Fender Nashville B-Bender Tele

[dmaz27]

My old guitar broke and I found an awesome deal on a used American Nashville B-Bender Tele and played it in the store for a while and love the sound and enjoy the unique B-Bending experience.
I'm considering buying it, but i have some concerns which i'm wondering if there are any B-Bender owners or knowledgeable persons on here that can help.

Due to the fact that there's a pulley system in the guitar, to do the bend, i feel there is a chance that it might break in its lifetime just due to nature of machinery. Can anyone tell me how durable and solid the guitar is over time? Has anyone owned one and it broke before? Did the guitar work properly after that, besides the B-bending system?

Also, i guess with all bending devices, there is a higher risk of strings breaking, but is that especially true for the B-string in this case, because all the tension pulling is on one specific string. How often would you say it breaks when it does?


And also i guess this one is a more investment question which is more curiosity than a dealbreaker, due to the unique mechanism of the guitar and it being discontinue, do you think the price will appreciate with time?

Please let me know your thoughts if you have experience with this guitar, I really love how it plays, and the Strat-o-Tele style pickups give it a very versatile sound and good mix between a strat and Telecaster. And it is really fun to use the B-Bender mechanism and i feel i can get unique compositions with it.... That being said, I can really only afford getting one nice guitar for a long time and cant afford a back up guitar, and would rather not spend money fixing the guitar (if the guitar still plays fine if the B-bender breaks, and the strap lock of the B-bender stays in place, that will affect my decision too). This will be my one guitar for a long time so it's important i choose wisely, I love the sound and playability, but if there's some risk or stories of it breaking or the B-string constantly breaking to annoyance, i wouldnt mind just getting an American Standard or Deluxe Tele. I like the sound and playability of them too :)

[mrbdxmpl]

I don't have a bender myself (although I wouldn't say no to one) but this wouldn't be a concern for me...if you have a look, it is a pretty simple mechanism, and for what it's worth, Marty Stuart plays Clarence White's original bender live every night...

The larger question is does a bender fit your playing style? I wouldn't let the mechanics scare me away - after all, no chips, no circuit boards, just good ol' nuts and bolts and twang...

[chrisoreeves]

Congrats on the awesome deal! I played a Nashville B-Bender for 6 years and I am actually a working musician. I took it 6 times with me on tours through Europe, been all over the United States, been on countless airplanes, once on the Grand Ol Opry, recording sessions galore, and honky tonks all over Texas. I NEVER once broke the B string while bending it, and the Bender mechanism never gave me a moments trouble. It was a great guitar and I'm sure still will be for years to come. As for resale value, I was able to trade it for an American Deluxe Tele which I believe retails for more? So yeah, I wouldn't worry about it. Take the deal!

[HOBBSTER01]

Stop worrying and just play it.
It's what it is made to do.

[dmaz27]

wow, Chris, that's a great endorsement. It sounds like it's pretty durable and a great guitar. Although the b-string didn't break during bending, do you have to change it out a lot or does it break more often just by playing due it somehow getting weakened?

sorry for being nitpicky, it's not like it's a super serious concern, i just like to get all the information before making a such a large investment.

Also, if i dont want to use the B-bender sometimes, does the tension wheel turn so you can lock it and play regularly without it coming loose? I realized i didn't check on that at the store.

[telemaster03]

I think if you have this many concerns you probably shouldn't buy it.

If you'll forward the seller's info to me I'll buy it so it won't be a temptation...

[brittwin]

I had one before... heavy, but well made Parsons-Green Bender works flawlessly. Just a tad heavy and over time it strained my back.

[dmaz27]

Just trying to be thorough for an informed decision, my friends.

I actually found a youtube video of the guitar dissected, It looks super heavy duty and sturdy! I definitely feel a lot better about it and will be going in and playing with that and a Standard, and make a decision soon, but i am definitely leaning towards the bender.
wish me luck!

[Chet Johnson]

I've had one since 1996 that has been an AWESOME workhorse.

[Groovey Records]

Originally Posted by dmaz27

Just trying to be thorough for an informed decision, my friends.

I actually found a youtube video of the guitar dissected, It looks super heavy duty and sturdy! I definitely feel a lot better about it and will be going in and playing with that and a Standard, and make a decision soon, but i am definitely leaning towards the bender.
wish me luck!

Post the video please

[dmaz27]

It's more of a demo where the guy shows off different bender systems but i found it interesting, and it was a nice quick look at the Bender mechanism inside.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rGM9...eature=related
Also here's a photo of one i found too which helped quell my concerns. It looks pretty basic. good ol nuts and bolts. http://www.dkimages.com/discover/pre...780/603669.JPG

[ScatMan]

Originally Posted by dmaz27

...and (I sic) love the sound and enjoy the unique B-Bending experience..

(For what it's worth)..You like the Tele with the B-Bender. Nothing lasts forever, but if a spring goes out, you can still play the guitar (and replace the spring later). If you have to replace a B string every now and then, so what..

Play what you dig, life is short..

[RCinMempho]

There's a whole B-Bender forum on this website. Those fellas will be happy to answer all your questions.
B-Bender Forum

[Dave Hopping]

I'm happy with mine.I've had B strings break,but only 2 or 3 times in the 10 years I've had the guitar.Go for it.