Best set-up/string spacing for behind-the-bar bends?

[Matt Schaaf]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new member and would appreciate your help with a lap steel project.

I'm building a 10 string and behind-the-bar bends are a big part of my playing. When bending a string a whole step while simultaneously playing the string below it, I often run out of space and wind up bending the lower string sharp. So I'm planning to space the strings at 13/32" or even 14/32" to avoid this problem.

Does anyone have any experience/advice with extra wide string spacing?

Also, I'm wondering if scale length, string tension or string thickness has anything to do with how far a string needs to travel in order to achieve a whole step bend? I'm looking to get a whole step bend with the least amount of string movement.

Will I find a pickup that will accommodate this wide spacing?

Hope my questions are clear. Thanks in advance for your input.

[Stefan Robertson]

I believe billy Robinson likes his spacing quite wide thus uses a 12 string distance between his top and bottom string but then sets out his spacing using only 10 strings. So it's wider.

I prefer a tight spacing on mine actually and only use half step bends. Any whole step stuff I just slant the bar.

[Matt Schaaf]

Thanks, Stefan. In other SGF threads on string spacing, some folks have said their pedal steel 12 string spacing is 3 26/32" at the changer, so if I follow Billy Robinson I divide by 9 (the number of spaces between 10 strings) and get 27/64", or somewhere between 13/32 and 14/32". Which confirms the direction I'm going.

I see what you're saying about slants for whole steps, but also like to play a full chord while bending the 2nd of the chord up to a third for a pedal steel-esque sound.

Any other love for string-bending behind the bar out there?