Revelation
Tele-Meister
I have a 1982 American Stratocaster and it takes much more effort to bend the strings that my Professional Telecaster. Are newer Strats also easier to bend or is this a Tele thing?
Why is it easier to bend strings on a Tele vs a Strat?
- Thread starter Revelation
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coloradojeff
Tele-Holic
I've never noticed a difference. Different string gauge that you're not used to?
Yeah it’s the trem bridge. Complications with bending are a big reason some players (like Clapton) block the trem to immobilize it. Others use super heavy springs (like Blackmore). Neither of these are a good option with my (otherwise wonderful) G&L dual fulcrum floating bridge so I live with it.
The most annoying bridge-bend interaction for me is that the bend throws the other strings temporarily out of tune (flat) as the bridge tips forward. Takes some real dexterity to compensate for that by pushing the stationary strings slightly sharp during two and three string double stops.
The most annoying bridge-bend interaction for me is that the bend throws the other strings temporarily out of tune (flat) as the bridge tips forward. Takes some real dexterity to compensate for that by pushing the stationary strings slightly sharp during two and three string double stops.
Lord_Ingipz
Tele-Holic
I also have that problem. It's somewhat under control with 10's but boy does it fall flat. Especially the d and g string.
rze99
Doctor of Teleocity
Apologies to the OP, my question is, why is one Tele harder to bend strings on than a near identical other Tele? Still can't figure that out.
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DugT
Tele-Afflicted
When you bend strings on a tele you are pushing a string that is caught between a rock and a hard place. Pushing the string to one side increases tension and therefore increases pitch. When you bend a string on a strat, the springs keep the string from stretching as much so you have to bend further to get the same amount of increase string tension to increase pitch. So, on a strat, you have to bend the string further to get the same amount of pitch change as on a tele. Or, maybe I'm wrong. That is my theory based on about five minutes of thinking about it.
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Speedfish
Tele-Afflicted
It's been my experience that Strats bend more easily d/t the floating bridge.
mally
Tele-Afflicted
Thats what I find also !
Chunkocaster
Poster Extraordinaire
I've never noticed much difference but I block my strat trems. I have a subconscious thing going where if feel like I can play faster and cleaner on a tele due to the sight of a smaller headstock but I think that's my brain playing tricks on me. I'm probably just more comfortable playing a tele because I spend most of my time playing one.
raysachs
Friend of Leo's
I’ve never noticed a difference either, but I’ve also been blocking my strat trems since I first started playing 40 years ago. And now I play a hardtail strat. So I guess IF there’s a difference it’s down to an unblocked trem...
Chunkocaster
Poster Extraordinaire
How did you resist the temptation of the 80's hair metal days?
I nearly folded and traded a sunburst strat for the first steve vai lime green Ibanez jem with a Floyd but the cost prevented me. Unfortunately mullet haircuts were cheap.
Yeah I finally put stiff springs in my strats and tightened things down to where the trem doesn’t move when bending, but I can still push the trem down for pitch changes.
DougM
Poster Extraordinaire
A '82 Strat or Tele has a 7.25" radius and skinny vintage frets, whereas an Am Pro Strat or Tele has a 9.5" radius and narrow tall frets. That's why the Pro is easier to bend on, whether Strat or Tele. It has nothing to do with the bridge.
ricardo1912
Friend of Leo's
I only play a Strat occasionally but I do find I can easily over bend the strings. That's with the trem decked but not blocked.
LutherBurger
Poster Extraordinaire
If I play a Strat with a floating bridge for a while and then switch to a Tele, I initially tend to overbend the strings on the Tele because I got accustomed to pushing/pulling the strings farther.
I’m going to quote Rick Danko/Robbie Robertdon, “It makes no difference ......
Agree. The trem makes string bending feel very different than without, and the throw is much greater. That's one reason I use lighter gauge strings on my Strat (which is actually a G&L Legacy) than on my hard tail guitars. (10s on the Strat and 11s on the others)
It has its pros and cons though - the the greater throw required for the bends creates an overall looser feel, which can be a good thing. My main real complaint is the other strings going flat during a bend, as mentioned above . . .
That's a great method if you don't want your trem to float but my G&L trem is designed to float, such that spring tension must always be set to precisely offset the string tension - you don't have any other choice. And it is such a well engineered trem overall I don't want to screw with the design by decking it, so I live with the problem by pushing the non-bent strings slightly sharp while bending another string. Or just save the most wicked double-stop bend tricks for my hard tails.
IMO that's one reason Teles are so much more popular in country music than Strats (even though the Strats were designed to play country) - double stop bend techniques prevail in country picking (e.g., the B-Bender allows for an extreme implementation of this technique) and that's difficult on a strat (unless you deck the trem or make it so stiff it won't move).
Country it ain't, but its been said that Ritchie Blackmore set his trem so stiff that he routinely snapped off his trem arms and needed to have special ones machined to hold up to his playing style.
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