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I’m thinking of replacing my .009s with .010 chromes.
Am I likely to need a set up?
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11-20-2024 03:53 AM
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Most defintly,
there's a significant change in tension pulling the neck forward (up) and compressing the bridge and top of the guitar. You also have to address nut and saddle slots.
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I've had some instruments that were effected, some that weren't. Neck material, solid body vs solid wood hollow, fingerboard material, string height and relief initially and after, chunky/thin depth, whether the slots were amply slotted, ... several factours come into play.
If you're changing a .0009 set going thicker, there must be a reason so yeah, work with your guitar (or luthier) and address a number of things like the new feel of the strings, new action possible, visit the pickup height and balance those strings have on the pickups and pole pieces through your amp, and look at this as an opportunity to get your guitar set up to a new level.
It's always good to have a set up once in a while. It keeps your guitar able to respond to your own potential as a player. Go for it!
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Maybe, maybe not. It depends on the guitar and the player's preferences. All I can say is put on the new strings and see if there is too much relief. With a .009 set the truss rod may not even be having an effect, but it's not possible to say from here.
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You will need to adjust the relief, but the nut slot should be okay going from 9s to 10s. It is doubtful that the slot was cut to only accommodate the lightest of strings - especially if it was a production instrument. If you are going to 11+ sets, the nut will need to be addressed as you could expect binding.
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-What guitar are we talking about?
For reference, I just got a brand new American Telecaster, that came factory stock with Fender Super 250L (9-42) strings. I put on regular 10-46 D'Addarios and the Low E, A, D and G were binding in the nut. Full setup required, including pickup adjustment. (This is business as usual as most solid bodies come stock with a nut slotted for 9s these days.)
Some guys put flats on their Telecaster, but if this is an archtop, any decent factory nut should be able to handle 11-50 as a minimum. (But surly you don't have 9s on your archtop, right?)
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Another vote for somewhere between "maybe not" and "probably". Depends on the guitar, the specific string gauges and overall string-set tension, current set-up, time of year, how the heavier strings feel to you. IMO, the best answer, though, is "learn how to judge/measure/set string height, intonation and neck relief yourself." That way, if it needs a set, you'll be able to do it (takes less than half an hour), and be able to keep it set up to your liking as things move around in response to seasonal changes or your preferences change. I wouldn't worry about nut slots. They're typically cut to be able to handle a range, unless it's a custom made guitar.
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I don't think so but you will know when you put them on.
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There’s really no definitive answer without trying it out first. Switching to .010 chromes will certainly change the tension, but whether it requires a setup depends on your guitar’s current state. For example, you might find that the extra tension improves relief if you didn’t have enough with the .009s, making adjustments unnecessary. Most modern guitars have nut and saddle slots that can accommodate .010s without issue, though binding is possible in some cases.
Rather than overthinking it or spending money upfront, I’d suggest simply restringing with the .010s and seeing how it feels. If the action, intonation, or relief seems off, then consider visiting a luthier. If it feels fine, you’re good to go!
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-Why do you like to move from 9s to 10s? (note that Chromes, i.e D'Addario flatwounds, got higher tension than regular round wounds.)
Assume a guitar that got a working truss rod and assume it got backbow (not sufficient relief);
Maybe the user put on lighter gauge because he prefers lighter gauge (this would explain the backbow)...Then the proper solution is not to waste strings, but to adjust the truss rod.
Assume the guitar got forward bow (too much relief);
The proper solution is not to waste a set of strings and put on 9s. The proper solution is to adjust the guitar to support your preferred string gauge.
Assume that someone doesn't know what strings he prefers and that he buys 5 sets of strings in various gauges to find out;
Chances are none of those sets would perform very well unless the user adjusts the guitar to support each set respectively.
Assume that someone wants to save costs for professional setup services buy learning to do it himself;
Then learn how to optimize the guitar for a given string gauge. Learn how to adjust a guitar without wasting strings unless they are worn out.
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Do it yourself. There’s plenty of good videos out there.
The other day I went to a guys house for a rehearsal - very bright guy, very good amateur musician, lovely guitar player, and he had an Epi Casino. I asked to try it and he said ‘oh it’s not a good guitar it chokes out’
I adjusted the thumb wheels on the bridge to raise the action by a millimetre. It played great after that.
Which just goes to show how shy some people are about making adjustments and how people often make a snap judgement about an instrument or string gauge without realising how much can be done in a matter of seconds.
I despair at how poorly set up most jazz boxes in guitar shops are. Sometimes they chuck on a set of .12 chromes and don’t touch the truss rod lol. The instruments are more or less unplayable.
I want to go in there with my multi tool, they’d sell more guitars for sure!
My 335 arrived with a terrible set up (probably left in a warehouse for months.) I probably would have sent it back if I hadn’t learned how to setup instruments.
This stuff isn’t rocket science. You will need some tools and an hour or so, but luthiers are for things like fret dresses and repairs. I’m always adjusting intonation and action as the strings break in. The flip side is I am a total wimp when it comes to actions and so on haha
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkLast edited by Christian Miller; 11-21-2024 at 08:23 AM.
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9's to 10's
Most of the time it's not as simple as only changing a whole set, you might prefer the bass strings in one gauge range and the treble in another gauge.
Then you'll be getting into the realm of custom single strings or even equal tension custom sets. Then it's a whole other guitar string multiverse of choice and expense.
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Yup. I remember (mumble mumble ) years ago, I had a guitar that was giving me all kinds of playability problems and I thought it might need new frets. It wasn't worth much, so I was figuring I'd be better off selling it. Instead, I resolved to finally read that guitar repair book I had on the shelf. Cleaned the accumulated schmutz away from the frets and all of a sudden they were twice as tall. Tightened the truss rod, and all of a sudden the action came way down. This stuff is easy. Learning to do this (and even a bit of fret work) has saved me a lot of time and money.
Originally Posted by Christian Miller
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I'm in the 'probably not' camp but it depends on the guitar and the current setup. I've sometimes dialed my guitars in with really low action to the point that the setup is extremely sensitive to change. On my guitars with action in the 2-3mm range it's usually no big deal to change gauges and I usually don't need to mess with the setup.
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