B-bender on a Rick?

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 6:56 pm

Paul or Dale: Not sure how familiar you are with B-benders, but i've been wondering if it was possible to have one installed on a Rick? I was thinking that the most suitable model would be the 620 or 660. I'm not too familiar with the construction of these mechanisms, or how they actually work, but I think that would be one very fun-to-play 620!

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 6:57 pm

BTW, i'm talking about the true B-benders that require much routing and are engaged using the strap button on the guitar's upper horn, not the Hipshot-type units.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 8:17 pm

These are (to my knowledge) the exclusive province of Telecasters, whose bodies are roughly twice as thick front to back as a 620 or 660.

I'm certain that a unit could be custom-built to fit a Rick solid body, but I'm nearly as certain that a standard B-Bender would need extensive modification, if it could be made to work as well.

Remember, this was originally a country-rock modification. Rickenbacker solid-bodied guitars are not particularly thought of as country-rock instruments.

karl_teten · Post by **karl_teten** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 2:10 am

Ask this man....

http://www.stringbender.com/

dale_fortune · Post by **dale_fortune** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 6:58 pm

In the 70's and early 80's I used to build a B Bender that was similar the the Parsons/White model. Compared to the one that's being made now, it was quite simple but worked very well. It allows the player to bend the B string either a half or whole tone. Most of the guitars I put the B Bender in were Tele's. But once in a while someone with a thin bodied guitar would request that I do one. They still worked the same needing only 3/4 of an inch routed out from the back of the body to install it. The last time I made one was 1993, but I could still do them the same.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 7:37 pm

There's your source, John!

Why am I not surprised?

winston · Post by **winston** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 8:00 pm

That is one cool device. Thanks for the link Karl. If I only had just a regular Tele and not a 62RI.

Paul, I have learned over time that nothing should surprise us on this forum. Certain members such as Dale and yourself are a great resource and can answer most questions as well as perform impressive work.

karl_teten · Post by **karl_teten** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 8:30 pm

Gene can install a bender in just about anything. He installs them in Les Pauls, acoustics and has even done a mandolin.

When Gene is not machining his own custom parts he's rebuilding old Triumph motorcycles.

dale_fortune · Post by **dale_fortune** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 4:14 am

Gene called me in 1979 and let me know in a very nice way that I should not build B Benders that infringed on his patent, I agreed and said that the one I made works in a similar way but was a different design, all was well between us after that. I had seen Clarence White's Double Bodied Tele that he and Gene had put together, this gave me the idea to build one for myself since at that time I was playing Pedal Steel in a Country Rock group and thought a Tele like this would be useful. Once I did this I had requests to build them for local players who couldn't get Gene to do their's because he was so back logged with work.

johnallg · Post by **johnallg** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 2:15 pm

Ok, this will really point out that I'm a 4-stringer, but what does moving the tuning of the B string on a guitar (does it stay there or just a large vibrato effect?) do for you as far as playing note scales or leads?

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 2:46 pm

John: When you pull down on the neck, engaging the bender, the B-string is bent. It can go either a full step or a half step, depending on how the unit is set. Ease up on the neck, and it goes back to B. It doesn't alter the tuning per se, it just provides a momentary pitch raise.

It was designed to emulate the the foot pedals on a pedal steel guitar.

loverickbass · Post by **loverickbass** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 3:34 pm

It's like a Floyd Rose for one string. Kinda'

Cole

karl_teten · Post by **karl_teten** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 4:00 pm

Listen to Clarence play his bender on The Byrds - Tulsa County.

Also, Bernie on The Eagles - Peaceful Easy Feeling.

loverickbass · Post by **loverickbass** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 4:04 pm

IMO, I don't think CW needed the bender! Listen to the stuff before he got it; you can't really tell the differance. The most under-rated guitarist ever. What a duo, McGuinn and White.

Cole

karl_teten · Post by **karl_teten** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 4:20 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m37-2eB-wj8&mode=related&search=

Yep, Clarence pulled off a lot of those classic bender breaks (without the bender) while he and Gene were in Nashville West. It was Clarence who asked Gene to come up with a bender design to make his playing easier.

I purchased my first B-bender in 1995. The bender makes playing much easier than without.