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changing strings


PennsylvaniaJake

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When one changes the thickness of the strings on a guitar does the guitar have to  re-set up just for them? 

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I've found it depends on the neck of your guitar and how big the change in guage is. If you're just going up or down one guage you should be fine but if you do need to have anything adjusted, it should be quite obvious straight away with buzzing strings etc. 

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Thank you for responding ice9.  My smallest string is 0.009 on my PRS custom 24.  I am more use to heaver gauge strings, but I dont want my guitar ruined like my Les Paul was. 

Thanks

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Les Paul ruined by string change???

Edited by Eracer_Team-DougH
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16 minutes ago, Eracer_Team-DougH said:

Les Paul ruined by string change???

Yes it was.  The guitar store just cut off the old strings and put on the heaver ones.  It buzzed after that.  Then he told me it had to have a fret job.  So I said ok.  When I got it back it buzzed even worse and there were hardly any metal frets left, the were down to the wood.  So I sold the guitar, it was a Black Beauty, that I loved.

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On 2/15/2018 at 5:35 PM, PennsylvaniaJake said:

Thank you for responding ice9.  My smallest string is 0.009 on my PRS custom 24.  I am more use to heaver gauge strings, but I dont want my guitar ruined like my Les Paul was. 

Thanks

I'm wondering at that comment too... unless you put VERY heavy gauge strings (Like 13's or higher with a heavy .52.on the LOW E.) on a Les Paul which usually has  "10's or 11's " (low E 1st string).... The heavier gauge has more string tension and without a neck adjustment could affect the action. The nut slots might be too narrow also..

Sounds like the store really messed up on this one... I wouldn't let them touch anything of mine again if I were you...

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You need to invest in Greg Voros' Guitar Maintenance DVD. You can change your own strings. If you go up or down more than a string size you need to adjust the neck. Greg does a setup for every string change. I don't know why you would want to put on heavier strings. I think you should stick with the string gauge the guitar was designed for. I have seen comments from people like BB King and Billie Gibbons which basically say "why work harder?". I have maintained my Gibson Les Paul Studio and 3 other guitars for 9 years now. I have done a few minor truss rod adjustments, many string changes, and setups. String change is also a great time for a full cleanup. Taking all the strings off at once is not a problem, but not doing a complete setup when moving to heavier strings is bad. You can do better yourself with a little knowledge. I have never done a fret job. Maybe your guitar needed it, but maybe your technician is incompetent and greedy. Interestingly fret buzz is often caused by the neck being too straight, but I would think with heavier strings it would have been too bowed. The Les Paul has many adjustments that can be made, and once dialed in it rocks. It seems complicated until you see the Greg Voros video. 

Check out Taylor's website for the "Taylor Method" of string change because it is pretty simple and works for electric and acoustic guitars.   

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Sounds like the store took you for a ride. 

Nothing to do with a string change.

Sorry to hear how bad store took you and money

 

Btw Greg Voros of Gruhn's does great job and may help in the price of repair

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Agree with most of the advice and definitely the comment that store ruined a perfectly good guitar for you.   If there was nothing wrong with the frets before the string change, there was nothing wrong with them after the change.  The guitar likely needed the bridge raised a hair or maybe a touch more tension on the truss rod.

As Ice9 said, going from .09's to .10's should not require much tweaking of the guitar. Going more that one size up or down, the nut slots may need work for the thicker strings. If going to much thinner strings you might have to have a new nut cut for the thinner strings.  

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Thank to every one about the advice.  I just wish I knew better back then.  The guitar store I was talking about said all I needed was a fret job.  And boy did they ever do one, hardly any metal left.  Talk about a buzzing guitar.  I stopped going there after that but it sure did cost me the loss of a guitar that I loved.

Thanks again to everyone. 

On 2/16/2018 at 10:51 PM, Six String said:

Agree with most of the advice and definitely the comment that store ruined a perfectly good guitar for you.   If there was nothing wrong with the frets before the string change, there was nothing wrong with them after the change.  The guitar likely needed the bridge raised a hair or maybe a touch more tension on the truss rod.

As Ice9 said, going from .09's to .10's should not require much tweaking of the guitar. Going more that one size up or down, the nut slots may need work for the thicker strings. If going to much thinner strings you might have to have a new nut cut for the thinner strings.  

 

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Man that's just wrong. A fret job that ruined your Les Paul. Sounds like the guitartech from a nightmare. Be careful. There are some bad ones. I made some adjusting on the neck and bridge when I went from 9 to 10 on my Les Paul Standard. Needed it to get fret buzz on the G string off. And to be in tune up the neck.But not much. I'd  CALL Greg  Voros before I let someone ruin my guitar. 

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I do all my own fret work these days including levelling and dressing and to take the frets down to nothing says to me that the guy you took the lp to didn't really understand what he was trying to achieve. In your case a simple truss rod tweak would have been all that was needed. I'm sorry that happened to you. As others have said, Mr voros's maintenance DVD would be a wise investment and afterwards you will be able to make these small tweaks yourself with confidence and understand why you are doing them.

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