Are you constantly dropping your tuning and suffering from a limp, floppy string? Maybe you’re noticing a little fret buzz, or maybe even you just want to grip something with a little more tension – well perhaps it’s time to try some heavier gauge strings.

(Instead of settling for the generic gauges found in most string sets, we’d like to invite you to try out our meticulously designed, progressive tension strings called StringDrop. These will aid you to better string tension and better tone!)

As simple as this is, it’s always good to give your guitar a once over on the setup so you can get the most out of it. and ensure optimal performance. Here’s a few things you’ll want to consider when you get your new strings:

1. Make sure the new string gauge fits in the nut properly. One easy thing to do if it doesn’t fit is to just grab a tiny piece of high grit sandpaper and wrap it around the string, then use it as a file and widen the slot a bit. If you want to do the whole shabang and replace the nut, check out this article on replacing your nut.

2. If you have a whammy bar, this is a good time to tighten the springs a bit and to check this throughout to maintain proper string balance and bridge height.

3. Now that you’ve got the new strings on, this is a good time to give the truss rod a tiny little tightening – maybe an 1/8th turn, maybe not even that. This acts as a sort of preemptive action to counter the newly added pull on the neck from the heavier gauge strings. If you’re nervous with this step try reading our article on adjusting your truss rod for help.

4. Now that you’ve got the truss rod pulling the neck, you might be able to get away with lowering the action a hair since the heavy strings won’t oscillate as widely as light gauge strings do. If it’s a regular hard tail bridge it’s always good to give it a shot since it’s easy to change back – if you don’t want to try it continue to the next step.

5. Now that the strings are all set to their heights, this is a good time to plug into an amp and adjust the pickup height since the heavier strings will give you a bit more volume and ‘power’ and you may want to remember this if step if your tone doesn’t sound right.

6. Once you have all of these steps completed, this is a great time to finally check the intonation to make sure it’s still as accurate as you can get it – wait to do this step until the end since everything you do can and likely will effect to the intonation. If you haven’t done this before or need a refresher check out our article on how to intonate your guitar.

7. Tune to your chosen tuning, shut up, and play your guitar… Also check it the next day to make sure everything is how it should be as most changes on a guitar won’t really be fully noticeable until a day or two after.

We hope you enjoyed this article! If you did, make sure to check out more, because we upload new reviews, technical articles, lessons, and more daily!

This article was written by Keegan Connor, our editor located in Canada.

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