Bowden Adapter for Bigsby B-5 and others with the B-5 base

BOWDEN BENDER ADAPTER FOR BIGSBY B-5

 $300.00  SHOP

This bender does not disengage the other 5 strings from your Tremolo.

If you have a Bigsby B-5 Tremolo or a Bigsby Tremolo that uses the B-5 base bolt pattern (six of their 13 models use that bolt pattern so you may have to go to a music store to determine which models use the B-5 base) then this is the bender to order. 

*When you order you must choose the option of "Right handed" or Left handed." 

You can also order a double by choosing that option.

**Contact bowdenbenders@gmail.com  when you place your order for a single Bowden Adapter for Bigsby B-5, and let us know the placement - B or G string. 

Mounting instructions below.

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Mounting Instructions for Single and Double Bigsby Adapter

1.) Remove the two front mounting screws from your Bigsby.

2.) Place the Adapter of the Bowden Benders directly over the empty holes of the Bigsby and, using the two long wood screws provided, tighten the adapter down to the base.

3.) Using the enclosed Teflon tubing, slide one of the 1-1/2” pieces over each string all the way back toward the string ball and position the tubing under the front roller of the Bigsby. This keeps the string from applying friction to the tremolo roller. Place the string ball on the top pin at the rear of the bender. NOTE: You may want to choose the option of using a small piece of the extra enclosed tubing where the string crosses the bridge, especially if you feel any friction there. If so, it’s best to put it on immediately after you put on the long piece. Or you can just undo the string and slide it down.

4.) An electronic tuner is helpful in this next step. Now tighten strings to pitch making sure the string stays wrapped in the groove at the end of the bender handle. Stretch each string several times until it stays in tune after a stretch. Flip the Adjustment Screw Lock out in a clockwise direction (looking down on it) to adjust the pitch “travel” of the Bender Handle. With the string in tune, turn the Adjustment Screw until the handle, when depressed all the way down, raises the pitch of the string to the desired pitch, usually one whole tone. Alternately release the Bender Handle, adjust the Screw, and depress the Handle to check pitch until you have reached the desired pitch. Holding the Bender Handle down while adjusting the screw will not always get you to the desired pitch. Once you have attained the desired pitch, hold the Adjustment Screw in place and tuck the Adjustment Screw Lock back under the Bender Handle, locking the Adjustment Screw. 

5.) Now that you have properly mounted the Bender and adjusted the pitch, you should have trouble free string bending indefinitely. Over 40 years of use by the inventor has proven that the original Bowden B Bender does not often break strings. On this new design, if you have a problem with string breakage, make a note of where the string broke and advise www.bowdenbbenders.com or call 903-814-1482. If the break is not at the bender, you may need to look for a burr on the bridge saddle or a bind in the guitar nut or elsewhere and take the proper action to remove it with sandpaper or a small file. 

6.) ALSO NOTE: When changing strings, if you use a different gauge than the previous string, you will have to readjust the Adjustment Screw, as different gauges require different “travel” of the Bender Handle, the heavier the gauge, the less “travel” and vice versa.

7.) ADDITIONAL TIPS: An occasional drop of lubricant on the guitar’s nut, the Saddle and the Hinge Pin at the rear of the Bender Handle should be all the maintenance required to keep the Bender working perfectly. You will notice a piece of fuzzy material at the rear of the Bender Handle where it comes to rest against the Handle Adj. Biscuit. This serves to dampen any clicking sound when releasing the Bender. If this material should deteriorate or come off, it is simply the “loop side” of self-adhesive Velcro and can be replaced by cutting a small piece to replace it, available at most hardware or fabric stores. A small pad of the same material can also be used to replace the little round “landing pad” where the Adjustment Screw touches down, should it become damaged or come off. The rubber tip on the Adjustment Screw is optional and a backup if the pad should be lost.

8.) NOTE: There should be a little sideways movement of the Bender Handle in the body of the Handle Assembly to assure that the Handle is not too tight. Without a string in place, the Bender Handle should easily flop down into its “depressed” position. If the Bender Handle is too tight, simply take a small screw driver, ice pick, your Allen wrench or other suitable device to spread the rear of the Handle Assembly slightly apart to allow the Bender Handle to move up and down freely with no binding. 

9.) CASE STORAGE: By lightly loosening the string and pulling the handle back out of the Chevron Joint, you can lay the bender over on its side for fitting into tight cases.

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