Fender Nashville B-Bender Telecaster
Encyclopedia
The Fender Nashville B-Bender Telecaster is an American Standard series electric guitar
made by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. This guitar is a Fender Telecaster
with the addition of a factory-installed B-string bender device
. The device raises the pitch of the second (B) string by one whole tone (two frets) to C-sharp. The bend is activated by a one-inch downward pull on the guitar neck, allowing the player to emulate pedal steel
sounds and play complex country
bends. The Nashville B-Bender Telecaster was introduced in 1996 with major design changes in 1998 and 2000.
and guitarist Clarence White
to fit White's Fender Telecaster. The original Parsons/White Stringbender was licensed to Leo Fender
in 1968, but he never put it into production. Parsons continued to build and install the device himself, and sold several hundred to the Japanese instrument company Tokai Gakki for installation in their guitars. In the late 1980s, Parsons and business partner Meridian Green
approached Fender again and met with luthier
Fred Stuart at the new California Fender Custom Shop
. Stuart and the Custom Shop eventually produced about 200 Clarence White model Telecasters equipped with the Parsons/White Stringbender, plus Scruggs tuners on both E strings. Based on this success, Fender decided to mass-produce a similar model. Parsons and Green redesigned the B-bender device for simpler installation and licensed it to Fender as the Parsons/Green B-Bender. The first Fender Nashville B-Bender Telecaster was manufactured in 1996.
wood with a 1952-style sharp radius, a 1-piece maple neck and maple fretboard with rolled edges, 25.5 inch (648 mm) scale with 22 medium-jumbo frets, die-cast tuners
and a 3-ply pickguard
. The bridge was an American Telecaster series through-the-body model with 6 individually adjustable stainless steel saddles. The Parsons/Green B-Bender device was factory-installed in the routed-out back of the guitar and covered by a chrome plate. This model was available finished in Candy Apple Red, Black, Vintage White or Brown Sunburst, and was made in the United States.
layout. The neck and bridge pickups were replaced with the hotter Delta Tone pickup system and the new middle pickup was the same "Texas Special" overwound single-coil pickup used in the Stevie Ray Vaughan
model Stratocaster. The third pickup required a new selector switch, so a 5-way "Strat-o-Tele" selector with an S-1 switching system was added. All other features remained the same as the 1996 model.
staggered tuning machines, a new neck shape with rolled edges and a 4-ply white pearloid pickguard. The body was changed from alder to poplar, and the finishes were limited to Black and 3-color Sunburst. Other features remained the same as the 1998 Hot Rodded model. Fender has since stopped making the American Nashville series although a limited number can still be found for purchase.
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
made by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. This guitar is a Fender Telecaster
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
with the addition of a factory-installed B-string bender device
B-Bender
B-Bender is a guitar accessory that enables a player to mechanically bend the B-string up a whole tone to C-sharp. There are several different designs, but all use levers or pulleys inside or outside the guitar body that are activated by a pull or push of the guitar neck, body, or bridge...
. The device raises the pitch of the second (B) string by one whole tone (two frets) to C-sharp. The bend is activated by a one-inch downward pull on the guitar neck, allowing the player to emulate pedal steel
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
sounds and play complex country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
bends. The Nashville B-Bender Telecaster was introduced in 1996 with major design changes in 1998 and 2000.
Origin
The B-Bender device was invented in 1967 by drummer and machinist Gene ParsonsGene Parsons
Gene Victor Parsons is an American drummer, banjo player, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and innovative engineer, best known for his work with The Byrds from 1968 to 1972. Parsons has also released solo albums and played in bands including Nashville West, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Parsons Green...
and guitarist Clarence White
Clarence White
Clarence White was a guitar player for Nashville West, The Byrds, Muleskinner, and the Kentucky Colonels. His parents were Acadians from New Brunswick, Canada...
to fit White's Fender Telecaster. The original Parsons/White Stringbender was licensed to Leo Fender
Leo Fender
Clarence Leonidas "Leo" Fender was an American inventor who founded Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company, or "Fender" for short...
in 1968, but he never put it into production. Parsons continued to build and install the device himself, and sold several hundred to the Japanese instrument company Tokai Gakki for installation in their guitars. In the late 1980s, Parsons and business partner Meridian Green
Meridian Green
Meridan Green is a California-based folk musician, and one half of Parsons Green, a collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Gene Parsons, former drummer with The Byrds.-History:...
approached Fender again and met with luthier
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
Fred Stuart at the new California Fender Custom Shop
Fender Custom Shop
The Fender Custom Shop is a division of Fender Musical Instruments, housed within their headquarters complex in Corona, Riverside County, California. The Fender Custom Shop primarily exists to compete with smaller companies and independent luthiers that, in turn, build products reminiscent of those...
. Stuart and the Custom Shop eventually produced about 200 Clarence White model Telecasters equipped with the Parsons/White Stringbender, plus Scruggs tuners on both E strings. Based on this success, Fender decided to mass-produce a similar model. Parsons and Green redesigned the B-bender device for simpler installation and licensed it to Fender as the Parsons/Green B-Bender. The first Fender Nashville B-Bender Telecaster was manufactured in 1996.
1996 American Standard model
The first production model was called the American Standard B-Bender Telecaster. This guitar included two American Standard pickups and a 3-way selector switch. The guitar body was solid alderAlder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
wood with a 1952-style sharp radius, a 1-piece maple neck and maple fretboard with rolled edges, 25.5 inch (648 mm) scale with 22 medium-jumbo frets, die-cast tuners
Machine head
A machine head is part of a string instrument ranging from guitars to double basses, a geared apparatus for applying tension and thereby tuning a string, usually located at the headstock. A headstock has several machine heads, one per string...
and a 3-ply pickguard
Pickguard
A pickguard is a piece of plastic or other laminated material that is placed under the strings on the body of a guitar, mandolin or similar plucked string instrument...
. The bridge was an American Telecaster series through-the-body model with 6 individually adjustable stainless steel saddles. The Parsons/Green B-Bender device was factory-installed in the routed-out back of the guitar and covered by a chrome plate. This model was available finished in Candy Apple Red, Black, Vintage White or Brown Sunburst, and was made in the United States.
1998 Hot Rodded American model
In the fall of 1998, the two-pickup system was replaced by a three-pickup configuration similar to the StratocasterFender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
layout. The neck and bridge pickups were replaced with the hotter Delta Tone pickup system and the new middle pickup was the same "Texas Special" overwound single-coil pickup used in the Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...
model Stratocaster. The third pickup required a new selector switch, so a 5-way "Strat-o-Tele" selector with an S-1 switching system was added. All other features remained the same as the 1996 model.
2000 American Nashville model
Introduced in June 2000, the redesigned American Series model added SchallerSchaller Guitarenparts
Schaller Electronic GmbH, generally known as Schaller, is a high-end German manufacturer of components for musical instruments, most famous for their fully enclosed machine heads which are standard on many top-of-the-line guitars and available as an extra cost option on many others.The company was...
staggered tuning machines, a new neck shape with rolled edges and a 4-ply white pearloid pickguard. The body was changed from alder to poplar, and the finishes were limited to Black and 3-color Sunburst. Other features remained the same as the 1998 Hot Rodded model. Fender has since stopped making the American Nashville series although a limited number can still be found for purchase.