Changing strings
moster78
Posts: 1,591
All at once or one at a time? I just got my first electric, a Fender American Strat, which I haven't been able to put down all weekend. I have no idea how long its been hanging unsold at Guitar Center, or how long the strings on it have been there either, so I wanted to change them up. I was just curious if I should take them all off at once, or change them one string at a time? I'm just curious if decreasing the tension in the neck for even a brief stretch of time is bad. Thanks in advance everyone!
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...This post is no help at all. Sorry
On topic: Change them all one at a time, and if you know how, adjust the intonation when you're done changing the strings. That way you won't mess up the pitching or neck tension and you can fix any problems with the intonation before they become out of control.
Thanks! I figured if I was going to get an electric, I'd do it right, and its a great guitar.
The salesman said that the stock strings were .09's, and that I could safely use up to .11's without having to make adjustments. I planned on putting .10's on.
.10s are great on electric- not too flimsy, not to tense. I prefer .10 - .52, so that their is a lot of thickness to the lower end.
I'm actually switching up from .10 - .52 to .11 - .54, because I want even more tension. My vibrato is getting a little out of control.
If you change the size of strings on strat type bridge you should add tremolo springs to it. Not totally sure of how many. Also when you put new strings on, tune, then stretch, tune, stretch, tune stretch, until when you stretch they stay in tune. And make sure you stretch them on different parts of the neck.
I actually read up on Fender's site and the owners manual on this one. I tightened the two screws behind the back plate a little bit and that seemed to take care of it. Its staying in tune and the bridge is back to an acceptable angle from the body.
It's ok to take all the strings off when you change them,,,,if you leave them off for a while, the neck will back bow a bit, but it'll come back in the same amount of time it took to go back. When you take the strings off, it's a good time to polish up the frets.
You did right by just adjusting the tremelo springs. You only put more on if you want a more solid feel.
The only other thing that might be off would be the intonation. Bigger strings may not intonate like the 9's. If you have a tuner, play the open string to tune, and fret at the 12th. They should match. If it's off, you adjust it with the allen screws behind the bridge saddles. If the 12th fret is sharp, the saddle should go towards the body end,,, if 12th is flat, the saddle goes towards the neck
The only other thing would be the nut slots. Larger strings may bind in the nut slot and they would need to be filed larger, but unlikely if you're going from 9's to 10's
I hope you like your Strat! Great guitars, eh?
This is a book that all guitar players should have!:
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/Building_and_repair:_Guitar,_electric/Guitar_Player_Repair_Guide.html
Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
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The stock Fender strings are absolute garbage, so play em til they break or swap em out. I change all the strings every couple months, and I change strings as they break. It is all personal preference and it is up to YOUR ear to decide if tone is suffering. Since I switched to SOS strings about a year ago I can get 6 months from a set, but I still go through high E's every 3 weeks. I can't notice a change in tone from the 6 month old set to the brand new set they are that good IMO.
Depending on where you live and the weather you might have to set up your axe 4 times a year. Parts move and Strats are Strats
Hanging at www.TheGuitarHub.com
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I checked it out when I got home and the the high point of the bridge is a little under Fender's recommended 1/8th of an inch from the body. I'd rather it be closer than too far away, and the amount is miniscule. I checked the intonation and it wasn't too sharp or flat in either direction too much. Still, when I take it to my lesson this week I'll have my teacher take a look, just to make sure it's all kosher.
I love it!
Everything is still good, except I am getting some buzzing on my top E string, even if I'm hitting it open, but only if I strike it hard. What could be causing that? All the other strings ring fine, regardless of how hard I hit them. The only thing I can think of is I didn't get too many wraps around the tuning post on that string, only about two. Could that be it?
Thanks again everyone, you rock in more ways than one!
I dn't think it's the amount of wraps on the post. The E string is the biggest, vibrates and travels farther when you play it, so it's the most likely to buzz. If it's a faint buzz and it doesn't come through the amp, you can live with it. If it's too much buzz,, try raising the bridge saddle. The tiny allen wrench (that hopefully came with the guitar) fits in the screw on top of the saddle. Tighten it to raise the saddle a little bit. (tighten both screws on the saddle) If you're nervous about this,,, just remember to account for each turn, and you can always put it back.
When any manufacturer has a set up guideline, it's really for reference as a starting point,,, so when they say 1/8 distance between the string and the neck, for instance,, that's not where it HAS to be, it's really where you start,, then you can set it up to your comfort level from there.
A lot of blues and rhythm players usually like a higher action, so they can bend and get a clearer tone, and pick harder to get expression out of their tone, speedier players tend to like low action.
You're doing good, so far! There's nothing wrong with your Strat, you're just bonding with it! :cool:
Get that book, and also, there's a lot of free info on that site, http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo
You can also spend a lot of money on that site!
Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
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I'm definitely bonding with it, I can barely put it down while I'm home! I'll definitely check out that book, once my bank account recovers a little.
This site might help a bit, too. It's Fenders tech site:
http://www.fender.com/support/setup/index.php
Gald it's working out! :cool:
Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
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I've extensively consulted that site, first thing I did next to asking here. Thanks again!
You can read and read those sites,,, but sometimes, like in anything in life I guess, it's good to get a live opinion. It's true that people can know and read about doing something,,, know what has to be done inside and out,,, but it's still a mystery until someone says ,,, oh,,,, just do this! Then it's like
aHA! I knew that!
Strats are the best for fooling around with. You can unscrew everything and buy parts that fit, and put'm back together and change stuff and you can always get them back to where they started from!
They're like old Volkswagon Beetles from the 50's and 60's. Four bolts and change a couple of wires and tubes,,, you just put in a new engine! :cool:
Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
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