Another string question- something slightly easier on my fingers?

[CooloutAC]

I find silk and steel strings, or Martin Retros easiest on my finger tips and great for me since I like warm sounding guitar which is why I also got a Martin dread. I also sanded down saddle, changed to 11 gauge strings, and lessened relief in neck and I play softer to avoid buzz on my D string. I use to play extremely loud but I'm just on my couch in my living room playing for myself there is no need, especially since I have nerve damage in my hands and I'm out of practice. Like an above poster I also do not want invest time and money on a set of tools to adjust or change my nut.

Another poster thinks its normal to have to get your frets dressed and crowned. I think this industry is insane if that is the norma now. I had that experience with my first online purchase and first guitar purchase in over 20 years, but I figure thats how the chinese imports are. My Martin DX1 has smooth and prefectly level frets still after 20 years, with of course some wear slots towards the headstock on the high strings that are not causing issue yet. But wow, if I was you I would return the guitar.


I've had my guitar for 20 years and I think I'll just play it for another 20 years or as long as I can. If it ever becomes unplayable I'll just buy a throw away $200 dollar Yamaha like everyone else who is smart. I would never take my guitar to a tech. They are like rabbid desperate dogs who are going to want more than a bone and will rob you blind otherwise you are not even worth it to them. As far as I'm concerned this industry is already dead and gone and will continue to go downhill and drop off along with all the old collectors.

Return it and buy a guitar if you find one in the store that is sounds good and plays right. Even when I bought my Martin dx1 20 years ago I had to over 6 garbage guitar shops before I finally found one that was playable. I was determined because I loved the sound of it for the price.

[Hexcore]

Martin's nut jobs are usually pretty good, but all mass-maker guitars generally have excessively high nut slots simply to avoid buzzing when the guitar is shipped to buyers around the world. Having precisely-cut slots can make a really big difference, and if some slots are really high, even more so. Unless you are playing bluegrass or picking very (very) heavily, I would ditch the mediums, period. A well-made guitar does not need to be driven by such hefty strings, and they are hard to fret unless your setup is spot on. If you don't know how to set and adjust neck relief and saddle height, have a known pro do it, ideally to your preference (many do it to their own, which is worthless to you). I am a lifelong player and can feel the loss of finger strength and flexibility and the advancement of arthritis, but even so can achieve excellent playability and sound by playing light gauge strings on beautifully adjusted guitars. I'll repeat that for me, correcting high nut slots was the big initial improvement. Good luck.

[nflea7]

A good setup, if the string action is crazy high, perhaps you should exchange it (if possible) for one where the action isn't so high? I put 10 gauge stings on all my acoustics, I've found that 12's are too tough for me to play comfortably. Sound projection isn't an issue with my guitars, they are all cannons

[phavriluk]

Let's please not get into the return! return! return! game when a new guitar needs final adjustment. A little informed judgement is useful; all new instruments need to be polished-up to perform well and the need for that polishing is not a flaw, like adjusting the seats on a new car.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by TBman

Silk and steel strings are easier on the fingers as well as everything everyone said in the previous posts. Getting a proper setup is the first step though.

I used silk and steel in the sixties when I was learning to play. Much easier on the fingers than standard strings.

[CooloutAC]

wow so people really think the consumer is expected to adjust his nut or pay someone to do it after purchase. thats wild.

[RoscoeGumar]

Originally Posted by CooloutAC

wow so people really think the consumer is expected to adjust his nut or pay someone to do it after purchase. thats wild.

As a newbie, been playing, or at least trying to play, for about a year, I think it depends on the guitar. Maybe this is backwards but, I expect cheaper guitars to be more "set up" in terms of at least action height, than more expensive ones.

Introductory guitars, if that's a category, are generally bought by folks that likely don't understand a guitar's action, let alone how to adjust the truss rod, saddle and nut. A new guitarist is likely to only understand "I can't seem to fret this guitar and barre chords seem like impossible magic". For this group and these introductory guitars, being relatively easily playable out of the box is key in my opinion. It trumps almost everything else like tonewoods, tone generally, solid vs. laminate, etc..

If you're buying an expensive guitar (plug in your own definition of "expensive"), you're much more likely to have strong preferences regarding how you want your guitar set up. In that case, selling a guitar with high action out of the box may make more sense since the buyer: 1) will understand what is going on; and 2) be able to adjust the action downward to their personal preference.

Of course, a knowledgeable and helpful dealer can go a long way towards alleviating problems for new players but, in my limited experience, for at least the ones I've visited, they don't seem particularly interested in spending a lot of time with customers with minimal guitar knowledge, not looking to spend a lot of money on their first guitar.

My two cents for what it's worth.

[Dreadfulnaught]

I am surprised than no one has suggested this yet: Keep your existing strings on, tune to C# instead of E, and capo on the second fret. This essentially creates a short scale guitar. You will find it much easier to play.
I have beginners do this all the time until they build up their finger strength. We also used to do it with 12 strings back in the day to reduce the stress on them.