High tension issue on a short scale guitar?

[nasnederis]

Hi,

A few days ago I bought a used mint condition incredible and beautiful Ibanez AVC9 all mahogany short scale (25"). The bridge saddle is sandled down and is has an incredible low action 5.5/64 on the low E and 3.5/64 on the high E at the 12th fret, an easy playing neck very straight, and the nut height is perfect! (I'm in love with the guitar). I don't know the brand of strings that the guitar came with but they had a golden ball end, I believe they were a 12-53, 80/20 bronze almost dead set, those sounded still alright and had medium tension.(I still wonder what those strings were).

Yesterday I changed for a new set of Daddario Nickel Bronze 12-53 to experiment, and being a good string( not much to my liking as the Martin Monels), Im having a trouble of very high tension(the playability of the guitar and action after a truss rud adjustment is perfect tough), and I have read that those strings are low tension, and being this a short scale guitar it should feel even more low than a standard one.



Do you know what can be causing this issue? Is it a guitar set up problem, or is it a string problem? Any ideas or comments?


Thank you

You probably put on strings with more tension than those you took off and they are overcoming the tension of the truss rod. Check your relief (on the E, capo at fret 1, hold down the string at fret 14 and check the height at fret 7). If there's a lot of room there, tighten up the truss rod and you should be back where you like. If that's not it then I'm not sure what you could have done with just a string that would raise the action.

[nasnederis]

Originally Posted by Frozen Rat

You probably put on strings with more tension than those you took off and they are overcoming the tension of the truss rod. Check your relief (on the E, capo at fret 1, hold down the string at fret 14 and check the height at fret 7). If there's a lot of room there, tighten up the truss rod and you should be back where you like. If that's not it then I'm not sure what you could have done with just a string that would raise the action.

Thank you.

I did a truss rud adjustment indeed because of the higher tension and the neck is very straight, perfect action perfect everything! I'm just having the high tension problem that I didn't expect checking the review of those strings, and this being my first short scale guitar I read everywhere that tension should be lower.

Originally Posted by nasnederis

Thank you.

I did a truss rud adjustment indeed because of the higher tension and the neck is very straight, perfect action perfect everything! I'm just having the high tension problem that I didn't expect checking the review of those strings, and this being my first short scale guitar I read everywhere that tension should be lower.

Ah, I was thinking the action changed. Higher tension feeling is likely due to the string construction. Try Santa Cruz Low Tension strings or extra lights in another brand.

The scale does affect tension of the strings, but 25" is kind of creeping on mid-scale as far as modern flattops go: just a tad longer than Martin short scale (24.9) and quarter inch more than Gibson (24.75).

I suspect the original strings were probably extra lights, 11-52s.

[nasnederis]

Originally Posted by Frozen Rat

Ah, I was thinking the action changed. Higher tension feeling is likely due to the string construction. Try Santa Cruz Low Tension strings or extra lights in another brand.

The scale does affect tension of the strings, but 25" is kind of creeping on mid-scale as far as modern flattops go: just a tad longer than Martin short scale (24.9) and quarter inch more than Gibson (24.75).

I suspect the original strings were probably extra lights, 11-52s.

Yea, maybe so, although I compared them and they felt the same gauge or even more the previous strings, like 54. I have a Yamaha FGX800C with the 25.6 scale lenght with 12-53 Martin Retro and it feels just alright, I figured the new Ibanez would had lesser tension.

[Jabberwocky]

Guess the D'Addario Nickel Bronze Low Tension strings aren't so low tension after all. You have to take the maker's description with a huge pinch of salt. One maker's low tension may be another maker's medium. The coarse gauge of the strings may be the same as another maker's but the core may be different in gauge. A thin steel core string will have lower tension than a thick steel core string at pitch even though the coarse gauge (the external dimension) may be the same.

Since your guitar is fine after a truss rod tweaking, I won't worry too much about it. The D'Addario Nickel Bronze are hexagonal core strings and so would feel harder under the fingers to fret. If you are coming over from round core strings you may feel that they are "higher tension". But that is not really what you are talking about.

[nasnederis]

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

Guess the D'Addario Nickel Bronze Low Tension strings aren't so low tension after all. You have to take the maker's description with a huge pinch of salt. One maker's low tension may be another maker's medium. The coarse gauge of the strings may be the same as another maker's but the core may be different in gauge. A thin steel core string will have lower tension than a thick steel core string at pitch even though the coarse gauge (the external dimension) may be the same.

Since your guitar is fine after a truss rod tweaking, I won't worry too much about it. The D'Addario Nickel Bronze are hexagonal core strings and so would feel harder under the fingers to fret. If you are coming over from round core strings you may feel that they are "higher tension". But that is not really what you are talking about.

Yeah, definitely those strings are rough on the fingers, not my kind of strings after all, it feels like an electric string, not like the Martin Monel, Im glad Im trying other things tough, I will have them on my guitar ´just a little more time. I only hope the normal Daddario Phospor Bronze that I also bought are lower tension than the nickels and feel better on the Ibanez

[RodB]

There's hardly any difference in tension between the D'addario NB 12-53 strings and their PB 12-53 strings (EJ16). I use both quite a bit and don't have to adjust the guitars. The 80/20 strings are a few percent lower in tension, but this would not account for the difference you feel. This info is easily found on their website. No claim there that any of these are 'low tension'...

Maybe the strings that were on the guitar were something else...

[nasnederis]

Originally Posted by RodB

There's hardly any difference in tension between the D'addario NB 12-53 strings and their PB 12-53 strings (EJ16). I use both quite a bit and don't have to adjust the guitars. The 80/20 strings are a few percent lower in tension, but this would not account for the difference you feel. This info is easily found on their website. No claim there that any of these are 'low tension'...

Maybe the strings that were on the guitar were something else...

Thank you.
Maybe I just should try another brand, it is just weird that a short scale has a high tension with a 12-53 set.

[nasnederis]

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

Guess the D'Addario Nickel Bronze Low Tension strings aren't so low tension after all. You have to take the maker's description with a huge pinch of salt. One maker's low tension may be another maker's medium. The coarse gauge of the strings may be the same as another maker's but the core may be different in gauge. A thin steel core string will have lower tension than a thick steel core string at pitch even though the coarse gauge (the external dimension) may be the same.

Since your guitar is fine after a truss rod tweaking, I won't worry too much about it. The D'Addario Nickel Bronze are hexagonal core strings and so would feel harder under the fingers to fret. If you are coming over from round core strings you may feel that they are "higher tension". But that is not really what you are talking about.

You know what, now that Im playing it more, this may the issue, those strings to me are very hard on my fingers and that may be doing the impression of a lot harder tension...very strange since bass guitar is what I play the most and im a hard hitting player.

[nasnederis]

anyone else with this issue?

[Ed-in-Ohio]

Have you played D'Addario strings before? I have never liked the feel of them (and I know I'm in the minority on this). They always feel "brittle" and "tight" to me. Though I'm not sure I'd call the sensation the result of tension, one could certainly assume that was the feeling.

[stringjunky]

Originally Posted by nasnederis

anyone else with this issue?

Try some roundcore strings and see if Jabberwocky is right. I think there's a good chance he is. The inner cores in roundcores can slide inside, so the wrap and core move independently and don't feel as stiff as hexcores. The corners of the hex bite into the windings and make it a more tightly integrated piece and hence a bit stiffer.

[TBman]

Martin sells Flexible Core strings which I have on a few of my guitars. Easier on the fingers and under $7 a set.

[nasnederis]

Originally Posted by stringjunky2

Try some roundcore strings and see if Jabberwocky is right. I think there's a good chance he is. The inner cores in roundcores can slide inside, so the wrap and core move independently and don't feel as stiff as hexcores. The corners of the hex bite into the windings and make it a more tightly integrated piece and hence a bit stiffer.

the more I use the the more I like them and get used to those strings NB.