JC Dorval B Bender T Style Guitar, 2000 (No Longer Available)

This JC Dorval B Bender T Style guitar was built in 2000 in Quebec, Canada and features a Parsons-White B Bender with the Long Stroke option!

We don’t have much information about the builder of this JC Dorval B Bender Tele-style guitar, but it would have been shipped to Gene Parsons for installation of the B-Bender mechanism – the installation is somewhat complex. The body appears to use an Ash core, with Zebrawood for the top and back. The neck is Maple, five pieces lengthwise plus a separate Maple fingerboard, allowing the truss rod to be mounted from the ‘front’ of the neck.

For hardware, a set of sealed tuners are at the head, and a modern Fender-Telecaster style six-saddle bridge at the body. The rear lip of the bridge has been slotted to allow for the B string to pass from the bender unit to the saddle. For pickups, a standard tele set has been used, with a Strat pickup in the middle position – this is sometimes called a ‘Nashville’ setup. There is a 5-way switch plus a small toggle to allow for the two missing positions – all three pickups on, or just the outside pair.

But what really makes this JC Dorval B-Bender guitar is -the B Bender. This device was invented in 1968 by the late Clarence White and Gene Parsons. Capable of bending the B string up a full tone, it is triggered by pushing down on the neck. The upper strap button is attached to the start of the lever mechanism, ultimately rotating the button seen behind the bridge on the guitar top. Removing pressure on the neck allows the pitch to drop back. The pedal – steel effect produced is unmistakable. It’s been used on many recordings, performances and sessions, not just in a country context. It appears on some Led Zeppelin recordings, and of course ‘Sweet Little Lisa’ by Dave Edmunds featuring Albert Lee.

This guitar is in overall good condition, plays well and is one of the few ways to easily get a B-Bender guitar!

This JC Dorval B Bender tele is sold with what may have been its original hard shell case.