B-Bender

B-Bender is a guitar accessory that enables a player to mechanically bend the B-string up a whole tone (two frets) 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 resulting tone sounds much like a pedal steel guitar and contributes a "country" feeling. Originally designed for the Fender Telecaster, B-Benders are now available to fit many solid body electric guitars, and even acoustic guitars.

History

The B-Bender was invented in 1967 by musicians Gene Parsons and Clarence White of Nashville West and The Byrds. The device was originally called the Parsons/White Pull-String, later renamed the StringBender, and is now best known as the B-Bender. Early prototypes developed by Parsons (a machinist as well as a drummer) included multiple bending devices for the E, B, G and D strings, but guitarist White decided he preferred a single B string bender in the final design. The B string is bent up a full tone by pulling the guitar neck down. This puts pressure on the strap, which is attached to a spring-loaded lever at the base of the neck. The lever arm passes through the body of the guitar and is connected to the B string behind the bridge (Figure A). White's 1956 Telecaster with the original Pull-String is now owned and regularly played by Marty Stuart.

Bender

Bender may refer to:

Places

People

Fiction

Objects

Bender (surname)

The surname Bender derives from both British and German origin. In England, it derives from old Benden or Benbow. In Germany, it is a form of Fassbinder (Cooper). It is an occupational name in both English and German forms.

Art, music, film, television and radio

Bender (Futurama)

Bender Bending Rodríguez, commonly known as Bender, is a main character in the animated television series Futurama. Designated in-universe as Bending Unit 22, unit number 1,729, serial number 2716057, he was created by series creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, and is voiced by John DiMaggio. He fulfills a comic, antihero-type role in Futurama and is described by fellow character Leela as an "alcoholic, whore-mongering, chain-smoking gambler".

According to the character's back story, Bender was built in Mexico (the other characters refer to his "swarthy Latin charm"). Viewers are informed, through his own testimony, of Bender's prejudice against non-robots: His dialogue often contains anti-human expressions such as "kill all humans". Exceptions who are not subject to Bender's prejudicial attitude are those individuals on his "Do Not Kill" list, which seems to comprise only his best friend Fry and his colleague Hermes (Hermes is added after the episode "Lethal Inspection"). However, Bender is also occasionally portrayed as possessing a sympathetic side, suggesting that he is not as belligerent as he claims, a view often echoed by his friends.