Going from 9's to 10's on EBMM EVH

[dwntwn]

Hi all,

I'm new here, I just purchased a used EBMM EVH amber quilt top and it came with 9's for strings and I was wondering if there was anything that needs to be done setup wise when switching to 10's.

I've also read somewhere that you should never remove all of the stings because it can cause damage to the neck, is this true because I have always done this with my other guitars and have never noticed any issues.

 

[littlephil]

Removing all the strings won't damage the neck. If you took them off and left them off for a long time, the neck might shift if the truss rod isn't loosened, as it would keep constant pressure on the neck, but loosening it will stop that and you could leave the neck basically forever with no damage.

As for setup changes, you might need to tighten the trem claw to prevent the bridge from lifting due to the extra tension from the 10's. You might also need to re-set the intonation, but it shouldn't be too far out.

 

[nobozos]

The problem with taking all the strings off at once is not that it will hurt the neck, it's that the bridge will pop loose.

Normally, the string tension holds the trem level, and keeps the knife edge of the trem in the pocket on the trem screws. When you remove all the strings, the tension from the trem springs will pull the front of the trem off the trem screws, and pull the back of the trem down onto the top of your body (hard). This usually results in 6 dents in the top of your body below the saddle screws where they smack the top. It can result in a chipped finish and scratches on your top.

If you want to take off all your strings to treat your neck, or perform maintenance on your Floyd, just dive bomb your trem and stick a folded over towel under it. When you let it rest back down, it should be cocked slightly forward. I would say that at this point, it would be safe to remove all the strings.......BUT.........this is how I do it:

I dive bomb the Floyd and place the towel under the bridge and let the trem rest on the towel. I then loosen the strings to a point where there is no string tension on the bridge, all the while, I'm holding the trem arm to keep a bit of downward tension on the Floyd. While keeping tension on the trem arm, I remove the trem springs from the sustain block, and carefully remove the Floyd from the guitar. I cut the strings and do what I gotta do.

Putting the trem back in:

I sit the trem in place on the body, and install the low E, the high E and the G strings, all without the trem springs in place. Once I have the strings tightened to a point where they pull the back of the trem off the body, I carefully install the trem springs. I then install the rest of the strings.

I hardly ever do this, but that is the procedure I use if I ever have to.

Normally I will:

Treat the neck with lemon oil before I remove the old strings, as lemon oil will kill new strings, and then replace the strings one-at-a-time. It's simple, easy, and fast.

 

[dwntwn]

Thanks for the info, I'm pretty familiar with removing a Floyd, I was just concerned about the neck getting damaged. I didn't think that it would be a problem removing all of the strings, I just wanted to be sure.

Is lemon oil the best thing to use on the neck for treating?

 

[nobozos]

You're going to get a billion different answers to that. Some will tell you that it's terrible to use, and that you should only use organic oil. Will say that you should use tung oil. All I can say is that I've used Dr. Stringfellow, and Lizard Spit without any ill effects. Your best bet is probably Wonder Wipes, though I have yet to use them.

 

[Stratty316]

You're going to get a billion different answers to that. Some will tell you that it's terrible to use, and that you should only use organic oil. Will say that you should use tung oil. All I can say is that I've used Dr. Stringfellow, and Lizard Spit without any ill effects. Your best bet is probably Wonder Wipes, though I have yet to use them.

I use wonder wipes on my Axis and Al... it does a great job of cleaning the neck. And make sure you know what your doing if you remove all the strings at once... the trem will shoot out if you don't secure it... you don't want to ruin the top.

 

[dwntwn]

I use wonder wipes on my Axis and Al... it does a great job of cleaning the neck. And make sure you know what your doing if you remove all the strings at once... the trem will shoot out if you don't secure it... you don't want to ruin the top.

Thanks, I have done my other guitars with Floyd's and know about the shooting out issue, I was just wondering about damaging the neck if all of the strings were removed.

 

[shredhed]

You can't damage anything by doing something like changing gauges. Adjusting things won't screw things up if you don't know what you're doing, you can get your setup messed up.

That said, you'll need to adjust the claw and maybe, maybe the truss rod.

If you need help, PM me. I do that kind of stuff all the time

 

[dwntwn]

You can't damage anything by doing something like changing gauges. Adjusting things won't screw things up if you don't know what you're doing, you can get your setup messed up.

That said, you'll need to adjust the claw and maybe, maybe the truss rod.

If you need help, PM me. I do that kind of stuff all the time

Thanks, I haven't changed the strings out yet, it seems that the strings that came with it are 8's because I went from 10's to 9's on my wolfgang and they still feel much harder to bend than the strings on the EBMM EVH.