| Author |
Topic: The String Bender or "B Bender" and the Lap Steel |
Wayne D. Clark
From:
Montello Wisconsin, USA
|
Posted 18 Feb 2011 2:53 pm |
|
How many of you use a String Bender on your Lap Steel? What string do you use it on, I know this question depends on the Tuning you use,and I guess that is my question for there a number of popular tunings used C6th, A7th, E7th, E13th are just 4 I can think of. Are the a real benifit or just a novility?
Wayne D. Clark
usnyn2nd@frontier.com |
|
|
 |
Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
|
Posted 18 Feb 2011 4:55 pm
|
|
Wayne, I have an old Memphis Les Paul copy on which I have a raised nut and it's tuned to open E. I have an Epiphone EZ Bender which is a "palm pedal" type of device which pulls the 2nd string B to C#. I play it laying on my lap with a Shubb/Pearse Dobro bar with the one rounded end.....JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
|
|
|
Robert Murphy
From:
West Virginia
|
Posted 19 Feb 2011 5:31 am
|
|
I use a Squire tele with a raised nut and two Hipshot palm benders. My tuning is A11 so from low to high it's AC#EGBD. The b string bender goes up 1/2 step to C and I can get from the 1 chord (GBD) to the 4 chord (CEG) and the g string bender also raises 1/2 step so I can go from the 6m (EGB) to the 6M (EG#B).
 |
|
|
|
Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
|
Posted 19 Feb 2011 12:07 pm
|
|
Robert, here's the guitar that I play slide on holding it in the regular manner. It's in standard guitar tuning and the levers raise the 2nd string B to C# and the 3rd string G to A.....JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
|
|
|
Geoff Cline
From:
Southwest France
|
Posted 19 Feb 2011 12:15 pm
|
|
| I've been working with a vintage string bender on my lap steel for a while now. Its called a "Ring Finger®", its behind the bar, next to my pinky (which is also called a mute). |
|
|
|
Joe Kaufman
From:
Lewiston, Idaho
|
Posted 19 Feb 2011 1:30 pm
|
|
I have a lap that has a knee lever and two palm levers. I tune it:
G#
E +F palm
B ++ C# knee
G# -G palm
E
D
I find the knee to work great, giving full E and C#m chords and the whole note bends you can combine with 1/2 step slants.
In the end though...I don't think its much different than a 7 string lap tuned DEG#BC#EG#. |
|
|
|
Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
|
Posted 19 Feb 2011 3:00 pm
|
|
I've got a Duesenberg Multibender on one of my lap steels; it is tune BC#EG#BE (lo to hi), with the benders taking the G# to A, and the high B to C#.
It's great for doing pedal steel AB-pedal stuff - I use it as a kind of portable lap steel, and on stages where there would be no room for a PSG. |
|
|
|
Peter Harris
From:
South Australia, Australia
|
Posted 21 Feb 2011 4:51 am
|
|
Telecaster 72 Custom RI presently under construction with four-lever Bigsby Palm Pedal plus raise/lower mechanism on 1st and 6th strings....
...started out trying to get E9 tuning, but seem to be settling into C6...
Temporary clear perspex (plexiglass) pickguard while wiring is sorted...roller bridge, nut and string trees, Grover locking tuners, original Fender WRHB neck pickup, S-Duncan Jerry Donahue bridge PU, plus Roland GK3 inbuilt synth pickup.
Taken / taking a while longer than I would have liked, but it is finally getting interesting!
 |
|
|
|
Philip Bender
From:
Palmetto FL USA (deceased)
|
Posted 22 Feb 2011 1:53 am String Bender
|
|
This changer is actually a bender, that allows 1 1/2 step changes on each string. The cam is fully adjustable and uses a grover tuner to choose one of 8 settings. I had it mounted on a lap steel, but now it awaits a servo to do the changing, in drawing stage right now, but it works.
 |
|
|
|
Peter Harris
From:
South Australia, Australia
|
Posted 22 Feb 2011 2:03 am
|
|
......I'm sorry..
...I just don't believe that's your real name...  |
|
|
|
J. Wilson
From:
Manitoba, Canada
|
Posted 22 Feb 2011 9:27 am
|
|
Duesenberg Multibender. It is really great and you can take off / add more benders without issue.
Last I checked (this past spring) the best price is available online through a company called Rockinger located in Germany.
_________________
If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On. -Shakespeare
___________________________________________
1941 Ric B6 / 1948 National Dynamic / 1951 Bronson Supro / Custom teak wood Allen Melbert / Tut Taylor Dobro / Gold Tone Dojo / Martin D15S / Eastman P10 |
|
|
|
Philip Bender
From:
Palmetto FL USA (deceased)
|
Posted 4 Mar 2013 6:15 pm Tuning changer
|
|
Yes Virginia, my name is Philip Bender, with one L, thank you very much.
What I was trying to accomplish, with my design, was to put all of the mechanism inside the body of the guitar. Currently, I am thinkin of casting the housing out of aluminum, and let the bridge be a bump up on the top plate, like this....|
|
D
|
| Connect lines
This would allow the bridge to be lower, and the body thinner, more later. Phil |
|
|
|
Carl McLaughlin
From:
St.Stephen,New Brunswick,Can
|
Posted 5 Mar 2013 8:28 am Bender
|
|
I have a 6 string w/ duesenberg bender setup,tuned to open e,bending 2nd sting B TO C# 3rd string G# to A.Took me awhile to set the levers where i could work them easier,now i love it..
_________________
I have a Tele plus telecaster, Larrivee acoustic. Also have a Fender resonator guitar with new Quarterman cone and spider, and an Allan tailpiece .Playing through a Fender Super Champ XD, using a little delay on the amp and a Harmonix Holy Grail Echo pedal, set on Hall turned to about 1pm.Just Bought a Yamaha FGX5 Recently and love it. Recently got a Sho-NUFF 6 string pedal steel in open G.Still learning. |
|
|
|
Jordan Bissonnette
From:
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
|
Posted 5 Mar 2013 8:47 am
|
|
my fender lapsteel has a B-Bender in it , with a knee lever it's pretty cool check out this video where I do a pedal-steel vs lap-steel on the same song. you can do some pretty cool pedal steel licks with it. I tune in E7th or E6th depending on the song and mood. You can switch to the relative minor by using the knee lever. go from a C to Am like a pedal-steel would by hitting the "A" pedal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om5jHy4NtrY
_________________
Thomas D10 | Linkon S10 | Modified ShoBud Maverick | YouTube --> Click Here!
Last edited by Jordan Bissonnette on 5 Mar 2013 8:49 am; edited 2 times in total |
|
|
|
Jack Aldrich
From:
Washington, USA
|
Posted 5 Mar 2013 8:49 am
|
|
I hate to ba a party pooper, but I have a D10 ShoBud and a D10 Carter to bend strings on. It is an ex[ense to go that way, but worth it, IMHO. On my lap steels, I move from straight across chords to slants to get a pedal-like effect. Listen to Jerry Byrd. - Jack
_________________
Jack Aldrich
Carter & ShoBud D10's
D8 & T8 Stringmaster
Rickenbacher B6
3 Resonator guitars
Asher Alan Akaka Special SN 6
Canopus D8 |
|
|
|
Jordan Bissonnette
From:
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
|
Posted 5 Mar 2013 8:53 am
|
|
hey john... I hear you! i try not to overuse it as sometimes i'm guilty of not playing "lap-steel" but more so a "poor mans pedal steel" haha. But it's great when I'm too lazy to bring my pedal-steel to a rehearsal ,so I bring my lap-steel instead and can get by on making it sound like a pedal-steel so the band is happy and then I can easily go home and move it over to pedal-steel for the show since my lap-steel is tuned in E7th it's an easy switch to E9th. So it's best of both worlds. I'm trying to force myself to not "always" use the knee lever though as it's too tempting, I do bar slants instead and it gives a nice pedal-steel sound. I always often to behind the bar pulls with my finger which also gives a sweet pedal-steel sound. My telecaster has a B-Bender too ... i guess i'm obsessed with bending B strings
_________________
Thomas D10 | Linkon S10 | Modified ShoBud Maverick | YouTube --> Click Here! |
|
|
|
Jack Aldrich
From:
Washington, USA
|
Posted 5 Mar 2013 9:14 am
|
|
| Jordan Bissonnette wrote: |
| hey john... I hear you! i try not to overuse it as sometimes i'm guilty of not playing "lap-steel" but more so a "poor mans pedal steel" haha. But it's great when I'm too lazy to bring my pedal-steel to a rehearsal ,so I bring my lap-steel instead and can get by on making it sound like a pedal-steel so the band is happy and then I can easily go home and move it over to pedal-steel for the show since my lap-steel is tuned in E7th it's an easy switch to E9th. So it's best of both worlds. I'm trying to force myself to not "always" use the knee lever though as it's too tempting, I do bar slants instead and it gives a nice pedal-steel sound. I always often to behind the bar pulls with my finger which also gives a sweet pedal-steel sound. My telecaster has a B-Bender too ... i guess i'm obsessed with bending B strings |
Good point, Jordan. It would have been good to have palm pedals on my Dobro when I was playing full time, and my gigs were a month long. The ShoBud satyed at the gig, and I tried to work out songs on the Dobro. It didn't work well. I kind of get huffy abour folks who use string pullers and palm pedals - pedal steel, envy, I say! - Jack (not John - I can;t seem to ge my user name changed).
_________________
Jack Aldrich
Carter & ShoBud D10's
D8 & T8 Stringmaster
Rickenbacher B6
3 Resonator guitars
Asher Alan Akaka Special SN 6
Canopus D8 |
|
|
|
Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
|
Posted 5 Mar 2013 9:43 am
|
|
| Geoff Cline wrote: |
| I've been working with a vintage string bender on my lap steel for a while now. Its called a "Ring Finger®", its behind the bar, next to my pinky (which is also called a mute). |
That sounds interesting. Any pictures of it? |
|
|
|
J. Wilson
From:
Manitoba, Canada
|
Posted 5 Mar 2013 10:04 am
|
|
Hmmm... I have no guilt using the Duesy bender on my Melbert lap steel at all! It just makes the lap format more versatile. My other lap steels are in different tunings so in the long run all the guitars see equitable use.
_________________
If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On. -Shakespeare
___________________________________________
1941 Ric B6 / 1948 National Dynamic / 1951 Bronson Supro / Custom teak wood Allen Melbert / Tut Taylor Dobro / Gold Tone Dojo / Martin D15S / Eastman P10 |
|
|
|
chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
|
Posted 5 Mar 2013 10:16 am
|
|
dave wren's homebuilt custom deserves a picture here.
it is 'so' cool! knee lever and all. |
|
|
|
Peter Funk
From:
Germany
|
Posted 6 Mar 2013 2:30 am
|
|
My Choice: Gretsch Syncromatic tuned to Open-E with Duesenberg Multibender (raises the 2nd string from B to C# and the 3rd from G# to A):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt2OD2JZZ5I
It's fun!
Really had no difficulties to modify the guitar ... |
|
|
|
Keith Cary
From:
California, USA
|
Posted 7 Mar 2013 12:47 am Benders
|
|
| I tune in straight E tuning (E-B-E-G#-B-E) and have a knee lever for the B/C# and an "elbow lever" for the G#/A. It's all homemade, kinda farm fabricated from what I had around. I use the levers a lot. It took a lot of practice before it was natural and fit in with my lap steel playing. It's a double-neck, with a 7-string C6 (high G) neck, no benders. It's my main instrument and it gets used a lot on everything from country swing to blues to singer/songwriter backup. I don't think I can actually lift my pedal steel anymore. I know I don't want to. -- I'm at work on a new one, a double-8, again with benders on one neck. It'll be done soon. I'm really looking forward to a low Bb on the C6 (C13) neck and a C# (3rd string up from the bass) on the E neck. I'm also looking forward to having both pickups the same. I'm trying the new Dimarzio PAF 8-string pickups. --- Here's a fuzzy video of me playing it a couple of years ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgb3rc7Sjkw |
|
|
|
Keith Cary
From:
California, USA
|
Posted 16 Mar 2013 8:39 am b-bender, etc
|
|
| Dave Wren's lap steel with benders is inspiring! Thanks for posting, Chris. Does the knee do the B and the palm do the G#? Or does it have a different tuning? |
|
|
|
chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
|
|
|
|
Kenny Rolling
From:
Minnesota, USA
|
Posted 17 Mar 2013 7:03 pm
|
|
I just picked this Artisian six string lap steel up a week ago at a pawn shop for $55. I put 2 of my benders on it and the tuning I like the most so far is open E (E,B,E,G#,B,E)
I cobbled together a knee lever to pull the G# up to an A, and I have rigged the B to pull up a whole step to C#.
Here is a short clip of everything I know about lap steel after 5 days of self teaching.  I apologize for posting this beginner level of playing but the lap steel is just too much fun to resist showing it off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7ZHrQKmhVA |
|
|
|
