Change Strings Before Setup?
 

Hello all,
I recently purchased a Yamaha A3R (not the new version) and I've found the action is extremely high and the intonation being pretty bad; particularly on the low E.

Currently I have light (11 gauge) strings on but I was going to switch to extra light (10 gauge) and I just saw online, some guy saying that you should switch to that lower gauge before adjusting the action etc. because that might fix it.

That doesn't sound right to me but I could be wrong and would appreciate any advice.

I'm going to take it to a local luthier on Saturday for adjustments and was originally planning to have him re-string for me.

What do you all think?

Lighter gauge strings will have less tension on the neck. The tension on the neck is what causes it to pull forward, so less tension would alleviate some of that.

The advice you heard regarding strings and action makes no sense.
Pretty much every Yamaha I have owned came with an unacceptably high factory action. Your intonation is probably fine, but the set up is where the problem lies. Fretting a string with a very high action will sharpen the fretted note; any intonation issues will be very noticeable, especially when playing chords with both fretted and open strings.
Get your tech to lower the action to your preference-for me the action at the nut is a crucial component for playing comfort-and tell him which string gauge you prefer. Your Yamaha will magically be transformed. The lower the action (especially as you progress up the neck), the more your guitar will play in tune with itself. There is a trade-off point though; too low and you lose tone and volume, so a happy compromise needs to be reached, and only your hands and ears can assess what is right for you.
Good luck.

To answer your question .... no, don't change your strings before you bring it in. Tell your luthier/tech what strings you want to use and put a couple sets in the accessory box so he has them when he sets it up. He'll adjust neck relief and everything else with the new strings on.

This is the correct answer ^^

Why did you buy the guitar if the intonation is off and the action is high? If you got a good deal and it's adjustable then that's great but if you need a neck reset... not great at all. Otherwise RustyAxe is spot on. Changing string gauge can indeed change the action on your guitar so you need to determine what you want first then have it set up to spec. The difference between 10's and 11's is probably not so much though.

Well, if you want to go to 10's anyways, you might put those strings on first and see where you are. I doubt the difference between 10's and 11's will have a significant impact on your high action problem, but you'll get to see the impact for yourself. If you still want to take it to a tech for a setup (you probably will, since it's unlikely the high action problem will be fixed by changing strings), you can take it in with the strings you want already installed.

FYi...I have the A3cr vers.
Break out the sandpaper and have at it
until you get the saddle where you want it
IMHO

Why do you want 10s on an acoustic guitar ? You would do no favours in the tone stakes . The top of the guitar needs some string vibration to get the top of the guitar moving to produce good tone . Me I've played a lot of Yamahas and I would have it set up with 12-52 strings and then stick to the same gauge . The good correct setup will give you a great playing guitar ��

If you are having a setup done, as opposed to doing it yourself, they're going to change the strings anyway, just tell them (or give them) what you want on it.

deleted re-post

Hi all, thanks very much for your information. You've confirmed my belief.

As for changing to 10s, I worded that completely wrong, sorry about that!

I meant to say that it had been suggested to me that If I wanted to change to 10s that could fix the problem.

I usually stick to 12s but I believe the A3R came with 11s so I'm sticking with 11s on this one for the foreseeable future.

Picked up a pack of the Ernie Ball PARADIGM strings, so this'll be interesting.

Thanks again everyone for your time and advice.