Certano T Bender

The Certano T-Bender replacement bridge promises to turn your favorite Telecaster into a B-Bender (and G-Bender) Tele in a simple drop-in replacement that practically anyone can install. And if you had to Google "B-Bender Tele" just now, you're not alone—the original B-Bender mechanism was embraced by professional country players and, well, practically no one else. But with the simplicity of the Certano T-Bender, it appears this sweet and expressive sound is now available to any player with a Telecaster. Our No Fear Gear team grabbed a Tele, installed the Certano T-Bender, and put it to the test. Here's what we learned.

What is the Certano T-Bender Replacement Bridge?

The Certano T-Bender is a drop-in replacement bridge for Telecaster guitars and allows you to bend the B and G strings independently of the other strings to create pedal-steel-style note bends. Unlike a typical tremolo bridge, the T-Bender bends your pitch up, not down. You have full control over the interval of the bend, so you can set it to bend up a half step, a whole step, or something else.

Until the Certano T-Bender, the only way to achieve this type of sound was with a genuine B-Bender Telecaster. The real-deal B-Bender mechanism requires routing out a significant portion of the Telecaster body and installing a complicated mechanism attached to the strap pin. To actually use the B-Bender, you pull the guitar down toward the floor as you're playing, causing your guitar strap to pull the mechanism and bend your strings.

In other words, the Certano T-Bender gives you the authentic sound of a B-Bender Tele, but with simple installation and a more intuitive way to use it.

How Does the Certano T-Bender Bridge Work?

In essence, the Certano T-Bender bridge works in a similar fashion to typical vibrato bridges, just in reverse. The mechanisms on the G and B strings tighten the strings instead of loosening them. Unlike a typical vibrato bridge, your other strings will not go out of tune when you bend your G or B string.

On the Certano T-Bender, you'll find adjustment screws to fine-tune the amount of pitch change for the G and B strings. Most players will find a half-step or a whole-step to be ideal starting points. The Certano T-Bender is designed so that you can easily position the handles out of the way when you don't wish to use them, or use only one of them.

See and hear the Certano T-Bender in action in our No Fear Gear demo video!

How Easy Is the Certano T-Bender to Install?

It's amazingly easy to install the Certano T-Bender into your Telecaster—all you need is a screwdriver. The Certano T-Bender is designed to fit four-screw Telecaster bridges. Remove the four bridge screws, then remove the screws securing the pickup and take off the old bridge.

Drop in the Certano T-Bender, re-secure the pickup, and use the original four screws to secure the bridge to your Telecaster. Done.

Tuning your Telecaster with the Certano T-Bender is the same as without it—just tune it up. The only adjustment you'll want to make is the amount of pitch change. On the T-Bender, you'll find adjustment screws to fine-tune the amount of pitch change for the B and G strings. You don't need a wrench or any tools—you can adjust them with your fingers. Once you've tuned up and dialed in your desired pitch bend, there's nothing else you need to mess with.

Check out our No Fear Gear demo to see just how simple it is to install the Certano T-Bender.

What's It Like to Play with the Certano T-Bender?

In a word, expressive! It’s very similar to using a typical whammy bar, without the tuning stability issues of a traditional vibrato bridge. You can keep one bar out of the way and only bend your B or G string, or position them to bend both strings simultaneously. In our No Fear Gear testing, it was clear that there’s a ton of unique expressive potential with the Certano T-Bender.

"I could see my setting getting lost for a whole weekend!" — Jay Leonard J

As we put the Certano T-Bender through its paces, it became clear that there really isn’t anything else like it on the market. A real B-bender Tele is expensive, requires additional maintenance, and is generally out of reach for anyone besides a professional country music player. You can get similar sounds from a pedal steel guitar, but you wouldn’t be playing your favorite Telecaster anymore. The Certano T-Bender gives you a unique way to add highlights and expression to your playing, and doesn’t require you to change your playing style much at all.

See the Certano T-Bender light the fires of inspiration within Jay Leonard J in our demo video.

Tips for Using the Certano T-Bender

Creatively speaking, we're in uncharted territory with the Certano T-Bender. Nothing else really does what it does, and how you use it in your music is entirely up to you.

Here are a few tips to get the best experience from your Telecaster.

1. Before removing your original bridge, make a note of your bridge pickup height (the distance between the top of the pickup and the strings). Pickup height plays a huge role in your guitar's tone, so keeping it consistent will help preserve your sound after installation.
2. Break in your strings. After installing new strings, stretch them gently and retune several times until they stabilize. Since the T-Bender manipulates string pitch even further, properly stretched strings will return to pitch more accurately.
3. Practice using the mechanism. Just like learning to use a vibrato bar, the T-Bender takes a little time to become second nature. Build your muscle memory and you'll soon be adding smooth, expressive bends naturally.

Turn Your Old Tele into a New Guitar with the Certano T-Bender

It isn't very often that something truly new comes around in the world of electric guitars. The Telecaster is the perfect example—one of the very first electric guitars ever created is still the guitar of choice for countless players. The Certano T-Bender is truly unique and gives you the iconic sound of a B-Bender or G-Bender Telecaster at a fraction of the cost.

There's a reason the B-Bender sound is so closely tied to classic country music—they were the ones willing to find the magic in that specific sound. Now, with the Certano T-Bender, any guitarist can explore that creative soundscape. What will the Certano T-Bender do for modern music styles? Put the Certano T-Bender on your Telecaster and show us—the world is waiting to hear!

Here's the thing, I have a Telecaster I listed on Craigslist a week or two ago. The moment this video is done, I need to rush to take that listing down because I'm totally going to buy one of these now. — Ryan Burke