Breaking Strings on a B&W Bender

I'm curious if anyone else out there is having the same problem as I. I'm CONSTANTLY breaking the B string on my bender. I mark the string with a sharpie so I can see exactly where it breaks and it usually breaks just about where the string exits the steel tube poking up through the bridge on my Tele...OR...it literally rips the steel loop off the base of the string. I've lubed this guitar to death, the saddle, the nut, the steel tube...I've sanded the bore of the steel tube to smoothen it...but I'm still snapping strings after about 4 hours of bending. Without fail. I've sent the little mechanism with the steel tube that sits under the bridge back to Bill at B&W Benders and he replaced it with a modified version...claiming he's had the problem and this will take care of it. STILL BREAKING the same. Anyone else out there experience this? Any advice?

I'm wondering if it's simply a design flaw. Too sharp a bend for the B string to handle.

Interesting, I don't have one but I am on the waiting list for one... Kinda worries me, I've also been hearing B&W benders have to be set up with a LOT of tension to ensure it returns to pitch correctly. Is this true? Do you have to set it up very stiff? Sorry to side track ya. If you've lubed everything and theres no sharp edges I sure don't know what else you could do for your problem.

You know, don't let me worry you just yet. Let's wait and see if anyone else has simiar problems as I am having. I have to say, dealing with Bill at B&W has been great. He finished my guitar extremely quickly. Every email I have ever sent him, both before he did the work and after I was having problems, he's responded to immediately. I sent a small part back to him, he modified it and returned it right away. He's been a pleasure to work with. Let's just see if others have had any problems with their B&Ws. As far as your question, I'm not really sure. I have mine set up with quite a bit of tension anyway. I tell you what....since I'm really monkeying around with mine right now trying to fix it, I'll set the tension up very light and see if I have any tuning issues. I'll let you know. I've had issues the OTHER way. I've had the tension set too tight and it kept pulling the tuner itself causing it to go flat after every bend. But I lightened the tension some and that problem went right away.

Hi Dixiefried! Welcome to the forum. I've been playing the crap out of my B&W benders and have yet to break a single string. What gauge strings are you using? If you're using 9's that might be too light. Also consider trying other brands of strings because I've had breakage problems with my tremolos that were fixed by just using another brand.

Braderrick, I don't think my bender has a lot of tension. It's pretty easy to use and the G-bender is effortless.

I'm not familiar with the B&W bender, but I've never heard of any bender causing the string to come apart from the ball on the end. That sounds more like a problem with the strings that you're using.

I use GHS Burnished Nickel strings with my Glaser B & G-benders, and they are great.

I've got a B&W on a Classic 60's tele. I've never broken a B string.

Never broke a string with my B&W. I'll bet if you call Bill he'll help you out.

I'm actually glad to hear you guys don't seem to be having the same issue. I was afraid it was a design flaw. I've been using Earnie Ball Hybrid Slinky strings (9-46) almost exclusively. The B string is an 11. I did however run out of Bs since I was breaking so many...and also for experimenting sake...I put a 13 on it. It was a Fender Bullet. I was curious if the heavier gauge would help AND I was curious if the Bullet string end would effect it differently as far as ripping the end of the string off. To clarify...8 out of 10 strings would break where the string appears through the metal tube sticking through the bridge. 2 out of 10 times it would rip the metal loop off the end of the string. The 13 Bullet broke as it exited the tube like most the others. I've disassembled the guitar and smoothed out the inside of the steel tube (there did seem to be a somewhat sharp inner edge), greased everything up real well, and have put it all back together using the same Ernie Ball Hybrid strings (11-b string). I ALSO made a point to pivot the metal loop at the end of the string so it sat at the same plane as the bend to see if that had an effect. Who knows, maybe it rips the loop off due to my caveman-like touch using the bender. I'm still trying to get the training wheels off.

I really appreciate all the imput. Keep 'em coming! I'm not giving up on this thing.

I don't have any experience with a b&w b-bender but i do with a clarence white.A luthier told me not to use ernie ball strings because they weren't always made in america.He told me to use a good amer. string like daddario or ghs.Switched to ghs 10's and haven't had a problem since.They alway's broke either at the ball end or up about a 1"-1 1/2"from the ball end hope this helps.....

Thanks, Voodoo tele. I think that's good advice. I will try the higher end american strings in a heavier gauge and see if that helps. My strings always break, like you said, at the ball or 1- 1 1/2" up also. That doesn't explain why the Fender Bullet, 13 gauge, string broke the same as the Ernie Ball 11s though. Unless it WAS due to some sharp edge in the bending tube. It was the first string I broke since getting it back from B&W. All this info helps. Zeroing in on it I think.

The gauge should have nothing to do with string breakage. Especially 9s which means he's breaking a 011 b string. There must be some sharp edge somewhere that's breaking his string

There's absolutely nothing wrong with Ernie Ball Super Slinkys for benders. They've been used that way for years. Something must be wrong with your bender or it's setup if your constantly breaking strings.

I've been using Hybrid Slinkys for years, too. Never had a problem breaking b strings
(.011") on any of my benders. I agree with Brian....

I am wondering how many times he is using the bender while playing a song, might be over using it just a little bit. I gig 3 times a week plus practice and have never broken the b string on my P&W bender. One more question are you using standard tuning ? just trying to look at all angles.

I think playing technique certainly could be a factor. One of my bender equipped guitars goes back and forth on long-term loan to a freind of mine with some regularity (R&D). I can play it for hours doing nothing but practicing bender licks and I actually kept track once and I got 30 hours of practice before breaking the B string. My friend can break the B string in much shorter time. He is a very heavy player and does a lot of Chickin' Pickin' where he is actually pinching the string, lifting it up, and letting it "pop". I think the combination of the bender bending the string back and forth in one spot and his technique is what shortens the life of the B string for him.

I'm curious if anyone else out there is having the same problem as I. I'm CONSTANTLY breaking the B string on my bender.

Did you call or email Bill Warford and see if he had any ideas for you?

How about soldering the windings near the ball end?

try the Ernie Ball RPS (Reinforced plain slinkies) strings.

I had a problem about 2 years ago with my B&W setup.

I went to engage the bender and the rod broke inside. I was told by Bill that it was a bicycle spoke that is a certain length and hooked at a presice angle. All the play in the strap part went dead. I sent it back and he fixed it though.

I play out 5 nights a week and never had a problem breaking strings and the B&W set up has been very consistent except for the issue I mentioned above.

Bill is a very nice and just dealing with him is a joyful and enriching experience for me. My only worry is: Bill's is in his mid 70's and thank goodness he seems to be very healthy and active but if mother nature ever catches up with him I will have some real issues to deal with if I have another mishap with this bender setup.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_692PYeh2sE


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU_BNuWFnIs&feature=youtu.be


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJSSgjOtmvw&feature=youtu.be

Great help, you Guys. I appreciate the input. I took it apart Friday night and really went through it. I was preoccupied this weekend but will hit it hard tonight. I'll have a pretty good idea tonight or tomorrow if I've made any improvement on it.
I'll keep you all posted.

And I agree, Bill at B&W has been nothing but great. He's been fantastic to deal with. I don't want my experience to cast any kind of bad light on him at all at this point.

Other questions: yes, I just play in standard tuning. I will work on the same bender licks over and over til the string snaps so it's not normal playing. I'm working it pretty hard. But from the advice above, I still should not be having any of these problems. I really think I'm zeroing in on it. I will know tonight or tomorrow if I'm making progress.

It might be premature, and I'm afraid to jinx it, but I may have got it worked out. It was most valuable just to have you all tell me it WAS NOT a common problem (which is what I was most afraid of---just a design flaw). After reading all your responses I took it all apart, lubed everything and took that little steel tube out from under the bridge (where 80% of the breaks happened)...held it in my hand and ran about an 8" section of a heavy, wound, E string through that steel tube while I watched tv. It was a nice fit. It really smoothed it out well. I lubed everything again and put it all back together and really tweaked all the adjustments built into the B&W design. Fine-tuned everything. Another thing I tried was, although I am still using the same Ernie Ball Hybrids (rather than trying a heavier gauge string as some of you suggested or different brands), I made sure the steel "loop" at the end of the string sat at an angle IN LINE with the angle of the bending motion. I figured the string can better pivot on the end loop rather than working it back and forth at a right angle. SO FAR, after about 5 hours or so of practicing nothing but bender licks (and sometimes just mindless bending to keep testing it), it is holding up. If it doesn't break tonight, I KNOW I've got it worked out. If it IS fixed, I have to chalk up all those breaks to a sharp ridge in the steel tube. Which in itself is a complicated situation since Bill at B&W replaced that tube for me after I first had problems. He told me the original tube (older version he said) was too small and therefore too sharp a bend for the B string to handle. He replaced it with a larger tube (or same O.D. but smaller I.D...so more surface area for the string to bend over)...and I think this new replacement tube actually had a sharp edge inside it causing the same breakage as the old tube. There WAS a noticeable ridge inside that hole but I smoothed it out by sliding that heavy, wound, low E string through it a hundred times. As far as tearing the loops off the end of the string...setting the loop at a straight angle to the bend may have cured that problem....however, it really could just be my being so new to the B-Bender lifestyle that I was hammering it too hard at the top of the bend...basically shock-loading that string end. ????

Sorry I'm so long winded. I sure appreciate all your advice. If tomorrow I end up writing that I spoke too soon and they're still snapping, I'll try a heavier guage string and/or different brands of strings.

Thanks for caring!

I know you are trying hard but believe me it has nothing to do with the strong gauge or how the ball ends are wrapped. If your breaking strings something is wrong with the bender or your saddle or some combination of the two.

I know you are trying hard but believe me it has nothing to do with the strong gauge or how the ball ends are wrapped. If your breaking strings something is wrong with the bender or your saddle or some combination of the two.

I tend to believe you. That's why I have not changed the strings in all my trouble-shooting so far. I'm still using the same Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkys that I've been breaking all along. All my effort so far has been sanding the tube, oiling everything the string touches, and tweaking the bender adjustments. Tonight is day three without a break and I've been working it hard too. The problem just MAY be solved.

Hope that's got it! With Hybrids, the B is .011", which is no problem. There have been many a bender that used lighter than that!

Clarence used to use Super Slinky 9-42 gauge except he change the G string to a lighter gauge. 013 instead of 017 as I recall.

I think I'm fixed. Thank you all for the help. I'm loving this bender more than ever now after taking it apart so many times trying to fix it. I now have it dialed in where it feels perfect. Thank God. I was worried it was a design flaw but I think Bill at B&W knows more about this stuff than I do. I uploaded a photo of my guitar today if your curious what this problem child looks like.

Thanks again for all your advice!

Sorry, I did a long post without reading some just prior to mine. Looks like you fixed it. Great.