Holy Driver
Joined: 08/09/04
Posts: 43
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String Gauge
#19214 - 22/09/04 03:16 PM
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Ive been a ernie ball power slinky user for many a year and recently decided to try GHS
Boomers. The Gauge is slighly heavier on the Boomers though. Does anyone use these, my old gauge was 11, 14, 18p, 28, 38, 48 and the
boomers that im going to try: 11, 15, 18, 33, 43, 53 You dont think there
will be any neck problems do you????!! 
-------------------- If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
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d.scott of suburbia
Joined: 05/01/04
Posts: 7
Loc: 2420 Labs » Denver, Colorado,...
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Re: String Gauge
[Re: Holy Driver]
#19378 - 22/09/04 06:16 PM
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It depends on the kind of guitar that you have and how well the neck is reinforced.
Generally-speaking though, since you're staying within the same general string
gauge (i.e., 11's vs. 10's, 9's or 13's) such a change shouldn't affect it that much, and
you might not even hardly notice a difference. Of cource you're gonna get more pull from
the thicker gauges, but also from the standard .18 as it tends to get tighter than the
wound .18p. (I used to use wound 3rd strings myself but hated how they'd snap more easily
than the high E string - so I switched back to standards as well.)
If
you're overly concerned about it however, you can always take your guitar to a technician
and see if your neck is correctly adjusted and can handle the extra string tension.
-------------------- On the web at: www.ultrachronic.com
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BigAl
Just The Bass Player
Joined: 24/01/02
Posts: 2665
Loc: The King's Height
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Once your guitar is set-up for a gauge, stick to it. I have just put 12's on my
acoustic (was 11's) and gave the truss rod a wee turn, as the 12's pull the neck a tad
more. It was perfectly playable without adjustment, but with the adjustment, it was just
perfect. It's amazing how many peoples' guitars aren't set up correctly, but they
tend to get used to them. Don't adjust the truss rod if you're not sure.
-------------------- Jack of all trades, master of some.
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Holy Driver
Joined: 08/09/04
Posts: 43
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Re: String Gauge
[Re: BigAl]
#19951 - 23/09/04 09:44 AM
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I drop my tuning to D and had the guitar set up for 11's anyway. Then i gave the truss rod
a wee turn (1 full turn) just to lower the action a bit. Im sure it will be okay but
thanks for your advice.
Im looking forward to getting these bloomers. £19 for 5
packs!
Cheers,
Dave
--------------------
If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
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The Dave that should...
new member
Joined: 11/11/03
Posts: 2
Loc: scotland
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Re: String Gauge
[Re: Holy Driver]
#21529 - 25/09/04 08:40 AM
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Got the GHS Boomer 11's a couple of days ago. What a tone! They are thick and harder to
play but they sound great, noticed the diffrence acoustically (not through the amp). Also,
found that going between electric and acoustic is alot less painfull.
Neck seems
fine, might adjust the truss rod a little to compensate for heavier gauge but other than
that perfect.
Cheers for the help fellas.
Dave.
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Ben
Joined: 27/06/03
Posts: 1884
Loc: Oxford
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"Then i gave the truss rod a wee turn (1 full turn)..."
Aaargh! Careful! One
full turn isn't really wee - a quarter turn would be a good starting point. Mind you, if
it's done the job then fine.
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zenguitar
active member
Joined: 05/12/02
Posts: 7612
Loc: Devon
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Re: String Gauge
[Re: Holy Driver]
#36754 - 17/10/04 11:28 PM
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Quote Dave:
Then i gave the truss
rod a wee turn (1 full turn)
Last
time I could get a whole turn on a truss rod, it was because it hadn't been tightened at
all and was doing nothing. The time before... the truss rod was broken. Hopefully yours
is the former not the latter.
--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.
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Holy Driver
Joined: 08/09/04
Posts: 43
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Re: String Gauge
[Re: zenguitar]
#37075 - 18/10/04 01:19 PM
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Well spotted my axe slingin' amigos. It was a 1/4 turn, i dont know why i said a full
turn. And Richard Ashcroft said the drugs dont work eh!
Its a little buzzier but the
heavier gauge and low action feels and sounds great.
Cheers for all the replys!
--------------------
If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
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Studio Support Gnome
Not so Miserable Git
Joined: 22/07/03
Posts: 8995
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Re: String Gauge
[Re: Holy Driver]
#37151 - 18/10/04 03:20 PM
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Quote Holy Diver:
I drop my
tuning to D and had the guitar set up for 11's anyway. Then i gave the truss rod a wee
turn (1 full turn) just to lower the action a bit. Im sure it will be okay but thanks for
your advice.
Im looking forward to getting these bloomers. £19 for 5 packs!
Cheers,
Dave
I should
stress here that the truss rod is NOT a device intended to be used for adjusting the
action height.
The purpose is to reinforce the neck, and adjustable ones allow us to
adjust the relief bow in the neck so that it matches the natural ellipse the strings
vibrate in for any given gauge of strings...
Action height is adjusted at the
nut and bridge... and this should be done with an eye on the clearance of the strings at
any point along the neck.
As Ben rightly points out, a full turn is NOT
something you should expect to do ...
My Advice on adjusting truss rods is
NEVER to do more than 1/8th of a turn at a time, and allow a period between adjustments
for the wood to settle..
Wood is not a uniform or elastic substance, as such
it's movement for a given change in compression and torsion pressures is somewhat
unpredictable on a precise level.
So adjustments should be made gently, and in
stages , with reference point checks made at each stage.
Max
--------------------
if you don't know who i am, i aint gonna tell you.
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zenguitar
active member
Joined: 05/12/02
Posts: 7612
Loc: Devon
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couldn't have put it better
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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.
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Neo-Classical Guitar...
active member
Joined: 07/08/01
Posts: 1723
Loc: Bradford, West Yorkshire
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Re: String Gauge
[Re: Holy Driver]
#37766 - 19/10/04 01:47 PM
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Yep, Max has hit the amp on the head here. NCGM 
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Soulgreed
Joined: 16/09/04
Posts: 172
Loc: Airdrie/Glasgow
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Re: String Gauge
[Re: Holy Driver]
#62070 - 13/12/04 06:17 PM
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Just thought I'd ressurect this thread to ask where you got 5 sets for £12? I've started
using the GHS thick'n'thin's- best strings I've used so far, although I'm gonna have to do
a re set-up...
cheers
C
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Soulgreed
Joined: 16/09/04
Posts: 172
Loc: Airdrie/Glasgow
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Re: String Gauge
[Re: Holy Driver]
#62071 - 13/12/04 06:19 PM
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Just thought I'd ressurect this thread to ask where you got 5 sets for £19? I've started
using the GHS thick'n'thin's- best strings I've used so far, although I'm gonna have to do
a re set-up...
cheers
C
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Old Fuzzface
Joined: 17/11/04
Posts: 9
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Re: String Gauge
[Re: Holy Driver]
#62845 - 15/12/04 09:06 AM
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Hey, I'm late on this thread (as usual) but I'd just like to add that I've found that
changing string brands, even if the gauge is nominally the same, sometimes necessitates a
set-up.
What I do when checking the truss rod is to capo at the first fret,
then hold down the bottom E string at the last fret. Check the clearance between string
and the 8th fret (or thereabouts). If you 're not sure how much clearance there should be,
you should be able to get a folded piece of paper into the gap. Repeat for the top E
string.
Tweak truss rod as required, retune all strings and check again.
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