Question about string action

[rob's strat]

Hi all. I've got a question and since I've only been "playing" for 6 years or so (never out, bedroom only), I'm hoping some more experienced players can assist me.

I've tried adjusting my string height/action per the general guidelines put out by Fender and it just seems too high for my liking. I watch vids of my guitar heroes and it always appears as if their strings are literally a hair's width off the fretboard. My action has me having to strangle the fb/neck to finger the notes, or so it seems.

I enjoy playing blues licks with some bending, and it seems that when the action is high, the string being bent goes under the string above/below it, causing the non-bent string to ring out (unintentionally). Of course, my experience with low action is that I bend the string and it "bangs" into the next nearest string, making it difficult to bend fully. I'm aware that my amateurish playing is probably the culprit but I'd love to be able to have low action and still be able to bend.

My question for the forum is, does low action truly impede your bending abilities? How should proper bending be done? Should the string being bent go under the adjacent string or should it naturally "hit" the adjacent string? How do you arrive at a happy medium between low enough action that you don't have to strangle the neck/fb but high enough that bending is easier? By the way, my only electric is an 08 'MIA Std Strat with maple fb that I absolutely love, and I use 9 gauge strings on it.

Thanks for reading my long-winded question, and any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

[Don]

i like my action to be medium/high, I guess. I like a little more relief in the neck than most and like the action at the nut to be a tad higher than what is theoretically correct (though I must not be that far off from the norm- no one complains when they play my guitars).

When I bend a string, I like the adjacent string to contact the side of my finger. I don't want it to go over or below my finger.

BTW, it took me more than 6 years playing to be able to bend strings well.

[tugboat]

I don't have enough experience to really know what action I prefer. All I know is that my guitars haven't impeded my ability to learn or play songs I want to play. When bending, the constraint for me is bending "in tune", not hitting strings I'm bending into.

[Yarb]

I can't tell you how "proper bending" should be done, but when I bend, the flesh of my fingertip hits and mutes the adjacent string/strings.

[Doc W]

When I bend strings a full tone, I always push the bent string into the next string and push it to the side also. This is typical. Going under the next string is not.

The radius of the neck can have a lot to do with the action necessary for good bending. If you play a Fender, you likely have a 9.5 inch radius or less. This makes a difference. All my guitars, including my Fenders have a 12 inch radius which means the fingerboard is flatter and allows for lower action overall.

I suggest you take it to someone who can set up for you and take notes so you can do it the next time.

[Kap'n]

When I bend strings a full tone, I always push the bent string into the next string and push it to the side also. This is typical. Going under the next string is not.

IIRC, Mike Bloomfield used to use his fingernails as levers to lift the other strings up when doing a bend. As you said, not typical.