String bending (low action)

[blackpuppets]

Hi,

I just recently got myself a JEM7VWH and I must say this guitar is amazing, so comfortable and easy to play. Looks great too.

However one thing I noticed is that string bending is very difficult especially on the G string. It's like when I bend upwards (away from the B string), I really gotta do a HUGE bend in order to go a full-step up. This was not the case with my old Squier Stratocaster where I only had to apply a slight upward push to achieve a full-step bend. Also, while bending the G string, the adjacent D string gets in the way and sometimes gets fretted as well causing unintentional notes to sound thru the amp.

I thought maybe all of this has something to do with the pretty low action of my JEM. My Squier has a pretty high action and doesn't have this problem.

Advices and opinions are greatly appreciated.

[blackpuppets]

Forgot to mention something else. Is it normal for the pick (if you're using one) to hit the pickups? I tend to strike the edge of my neck pickup when I'm strumming. Could it be due to the pickups being set too high or the string action being too low or both?

[mi2tom]

Hello there Blackpuppet Nice to hear that you've received your guitar in one piece... Actually I don't really know how to set up a guitar without seeing it .... Main purpose is I wish to congratulate you on your Jem7V .... Mine is coming soon ... Yay And I nearly went to Brunei the other day when I was in Sabah... (I didn't bring my passport...) Anyway I hope these great Jemsiters here will help you...

[ryanb]

Your bending concerns are probably just the result of the floating bridge. When you bend, the bridge pulls up ... so you have to bend even further.

[sniperfrommars1]

Well lower action in fact makes bending harder, thats why i set my action fairly high. My rule of thumb is i need to be able to pull any note on the fretboard all the way up with the bar and i stick with that and dont have problems and have the nice clean tone that high action gives me as well..

[blackpuppets]

Originally Posted by ryanb

Your bending concerns are probably just the result of the floating bridge. When you bend, the bridge pulls up ... so you have to bend even further.

That makes sense to me, never thought of that before. So, how do I overcome the bending problem? Will raising the action help?

[krizz]

Originally Posted by blackpuppets

That makes sense to me, never thought of that before. So, how do I overcome the bending problem? Will raising the action help?

Just bend harder, you have to get used to it. I don't see how raising the action will contribute to an easier bend, it's the floating bridge that causes the problem.

A floating bridge is big fun but it also brings some disadvantages, such as having to bend strings harder and I sometimes hate to tune it (it stays in tune *very* well though).

[brothersnowgone]

Raising the action will make bending easier in terms of grip, the higher the action the better grip you'll get on the string. It won't change how much or how hard you have bend the string though.

[blackpuppets]

Hi all,
Thanks for the responses so far. I think I will raise the action just a bit during the next re-stringing session. I agree, I do find that string bending on the JEM is in fact slightly harder (not much) in terms of grip compared to my old strat. But like you guys said, I guess this is normal with floating bridges, so I'll just have to bend harder next time. But won't this cause the strings to wear out and break faster???

[timi_h]

i was surprised at how quick strings wear out on a floater compared to the strat style trems i had been using up to now, just another niggle to get used to from floating trems!

[themaidenmaniac]

Im really big on this. I even had a article published in a guitar mag about it.
High action = easier bends. low action = harder bends. So, i think you're doing right by raising your action bro

Oh for the record, ive experienced no difference between the floating and non float bridges.

[frankfalbo]

Your experiences aside, of course there's a difference. And do you all realize that if you leave the nut unlocked, you have to bend even farther to get the same pitch change? It's because the string stretches with you behind the nut. So to compensate for the extra bending required with a floating bridge, make sure the lock nut is locked. It's possible that a hardtail and a regular nut with a long headstock travel to the strings is not much different than a floating bridge with the nut locked. On the first, the string is stretching behind the nut, while on the second, the trem springs are stretching a the other end.

[themaidenmaniac]

Originally Posted by frankfalbo

Your experiences aside, of course there's a difference. And do you all realize that if you leave the nut unlocked, you have to bend even farther to get the same pitch change? It's because the string stretches with you behind the nut. So to compensate for the extra bending required with a floating bridge, make sure the lock nut is locked. It's possible that a hardtail and a regular nut with a long headstock travel to the strings is not much different than a floating bridge with the nut locked. On the first, the string is stretching behind the nut, while on the second, the trem springs are stretching a the other end.

Interesting!