Installed my first B-Bender - Hipshot

[nsriley]

The other night a Hipshot B-Bender showed up in the mail direct from Gayle Ray....Will Ray's wife(I presume). Nice people! Anyways, installed it last night in the living room while the wife sat and cross stitched. My Baja Telecaster was the guitar I used.

Little to no mods needed to be done. First I drilled a small hole in line with where the B string comes over the saddle in the back of the bridge plate. I did this carefully with soft cloths on the guitar body in case I slipped or the drill hit the body wood. Then pull your rear strap button out, put the felt bottomed Bender unit on your guitar, use the long strap button screw and lock washer, and reinstall your strap button. There are two additional screw holes in the back plate for added strength to the unit, you have to drill two holes in the butt of your guitar though. I did so and installed two wood screws as directed. Then put a small piece of Teflon tubing in that hole you made in the bridge. Fish your new b string though the unit and through your Teflon tubing, and string and tune up. I put Big Bends Nut Sauce on the string T, nut slot, and on the saddle. This keeps the string from binding at all. Once your string is stretched out and in tune to b you then pull on the lever until it bottoms out and see where it sits for a note. Use the tuning screw and adjust it so that your b note goes up to a C#. Once your there your done. It works well, now I just have to learn to use it fluently.

Here's a quick and dirty clip of it in action. Plugged into my TonePort some sorta Bassman patch. Zeppelin played 'Ten Years Gone' in concert from '77-'79 and Page used his B-Bender Tele to play it a bit different than the album version. This was my second time ever using the unit so it ain't pefect, but I'm getting there.

Ten Years Gone Noodle 1
http://riley-music.com/Music/Guitar%...TYG-Noodle.mp3
Noodle 1
http://riley-music.com/Music/Guitar%...er-Noodle2.mp3
Noodle 2
http://riley-music.com/Music/Guitar%...der-Noodle.mp3
Ten Years Gone Noodle 2
http://riley-music.com/Music/Guitar%...YG-Noodle2.mp3

I ordered Will's Bender DVD too, so I can learn some proper technique and country steel licks with it.

[bendecaster]

Nate,
That looks really nice! Will's "Bendermania" vid is very helpful, and he's got a great sense of humor to boot! Bend on man!!
Harry

[vjf1968]

Did the same thing a while back but did not do the soft cloth trick you did. Got some nice marks from the chock but hey I can always say it's a relic 52 Tele right?

[odiemann]

These always struck me as a very ingenious device. I have not nerved up to get one though.

[getbent]

cool clips! nice job! I love my hipshot.