string gage

[Guitarslinger32]

yo ya know how for some guitars they say keep the gage of the strings it comes with, well i wanna raise my 9's to 10's i got a floyd rose, nothing would go wrong if i raised the gage (gotta even the tension in the back i know that) but i wanna know that its not gonna cause problems like string buzz cause of the nut thats used to 9's, but my nut is made outta metal and so it should be fine right?    strings cant dent metal from wear could they?

[thebird55]

Spring tension will have to be adjusted. You will then need a complete setup, from scratch.

[FC]

Your action will change as well, you would have to adjust that.

[Sven]

Once the saddle is adjusted, the string height should be enough to keep the buzz away, but you might need to have a spacer put under the nut.

[thebird55]

The locking nut I had on my Squier had "dips" instead of slots. It accommodated all sizes.

How much experience do you have working on FRs?


Edit:

The "slots" are only roughly sized for the strings. The lock keeps them from moving from side to side, so they don't need narrow slots.

[Guitarslinger32]

yeah mine looks like that pic above (only in CHROME ahah Im so offical) i don't have much exp with Floyd rose's. ive been playing guitar for 5 years but just got my first FR last summer, I Absolutely love it i feel a Blocked Floyd rose is the Best

[Guitarslinger32]

my bridge is a  stabilized FR so now that i think about it does it actually matter about the tension ?

[sonofaglitch]

If your tailpiece is blocked it won't move, ergo it won't go out of tune due to the higher tension. I do find that its worth adjusting the intonation after changing gauges though. Also you will probably need to have a go at the truss rod since the altered tension will warp the neck.

[FC]

The locking nut I had on my Squier had "dips" instead of slots. It accommodated all sizes.

How much experience do you have working on FRs?


Edit:

The "slots" are only roughly sized for the strings. The lock keeps them from moving from side to side, so they don't need narrow slots.

I though the lock kept the strings from popping out of place on deep dives. My FR is locked, so the locks came out and I haven't had any problems.

[FC]

yeah mine looks like that pic above (only in CHROME ahah Im so offical) i don't have much exp with Floyd rose's. ive been playing guitar for 5 years but just got my first FR last summer, I Absolutely love it i feel a Blocked Floyd rose is the Best

If your FR is "locked" then it shouldn't move when you change the tension. You may still have to adjust the action (by a lot less now) using the screws the hold the blades.

What I would do is to just go ahead and change the strings, tune and test the guitar that way. The change may be very minimal and you may be OK with the guitar as is, without any adjustments.

[thebird55]

The locking nut I had on my Squier had "dips" instead of slots. It accommodated all sizes.

How much experience do you have working on FRs?


Edit:

The "slots" are only roughly sized for the strings. The lock keeps them from moving from side to side, so they don't need narrow slots.

I though the lock kept the strings from popping out of place on deep dives. My FR is locked, so the locks came out and I haven't had any problems.

That's it purpose, but it also happens to stabilize them in the slots. I frequently left mine off due to the nuisance factor. No problems. I'm not really sure how the slots are sized, but it looks like either large strings would sit higher in the "V", or smaller strings would have room to wiggle.

[son of gumby]

going from 9's to 10's should have such a nominal effect on your guitar i doubt you would seriously need to do anything to it at all. if you're using 9/46's the only strings that change size are the unwound ones anyhow.

[Guitarslinger32]

hey bird, i was loookin at the slots the other day and the smaller strings got room to wiggle and if i just moved to 10's the upper three strings would still have room to wiggle so then i should be fine? plus it looks like the lowers strings would fit in the slot still not sitting on top of the "V" as long as its not on top your good right?

i like 9's and if i should stay with them then i will but i just need a note that sounds a tinny bit more fuller and i feel 10's would do the trick.

[thebird55]

It sounds like changing gauges won't affect string height at the nut. I'd get those locks, though, to keep the strings from moving side to side.

[son of gumby]

the honest to God truth is, any tonal changes you get from going up or down one size, can easily be negated with the tone controls on your amplifier.  the most sensible reason to go from 9's to 10's is because some people have trouble chording without bending the string.  those people are pressing way to hard.  lots of famous players used 9's and no one ever complained about their tone.  do what works for you, but in the end, i wouldn't bother doing anything at all with the kind of guitar you have. play 9's or play 10's. that guitar ain't gonna care either way.  if you notice a change in intonation, i'd be really surprised.