AboutRoss Expertise Over 15 years of guitar playing, teaching, building, and modifying; have worked as a touring musician, studio session guitarist, engineer, guitar tech, and guitar teacher. Registered member of ASCAP. Registered member of Freelancers Union. I have a working knowledge of music theory and styles, and a taste for all types of music and instruments. If you have a favorite guitar player or style, chances are I share it! If you have a question I can't answer, I'll rely on experienced and knowledgeable people I know to get the correct information for you, and I hope I can help inspire your playing style and tone. Promo photography by Sebastian Castillo at Castillo Photography, San Diego, CA.
Experience I hope that by answering questions thoroughly and giving insightful answers, I can have a positive impact on someone's playing style and tone - help them get their perfect sound.
Expert: Ross Date: 6/25/2008 Subject: Changing Strat to light tension strings
Question Just changed my strat's strings to .09 to .42 strings and now they're completely flat against the fretboard.
They won't sound a note and I can't tune them to pitch. My strat also has locking tuners and a vintage tremolo with three springs in the rear--gimme some help, please!
Answer Hi, Kai! It seems that what's happening here is that your guitar has been set up for heavier gauge strings with high tension, and your switch to light strings and less tension means the springs behind the tremolo rout isn't able to balance out. This is a pretty simple fix, and doesn't take too long.
For your overall tuning, though, it might be best to have a pro set up your guitar from scratch with the new .009 gauge strings. If you'd like to learn to do it yourself, please contact me at j-ross@rock.com, as it's a fairly involved process until you're used to doing it.
Once you've had your guitar properly set up, though, I'm sure you'll find it easily playable and lightning-fast.
