b-bender removal?

[bluenoise]

Wondering how hard it would be to remove the b-bender mechanism from a Nashville Tele? Love the sound but the weight is a bit much for me. Thanks!

 

[aaron_currie]

Unscrewing a few screws is basically all it takes. If you go through with this are you interested in selling the bender unit?

 

[bluenoise]

So if it's simple to remove, is it also simple to reinstall? This is the standard Parsons/Green bender that comes on the American Nashville. I wouldn't sell the unit, prefer to keep all the original parts.

 

[Dogbear]

Remove the eleven small wood screws on the outside of the bender plate. Do not touch the four larger ones that hold the tower and adjustment wheel or the large head black allen screw. Pull the bender off.

To re-install, make sure the O ring is on the tower and push the bender back in place on the guitar. Re-install the screws

 

[bluenoise]

Thanks, Dogbear, appreciate the detailed instructions.

 

[tele2313]

Wouldn't you need to add a string through hole for the b string? For some reason I thought the p/g equipped tele was missing the body hole for the b string.

 

[Ormond]

YES - - - DO NOT UNSCREW THE INSIDE ONES!!!!! I cannot overemphasize this! Two months after I bought my B Bender I wanted to see what was squeaking inside (it was'nt in there, it wa the bridge). I unscrewed the middle ones and the thing popped with a giant noise when the spring released. It was like a Jack-in--the-Box springing out of a can. It took me 9 years to figure out how to put that bender back in. I had to look up the patent and see the original paperwork filed by Parsons to figure out how to put it back together. I restored it because I never played electric, wanted to sell the guitar and had zero interest in learning to play s**t-kicker Country music. Got it back together, played it for an hour - - - and now I am a sophisticated s**t-kicking chicken picker. Ahhhhh, life.

 

[jmiles]

Here is the tool you need;

 

[Ormond]

Damn, so little love for the Fender Nashville B Bender. They are heavy but they sound great. That Texas Strat PU in the middle is a godsend.

 

[EchoNW]

Damn, so little love for the Fender Nashville B Bender. They are heavy but they sound great. That Texas Strat PU in the middle is a godsend.

I'm waiting for Fender to finish mine and ship it out. I'm so excited and your post just got me more excited!!!!!

 

[Ormond]

I love mine but am putting it up for sale this week because I switched to a Double (B&G) and can't use a B only anymore. That Fender served me very well this year. I will miss it.

 

[bender-freak]

I love mine but am putting it up for sale this week because I switched to a Double (B&G) and can't use a B only anymore. That Fender served me very well this year. I will miss it.

before ya trade that thing off so quickly (you said you love it:idea you might try doing what i did to mine years ago. i added a hipshot b/g bender unit to mine, slid the b lever over to catch the g string, the g lever over to catch the a string and have a triple bend on that guitar. it's very easily done, just some minor notching out of the hipshot baseplate to fit around the orifice of the p/g b bender; last i looked hipshot was selling these units already "notched" out just for that purpose, but if you already have one, just 5 minutes with a dremel tool and yer there. works fantastic; wouldn't ever get rid of mine.

like you, just a b bender don't get it for me......

 

[Ormond]

Huh? Would you post a picture of your bridge? I am having a hard time comprehending everything you just wrote - cannot even mentally conceive of it. I am not sure what I would do with a triple bender!

 

[Chet Johnson]

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecast...tage-collectable-but-probably-never-part.html

I've had two of the Fender B benders, both heavy.

I've had both benders off to cut the springs shorter. The bender plate weighs less than a pound I would guess. Both bodies were quite heavy. If you like the sound but not the bender, I wouldn't EVER remove and disable a perfectly good bender guitar. Put the kind of pickups that you liked the sound of in another tele.

My ear hates the American Standard pickups. In the 1996 AMerican bender (peddates the nashville model) I installed Texas special Tele pickups. The Nashville , I liked the Texas special Strat pickup but tinkered with the other two a bit.

First, I put a Seymour duncan Alnico Pro II in the bridge, and a Fender '62 Reissue in the neck. This was a great versatile vintage array of sounds, but at that time caused me frustration with a volume drop whenever I switched guitars from the Texas specials in the old one to the Nashville at any given gig. So, I changed the Outside two Tele pickups in the Nashville to Seymour Duncan Hot for Tele pickups. I really liked the guitar after that. I put the Seymour duncan Alnico Pro II in the bridge, and a Fender '62 Reissue in the neck of my MIJ paisley tele and swapped out the pots and switch. I tossed out the horribly microphonic paisley pickups.

I still have the 1996 but the Nashville, along with two other fantastic teles, was sold for funds when I started building my own guitars.

 

[bluenoise]

I love the sound of the Nashville, but the extra 2 lbs the bender adds (according to FMIC) is a drawback for me. If I take it off, I can always put it back on if I need it. And I'll have a 7 lb. Tele, which is really tempting!

Anybody know if there's any risk with removal? Parson's site says "we recommend that you DO NOT take the metal Backplate off of your guitar."

 

[Ormond]

I cut my spring too. Spring in Fender B is not tight enough to sustain the weight of the guitar. I use a Florance Voodoo in the bridge.

 

[Chet Johnson]

I love the sound of the Nashville, but the extra 2 lbs the bender adds (according to FMIC) is a drawback for me. If I take it off, I can always put it back on if I need it. And I'll have a 7 lb. Tele, which is really tempting!

Anybody know if there's any risk with removal? Parson's site says "we recommend that you DO NOT take the metal Backplate off of your guitar."

Take the bender off and weigh your guitar. I'll bet you a double cheeseburger that it is a heavy body. My advice if you love the sound would be an american standard tele with a TX special middle pickup and the 5 way super switch. Keep or sell the bender guitar intact.

 

[Chet Johnson]

I cut my spring too. Spring in Fender B is not tight enough to sustain the weight of the guitar. I use a Florance Voodoo in the bridge.

I've put Voodoos in two teles so far and they're my FAVORITE. I just leave the TX specials in the 1996 as a sentiment mostly. 11 years as a main axe, it can stay in its old Faithful state.

 

[Joombi]

Wouldn't you need to add a string through hole for the b string? For some reason I thought the p/g equipped tele was missing the body hole for the b string.

no, my 99/2000 bender has the hole for the b string. i had it strung without using the bender for the first 12 months of owning it.
you do need to add a front strap button though...

 

[telex76]

You won't feel much discernable difference in the weight. Those are heavy guitars.