One question too many, maybe?

Bibop-Roksteddy

Hello All

Recently bought a Squier Tele Custom II secondhand and need some advice:

Firstly the condition of the piece looked in fair nick. couple of minor scratches plus other pots were installed
The strings were a bit rusted so I replaced those. P90 pups are quite nice (especially the bridge one)

String change: the guy at the store advised me to put 11 gauge string onto the tele
(as I'm still new to playing and just learning how to bend, this will help me bend thicker strings - eventually making it easier on 9's etc and also not ripping a finger nail off - can that really happen - damn)
So I took the 11's (Ernie Ball hybrid)

But now I'm experiencing fret buzz in the 11 - 14 fret area on the 3rd, 4th and 5th strings like you won't believe.
I also noted that the neck has bent more due to setting the strings to the standard key. (is still because of the string size)

Q1 - What could be the reason for the buzzing
Q2 - should I go and have the guitar set-up as I don't know how the previous owner handled it.
Q3 - if yes on the previous Question - can anyone advise me to someone in the CPT area

last Question for now I swear: what gauge string should I put on the tele.

Holding thumbs that I will get some help on this

Warren

Couple of things from my side:

1) String gauge on electric guitars is a pretty personal thing, and there is no consensus as to what is "best" for all guitars. Steve Lukather uses .9s, Stevie Ray used .13s+. I personally have .9s on my Les Paul and .10s on my Strat, just because I like the feel of those gauges on each guitar. My Strat has big, chunky frets so very light strings feel a bit odd to me. On the other hand, the Strats I played on two Saturdays ago mostly had .9s, and those felt great on each instrument. So it's best to buy a few sets and experiment.

Use a gauge that feels good, rather than relying too much on one person's advice. I find .11s very tough to bend with, and certainly wouldn't recommend them to someone only learning bending techniques. The stronger gauge might well help you develop some strength, but it's more important to use proper technique. You may well end up hurting yourself on heavy strings. Try a few different gauges out, and stick with the one you like.

2) Yes, you should have the guitar set up properly, especially since you've changed the strings from the gauge that was originally being used. Different string gauges will affect the intonation at least, and could also cause issues with fret buzz etc. which you are experiencing now. A proper set-up should sort any issues out, provided there aren't any big issues with the instrument.

aja

I agree with Warren. Start with 9's

Work your way up slowly if that is your desire.

If you want to bench press 100kg you wouldn't start bench pressing 250kg would you?

Bob-Dubery

There are several mechanical adjustments that can be made on a guitar. In particular there is the truss rod, which lies in the neck and is used to adjust neck curvature. The neck needs a slight amount of curvature because the strings vibrate in an arc.

Now, different gauges of strings will result in different tensions on the neck. All else being equal, a heavier gauge string will mean more tension and thus the neck will bow more.

Most likely is that the guitar had a string lighter than 11s on it previously, and was setup for those strings. Now that you've put 11s on the neck has bowed a little more which can cause problems higher up the neck (because the angle of the strings relative to the fingerboard changes).

So, if all you did was put the 11s on then most probably the truss rod needs adjusting. Speak to your friendly local guitar tech. If that's all it is then it's a quick job. IMO the guys at the store should have foreseen the possibility of this happening.

In my experience stores tend to recommend 11s for Fenders. I don't know why (I play mostly acoustic guitar). A heavier string will not just have more tension, it will also give a different tone. Some guys like the extra "meat" in the tone.

You'll figure out what works best for you with some experimentation (which is part of the learning curve) but I'd get the neck checked before changing anything. If it's bowed a bit then tightening the truss rod will reduce the curvature with the side effect of lowering the action, and that should make the guitar easier to play. Besides, you just got these strings right? At least play them until they need replacing - unless you really can't get on with them.

singemonkey

.11s are easy on a Gibson type guitar like a Les Paul. But I think they'd be a little hard on a beginner with a Fender type. I don't think you necessarily need to start with .9s (designed in my opinion for people with disabilities ?), but it's probably a great idea to drop down to .10s.

Get it set up and see. The Squier that I sold to Makepeace had (with his full foreknowledge) a badly messed up fret that will almost certainly require fret leveling and dressing. But hopefully a few tweaks will sort it out.

aja

singemonkey wrote:.9s (designed in my opinion for people with disabilities ?),

Like lack of talent? or......? ???

?

9's can be fun though

Warren

singemonkey wrote: .11s are easy on a Gibson type guitar like a Les Paul. But I think they'd be a little hard on a beginner with a Fender type. I don't think you necessarily need to start with .9s (designed in my opinion for people with disabilities ?), but it's probably a great idea to drop down to .10s.

So...

@Bibop
As you can see (?) opinions differ. .11s were too much for me on my Les Paul...

Also, different string brands can have a higher tension than others. There was a thread on strings recently and much of this stuff was mentioned.

You might have he-man hands and find the .11s to be fine.

Bibop-Roksteddy

Thanks for all the advice.

Think i'm going to go with 9's. the tele had that on previously, but will have the guitar set-up also.

Where though??? not so sure. don't want to take it to some guy working at a guitar store and then he actually knows nothing.

@aja: ??? I thought not having talent meant I was cursed, guess I my parking options just increased ?

aja

Bibop Roksteddy wrote: Thanks for all the advice.

Think i'm going to go with 9's. the tele had that on previously, but will have the guitar set-up also.

Where though??? not so sure. don't want to take it to some guy working at a guitar store and then he actually knows nothing.

@aja: ??? I thought not having talent meant I was cursed, guess I my parking options just increased ?

HAHA!

That's a good idea. Playing on a badly setup guitar can be frustrating and lead to bad technique, like pressing down too hard to compensate for buzzing...

Bob-Dubery

Y'all are wimps! 11s aren't so heavy or tough. I started on 12s and survived quite well and didn't need steroids or majpr surgery. I then moved up to 13s about 15 months later.

Warren

X-rated Bob wrote: Y'all are wimps! 11s aren't so heavy or tough. I started on 12s and survived quite well and didn't need steroids or majpr surgery. I then moved up to 13s about 15 months later.

Uh huh. And how many 2 tone bends do you pull off on those? ?

aja

X-rated Bob wrote: Y'all are wimps! 11s aren't so heavy or tough. I started on 12s and survived quite well and didn't need steroids or majpr surgery. I then moved up to 13s about 15 months later.

*cough* carpal tunnel syndrome victim *cough* major reconstructive surgery done *cough*

?

Bob-Dubery

aja wrote: *cough* carpal tunnel syndrome victim *cough* major reconstructive surgery done *cough*

Yes, but not from playing a guitar strung with 13s. I'd been having intermittent symptoms for years, and it only got bad later on, not the moment I went to 13s. Let's not scare Bibop off.

Bending.... I can get two tones out of the 11s that I have on my Cortcaster. Not on my acoustics which have 13s on them. But as I hinted earlier, it's a trade-off - the 13s just sound so much better. I can bend a tone on them without too much fuss, and no guys who can bend 'em a tone-and-a-half.