Most reliable b-bender?

Looking for something that isn't going to wear a groove in the saddle.

Rolling Bender.

rbro

Except maybe for the Rolling Bender (I know nothing about them), any style bender is eventually going to wear a groove in the saddle (depends on what the saddle is made of). That has nothing to do with them being reliable.

Make your bender decision based on which one mechanically works best for your playing style (and get a steel saddle).

All the major name brand benders are reliable...nothing is 100%. Saddles are cheap and take about 10 minutes to change out on a P/W, P/G et al ... The only rolling saddles I have ever used were on a Gretsch and I didn't like the tone. A bender really should be selected for how it works and feels for you, I doubt you will ever wear one out.

Www.mcvaybenders.com
the mcvay design doesnt drag the string across the saddle. The saddle itself rocks back stretching the string. Mine is flawless. It works smoothly, silent operation, flawless machining, and its guaranteed for life.

McVay and Glaser (and the Rolling Bender) have bridge pieces that are similar to a pedal steel changer and the string is not rubbing across the saddle as it is pulled.

You can also "flip" a grooved saddle, or polish/compound the groove out.
I do this sometimes when I'm too broke/lazy to buy a new saddle.
I've had Hipshots for 30 years, and they are utterly dependable and simple to maintain.
I have had about 6 of them, and I have only broke one.
I left the bender bar in, put the guitar on it's stand (on stage), then stepped/tripped on the bar.
I broke the bar holding clamp, put a nice dent in my (then only) gigging guitar,
and got to make my debut as a dancer/stage diver.
Don't try this at home, or at the gig.

I have one of the early Parsons-White B-benders. I keep an an oiled Q-tip in a small pill bottle in my guitar case. I just dab the Q-tip onto the B string saddle. That seems to help things work great.
I like my style B-bender better than the newer Parsons-Green B-benders.

I'm a big fan of PW style benders. I especially like the Bill bores made mechanisms as they are lightweight, strong, adjustable, smooth, silent, hands free, and reliable. Saddles will eventually wear, depending on what they are made of. I typically go with a steel barrel type, which is harder than brass- I haven't worn one out yet..

I've got two P/W's one from Gene Parsons('98) and one from Bill Bores('07). The one I got from Gene Parsons has Graph Tech saddles and I haven't worn that one out, nor have I with the one from Bill Bores and that one is Tusq. I use 'em a bit too.

I am a big fan of my Bill Bores. It's dead reliable and Bill is a prince of a guy to deal
with.

i love my forrest lee jr. bender and would highly recomend his work!!!

McVay is very interesting, My 1998 B-bender Tele Parsons Greene has been super reliable to date.

I have no issues at all with mine, works really well:lol:

McVay is very interesting, My 1998 B-bender Tele Parsons Greene has been super reliable to date.

Ive had two parsons greenes over the years, but the Mcvay i had installed this spring eats them alive. The mcvay is smooth in operation, no squeaks and creaks like parsons benders, and the string doesnt drag across the saddle.

I am sold on the Mcvay as my bender of choice.

the end of '82 or so when I still lived in SoCal. It's had a bender on it since day one... almost thirty years to be exact. First it was a HipShot and then about 8 or 9 years ago I had a P/W installed by Stringpull in Fairfax, Va. My guitar has the original Fender individual bridge saddles and the B strings still pulling right across the Fender saddle with no problems, string breakage, groove wearing into it or anything. It was/is a Fender top loader bridge and I believe the saddles are chrome plated, wouldn't change 'em for anything. Here's a couple of shots, first the Tele as it is today and an old small photo shot in SoCal in '83 at a club near the time I first got the guitar...JH in Va.

Are there any photos of the "innards" of the McVay bender?

Are there any photos of the "innards" of the McVay bender?

Hes got a couple of pics in the galleries on his site www.mcvaybenders.com of partially disassembled bender guitars. Some with the bridge off, and some behind the neck plate, etc

Anyone else notice the OP posted his "impossible to solve without a lot more information" question - and evaporated? Then the thread was hijacked into the usual "your bender can beat up my bender" chaos.

;-)

WOW... Looking at the Mcvay, I can imagine between that and a Wah/pedal-board that playing lead-guitar would require quite the "full body work-out". Anyone ever played a dual-bender guitar??? I was just thinking to myself, "I'd rather hav ethe bender on the G..." and then I open McVay's page (I feel like I've been under rock aye, I LOVE Brad Paisley and can't believe I've never looked into his set-ups) I bend my G-string near CONSTANTLY and I'm starting to think that a G-bender guitar like Brad's would be S-UH-WEET. I'd love to be able to play slide over top a dual Bender if I thought I'd ever have the skills to pull it off... Currently... maybe at home for a few notes, maybe... but on stage playing lead/fills/rhythm and singing??? Not so much :wink: hahahahahaha

Cheers

Dave

My answer to this initial question of reliability would be ANY of the people we have all mentioned here that have built bender guitars for us and many famous players would be the "most reliable". They all do just what their supposed to do. Some have flaws, but most flaws can be addressed and resolved. Read all the many testimonials written here on the TDPRI.
It all about what fits you and what you're most comfortable with. How do you want to bend notes?
Figure that one out, then ask us how to get in touch with whomever and you're in business.
Good luck.