Bending on second string already tuned up to C

Hey all,

I'm thinking of buying a Higgins Peg Bender to install on one of my acoustic guitars that I have tuned to Open C (CGCGCE). I think the inclusion of the bender would sound awesome in the stuff I play in that tuning, but I'm concerned about pulling that string after it has already been tuned up from B to C. A full extension with the peg bender would take it to a D, rather than C#.

Do you guys think this would be manageable? Or am I just asking for that second string to snap?

Try it. If it breaks, you'll probably need a lighter gauge string.

I use open C a lot, in fact I just bought a Melody Maker so that I could have a guitar specifically dedicated to that tuning.

I can't say if it would break or not, but I can say that it wouldn't be a whole lot more tension than simply bending the string that much with your fingers up a whole tone, would it? I don't see how it could be.

But there are a lot of other reasons a string might break in that way, so I'd probably look into some Graphtech saddles and make sure the nut is very lubricated, things like that. There are things that should be able to help you out a lot.

Sorry! I can't say what would happen... people who use open C are unusual enough, and so are folks who use benders... you are a pretty rare breed, my friend! Let us know how it happens for you, and post some examples when you can. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice, guys. I'm going to make the purchase anyway, and if it doesn't work out with Open C then I can certainly employ the bender in standard tuning, or Open D and G.

It's funny you note how this might make me a rare breed, Larry--I'm thinking that by combining some bender licks with some melodic Open C stuff, I'll be able to produce some sounds that haven't been done before. We'll see what happens.

Again, thanks for the input.