Guitar setup question: adjusting trem for different strings

pauliusmm

pauliusmm

Fractal Fanatic
Sorry if this is a stupid question , but i'm a noob in trem guitars. I recently got a Suhr GG with a recessed tremolo. It was stringed with Rososound 10' strings. I restringed it with D'addario 9's and the action got all messed up.
Before there was almost no fret buzz and now theres buzz on every fret. Also the bridge was not parallel to guitar body - i guess due to less tension from strings- so i loosened the trem claw screws and the bridge now looks normal again.

But do i have to adjust action on the bridge to get rid of this buzz, caused by string guage change?
I never had such drastic results with a hardtail strat i had before.
 
Welcome to the art of tremolo set up. The 9s will give less tension, first job would be to slacken the claw, next you may need to adjust height and then intonation. Do a search for some YouTube videos on Stratocaster set up. If you haven't done this before there is a bit of a knack to it. Or consider a set up from a guitar tech if needed.
 
Does it mean i'll have to raise the strings higher than they used to be? I was kinda going for more playability but it came off the opposite way.

I've checked youtube, but most vids seems to focus on different aspects of trem.

I'm just a bit worried i loose the nice setup the guitar came with. It was plekked and the action was really nice. Just not my guage of strings...
 
The truss rod needs adjusting as there is less tension now, have a pro show you how.
 
luke said:
The truss rod needs adjusting as there is less tension now, have a pro show you how.
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+1

You shouldn't necessarily need to raise the action, but the lighter string gauge will mean the neck is pulling back more than it was before.

Truss rod adjustment isn't really brain surgery, but if you haven't done it before, I'd do some proper reading/watching before touching anything. Or as Luke said, get someone who knows what they're doing to show you. If the Youtube video is from "Expert Village", look elsewhere. :lol
 
luke said:
The truss rod needs adjusting as there is less tension now, have a pro show you how.
Click to expand...
This. Lighter strings means less tension, which means less relief in the neck, which means your frets are now closer to your strings. If you loosen the truss rod just a bit, the buzz should go away.
 
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Whatever adjustments need to be made, should not result in a higher action. If a good action cant be achieved by adjustments of the tremolo springs and bridge alone as the others have said a slight truss rod tweak may be needed.
 
Thanks guys, i'll start with truss rod.
can someone answer this: maybe its a bad idea to put 9's strings if guitar was pleked with 10's? or it doesnt matter?
 
I would not think it makes any difference to the Plek result. As long as the string tension, versus neck equilibrium is the same with 9s one as it was with 10s you are basically back to where you started.

As an aside the last Strat I bought, when I arrived to pick it up I was told enthusiastically, we have put a new set of 10s on and set it up for 10s for you. My reply, although it is nice you have done that was perhaps you should have phoned me first as I will be using 8s on that guitar...
 
I wouldn't start with the truss rod. Just adjust the spring tension to get the bridge back in it's original position. 10's to 9's should just require a slight loosening of the spring tension. Get it as good as you can, then play it a couple days before you mess with the neck.
 
Regardless if you have a trem or not, when you switch brands or string gauges, you need to check your intonation and trussrod.

-Nate
 
PaulS said:
I wouldn't start with the truss rod. Just adjust the spring tension to get the bridge back in it's original position. 10's to 9's should just require a slight loosening of the spring tension. Get it as good as you can, then play it a couple days before you mess with the neck.
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I Also thought it shouldn't be a big deal going from 10s to 9s, but when i adjusted the spring tension so the bridge is paralel to the body there is still a fret buzz all over .
 
None of us on here can see it so anything we suggest is speculative, perhaps you may be better to take it to a tech to have a look at.
 
I'll second the suggestion to take it to a tech for a setup. I do that with every guitar, new or not, especially when changing gauges or using a new brand. I can do a descent setup on my Les Pauls or teles, but I find strats to be a bit more tricky to get just right (for me anyway). Once you've had a really good tech do a setup to your style and specs, I bet that guitar will stay pretty much spot on for you. Call it a treat for yourself- or a requirement, after getting a guitar of that caliber.
 
stratamania said:
Should it be parallel to the body ? Was it prior to taking the 10s off and adjusting ?
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Look to the strings, not the body. And look to the knife edges on the trem bridge, not the bridge itself

The knife edges on the trem should be parallel with the strings.
 
Rex said:
Look to the strings, not the body. And look to the knife edges on the trem bridge, not the bridge itself

The knife edges on the trem should be parallel with the strings.
Click to expand...

Here is how it looks now
1f01421e24dab93a400fa6d85140f3a9_zps4ddbb3d0.jpg
 
It's hard to tell from the picture, but if the knife edges are parallel to the bridge, then it looks like they're also parallel to the strings.
 
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