10/29/2004 at 23:43Hi. I just made a HUGE jump to much bigger strings, and I have my guitar
(94 American Strat) playing ok, but it could be better. Does anybody have
any setup tips for playing with really heavy strings? Cheers.
10/30/2004 at 01:53Adjusting the spring tension might help.
10/30/2004 at 19:09Probably the best thing to do would be to get a pro to give it a good setup
-- a good tech will make a hundred adjustments that will get it playing
like butter! Here's a neat guide I just ran across that tells you all the
things involved, and how to do them yourself:
NO ADVERSTISING - READ THE RULES
Heavier strings mean more pressure on the neck and, as Spidercents pointed
out, the trem. But if they're heavy enough, they could put a bow in the
neck that will screw with the action. Reduce the bow in the neck and it'll
be back to a nice balance (that's the trussrod adjustment). You'll
definitely need to adjust the action height -- maybe for buzz, or just for
comfort. And you'll definitely have to adust the intonation.
If you try it all yourself, be patient and don't force anything --
especially the trussrod. Knowing this stuff is invaluable. But, honestly,
even though I do these things for my own guitars, I'm nowhere NEAR as good
as the pros I've gone to -- the good ones can do things with an instrument
that will amaze you -- and for such a big change, spending another 20-30
bucks will easily be worth it!
Good luck!
Jeff
[Edited on 10/31/2004 by Moderator]
10/31/2004 at 00:32All you need to do is relieve a little pressure off the truss rod/neck and
loosen the trem springs so your trem not tilting forward. Adjust until
level again. Also it's a good idea to adjust your intonation.
Let us know how it goes
11/1/2004 at 21:56Thanks folks. I think I might go to just a slightly lighter string before
I bother with too much setup. These ones are just that little bit too hard
to bend with speed and precision at standard tuning. The work awesome if
you tume the whole thing to C though. I actually found a guy who knows his
stuff when it comes to setup on a local motorcycle forum I am on who said
he will look at it for free for me 
It could be an
interesting jam. He is a countryguy and I play in a death metal band.
This could be the new fusion that sweeps tha airwaves! 
11/2/2004 at 12:36Id say that fusion wont work...Country lead guitar is much harder then
metal guitar and takes many more years to learn than metal...Not trying to
be negative however I would learn some country lead before you jam...I know
from my experience that when metal and country mix country wins
everytime...Cheers to ya and I hope you have fun...
11/6/2004 at 20:23Im not into country however I learn the lead guitar...Its very cool
