STRINGS
The Lick That Started It All
Early in 1967, Gene Parsons had the foresight to bring his
mono, reel-to-reel tape recorder from home to record his
combo playing at a local El Monte, California club called
the Nashville West. The band, consisting of Gib Guilbeau on
vocals, Wayne Moore on bass, Gene on skins and Clarence
White on electric guitar, was also called Nashville West. In
1978, this recording was released on vinyl as Nashville West
on the Sierra-Briar Records label, and eventually showed up
on CD in 1997 on Sierra Records.
The first track on the CD is called – what else? – “Nashville
West,” and it demonstrates the technique that ultimately
spawned Gene’s development of the StringBender. With the
high E string tuned down to D, Clarence pulls off a behind the
nut bend up to E the second time through the main theme.
The following is an extremely simplified example of the
Clarence’s technique. His sense of time is unparalleled, so the
main thing you should take away from this is how something
as simple as a whole step bend behind the nut can make your
guitar sit up within a part, as well as offer a little taste of what
is possible with a proper, bender-equipped axe.
Bender Resources
If you’d like to learn more about
these pull-string systems, check
out the following websites.
Parsons/White
stringbender.com
small routes rather than one large one to
lessen the removed wood’s impact on the
instrument’s original sound. These routes
are located under the pickguard, neck-plate, and bridge. There is also a single,
small diameter (3/8”) hole drilled through
the length of the guitar. The small lever
actuating the device resides on the neck
plate, altering the guitar’s strap location,
although the change in feel is fairly negligible. According to Joe, he places the lever
here because it results in a more effective
pull due to the straighter angle of the
strap in relation to the lever. Accordingly,
the Glaser system is the smoothest of the
bunch, featuring a screw at the guitar’s
lower bout for adjusting the lever’s resistance, allowing the player to select from
breath-and-it’ll-go-sharp easy to my-shoul-der’s-sore hard and all points in between.
Glaser’s ingenious and unobtrusive installation leaves little doubt why players like
Jimmy Olander and Brent Mason rely on
his benders. With smooth, effortless operation, the only negatives that can be leveled at the Glaser system are the change
in feel due to the strap’s new placement
and installation waiting times. Joe installs
the bender systems in his shop, but bend-
ers are just one of the items Glaser’s business handles. The resulting turn-around
times can end up being counted in
months rather than weeks.
The biggest difficulty when trying to
choose a pull-string system of your own
is lack of availability. Since Fender quit
producing the B-Bender Tele, the question
of where to try one out has become even
more pertinent. Fortunately – or perhaps
unfortunately – pull-string systems aren’t
for everybody, so they often pop up used.
Keeping an eye on TDPRI.com’s classified
section and eBay can turn up the occasional deal. Putting the word out on your
favorite Tele forums and dutifully perusing
your local Craigslist classifieds can also
help unearth hidden gems.
If sleuthing around isn’t your cup of tea,
the Hipshot system is hard to beat and
can easily deliver journeyman-level bender
fun without demolishing the Christmas
club funds. By the same token, if you have
the extra cash and don’t mind jumping
right in, give Gene or Joe a buzz and tell
them what you’re looking for. Both are
passionate about what they do – choose
the one who speaks to you.
Hipshot and Parsons/Green
hipshotproducts.com
TDPRI B-Bender Forum
tdpri.com/forum/b-bender-forum
McVay Benders
mcvaybenders.com
String-Pull Tunes
If you’d like to hear the B-Bender
in action, check out these classic
tunes.
“All My Love” Led Zeppelin
“Meet In The Middle”
Diamond Rio
“Peaceful Easy Feeling”
The Eagles
“Box of Rain” Grateful Dead
“Chestnut Mare” The Byrds
Web
www.premierguitar.com
