting to grow Bigsbys.

I'm afraid that's what will happen to mine :mrgreen:

my 1983 Fender top loader with a P/W bender (pictured)
1977 Ibanez (law suit series) Les Paul Jr. with a McEwan bender
Old Gibson Les Paul Standard w/ Bigsby Palm Pedal
1992 Epiphone Sheraton w/ Gold Bigsby Palm Pedal
2004 Epiphone Casino w/ Bigsby Palm Pedal
Old Shecter Mercury Strat style w/ Hip Shot B & G bender unit
Old Memphis Les Paul Copy w/ an Epiphone EZ bender. This guitar is set up for slide with high action, and an open E tuning.......

As far as benders making other guitars obsolete? I don't think so! I do the majority of my gigs with a bender guitar but sometimes when I just want to attend a jam session and take just one guitar I use a standard Les Paul or my old Ibanez Artist, neither of those have a bender. I sometimes take a non bender guitar to the gig along with my bender Tele to keep myself "honest". I'm guilty of having over used it in the past but I try not to.....JH in Va

Too cool, JH! That's one bad puppy!

Hey Jerry...cool looking axe! Nice Clarence T-Shirt too ;-)

Really like the guitar.....love the shirt.......

That's a cool axe. I think that's the first time I've seen the AAA logo on a guitar. Who's picture is that?

At the risk of sounding like a Fender know-nothing can someone tell me what a top loader is?

jazzbender, here ya go......

1. It's Nudie. This sticker is the same as Clarence White had on his guitar, except that his had a black hat. Marty Stuart changed it from the black hat version to a white hat version after he acquired the guitar. Nudie's info and history is at the site below.

http://www.nudiesrodeotailor.com/

2. Strings attach through the bridge instead of through the body.

J. Hayes, I take it your switches are off/on for the three in the back and "phase" for the one between the volume and tone?

Thanks Dogbear. I had not heard of the original Rhinestone Cowboy.

Is there any special reason for converting a Tele to a top loader? Less string tension maybe?

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaster-discussion-forum/169106-top-load-v-s-string-thru-body.html

Wow, that was a heavy discussion. I'll just keep playing my stock Tele and be happy.

I'm also a bender n00b. Is it a way to re-tune the guitar quickly? Like a banjo tuner or a drop-d device? Or does it bend the note and bring it back? Like you are doing a bend with your hands? Sorry I would just youtube it but I'm at work.

Clarence White used Keith Scuggs type drop tuners. Many players today use those or Schaller drop tuners to quickly change string tunings on their E, A or High E stings to play licks they can't voice in normal tunings. Here is a link to the Schaller's.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Banjo/Schaller_D-Tuners.html

The great Clarence White playing Nashville West

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDc8T74h-lM

While way out there, this is Adrian Legg using six Keith Scuggs tuners in an interesting way. Definitely shows you how they work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUpeQytOCLE&feature=PlayList&p=BA6A24A510781355&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=20

are for on/off of the pickups but the mini switch between the volume and tone control is for the coil tap function on the Duncan "Hot Rails" humbucker in the bridge position. I do however have a phase switch but it's with a push/pull pot on the volume control.

As far as tuning pegs go, here's what I have on the guitar. Keith/Scruggs banjo pegs on the high E string (E to D) and 5th string (A to G). Then I have a HipShot D-tuner with the lever on the low E string to drop it to D. I tried having a Keith/Scruggs peg there too but it was just too close to the A string peg to operated either of them quickly. I really like the HipShot peg as I've been able to develop a move where I operate it with the thumb of my left hand and can keep holding an open chord on the neck.

Since that shot of the guitar I've had it redone as far as pickups. I've made new pickguards (same style) and put a set of Fender vintage "No Caster" pickups in it. The normal neck pup is in the middle now. In the neck slot I put a GFS humbucker which is tapped with that same switch between the knobs and is out of phase with the same push/pull pot volume control. I'll get some pix of the new setup on here soon........JH in Va.

The session that I finished a few hours ago certainly wouldn't have worked with anything other than a B-bender tele. I based the recurring hook on the bender, and then double tracked to that with a harmony that contained different chord fragment inversions with the bender. The solo was rife with bender stuff as well. It's good not to have to depend on a bender, but some tunes just scream for exploiting it, which was the case this evening.

One goofy note... other than for sessions, I really don't play much electric guitar these days. I mostly gig acoustic-electric currently, and my electric guitar maintenance is, well, less than current. I cut the date through a loud, clean, old silver face Super, and every bend initially produced a loud groaning squeak that was quite audible! So it was time to use some 3-In-One oil, and I even took the back plate off of the guitar to investigate, and I re-strung the B. That cost me about half an hour. So yeah, Homer says D'oh, gotta do a little maintenance now and then.

Also, trust your ear more than what a tuner says when setting the pitch wheel. I guess this goes back to the age-old trick of dobro players often tuning the B string slightly flat, so that the B doesn't sound sharp.

I'm not sure what year my Tele is but it has a fairly early PW b-bender on/in it. Ser. # 0123. It has a hand stamped aluminum plate on the back. I thought it was a '68 body but it may not be. The neck is a '69 for sure but it has been refinished. I've talked to Gene about it but he said he didn't keep good records so he can't tell me exactly when he installed the B-bender on this guitar. I doubt the B-bender will hinder the value of my guitar. At least not to me. I've had it over 15 years and have no plans to ever sell it. This is my main playing guitar and I enjoy it very much.