Re: best way to change string gauge to thicker?

Well I got some 10-52's I'm gonna throw on now and see what happens. But should I adjust the truss and the bridge first and then throw em on, or what? Also the guitar store guy mentioned something about loosening the middle screws on the bridge but leaving the side ones tight or something? (same as a strat I believe)..

Patrick Keenan wrote: 
"JohnnyK" <johnkrikorian@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:VhZlf.2734$PX2.311064@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This is for the fender cyclone that has 9's.. I want to go to 11's, but
am wondering whats the best way to do it.. Should I strip the old
strings off and tighten the truss rod before i put the new ones on?
Guess I'll also need another spring in the back, correc?T THanks!



If you go  from 9's to 11's, the guitar will almost certainly need a
professionally done setup.   This is because the new strings will almost
certainly be too thick for the current size of the nut slots.

Nut adjustments are *the* component of a setup that requires the most skill,
some specialized tools, and can, improperly done render the guitar
temporarily unplayable.

The risk is that the slots will be cut too deep, a *very* easy thing to do,
and the strings will rattle or rest on the first fret.   If this happens the
nut has to be shimmed or filled and recut.   If it's shimmed, it's very easy
to break them on removal due to the weak spot above the injection points.

And yes, it's likely you'll need another spring or two, plus the trussrod
will need to be tightened.

If the nut is not adjusted, you will probably find that the strings catch in
the nut making tuning difficult and using the trem will be a bad idea.

HTH
-pk





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