Help Help Guitar String And Setup Trouble !

[Guitargodchris]

Hi there , I just changed my string on my Squier Showmaster , it has a floating tremolo or fixed bridge whatever you want to call it.

the low E to D strings are touching the first couple of the frets but is quite high above the rest of the frets going down towards the bridge and i always have this buzzing sound.

I feel kinda embaressed seeing as i have played guitar for 3 years but this has never happened to me

help please

thanks xxxxx

[Steve]

Hold the guitar so you can look along the length of the neck from the bridge down to the tuning pegs. How straight is it? Does it look warped at the end? Are you using the same gauge strings as before?

[Guitargodchris]

not warped and yeah im using thicker gague strings this time, 11 to 56's i think they are ... i used to use 7 to 42 or something

[Steve]

not warped and yeah im using thicker gague strings this time, 11 to 56's i think they are ... i used to use 7 to 42 or something

7 to 42 or something

Probably 9 - 42. If you change the string gauge, you really need to have the guitar 'setup' again. Especially if you go from 9s to 11s. That's a pretty big leap! Get a Les Paul. A lot less trouble!

[john]

Hey

with the floating bridge tension is a big part of the height the bridge sits at. Thicker strings means more tension to get to pitch and therefor lower action. You have to either put on the same weight strings or adjust the action.

Cheers

John

[thelevellers]

I dunno how confident you are with fiddling, or how much you cherish your guitar, but I found that tightening the tremolo springs fixed the problem for me, at least so that it was playable... The tremolo springs are accessible through the 'back' of the body usually, and you'll want a fairly big/sturdy screwdriver to do the adjusting I expect (or even an allen key, I only have Ibanez's so I dunno about any other makes!)

Good luck, if in doubt go find a local guitar shop! If you've got a cool one they'll tell you what to do with out charge. lol... I'd send you to my favourite shop (run by the ex Cradle of Filth guitarist Stuart Anstis no less) but that's in north Devon, so not much use to you!

Rohan

[john]

Hey

Yep, could be as simple as moving two spring to be more diagonal (more tension), or a tensioner on the springs. Depends how bad the problem is.

Cheers

John

[Rudi]

Sounds like a Floyd Rose system. Even if you replace with the same gauge strings you are quite likely to lose the set-up because the bridge needs to remain in the same position as the strings are changed.

In future, change one string at a time and tune it immediately so that all strings are at the correct tension. Do this for all 6 strings. ONE AT A TIME. Never remove or detune all the strings at once.

The buzzing on the low E & D strings: I had a similar problem on a Charvette I used to have. I used steel shims to build up the height of the nut at selected positions under the strings

.

Shims are thin sheet steel cut to size & shape with tin-snips. I used thin slivers directly under the troublesome strings at the nut. This is more expediant than changing or modifying the nut. If you have no access to sheet steel (it comes in .002" , .004" etc up to ,020" - these are thousanths of an inch. The same as string gauges are), I would suggest tightly coiling up your old guitar strings & cutting them to size for the same purpose. I have not tried this, its just an idea. I would try to coil the strings around the tip of long nosed pliers. It may prove tricky because the coils will want to move when you dont want them too.

Shim can be had at milling & turning machine shops (industrial). Maybe a local college or evening class group would be a source. Ask for a small piece of .002". ,004" & .008". It shouldnt cost much. You can build up the layers to the required height with these; ie: use ,002" & ,004" together to make .006" thick spacers. Dont leave too much hanging out or you may cut your fingers.

If you dont use the trem much, remove the back plate from the back of guitar body & you can cut a block of wood to fit snugly between the floating bridge & the forward (closert the neck) section of the guitar body. Even if you use the trem, you can use this when you change strings to stop the bridge losing its position.

Your heavier gauge strings will increase the string tension markedley, bending the bridge forward towards the neck slightly more. You will find these strings more resistant to string bends too.

Let us know how you get on. Good Luck.

[Guitargodchris]

pictures will be put here in 5 minutes

[Steve]

pictures will be put here in 5 minutes

I've waited up all night for those pics!