Members KevinTJH Posted February 11, 2010 Members Share Posted February 11, 2010 I've got a cheap guitar which I dropped the tuning to [C G C F A D]. As suggested by some of the members here, I used a tip cleaner to file the nut so I could fit gauge 12 strings. (ernie ball not even slinky) Now, surprisingly, the intonation is about perfect and there is absolutely no tuning issues at all! The only problem is that the strings feel a little too tight. My fingers get really exhausted after playing on it (even when no bending is involved) so I'm guessing it must be the tension. Also, since this is a cheap guitar with a maple neck, I'm a little concerned if the high tension strings will cause any damage to my guitar in the long term. Will the string trees like pop out or something eventually? The tension at the headstock looks pretty intense as well I just can't stop pondering if I should've gone with gauge 11s instead of 12s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members D34dBaWx Posted February 11, 2010 Members Share Posted February 11, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poolshark Posted February 11, 2010 Members Share Posted February 11, 2010 I wouldn't know why it would be too much. I have flatwound 12s tuned to E standard, and though it feels pretty tight, it's not going to damage the guitar. I'd make sure you neck and bridge are securely screwed in/on, then have at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jpnyc Posted February 11, 2010 Members Share Posted February 11, 2010 The neck will be fine, but if your hands aren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Snake King Posted February 11, 2010 Members Share Posted February 11, 2010 I used 11s when I had my SG tuned down to C standard (C-F-A?-D?-G-C) & that was all I ever needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaleH Posted February 11, 2010 Members Share Posted February 11, 2010 Don't think it will hurt anything. Your hands will take time to toughen up though. SRV played 13-14s half step dowm. Rippeped it up all night, show after show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KevinTJH Posted February 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 12, 2010 Yea I guess it should be alright then. I'm happy to let my fingers toughen up, I was only concerned it would do damage to the guitar. I would've got 11s if I could turn back time. But I'm so astonished at how the guitar plays, eventhough it is all factory setup, the action is nice and low, guitar pretty much stays in tune all the time and intonation with the 12s is like perfect! I was just wondering, if I had went with the 11s, would my intonation and other things be any different? To a typical guitar player, did I make the right decision? Everything is great except for one thing - the treble strings. When plugged in and distorted, particularly the G string sounds AWFUL. Could it be due to fretbuzz (though I can't seem to notice any of that) or could it be the pickups? Just take into account that this guitar comes with a gig bag, micro amp, lead, strap, and DVD - AU$259 in total. So the guitar itself is probably gonna be worth about 150-180 bucks. Do you think the extremely cheap/low quality pickup could be the issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr_GoodBomb Posted February 12, 2010 Members Share Posted February 12, 2010 It might cause some real damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KevinTJH Posted February 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 12, 2010 It might cause some real damage. dude, no jokes! Would it seriously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dougie.Douglas Posted February 12, 2010 Members Share Posted February 12, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members linthat22 Posted February 12, 2010 Members Share Posted February 12, 2010 dude, no jokes! Would it seriously?Yea, that shotgun, I don't know, maybe this one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aliensporebomb Posted February 12, 2010 Members Share Posted February 12, 2010 I had .13s on a Jackson Soloist tuned to standard for years. With a Floyd Rose. I could bend and whammy fearlessly. Man up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danswon Posted February 12, 2010 Members Share Posted February 12, 2010 it won't cause you guitar any damage at all. you would almost certainly need to fine-tune your intonation and possibly adjust your truss rod. i imagine gauge 12s would sound fine on the wound strings but if that high D feels too tight you should try 10-52s (it's like the wound strings from a 12 set and the plain strings from a 10 set) - ernie ball "skinny top heavy bottom" are a fairly common choice. a lot of metal guitarists that tune down to that range use these Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KevinTJH Posted February 15, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 15, 2010 it won't cause you guitar any damage at all. you would almost certainly need to fine-tune your intonation and possibly adjust your truss rod. i imagine gauge 12s would sound fine on the wound strings but if that high D feels too tight you should try 10-52s (it's like the wound strings from a 12 set and the plain strings from a 10 set) - ernie ball "skinny top heavy bottom" are a fairly common choice. a lot of metal guitarists that tune down to that range use these Alright cool. Thanks a lot. Just one problem, is it true that your nut has to be replaced everytime you change string gauges? I'm talking about from a heavier gauge to a lighter gauge. I've filed the nut very nicely but I think it would be a problem for me to go to a lighter gauge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zeptallica13 Posted February 15, 2010 Members Share Posted February 15, 2010 12s SHOULD BE ALRIGHT YOU JUST GOTTA GET USED TO THEM. CAPS MAKE IT SEEM AS IF YOU ARE SCREAMING. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poolshark Posted February 15, 2010 Members Share Posted February 15, 2010 Alright cool. Thanks a lot. Just one problem, is it true that your nut has to be replaced everytime you change string gauges? I'm talking about from a heavier gauge to a lighter gauge. I've filed the nut very nicely but I think it would be a problem for me to go to a lighter gauge. Unless you've really wallowed out the slots, you'd probably be fine dropping down a gauge. That said, I doubt .09s are going to work very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarheo3 Posted February 15, 2010 Members Share Posted February 15, 2010 i use hybrids and tune my guitar to Drop C and love it. i dont think i could handle .12s lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members yorgatron Posted February 15, 2010 Members Share Posted February 15, 2010 I put 12's on my Danelectro (standard "E" tuning) when I joined a surf band,now that i'm used to them I can bend'em like I did when i had 10's on there.and no,it doesn't hurt the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AlexMC Posted February 15, 2010 Members Share Posted February 15, 2010 My Lite Ash Strats came with 9s, I have used up to 11-56 gauge in the same nut without a problem - however, you will definitely need to adjust the truss rod and add at least one spring to the trem claw. And regarding your comment on the G string, are you using a wound or a plain G? There used to be a great link explaining why you should use a wound G if possible, but it looks like it's been taken down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KevinTJH Posted February 15, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 15, 2010 My Lite Ash Strats came with 9s, I have used up to 11-56 gauge in the same nut without a problem - however, you will definitely need to adjust the truss rod and add at least one spring to the trem claw.And regarding your comment on the G string, are you using a wound or a plain G?There used to be a great link explaining why you should use a wound G if possible, but it looks like it's been taken down. It's a plain G, but it somehow feels incredibly thick though! No idea why Ernie made it so thick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members orourke Posted February 15, 2010 Members Share Posted February 15, 2010 I used 11s when I had my SG tuned down to C standard (C-F-A?-D?-G-C) & that was all I ever needed. Same here. 11's, SG, the strings are a little floppy in that Josh Homm way but it works fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bebenavole Posted February 15, 2010 Members Share Posted February 15, 2010 i think the guitar will handle it but hour hands might not after some time.I dont buy the SRV thing. Tha man had arthritis at the and of his career and went down in gauge. Related or not. With the lower tunings u might be fine just adjust the truss rod to compensate for the xtra tension. And remember...no body really cares what gauge u play! Who cares! Play what feels best to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members warriorpoet Posted February 15, 2010 Members Share Posted February 15, 2010 ...Everything is great except for one thing - the treble strings. When plugged in and distorted, particularly the G string sounds AWFUL. Could it be due to fretbuzz (though I can't seem to notice any of that) or could it be the pickups?Just take into account that this guitar comes with a gig bag, micro amp, lead, strap, and DVD - AU$259 in total. So the guitar itself is probably gonna be worth about 150-180 bucks. Do you think the extremely cheap/low quality pickup could be the issue?You need to move to a wound G. The poor qualities of a plain G string are exacerbated by an increase in string gauge. FWIW, I absolutely adore thicker strings. Every electric I purchase immediately gets a new set of D'Addario EXL 115w strings. Those go .011-.049 with a wound G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesguyjon Posted February 15, 2010 Members Share Posted February 15, 2010 I put 12's on my Danelectro (standard "E" tuning) when I joined a surf band,now that i'm used to them I can bend'em like I did when i had 10's on there. and no,it doesn't hurt the guitar. For a while I could do this with 13s, but I realized throughout a gig my playing would get progressively weaker, so I dropped down to 12s. Then I realized 11s sounded exactly the same and it was like playing spaghetti noodles for me, so there you are. I don't believe there's as much of a difference in tone between the higher gauges as people think, the only big differences I can hear are between 9s and 10s, and 10s and 11s. 11s are also more widely available, another reason I dropped down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members volvo1800 Posted February 15, 2010 Members Share Posted February 15, 2010 In all seriousness you can damage your guitar. . . . thats like an extra 40 pounds of pressure. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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