mark said:
Hello
I was wondering if it would be wise to switch from EB Hybrid Slinkys to Their new Not Even Slinkys. I know its a large jump, and Ive heard that you can seriously mess up your guitar with large leaps like that. I like thick strings, but Not Evens will be the thickest Ive ever put on my guitar is I use them. As I said, Im using Hybrid Slinkys now. Which one fo these sets (for guitar) would be safest/best sounding?
Not Even Slinky
RPS 10s (I tremolo pick alot)
Beefy
Skinny Top Heavy Bottom
Ive narrowed it down to RPS 10s and Not Evens, but I would like to know if the 9 to 12 jump is safe for my guitar. Can annyone advise me on which sets to buy? (oh, and I play everyhthing from the Beatles to Pantera and Slayer, if that helps at all)
This is a useful little calculator for working out string tensions:
http://www.pacificsites.net/~dog/StringTensionApplet.html
It is specifically for D'Addario strings, so won't be quite right for Ernie Balls. However, it's in the right ball park.
You're looking at a big jump in tensionbut your guitar should be fine. It
will need set up. as the addtional tension will increase the relief of your neck and the extra stiffness of the strings will put your intonation out.
The good news is that you can do this yourself easily. You should get away without any adjustments to the nut.
Make all adjustments with the guitar in playing position.
1. Change the strings.
2. Tune to pitch
3. Hold down the string at the first fret and the fret where the neck meets the body (you haven't specified what sort of guitar you have. It usually helps to use a capo for the first fret.
4. At the fret closest to the midpoint between these two points (usually the eighth fret), measure the distance between the top of the fret and the bottom of the string. A set of feeler gauges is good for this. You want there to be around .010" of relief on a guitar... you will have more than this having changed from .009s to .012s... you need to tighten the truss rod by turning it clockwise (looking toward the frets from the other side of the trussrod nut. Retune the guitar.
5. Have a floating tremolo? Take a look at the bridge... it may be sticking up at an odd angle. If it's a strat-style bridge, you may have to add springs at the back for more tension to counteract the string tension. You'll probably need to screw the trem claw further into the body too. I usually set up my guitar so there is no upward movement of the bridge (i.e. it is flat against the body). Some people like to have the bridge floating... set it to your personal preference. Retune the guitar.
6. Check the intonation... compare the tuning at the twelfth fret harmonic with that of the fretted twelfth fret note... you want them to be the same. If the fretted note is sharp, move the saddles backwards. If flat, move them forwards... Yours will probably be sharp. Retune the strings after every adjustment.
7. Check the action... at the seventeenth fret you should have about 1/16" between the string and the fret. Retune the guitar.
8. Adjust your pickup height... the correct height will depend on the particular pickup do a search on google for this. You'll want around 1/16" between the string and the pickup pole piece when the string is depressed at it's highest fret. You may need more for hotter pickups.
9. Go back to 1. and repeat until it's right. (some steps may have put previous steps out.
If that looks a bit scary, take the guitar to a qualified repairer... most specialist guitar shops have one on the books to set their guitars up.
