Inexpensive B-bender

Does anyone here know of a cheap (but good) strap actuated b-bender? (And not Glaser.)

a Higgins peg bender is reviewed favorably by people here, and is techincally a strap actuated bender.

All of the others I know of require some routing, and or/ drilling, and machine parts, which, combined with labor are gonna cost you at least $500 or more.....

Yeah, but I want something that will go in the guitar. Does this (http://www.musiccityknoxville.com/page501.htm) look decent? I need everyone's opinion.

They've been selling on ebay for a while, and I haven't actually seen or played one in person- no one that's poster here has either (far as I know).

I like the less invasive design. The one thing that is giving me some pause is many of the metal parts appear as if they are punched or cut out of (possibly inexpensive)sheetmetal. Bender parts undergo a lot of stress and must meet high tolerances to stay in tune.

Has anyone seen or heard reviews of these benders? I'd be interested too....

Looks pretty well put-together. I would like to give one a try too. My only question is how do those moving parts interfere with the bridge pickup? It looks like the pickup would be sitting right on top of the thin rod and spring and it would grind against the base plate.

If it works okay, he should sell a ton of them since he has most competitors beaten price-wise by about $200. If I were him, I would put it in a better looking (finished) body on my website though. And he does some cool inlay too, don't you think?

Check this thread. Before you buy check the weight...

http://www.tdpri.com/viewtopic.php?t=37484&highlight=

And let the rest of us know how it is...

Yes - read the other thread and raise your BS detector to high-gain.

Some of the claims make zero sense. That, and it looks really lightweight (i.e. breakable).

A whole guitar kit WITH a bender for $300??

Ever heard "you get what you pay for"?

I'll stick with Parsons-White and Higgins. And I said it before - if you're not sue or have never gotten into bending, go with the Hiiggins. Best bang-for-the-buck, best support, and least invasive. Players flip over the one I put in my Variax.

I spoke to the guy who makes them, (if anyone wants his phone number PM me and i'll give it to you) and he gave me an over-the-phone demonstration. It sounded pretty decent. I asked him all kinds of questions, he told that a guy named Brad Paisly(sp?) uses one. He even told me how much it weighs (which wasn't very much). He also told me that his mom is the one who sells them on e-bay, so she's probrably wrong about the weight. Oh, and does anyone know anything about the supposed "Hipshot Parsons unit"?

The quality of the necks and bodies, bridges, and info they give is a bit suspect (Paisley, weight, stiffer springs), to be kind. I still think their metal parts look flimsy....compare this one to a PW or even Hipshot quality...

Brad Paisley uses a Glaser G-bender on his Crook custom teles (I believe).

A bender mechanism that isn't accurate and won't stay in tune isn't worth the bother IMHO.

It's hard to endorse this guy OR knock him without playing it first. The only person who has played it and given an opinion is the guy who makes it. Until someone unaffiliated with his business plays or owns one, we're all just guessing. I'm even too broke to buy his version let alone a P/W so I'm guessing it won't be me with the hands-on testimonial :) .

FWIW, Brad Paisley currently uses McVay G Benders on all his Crook guitars - I think he only has 1 (or 2) Glasers. These days, it's just about exclusively McVay. And Charlie McVay is one heck of a guy - both personally and professionally.

tomtheguitarguy