Question regarding strings

Hello,

I bought an Ibanez GRX70 package. http://www.ibanez.co.jp/eu/products/jumpstart/GRX70DXJ.html

I'm very happy with the guitar and am exited about learning the first steps. I also bought a Dunlop Accessory Pack GA52 with the guitar as it looked to be a good price for what it offers: http://shop.jimdunlop.com/ecommerce/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?CID=109&IID=1881

The pack had a box of strings that came with it, but their range is 10-46 while in the Ibanez manual it's mentioned to use strings 9-42. So I also bought a set of 9-42 strings just to be on the safe side (Addario XL Super Light EXL120-3D) which are a lot easier to play than the strings that came with the guitar initially.

Now my question is: Can I actually use the 10-46 strings on the Ibanez without any trouble or would I actually need to change something else along with it? The manual says that when replacing strings with a different gauge (I assume this is what those numbers indicate), you may have to adjust the truss rod tension which should only be done by a qualified technician. Are the 10-46 strings so much different to the 9-42 strings that this may be needed or are they close enough to not make this necessary.
If it's too much hassle to bother about I'll just throw them in the garbage and keep going with the recommended 9-42 sizes. :)

More generally, does anyone know a good link/site/discussion about the pro/cons of different string types and sizes? And/or anything to explain the technical aspects of an electric guitar in general. It seems quite hard to find such stuff on this site, it took me 45 minutes just to find the video series of how to replace strings in general... and that was a series intended for a way different guitar style than mine but was at least close enough to help me through the process.

Thanks in advance for your input :)

If you aren't picky, you can switch between the 10's & 9's with no adjustments, assuming your intonation adn action and relief are all good now. However, there is a lot of difference in tensions between the 9's and the 10's. I would suggest just stick with the 9's, but don't throw out the 10's, you might want to experiment with them one day.

For more general info on guitars, you could try Google & YouTube searches.

Thanks a lot for the quick reply :)

I guess I'll just get more of the 9-42 strings to be sure I have a good stock and not risk having to wait through a whole weekend if Murphy's law strikes breaking the last string on a Saturday 5 mins after the store closing ;)

I'm as interested in finding out about technics and various possibilities as I am in actually learning to play the instrument so I'll start googling around a bit when I don't have a chance to actually play (like at work). I'll start experimenting with the strings when I'm a bit more experienced with the playing and would actually notice a difference. :)

I'm still open to suggestions if anyone knows some good websites. :D Likewise I'll post if I find something interesting. Wikipedia defn. is a good start, haven't finished up reading all the material that is there.

Hi Xykon

There's a whole lot been written about string gauges but when I looked into it a while ago there wasn't a single place with all the info right there. Much of it is personal taste so that means everyone has their own preference.

I had my Fender Strat set up by a luthier who really knows his stuff and he gave me a good background to the whole malarkey, liberally filled with his own views of course! The upshot of all that was that he replaced the original 9's with 10's on mine and said if I wanted 9's I'd need to have the frets tidied up. I've since got an ESP which has 10's and a great tone so I think another trip to the luthier is on the cards to get the Strat able to take 9's and have a decent low action without the dreaded fret buzz.

Of course introduce a different make of guitar and different playing styles and there you have the reason why there are so many different opinions.

I think it's really important to have your guitar set-up correctly. Only then will you know if the strange sounds that come out of it are your fault or not :eek:

Do a search of these forums and you'll find loads of previous threads on this subject but that's my humble view for what it's worth.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by: XykonThanks a lot for the quick reply :)

I guess I'll just get more of the 9-42 strings to be sure I have a good stock and not risk having to wait through a whole weekend if Murphy's law strikes breaking the last string on a Saturday 5 mins after the store closing ;)
[/QUOTE]

I won't even change strings if I'm down to my last pack for that guitar. :)

Originally Posted by: Xykon
I'm as interested in finding out about technics and various possibilities as I am in actually learning to play the instrument so I'll start googling around a bit when I don't have a chance to actually play (like at work). I'll start experimenting with the strings when I'm a bit more experienced with the playing and would actually notice a difference. :)

I highly recommend learning how to gve your guitar a basic set up. I'm not speaking of fret dressing or nut filing or things like that, but I feel every guitarist ought to know how to adjust his own relief, action and intonation.

Here's a straight-forward site I found great for learning set ups.
http://www.ibanezrules.com/tech/setup/index.htm

Here's a good forum on building
http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/

A good one on electronics (most of these guys are engineers and are way over my head :p)
http://guitarnuts2.proboards.com/index.cgi?

Also check out http://www.stewmac.com/ You can learn a lot just by studying the specs and descriptions on what they sell, plus they have a lot of good tutorial videos.

[QUOTE=SlickString]
There's a whole lot been written about string gauges but when I looked into it a while ago there wasn't a single place with all the info right there. Much of it is personal taste so that means everyone has their own preference.

I had my Fender Strat set up by a luthier who really knows his stuff and he gave me a good background to the whole malarkey, liberally filled with his own views of course!

Too true! Something that annoys me a great deal is those people that speak as if their way is the [u]only[/u] way. Sounds like your Luthier knows his stuff.

Just wanted to say a quick thanks for all the information. Great stuff, gotta have lots of reading to do whenever I'm bored at work :D