[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference napalm::guitar

Title:	GUITARnotes - Where Every Note has Emotion
Notice:	Discussion of the finer stringed instruments
Moderator:	KDX200::COOPER

Created:	Thu Aug 14 1986
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	3280
Total number of notes:	61432

1721.0. "Lighter Strings - or Change Action?" by KYOA::ELZAMS (Beam me up Scottie...) Fri Mar 16 1990 13:52

    Hi
    
    I am a beginner who is learning to play with a rather bottom of the 
    line Yamaha acoustic.  The action on the guitar is pretty high, &
    therefore I find it almost impossible to play some Barr Chords.  My
    teacher recommended lowering the action on the guitar.  This made
    sense, until another player I know said to buy lighter strings.  
    
    I know the muscles in the hand are going to get stronger with practice, 
    butas a first measure - should I get lighter gauge strings - or take in
    the action? - I played my teachers heavily modified Gibson - and it sounded
    great.
    
    As a first measure - what's best?
    
    thanks,

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1721.1		TCC::COOPER	MIDI-Kitty-ADA-Metaltronix rack puke	`Fri Mar 16 1990 14:10`	3
	Lighter gauge strings won't affect the action...But they will be easier to fret... It would be easier to restring than to lower the action on a Yamaha...
1721.2		LANDO::ROSENSTEIN	Where's the greener side?	`Mon Mar 19 1990 09:11`	11
	I've only been playing for a couple of years and I too started, and still have, a Yamaha. The strings they come with are medium, I think, and are pretty tough on your fingers and they're pretty tough to barre too. I moved to extra-lights and it made it a bit easier. Don't worry it's not wimping out, eventually your hand and fingers will toughen up and you'll be able to use any strings you like. Tom
1721.3		SALEM::MADDEN		`Mon Mar 19 1990 09:56`	12
	I've been playing for about 18 months and had a similar problem with my Sigma DM-2. My instructor suggested both having the bridge shaved and using extra light strings which I did. The combination really improved the playability of the guitar. As my fingers got stronger I progressed to light gauge and I'm now playing medium gauge. BTW, originally I just switched to lighter strings and that helped some but the combo really did it for me. Good luck, Mike
1721.4	get it fixed...	PELKEY::PELKEY	Dangerous Distortion, Serious Sustain	`Wed Mar 28 1990 13:47`	19
	This reponse is somewhat dated (I've not been noting regularly for sometime now...) I hope the reply bears some merit to the topic.. I think getting lighter strings circumvents the problem. Have the action fixed (or bridge shaved) is a fairly easy/inexpensive job. Almost any guitar repair guy (who's really a guitar repair guy) should be able to do the shaving for under $15.00. The better the action, the more you'll play/pratcice, the faster you'll progress (cuz you play it more, cuz it's more enjoyable....) (See I've got this brother in-law who doesn't take advice too well,,, my advice to him was just this, which he chose to ignore for a year... he finnaly broke down and had it fixed.. now he tells me that it was the best thing he's ever done, and he's so glad he thought of it!) take it in, get it adjusted,,, you wont be sorry. Then put any gague string on you want.