Will I need a set up if I move a string gauge down? (12's to 11's)

JamesC01 · February 2021

I recently bought a sigma 000m-15, and it comes with 12's on it. I'm used to playing 9's on an electric guitar, so 12's are a big step up, and doing hammer-ons feels impossible. Would I need a set up if I move down a string gauge?

drofluf · February 2021

Based on my experience with my Martin 00015 which I believe is a similar design I’d say no. But it depends on how good the set up is now. Or rather how close it is to your preference. The feel will change; whether it may be too subtle to notice, you may prefer it or you may want a setup.

JamesC01 · February 2021

drofluf said:

Based on my experience with my Martin 00015 which I believe is a similar design I’d say no. But it depends on how good the set up is now. Or rather how close it is to your preference. The feel will change; whether it may be too subtle to notice, you may prefer it or you may want a setup.

The intonation is perfect right now, and the action seems okay.

Gandalph · February 2021

I’d suggest putting the new strings on and giving it a couple of days to settle, then see if anything has changed. If the action has altered at all due to the change in tension then a small tweak of the truss might be all that is needed.

ICBM · February 2021

Probably not, given that a standard set of 11s is so close in tension to 12s.

JamesC01 · February 2021

ICBM said:

Probably not, given that a standard set of 11s is so close in tension to 12s.

Reckon they'd be noticeably easier to play, though?

ICBM · February 2021

JamesC01 said:

Reckon they'd be noticeably easier to play, though?

Yes. The first three strings are noticeably lighter - the G too much so in my opinion, if it's a standard set with a 22, which is even lighter than the one in a set of 10s! - but the D and A are the same gauge, and the low E so close it makes no real difference.

wrinkleygit · February 2021

Try a set of Newtone Heritage 11’s, or one of their custom options with a 12 & 51 on the E’s, you might have to slacken the truss rod an eighth of a turn , if you get a little fret buzz.

BingMan · February 2021

I reckon you’d be fine... and you ain’t got much to lose by giving it a go. But I would say to persevere with 12s... 11s aren’t going to give you the same tone and volume on a 000, it’ll be easier to play, but in my opinion you’ll be sacrificing tone and projection.

I’d have a look at strings with lower tension to begin with. I don’t know what you’re using at the moment but I find d’add nickel bronze feel like they are a little lower tension than phosphor bronze so they might be worth a try. You could also tune down a half step and capo 1 to make things a little easier on the fingers.

LastMantra · February 2021

Tbh I would also recommend persevering with the 12s. Your fingers will soon toughen up.

sev112 · February 2021

No.

but please get used to acoustics having thicker strings, that is what makes them what they are.
of course you can out 11s on it, but it will quite likely sound tinny and bright, and not BOOMING like you will get as you move to 12s and 13s. You won’t want to be bending as much as on an electric in mist likeliness.

Enjoy

ICBM · March 2021

Personally I think the string gauge has less effect on tone than popularly believed. I don’t find a huge difference in tone between 11s and 12s with most guitars. 10s are usually noticeably brighter and thinner-sounding, but at least some of it is because it’s normal to set them up for a lower action as well, since most players who use them want ‘electric playability’. If you just try 10s on a guitar which had 12s it will happen by itself since the neck will straighten and the bridge move down a bit.

I also find a lot of guitars don’t actually sound any better or even louder with 13s - if anything, they can sound too tight and constricted if they’re not specifically designed for the higher tension, like post-war overbraced Martin Dreadnoughts were. Lighter-braced guitars often sound better with lighter strings, sometimes even as light as 10s.

Even my Gibson Dove - which is a big guitar with a heavy bridge by most standards - sounds more or less the same with 11s as 12s. I have got 12s on it just now (Newtones, which are a bit lower tension than some others) but I’ve used both on it and not really found a big difference - although I have to say I do find the usual 22 G string in a set of 11s too light, I prefer a 23.

Don’t feel that you should be using heavier strings than you’re comfortable with just because popular wisdom says so - try it for yourself.

crunchman · March 2021

11s are fine. If a guitar doesn't sound good with 11s, it's probably overbraced.

TrevinDevon · March 2021

I experimented with Newtone 10s on my Waterloo, which is about as low-tension as you can get. They feel too sloppy for comfort but there's zero fret buzz and it still sounds like a cannon. Personally I'd say 11s on small bodies, 12s on large, but I think string choice is more about preference than physics.

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Will I need a set up if I move a string gauge down? (12's to 11's)

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