ChordBender Videos and Tutorials
- ChordBender Intro
- Why ChordBender Works
- ChordBender accurately bends chords
- This "Double Locking" Whammy Won't Bend Chords
- This "Surf Music" Whammy Won't Bend Chords
ChordBender Intro
Seeing (and hearing) is believing! Check out 10 cool new things other guitars can't do.
Why ChordBender Works
Other whammies release all strings by roughly the same amount. This shows ChordBender releasing drastically different amounts of string (so they will release the same amount of pitch). The roller saddles rotate as string is released and they all have the same radius so the angles are proportional to the amount of string released.
A whammy will accurately bend chords only if all strings change pitch by the same amount. We used a digital tuner and a way to stop each whammy's action at specific amounts of usage. We then noted pitch changes using a tuner calibrated in units of 1/10 of a half step. These videos are brief & you will probably have no problem understanding them. If you want to verify results, each can be paused. Jot down the pitches. If the pitch is to the left of center the note is flat & we used the following convention: if it was 3 boxes left for A# we called this A.7 (7/10 above A). Then at the end of the video pause and review our summary.
ChordBender accurately bends chords
Hear & see digitally that all strings change pitch by the same amount using a ChordBender.
This "Double Locking" Whammy Won't Bend Chords
Some strings change pitch 4 times as much as others using these whammies.
This "Surf Music" Whammy Won't Bend Chords
Some strings change pitch 5 times as much as others using these whammies.
We did not have a guitar with an old-school whammy that has been made since the 1950s & is still popular as sort of a rockabilly standard for hollow-body guitars (big flat handle, name on it boldly usually on a large black background, from 50s). We did however test one in a store and some strings change pitch 3 times as much as others using these whammies (& therefore it won’t accurately bend chords)