Help! Petrucci BFR high string tension?

[skydivewrongway]

I didn't know what to call this thread...high string tension, tightness, stiff strings, or strings really hard to bend...

I'm really picky about the setup on my guitars...so I have made some recent adjustments on my Petrucci BFR (which might I add is the finest instrument I own, thanks guys!), and I'm having an issue with string tension or something like that. The strings feel very "stiff" and "tight" in general, and bending is difficult. On the higher frets I can get a whole step bend alright, and 1.5 if I really dig into it, but on all of the above I'm getting more resistance than on any other guitar I own. On the lower frets (ie. bending an A on the 2nd fret of the G string up), I can only get a half step and I have to bend it pretty hard...it will NOT go anywhere near a whole step bend from there. It would most certainly snap a string if I could even muster the strength to force it.

Since my factory setup I've basically just done what I could to lower the action to my liking. When I bought it I lowered the bridge to lower the action as far as I could without any buzzing and the like. This was months ago. I've noticed the string tension recently and thought I just needed to change the strings (I change them every couple of weeks at most). I changed them on Monday and no change in tension, still tight. Yesterday I wanted to lower the action a little more, so I tightened the truss rod a TINY bit, maybe 1/8 a turn, and that got it low enough for me....everything else is great; sustain is infinite and glorious, no buzz anywhere...but still the tight strings.

I'm using RPS Slinkys, 10-46. To make sure I wasn't crazy, I played around on another one of my guitars with the same strings, and it was waaay easier to bend...BUT that was from another prominent company with a shorter scale length (24 3/4 vice my Petrucci's 25 1/2) so that obviously isn't a good comparison. I just wanted to give you guys as much info as possible.

Help my baby bend! =) Seriously any advice would be great. You guys rock. Thanks!

 

[yellowv03]

May sound like a retarded question, but another guy here had the same issue a couple of weeks ago. Are you sure you don't have a baritone? Other than that with .10's in E standard your tension should be pretty normal.

 

[skydivewrongway]

Haha it's definitely not a baritone. And the tension used to be normal...which is why I don't get what happened.

Other than that with .10's in E standard your tension should be pretty normal.

That's what I thought! Hence my confusion haha

 

[skydivewrongway]

I can't find the post from a couple of weeks ago....any chance someone can point me in the right direction?

 

[jmmp]

I just got off a long setup session with my petrucci, and it also has fresh RPS 10-46s. It doesn't seem to have as high tension as you're describing, but it definately is a lot harder to bend then the strings it came with (9-46). It could be that you inadvertantly lengthened the scale length by straightening the neck and maybe the saddles being too far back? Did you stretch the strings?

Best bet is to contact Customer Service. I have first hand experience that they are the finest customer service of any company. They will know the BFR and the strings well.

 

[Big Poppa]

NO difference in tension scale length and gauge are the same so it is not possible to change tension

 

[Jack FFR1846]

I can't think of a way that the tension would change unless you are running a different alloy string.

 

[skydivewrongway]

Thanks for all the input guys! I'll make a couple of calls after the weekend and hopefully get it figured out. =)

 

[Big Poppa]

SKydive...welcome but I dont know who you would call that could give you better advice on this than me....

 

[aleclee]

IME, relief can have a significant effect on bend effort. Might be time to tweak the truss rod a bit.

 

[agt]

Leverage when bending can have an effect on perceived tension, and leverage is affected by how your hands interact with the neck's dimensions. I have over a dozen different guitars, all strung up with EB 10s. My hands are not large -- the guitars with wider and/or fatter necks DO feel a tiny bit stiffer. I doubt that they are, in fact, any stiffer in terms of string tension. It's just that wrapping my whole hand around the neck creates a slightly less advantageous leverage. Two of my "stiffer" guitars are JPs. The JP neck is a bit wider than my Lukes or my Axis SS. My 25th is another "stiffer" guitar, it's neck is not particularly wide, but it is a bit deeper front-to-back and I can't get my thumb wrapped over the top quite as far. Having said that, if I play my JPs or my 25th exclusively for a few days, they feel perfectly normal as my hands adjust and strengthen.

 

[straycat113]

I think you should just bring the guitar into whoever does your tech work and have him take a look, as it is most likely something simple. Even though you can probably do a good set up when ever I hit a road block I bring it to a friend who has way more experience in that field than I do, as sometimes the more you tweak the worse you are making it and then just wind up frustrated. Every guitar I ever bought goes right to the store for a complete set up to exactly where I like everything, that is why I never understood the playability out of the box part of a review, but my last two guitars my RM/BS AL HH and Roller were dead on perfect and were the first guitars that I did nothing too.

 

[shredhed]

Unless you changed string size the tension can't change except for strings geting old and stiff.

Did I read it right? You can't get more
than a half step bend on low strings?

 

[ScoobySteve]

Someone may have secretly added more springs to your trem claw. Just saying, it's possible.

 

[skydivewrongway]

SKydive...welcome but I dont know who you would call that could give you better advice on this than me....

Haha believe me I couldn't agree more...I just meant I'd go ahead and give CS a call just for suggestions. You guys are good like that haha

Somebody suggested maybe giving the neck some relief...do you think this would help?

 

[skydivewrongway]

You know, strangest thing.....so I came home from work today and wondered what I could do to alleviate the issue. I raised the bridge up a bit and then put a tiny bit more tension on the neck so the action was still low but the bridge would be more even with the body (in terms of level, it was always straight)...and magically the tightness went away! Weirdest thing. I'm guessing it's just a combination of several things that made it feel "stiff". Either way it's good to go now, thanks so much for everybody's advice. =) Now it's just back to BFR bliss.

 

[GHWelles]

Just put .09's on....

 

[beej]

Small changes in action (relief & saddle height) can make what seem like huge differences in playability. So I'd echo the advice of getting it setup more to your liking. If that doesn't work ... lighter strings as Wonderdog said.

 

[rblackmore]

very interesting question...i tried several jp6 and jp6 BFR(9-46,factory setup)...and the strings felt stiffer than on my ibanez rg guitars (10-46)...

 

[Gio_Force_One]

A friend played my Y2D the other day and i have 10s on it now and he said it felt really stiff like 11s to him ,like he was fighting the strings but to me it feels fine. So it must be all a matter of how its set up , I have my action higher then normal so maybe that makes it feel like a bit more tension who knows