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Post subject: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 1:51 pm
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HI guys
My first post, recently purchased a new American Special Stratocaster in candy apple,.after 15 years I'm electric again, since I sold my 79-80 all black standard Strat...fool...
Now I fell in love with this guitar and did the whole setup for 10 gauge strings.
First I adjusted the neck relief to 0.10 (0.25mm) adjusted the spring height to 1.6mm, pickups at bass 3.2mm trable 2.4mm so perfect, but had a problem with Elixirs, they kept buzzing acoustically, raised the action to 1.8mm, gave it more neck relief, stil, and after a week of playing they continued to give me headache, just couldn't set it up...
Also adjusted.the tremolo, tension, float, etc.etc...lubed the contact points, nut saddles,.spring tree...to no avail...
I love Elixirs on my acoustic guitars but it just didn't work with this Strat..
I figured it was coating on the strings, but then the 3rd string started to get caught up somewhere and staying sharp after use of whammy bar...re checked everything from the top, dismantled the bridge, checked the nut, spring tree etc..couldn't fix it,.
So I took em off and bought D'Addario EXL110 and from the start everything got a lot better, strengthened the neck to 0.10 relief, lowered action on all strings to 1.65mm (trable even at 1.5mm) no buzz no string getting sharp after use of whammy bar...
So my conclusion is that Elixirs just didn't get along with this guitar, maybe it's the coating and jumbo frets or who knows, but it took a week of my time tweaking it until I put on D'Addarios.


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Post subject: Re: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 2:47 am
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Hi Waymore...

As per my post on the other thread - isn't it 10 thou neck relief, not 100 thou as you have? Could that've been your problem? Too much neck bow? If it's just a mistake with zeros on your post, no idea!

Apart from that, how do you like the Special? I keep on looking at the Surf Green...

Cheers - Peter.


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Post subject: Re: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 3:24 am
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Peter S wrote:
Hi Waymore...

As per my post on the other thread - isn't it 10 thou neck relief, not 100 thou as you have? Could that've been your problem? Too much neck bow? If it's just a mistake with zeros on your post, no idea!

Apart from that, how do you like the Special? I keep on looking at the Surf Green...

Cheers - Peter.


Yeah it's 0.010 inch so 0.25 mm, I'm in Europe so metric it is lol
Anyway I love the Special, such a wonderful instrument, so vibrant and alive, great sound with Texas specials and maple neck.
Wonderful satin finish on the neck, also quite like jumbo frets...
It was love at first tone and feel.


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Post subject: Re: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 7:15 am
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sounds like part of the problem with the tuning is probably at your nut.

It's not uncommon to have a G, B or E string hang up at the nut. The factory slots are set to a one size fits all, this gets the nuts "close" but perhaps not enough to satisfy all the tolerances in the various string brands.

A full setup usually includes the setup tech knowing the string type/gauge of choice, and then will file the nut slots accordingly.

One way to get around this with out a full setup, is just get some lubrication into the nut slots.

Big Bends Nut Sauce is a really good product for this. Especially useful if you intend to use the trem bar. you can lube every place where the string makes contact (known as a witness point) to minimize the amount of friction the strings will undergo.

In the end, it will help with tuning stability and the problem you noticed with your guitars nut.

Available on Amazon, and at the "usual suspects" (musicians friend, sweetwater).

I use Elixrs on my acoustics too, have for years, but for electrics, it's either D'Addrio XL110s, or Cobalts or M-Steels from Ernie Ball. I don't think I have ever even tried elixrs on my electrics :?: ...


Good luck!


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Post subject: Re: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 7:24 am
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Thanks,
Actually the problem wasn't in the nut, it was the saddle, gave it a little polish and some lithium greace so it got better (but totally cured with other strings) , nut was already lubed as was the spring tree.
I fiddled with Elixirs for a week till I gave up, they just caused fret buzz, no matter how I set it up, must be the coating, or a bad set. And yeah I love the feel of coating when your sliding down the wound strings almost like flat wound feel.
However for now D'Addarios made a perfect match for setup. Will see how it goes with new set later on.


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Post subject: Re: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 9:27 am
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right!

sounds like it's the "Go with what works" strategy!

Sweet!


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Post subject: Re: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 1:58 pm
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I have been using Elixer Polyweb strings on my Stratocaster collection since 2001 and have never had a problem with them. I get better sound (I have found them to sound much nicer than D'aDarios which I find very inconsistent and have a breakage problem) excellent consistency and a much, much longer life without a loss of tune. They work great for me and I love them. On the other hand I have had NO LUCK with D'Adarios but what ever works for you is what you should use. Perhaps their is a difference between American Specials and American Standards. I bought an American Special in Ocean Green when they first came back and EVERYTHING was wrong with it. It went back 3 days later for a Refund. Ran into an unused 2012 American Standard with Maple Fret board in Mystic Red and have never owned such a special guitar. It LOVES Elixer srings


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Post subject: Re: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 2:03 pm
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I love Elixirs,(these were Nanoweb) that's why that was my first chose for this guitar, like the feel and the sound. But just couldn't make it work, and I'm pretty skilled in setting guitars. Will try them again probably, maybe it was a bad set. Never had a problem on my acoustics be they 11 or 12 gauge.
As for a Special, everything on it is great, didn't find a flaw in finish or in frets, intonates perfect, just had to adjust it, also had to raise the treble side (closer than factory specs) of pickups cause first two stings were too quiet
Other than that I'm in love


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Post subject: Re: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 11:30 am
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I have used Elixir polywebs since 2011 on my Special and the only issues I had were w/ the saddles wearing or grooving on the g/b/e strings. I found the hardness of the unwound/coated strings were to much for the standard saddles. Could have been I had some weak saddles but I replaced them w/ block style stainless steel from guitar fetish and haven't had an issue w/ them since. I play Elixirs because I feel they are the best coated string on the market and as a Diabetic I have enough other issues to contend with. The tone and longevity are of course different for everyone, but I find them to be above average vs the others I've tried(not recently) and play them on my acoustic also.
I have played the super lights(9-42) and lights(10-46) on the guitar w/o having to make changes to the nut. I have stayed w/ the 10's for the past few years. I have never played w/ the "nanowebs"...The best price I have found anywhere is "JustStrings" they have always been fast and reliable although some Amazon prices are getting competitive.


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Post subject: Re: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 12:37 pm
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I used to use just strings but the $6.00plus for shipping made the strings costlier than almost everywhere. I but from Sweetwater because they NEVER charge for shipping no matter how low the price and the more you buy the less they cost 5 sets is $8.99 each with no shipping charge, That is pretty hard to beat but I agree they are the best strings on the market in Poly-web in my Opinion. The Nano-Web just don't last as long


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Post subject: Re: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 5:16 am
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.


Last edited by WaymoreProta on Wed Mar 02, 2016 5:20 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 5:19 am
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Stevens wrote:
I used to use just strings but the $6.00plus for shipping made the strings costlier than almost everywhere. I but from Sweetwater because they NEVER charge for shipping no matter how low the price and the more you buy the less they cost 5 sets is $8.99 each with no shipping charge, That is pretty hard to beat but I agree they are the best strings on the market in Poly-web in my Opinion. The Nano-Web just don't last as long


I'm in Europe,.so a set of Elixirs is about 14 euros and D'Addarios EXL110 are less than 7e, so it double, but I don't mind the price, somehow just didn't work for me on Strat as good as on acoustics.


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Post subject: Re: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 7:17 am
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Is there some reason we're going to great lengths to eliminate acoustic buzzing from an electric guitar and in the process messing with a meticulously done setup?

Can you hear the buzz when plugged into an amp? If not, put the guitar back to where it was and stop worrying about it. This happens on lots of electric guitars. People forget sometimes that electric guitars are "electric". Stop playing it unplugged and plug it in the way Leo intended.

:idea:

If you CAN hear the buzz through an amplifier then by all means, let's deal with this but I would not waste another second of my precious life worrying about something that has zero impact in the real world.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.


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Post subject: Re: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 7:19 am
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Bravo, well said! Life is too short for the little stuff. Worry about what really matters. I bought a surf Green American Special and it cam with EVERYTHING wrong on it. It went back the next day. I had never been so disappointed in a guitar. I got the Real American Standard and it came PERFECT i the TSA locking case (not a gig bag) and still is one of the best guitars I have ever or will ever own. That American Special was a total mess, I've has better modern Vintage guitars than the American Special.Didn't miss the Texas Specials at all the American Standard cam with Fat 50's and they are one awesome pick-up.


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Post subject: Re: Elixir strings and American Special Stratocaster
Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 8:58 am
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Nothing wrong with this Special, just with Elixirs I had to raise the action to 1.8-1.9 mm and that's too high, for my comfort, and give it more than .010 neck relief to avoid acoustic buzz. With D'Addarios I set the action to 1.6-1.7mm with no buzz and neck relief set to .010 (0.25mm)
So the strings were the problem not the guitar.


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