The Bends!!!

[Memory Lane Jr]

I'm trying to get through a Gilmour  solo & I am having a fair bit of trouble with some of the bends involved mainly the full step & step & a half at the 17th fret. I am fine bending elsewhere on the fretboard but frets close to the guitar body give me a hard time.
Any tips greatly appreciated 

[robert]

Eat lots of porridge every day, and dig into the strings hard...

If the action is too low, you may fret out. If the action is too high, it can be extra difficult controlling the string(s).

[NicolasA]

I used to think that guitarists made faces to express their feelings...

Naah, it's pure pain

Question the gauges you're using, too : the thicker, the harder to bend...

[DetroitBlues]

Many of those non-blues or drop tuning guitar players use ligher strings to achieve those bends you're trying to do....

[reb]

what's the radius of your fretboard, MLJ? if it has an older fender radius, like 7.5", it may be hard to make the bend 'stay' far enough across the board. flat boards are easier to bend, in other words.

[Memory Lane Jr]

Yeh more practise is the answer I guess, I think the problem is I have not done enough extreme bends at that part of the neck before now. reb both of my strats have 9.5 radius fretboards & Robert my USA Standard does fret out it needs a fret dress & setup.

DB I use 10-46 strings on my guitars, I did not like 9-42's.
Thanks for your input practise, practise & I will get there.

On another note I have been told that SRV had to superglue his fingernails to the quicks on his fingers from doing bends on the heavy strings he was using  13-58's, OUCH!!

EDIT.   I have just modified the angle of the three springs in the back cavity on my Strat from this ||| to this /|\  and that has lowered the string tension enough to make string bends so much easier. I guess you learn something new every day
 

[zagatron1]

I didn't know that, about spring configuration. I rarely use tremolo and my only guitar that has it, has all five springs installed and I use 11-49 strings.

[reb]

then there is eric clapton, who reportedly put a block of wood between his trem block and the body on his strat...i don't get along with standard strat trems....i'm not sure i would get along well with a floyd rose, for that matter. i simply have given up on trems....