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Post subject: Re: NGD!
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 3:56 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Not bad mate :)
Higher gauge strings feel lighter for bending due to shorter necks so 10s on a Gibson LP, for instance, feel like 9s on Fender Strat. I've been using 10s on both of my guitars, but will go to 11s on my Gibson as soon as the current strings wear off :)
Putting on different gauge strings means you have to reset your intonation (and sometimes action as well). It usually isn't a hard thing to do, just have a tuner ready and a screwdriver and a bit of spare time :) I wouldn't recommend doing a truss-rod adjustment if I were you though, at least until you learn how to do it properly. I check (and if need-be set) my intonation usually once per 3 months (give or take a month). It's pretty simple really. I had some problems with setting it on my Fender Strat - the darn thing just didn't work when I left it for a couple of days. Had a guitar luthier take look at both of my guitars, he did some tweaking (the bridge on my Strat wasn't balanced due to higher string gauge than original so he fixed that) and afterwards I could easily set the intonation myself.
I wouldn't do any truss-rod adjustments myself on those 2 guitars that I own - there's not much room for error there, so until I learn to do adjust it properly I won't risk damaging my main guitars. I have about 8 years old Behringer, my 1st guitar actually, so I can fiddle with that and learn how to set it up there, with no real risk (it's a veeeery cheap guitar).

Anyway as long as you know what tones should be where (fret-wise), just set the intonation yourself. The worst that can happen is that you make the intonation worse and you have to take it to a guitar luthier, but it won't damage the guitar itself :)

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Post subject: Re: NGD!
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 4:31 pm
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Neimenljivi wrote:
I wouldn't do any truss-rod adjustments myself on those 2 guitars that I own - there's not much room for error there, so until I learn to do adjust it properly I won't risk damaging my main guitars.

It's not that hard, if you have a guitar where it can be adjusted from the headstock. Just don't turn it too much at a time, and never past a resistance point.
Start by twisting the rod a little bit the wrong way, before turning it the way you want it. That way you'll feel whether it's just friction or whether you've met the end point you should not go past.

And be patient. Twist the rod max 1/8 of a turn, then wait at least an hour. The neck may take that long or even longer before the wood has settled, although you can shorten the time somewhat by playing it. Then check the results and do further adjustments if necessary, again waiting before checking the results.

I do this at least a couple of times a year. The humidity changes that comes with seasonal changes and indoor climate control can really change the neck relief. So if you have a few guitars, it will quickly become expensive if you take all of them in for adjustment every spring and fall.


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Post subject: Re: NGD!
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 4:51 pm
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Yeah all of them can be adjusted from headstock. What would be a good indicator that it needs a re-adjustment though, apart from strings buzzing while hitting the frets if one hasn't changed gauge or lowered action?
The main part - knowing which way is wrong and which way is right - might be a bit problematic for me :lol: I can't see minor details in shape and size differences of an actual thing. I can easily spot something on computer - I am in university, graphic design course - but am very bad with other stuff. I can't estimate any distances either - I could easily estimate the width of a bench that's, say, 1,7meters wide anywhere between 1m and 3m. So the slight change in neck curve is something I, most likely, wouldn't notice. I'd have to make a significant change and then see whether it was in the right way or in the wrong one, but that's, sadly, not an option when it comes to truss rod adjustment.

I have owned the Gibson LP for 2 years and a half before I first took it to a luthier for adjustment and the Fender Strat for half a year. I took them there both at the same time and luckily there was no need for a truss rod adjustment. I hope it continues in this trend :D

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Post subject: Re: NGD!
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 4:58 pm
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Rest your guitar on your foot headstock up and look as directly as you can down one side of the fretboard. If you have to hold it closer to your eyes while doing this or rest it on a soft surface about waist high. Doing this will tell you how bowed or back bowed your neck is and how if any adjustment it needs. Another way would be to purchase a straight edge and use that to gauge relief, but the visual way has always worked for me so no need to spend money on a tool when I could be saving it for something else. 8)

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Post subject: Re: NGD!
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 6:33 pm
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Neimenljivi wrote:
Yeah all of them can be adjusted from headstock. What would be a good indicator that it needs a re-adjustment though, apart from strings buzzing while hitting the frets if one hasn't changed gauge or lowered action?

Put a capo on the first fret (to take the nut height out of the equation). If you don't have a capo, get someone to hold the bass E string (sixth string) down at the first fret.

Then press and hold the E string down at the 16th or 17th fret[*] (or use a second capo as high as you can put it).
With your spare hand, tap the E string in the 6th to 10th fret range[**].

If it rests against any of those frets, your neck is bent too far back. Loosen the truss rod (widdershins/deosil).
If you have to move the string more than just a tiny bit before hitting the frets, you have too much relief and should tighten the truss rod (clockwise).

The thickness of a business card is one way of measuring. The thickness of the piece of high E string you cut off when restringing is another. That's about the right amount of relief. No real need to buy a blade feeler set, although if you have one, by all means use it.

[*]: Fender's instructions say that you should press down at the highest fret. Disregard that, and check at the fret where the bendable part of neck ends. For a Tele or Strat, that's usually around the 16th to 17th fret. The highest frets aren't affected by the truss rod, and can give you false readings, especially on older instruments that have developed a "ski jump". The top frets then tend to be too high (and you have likely raised the action already, or micro-tilted the neck to compensate).

[**]: Fender's instructions say that you should check at the 8th fret. Disregard that, and check a bit higher and a bit lower too. The reason is that the neck and truss rod may change a bit over time, and your highest relief point may shift to another fret. This is especially true for old instruments.


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Post subject: Re: NGD!
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 6:43 pm
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those are sweet, good choice 8)

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Post subject: Re: NGD!
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:21 pm
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strings10927 wrote:
those are sweet, good choice 8)

He certainly got a lot of new guitar there. Should be able to play most anything with that!

I can't complain either. It's the cleanest sounding electric I can remember having.
Next time it will probably be a Fender acoustic, though - got to try what they make at the old Ovation factory just down the road from me. (Do they have factory tours, like Corona?)


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Post subject: Re: NGD!
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 1:08 am
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arth1 wrote:
Here's the junior I bought, first pic after I got her home. I think $400 for an American made Gibson that looks and plays good isn't too bad!

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Nice! Great minds and all- I just bought a Gibson SG Friday! Mine's the red one with P90's. It was used, but mint condition- $530. Love it! I was surprised, too- until now I wasn't that impressed with SG's ( never tried one). Love the voicing of the P90's- this guitar really sounds great!

I also had in my hands a Gibson Firebird- the REAL one, with the neck through, and the mini buckers in classic sunburst. I gotta say, that was the best guitar I've ever played- the ONLY reason it didn't go home with me is because I didn't have enough $$...

Ran both of them through a Super Sonic 60, and a tweed Blues Deluxe. Fantastic amps, and I'm sure they had something to do with the angelic tone I got.

For the record: A Gibson guitar through a cooking Fender tweed amp is one of the best sounds ever! Also, the SS60 should really have a warning on it- geez that thing is loud! ( I just had to try these guitars through the Vibrolux channel)


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