P/G bender lockout?

[Ignatius]

I have an American Standard B Bender. I play a really wide variety of music, and there are times when I wouldn't want to have to worry about moving around and activating the bender. Someone should invent a gizmo that allows you to lock or unlock the B Bender.

I was thinking of duct tape but there's gotta be a better solution.

Just thinking out loud.

[getbent]

I made a hard rubber stopper for my pw and it works great.. the PG is kind of different.. could you make a mini rubber 'doorstop' for it that would slide between the arm and the plate, immobilizing it? that seems to be not too invasive and it would work...

I used the black rubber sanding blocks from Ace Hardware to fashion my stopper on my pw.. a little stinky, but easy to cut and shape and does a good job... just a thought.

[Ignatius]

Originally Posted by getbent

I made a hard rubber stopper for my pw and it works great.. the PG is kind of different.. could you make a mini rubber 'doorstop' for it that would slide between the arm and the plate, immobilizing it? that seems to be not too invasive and it would work...

I used the black rubber sanding blocks from Ace Hardware to fashion my stopper on my pw.. a little stinky, but easy to cut and shape and does a good job... just a thought.

That's a great idea. Too obviously simple. And it can't be any stinkier than my drummer.

[coolbreeze475]

I agree. I just started b bending last month and when I went to play at the gig last weekend I noticed that I had to adjust the tension because it was sometimes being engaged just slightly (must be because I play a little more aggressively on stage). But after I increased the tension I didn't seem to have any problems. However a B bender stopper would be a nice invention.

[ironweed]

For 100% lockout, add a 2nd strap button.

[BrianF]

Originally Posted by ironweed

For 100% lockout, add a 2nd strap button.

Yep exactly..you can add one to one of the neck bolts on the neck plate if you don't want to drill any new holes...

BTW this is really a common question asked by new Bender players...once you get more experience with it...and assuming the experience is a positive one for you...the desire to add a bender stopper diminishes...to zero

[Chet Johnson]

I took my P/G bender off, shortened the spring by a couple of loops to add tension, and re-installed.

Like you, I play a variety of country, blues, rock, and jazz. With added tension, I had very few accidental bends over eleven years of that guitar being my main squeeze.

I am not a fan of disabling benders. I prefer to improve them.

[getbent]

that is all well and good, but 4 hour gigs... if it is actuating by accident can make for a long night...

I don't know how many folks still play regular gigs that long... but I do... and I need a couple of sets of not worrying after it... I've been told NOT to reduce the spring to increase the tension... it is so easy to actuate it... it can be a huge hassle... and I want to play the guitar.... so, the stopper works for me....

[Dave Hopping]

I have a P/G and I had a P/W clone before it.Did a lot of 5 set nites with both guitars and never had any accidental actuation problems,but I can see where it could happen if you like to run and jump around onstage.

[SatelliteOrders]

Not a bender, just a wannabe, but I have a friend who is a lefty and puts buttons on the neck screws on his righty guitars. If I had a strap-actuated bender, I would put one there so I have a not-bending choice.

[asatfan]

As in the other thread, my Evans spring tension is adjustable from nothing to very heavy in seconds. I keep mine fairly heavy as I had experienced some accidental bends while playing gigs (I'm not an "animated" guitar player either!), which can be annoying. No more accidental bends, and I like having a rather stiff pull (gonna hear it on that one) for better control.

[Chet Johnson]

Originally Posted by getbent

that is all well and good, but 4 hour gigs... if it is actuating by accident can make for a long night...

I don't know how many folks still play regular gigs that long... but I do... and I need a couple of sets of not worrying after it... I've been told NOT to reduce the spring to increase the tension... it is so easy to actuate it... it can be a huge hassle... and I want to play the guitar.... so, the stopper works for me....

That's an interesting take on this thread. I modified my spring tension.....so I must never play 4 hour gigs with it? AS I stated (aparently not clear enough) I played that guitar for 11 years as my main guitar at every honky tonk, beer joint, wedding , and more in this area every friday and saturday with THAT guitar as my main guitar.

I loved it so much with the added tension getting rid of accidental bends, that I bought a second Parsons Greene tele as a spare, and performed the same change to the spring tension.

Plus, it allows me to still use bender licks at my discression in anything from Mustang Sally to Linus and Lucy. Just because it only bends the B string Doesn't limit to country licks.

I can't imagine playing a set and thinking...."Wait a second guys, I have to put in my plug, this is a rock song"

[getbent]

Chet, I think you misunderstood my response. I wasn't responding to you at all, I was responding to Brian. I've been playing 30 years (more, but I hate to admit it) and so, I'm not gonna really change too much other than learning to use the bender as musically as possible. I play with a steel player who is pretty protective of 'his space'... before we added him, I played tons of double bends and steel style stuff... it kind of drove him nuts (i understand that)

so, in 4-50 minute sets, I don't use the bender every single song and the last set, very little... I'm not necessarily jumping around but, I actually do move around... but, what I have found is that at 6'3" and 240 lbs, the action on my bender is so light that it can actuate with what I would call 'hardly moving or pushing'.

So, I have the stopper available so that I can play unselfconsciously and not worry...

Also, adding a bender after all these years of using a hipshot and doing most of my bending manually is a new thing... I think it makes sense to add it in as needed rather than every friggin song (which I have seen some guys and it is repetitive and for the sake of the device and not the music.)

I love the guitar it is in and after working hard on that guitar to get it to play perfectly... I don't want the bender to become a liability (which it was when I first started using it.)

So, yeah, my post had nothing to do with any of your comments at all, sorry if you took it that way.

[Ignatius]

Originally Posted by BrianF

Yep exactly..you can add one to one of the neck bolts on the neck plate if you don't want to drill any new holes...

BTW this is really a common question asked by new Bender players...once you get more experience with it...and assuming the experience is a positive one for you...the desire to add a bender stopper diminishes...to zero

Well, I bought a new strap button for this purpose and now I've learned that strap buttons are drilled too small for the diameter of the neck screw (a $2.99 lesson - nothing's free anymore, right?).

So I'm assuming now that there's a specific type of strap button that people use for this purpose. Can someone point me at it?