Help! New Guage Strings= HUGE problem!!!

[seizexthexday33]

I have a custom stratocaster with a solid mahogany body and a maple neck and a Wilkinson-Gotoh VSVG Bridge/Tremolo. Up until now, i used ernie ball regular strings (10, 13, 17, 26, 36, 46) and they tuned up great and raised the rear end of the tremolo up slightly, just high enough to bend the note up a half step. Yesterday i bought a few sets of Ernie Ball Power Slinky Strings (11, 14, 18, 28, 38, 48) and there are two huge problems.

1) They won't stay in tune for more than a few seconds, by the time i get from one e string to the other, the first 4 strings i tuned are drastically out of tune.

2) if i repeat the process, they begin to stay in tune a bit better, but for some reason the rear end of the tremolo raises up slightly each time i re-tune them until it's a quarter inch off of the body! I've tried lowering the action, moving each string saddle up as far as it'll go to try and relieve direct pressure on the tremolo, tightening the springs in the back of the guitar to hold the tremolo down (this just made the tension skyrocket), everything i could think of, but the rear end of the tremolo continues to raise drastically every time i proceed to tune it.

Would switching back to the other strings fix this? I'd already have to re-intonate it, can i make these strings work somehow? I didn't know changing the string guage slightly could make something this drastic happen.

Thanks a million for any help

 

[Lou]

Since you are going up in size, first you'll need to get your trem level. If you set it up to float, you'll have to go back and forth between tuning the guitar and adjusting the trem claw to get it where you want it. Then check your neck relief by adjusting the truss rod accordingly. Once that's set, get the action where you want it using the bridge saddles. And then intonate if necessary.

 

[seizexthexday33]

Woo!

it worked! thanks a lot man!