1970 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Replaced a very old set of elixir strings with some earnie balls of the same guage and now find a lot more taugtness in the action, and the action also raised a little. Nowhere near as comforable to play, even though the guage is the same. Not sure what my point or quesrtion is here. I want it to sound as good as it does now but play as good as it did before I changed the strings. I know nothing about strings btw. clearly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Generally strings get more elastic over time as they are being played for longer. You will also get slight differences in different brands too. If you like Ernie Ball strings a lot you could try going for a lighter gauge next time maybe? For now you'll need to tighten the truss rod a bit to get the neck and action to the right level again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970 Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 yeah i'll have a tinker with the setup for sure - good to know they'll loosen a bit, cheers for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 It's kind of a gradual process which you don't really notice until you change the strings again (unless you have them on for aaaaages!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlloyd Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 [quote name='1970' timestamp='1331725605' post='1577692'] Replaced a very old set of elixir strings with some earnie balls of the same guage and now find a lot more taugtness in the action, and the action also raised a little. Nowhere near as comforable to play, even though the guage is the same. Not sure what my point or quesrtion is here. I want it to sound as good as it does now but play as good as it did before I changed the strings. I know nothing about strings btw. clearly. [/quote] A truss rod tweak would seem to be in order. The biggest problem you'll be experiencing is from the increased neck bow. Have a read of this for a basic setup guide. It's actually very easy to do. http://www.fender.com/en-GB/support/articles/bass-guitar-setup-guide/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970 Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 I was a bit reluctant to get in there and toy with my new bass (it's a 4003, way too nice for me) - I've done setups on all my other guitars and other bass before, so I guess if I'm careful there's nothing to worry about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 [quote name='1970' timestamp='1331727174' post='1577735'] I was a bit reluctant to get in there and toy with my new bass (it's a 4003, way too nice for me) - I've done setups on all my other guitars and other bass before, so I guess if I'm careful there's nothing to worry about. [/quote] STOP! Rics are a breed apart when it comes to setups. Go onto the Ric' Resource forum and learn from the experts how to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970 Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 ok! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970 Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 looks like the main resource (joeys bass page) has pulled all his info... bummer. Can't find much other info. Might just lower the bridge and see if that helps, and leave the truss rods for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlloyd Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 [quote name='1970' timestamp='1331741167' post='1578109'] looks like the main resource (joeys bass page) has pulled all his info... bummer. Can't find much other info. Might just lower the bridge and see if that helps, and leave the truss rods for now. [/quote] It won't... if you go further up the neck, you'll start to get buzzing and perhaps the strings choking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 why dont you just get some round core strings? very flexible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 [quote name='1970' timestamp='1331741167' post='1578109'] looks like the main resource (joeys bass page) has pulled all his info... bummer. Can't find much other info. Might just lower the bridge and see if that helps, and leave the truss rods for now. [/quote] Hmmm bummer indeed. You might be able to glean something [url="http://www.rickenbacker.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=2"]here[/url]. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelk27 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 [quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1331726014' post='1577701']Generally strings get more elastic over time as they are being played for longer.[/quote] For a given tension, as a string degrades, the wrap/wrap and wrap/core adhesion breaks down and the intersectional voids deform, which results in the string becoming less compliant, that is feeling stiffer - not more, but less "flexible". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 That's interesting, I've always felt the strings had less stability the older they got, and were more prone to fretbuzz! [quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1331752320' post='1578357'] For a given tension, as a string degrades, the wrap/wrap and wrap/core adhesion breaks down and the intersectional voids deform, which results in the string becoming less compliant, that is feeling stiffer - not more, but less "flexible". [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970 Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 [quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1331743061' post='1578146'] It won't... if you go further up the neck, you'll start to get buzzing and perhaps the strings choking out. [/quote] Worked ok actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Always a minefield changing brands..... you just have to suck them and see. I spent more than a year trying news brands...so around about 10 sets or so... and used a few twice after a cleaning, and I am nowhere near as anal about the tension and guage as I used to be. You'll have to do this until you are happy. Once you settle on a brand and set, you'll not want to have to be bothered with rod tweaks ...just a minute adjustment on the saddles and only then when you go through the winter/summer seasons, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelk27 Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 [quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1331754284' post='1578411']That's interesting, I've always felt the strings had less stability the older they got, and were more prone to fretbuzz![/quote] Abrasion. Metal on metal contact damages both the fret wire and the string outer wrap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 [quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1331858642' post='1580172'] Abrasion. Metal on metal contact damages both the fret wire and the string outer wrap. [/quote] So... The core becomes stiffer and the outer wrap becomes less so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlloyd Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 [quote name='1970' timestamp='1331763420' post='1578652'] Worked ok actually. [/quote] How much relief does the neck currently have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970 Posted March 16, 2012 Author Share Posted March 16, 2012 [quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1331893755' post='1580452'] How much relief does the neck currently have? [/quote] about 1.5 mm by my estimate... maybe 2mm. I play with a pick, often quite hard, so i don't really want a super low action. I'm going to get a tool for adjusting the tross and see how it goes if i set it 'dead straight' as they say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlloyd Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 [quote name='1970' timestamp='1331894396' post='1580473'] about 1.5 mm by my estimate... maybe 2mm. I play with a pick, often quite hard, so i don't really want a super low action. I'm going to get a tool for adjusting the tross and see how it goes if i set it 'dead straight' as they say. [/quote] Are you sure you're measuring relief? Relief is a measure of the "bowedness" of the neck... if you capo the strings at the first fret and fret at the highest fret, the relief is the distance between the bottom of the string and the top of the fret at the midpoint of the neck (between fret 1 and the neck/body join). The correct amount of relief will depend on a number of things, but it's usually around 0.3 to 0.5 mm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 I think I'm going to have to break out my popcorn gif again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970 Posted March 16, 2012 Author Share Posted March 16, 2012 [quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1331895673' post='1580500'] Are you sure you're measuring relief? Relief is a measure of the "bowedness" of the neck... if you capo the strings at the first fret and fret at the highest fret, the relief is the distance between the bottom of the string and the top of the fret at the midpoint of the neck (between fret 1 and the neck/body join). The correct amount of relief will depend on a number of things, but it's usually around 0.3 to 0.5 mm. [/quote] Ok, guess there's more relief than I thought was right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970 Posted March 16, 2012 Author Share Posted March 16, 2012 [quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1331895885' post='1580505'] I think I'm going to have to break out my popcorn gif again. [/quote] hardy har - i've only been playing for a year thankyouverymuch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 [quote name='1970' timestamp='1331896344' post='1580517'] hardy har - i've only been playing for a year thankyouverymuch [/quote] Haha, hey at least your trying. Proceed with caution though, inexperience mixed with expensive equipment may result in sad face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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