Ah, you're gonna work me t'death here, walters! :wink: (Jus' razzin' ya!)
As far as I know, Clarence White and (Steve?) Parsons invented the first mechanical string-bending device for standard "spanish" electric guitar. Clarence White used it to great effect with the Byrds. Fender has had at least one production model Telecaster that came with one already installed.
There are actually quite a number of different B-bender type units on the market, some require a seriously invasive amount of routing and drilling to install, some are quite simple. Palm or hip levers, pull-strings or mechanisms that attach to the strap or strap-button, etc. are used. Prices vary widely.
:idea: (The Epiphone EZ-Bender is an inexpensive 'bender (around $30 from MusicYo or whatever they're called) that easily fits on guitars with Gibson-style stop-bar tailpieces and Tune-o-Matic bridges; it may almost be worth the price even if you're not going to put it on a guitar just for the video of examples that comes with it... )
You can generally put one on any string that you please, but the most common place in Standard-Tuning is the 2nd-string, hence the name. The 3rd-string is another good place for one.
It will mechanically raise the pitch of the string by whatever amount you preset it to, within its limits; a half-step or whole-step being the usual.
Any licks or phrases where you might bend a string up while holding another string's note at the same time, can be used along with other string's chord-tones to emulate a pedal-steel. That way, you can play a chord- fretted or with a slide- using as many as six strings, and bend one note up and down within the chord, a lot like a pedal-steel player would.
With just one 'bender on the 2nd or 3rd string, you can go from minor to Major, Major to Sus4, raise the root for an added9, things like that.
Another really cool and exceedingly musical use is being able to outline and reinforce melodies within the context of a chord.
You can also combine hammer-ons on some strings with the bent note and notes on other strings to play flashy licks where one chord switches to being another chord and back like lightning. For example, noodling around and throwing in a major triad on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings (the "D-shaped" chord), then hammer-on the 1st-string up by one fret and bending the 2nd-string up a whole-step with the 'bender, while the other string(s) are still ringing in place; then pull-off and release the bender at the same time to return to the original chord. If you did this at the 2nd-fret "D", you'd be going from D to G and back to D in a flash, with that squirrelly bent-note in the middle of it all. Sounds like a cross between guitar, piano, and pedal steel!
:idea: And... you can do that exact same chordal lick moved over to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strings with a slide in Open-D tuning, if you have a 'bender on the 2nd-string set for a half-step bend, and another on the 3rd-string set for a whole-step bend... I know, I've done just that! It's entirely too cool for rootsy-bluesy-rock 'n' roll guitar licks and riffs...
pedal steel guitars: yes they have pedals and knee levers. depending on the model and year...PSG's have no pedals...but usually three (basic models).
the pedals raise one or two strings an interval. the knee levers can raise or lower a string or string pair.
for example. I bar the third fret; that's G major. if I push the two left pedals down the chord is raised to a C.
if I push down the two left pedals the chord becomes Aminor...same postion...no bar movement. if I use the left knee lever (right) I lower two strings and get a B minor...same bar postion.
if I push down only the first peal I get an E minor.
way cool.
around those chords are classic cowboy licks.
pedal steel guitar and lap steel are all about two or three note harmonies.
and then one can break all the rules.
a classic sound from pedal steel comes from switching pedals over a chord.
the strings are sounding as they raise or lower.
going from Am to C is one of them. another is G to C and back...a standard closer for western songs.
this is a simplified explanation. I am new at this.
"...way cool.
...around those chords are classic cowboy licks.
pedal steel guitar and lap steel are all about two or three note harmonies.
and then one can break all the rules.
a classic sound from pedal steel comes from switching pedals over a chord.
the strings are sounding as they raise or lower.
going from Am to C is one of them.
another is G to C and back...a standard closer for western songs.
this is a simplified explanation. I am new at this.
Yes! 8)
Yeah, and that's the key- and corner-stone for the whole "Keef" Keith Richards/Rolling Stones guitar in Open-G style and sound, too!
Listen to some classic 'Stones songs, AND some classic pedal-steel country, to build up your ear's point of referece; you'll begin to pick this sound out left and right.
I used to have three 'benders on my P-90 single-coil equipped Les Paul, tuned to Open-D.
I put them on the 2nd/"High A"-string (set to go up a whole-step), the 3rd/"F#"-string (to go up a half-step), and the 5th/"Low A"-string (to go up a whole-step).
I could use them separately or together in any combination, and if I paid attention to what I was doing I could press part-way to get smaller bends.
With a slide, I could use them to do exactly that kind of "G to C and back"-cadence move. How and when and where I did so, determined whether it sounded country, blues, or rock 'n' roll, same basic moves! Throw in some volume-swells... 8) !!
Ive never used the device you have. does it wreak havoc on the strings? do you need special gauges or just have at it?
Richards has been another Fav guitarist. alot of his licks are based on historical genres. not only country bends but the blues guys (note for note sometimes) from Chicago's Chess Records.
once he moved to open tuning he sort of left the chicago blues licks behind...er...somewhat.
Im gong to see the Stones in Sept. got nice seats.
The Epiphone EZ Benders that I used fit on the stop-bar tailpiece of my Les Paul. They're levers with rollers, where the ball-end of the string fits onto a small pin. You preset the amount of pitch-change with a set-screw, depress the lever, and it pulls the string to raise its pitch.
There were good points, and bad points, about them; although they didn't do any thing harmful to the strings that I ever noticed.
I took them off, because you could keep them in tune just fine if you only bent those given strings with the EZ Benders, -OR- if you only bent them on the fretboard with your fingers ("normal/BB King style"),
-BUT-
-if you wanted to be able to bend either and both ways, they wouldn't stay in tune right.
I never did get around that; and, I had to raise the tailpiece up too high to accomodate those strings with the EZ Benders, so that the other three strings didn't have enough breaking-angle for down-pressure at the bridge, especially the 6th/"Low D"-string... this was partially due to my guitar's fatter Gibson "Nashville" bridge.
If you only played slide, they'd work like a charm!
The gauges I used were what I had already picked for Open-D tuning on that particular 24 & 3/4" scale guitar; DR "Custom Pure Blues" sets, .012" - .015" - .024" - .028"(w) - .038" - .052" gauges.
Pretty much any gauges that you'd use would work with the EZ 'Benders, as long as they'd fit through the hardware. The range of pitch-bending is set by a set-screw that stops the lever where ever you set it to along its travel.
:idea: :arrow: I posted several sort of reviews, with pics and all, on the Guitar Player Forum (link), including an up-date about my eventual dissatisfaction and tuning-problems. Go and do a search there for 'em if you like; if you have trouble finding them and still want to see them, let me know, I'll dig 'em up and post them or their links here, too.
And be sure to let me know about any 'bender devices that you try out, as well!
thanks for the in depth reply. I will be sticking to my finger bends. although I use different tunings, something like that could work.
I do like the fact that I have an instrument for each of the tunings I use.
GAS has been good.
one lap steel is open G
another C6/A7
pedal steel is E9
acoustic is standard for now, but had been DADGAD
same with my strat and tele.
