Floppy Strings....

[The Alien]

I'm having a bit of an issue with my lowest 3 strings but especially the low E, they feel too floppy in standard tuning.
At first i taught this was because of the "extra floppy" ernie ball slinkies but my guitar has a flipped headstock, could this be the cause of the floppyness? (they are rock N' roll regular slinkies).

I was thinking of buying dunlop heavy cores heavy strings (10's) but i have no experience with these,are they any good?
(I read they have the tension of 11's)
Maybe i should buy a light top heavy bottom set to offset the flipped headstock, but i heard that these twist the neck of your guitar over time.

I want to get higher tension on the bottom strings but i don't want to mess with the truss rod too much....(it's quite a fragile el cheapo ibanez neck)

I was also reading up on custom gauge strings and the people swore that they were miles beyond regular sets in "feel"?

So could you guys give me some advice or share solutions to fix the floppynes....

[The Alien]

(i think i might have posted this wrong so sorry)
This problem is worst on the low E string but i can't intonate this string properly,i moved the saddle 0.5cm from its original position and nothing seems to change. (the fretted not fluctuates alot on the tuner)

[JimiJames]

(i think i might have posted this wrong so sorry)

All good.This is a shadow link to your initial Post.
You posted correctly in the General Beginner's Questions as the subtitle suggest.

[The Alien]

So i baught daddario EXL 140's and dunlop heavy cores and i wanted to give them a try BUT now i've noticed that my truss rod will not move.(I have not changed the strings yet so it stil has ernie ball classic rock strings)
The top of the truss rod seems to be against the wood of the neck and i think thats the issue.(It's an ibanez GRGR)
Any suggestions?

[JimiJames]

Well don't change your string gauge just to make your guitar function and not have the action you need.
Sounds like the guitar had tension for .010's on there before, and to compensate for Ibanez's thin profile necks, it was probably cranked down thus the "over-bow".
Since we're talkin' guitars here and not amps, don't be afraid to adjust your truss rod for playability.
Take off that cover and loosen in increments of turns to the left, as your looking down the headstock from the Top of your guitar.
An ALL Nickel string will help you get your "snap" back and loose the floppy. Yes, heavy bottom's will do that as well,
but the idea is to have stings conducive to your technique style & playing.

In this concept of tension. I like all my strings to have the most even feel across the fretboard so that's why I always change out the B.011 to a B.012 for a .009 set.

They show the scientific tension (as opposed to the perceived tension) of each string in a particular set, showing how it varies across a set. It's a visual criticism of traditional sets and directly shows two small companies' alternatives. Each bar is exactly proportional to the tension of each string, just knowing the numbers is not so clear. Visualising the tension profile helps in designing a custom set.

[The Alien]

I'm using a screwdriver with an allen key attachment to adjust the truss rod but it will not move(it fits perfectly) should i push harder or use WD 40(or wil that kill my guitar?).
(This is annoying the hell out of me)

[JimiJames]

Perhaps post a pic.
Use either an extra long T-handle (instead of a screwdriver type so you can feel the torque)
or 90° hex, long with enough of the short side to fit with clearance as you turn to tighten or loosen to the left or right without maring the hole...
With either of these tools you will have the feel and torque in your hands and in theory
you have an overbow which means turning the hex to the left as mentioned previously
loosens the truss rod for relieving the bow in the neck.

Cautions:
Yes. there's always the unforeseen marred thread nut that might of been over tightened (from previous owner, whatever)
that even if you loosen as textbook,
there's still a chance that it has now locked in place and still snap off, ruining the guitar.
...but
if this is a neck straight from the factory, you're "in like Flint" and should have no prob "craking" the nut
just like you do on an automobile tire. It should break free without issue.

In reality it's either live with what you got, get rid of it, or innevitabley give it 3 Hail Mary's & give it a shot.

[The Alien]

I baught the guitar from thomann and they also set it up so i should be fine, how easy is it to do damage to my guitar?
And In wich case should i stop to try and crack the nut.....

[JimiJames]

gotcha.
From the info you've just provided
it seems like it is from the factory in which there are options, as well if it were warranty or to just confirm from them with a phone call/email what it would take for you to adjust their product so it's conducive to your playing and liking.

With one of the tools previously mentined, applying enough force in the torque to the left compensating for the "crack" to happen so when it loosens you don't have an "over" when it does give way thus marring occurs
I cannot guarantee that you won't damage your own guitar in either marring the hole, stripping the nut or actually breaking off the Truss Rod. You could always get a knowledgeable friend to do it. Taking it to the g-shop so a Tech can do it is an option so you can get the ball rolling and play that thing already, but he will run into the same issue. So that's why I mentioned previously what your option's were, atleast that I could think of...

Again pic's are encouraged for others to take a peek and help,
because they want you to build an amp next as soon as your guitar is up & playing the way you like !

[The Alien]

First of all many thanks to JimiJames for helping me
I have managed to move the truss rod (first i loosened the truss rod and then i tried to move it back to it's original position but i think i tightened it a bit more than it was originally so i will see if the neck moves)

I will set up my guitar for the daddario EXL 140's tomorrow
(The neck is bolted on parallel to the body)
Is a completely straight neck bad or is it just a matter of preference because i think it could help to have more even action across the neck.
Is there anything i should keep in mind when setting up my guitar for new strings?(the neck adjusting itself over time??)
Also is there a particular order of doing things (saddles,truss rod).

[rgorke]

Ok, Jimi's help was right on. The best answer is "it depends" when you change strings...are you putting on a heavier or lighter set? Has the weather changed" More or less humid? Do you pee standing up or sitting down? etc.

Here is how Fender suggested doing a set up. I have found that it works pretty well to get you field level seats in the ball park.

http://www.fender.com/support/articles/ ... tup-guide/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Where you go from there is your own fine tuning and how low you really want the action.

[The Alien]

I have installed the new strings, adjusted the truss rod (slightly) and changed intonation, the bottom strings do feel tighter but still not as tight as i had expected...(i went from EB classic rock to D'addario EXL 140)...
I'm trying to play gallops at 220BPM but i still feel like the strings move too much on the low end

[rgorke]

Could you post a clip or video of what is going on?

[The Alien]

Not really ?
But When my low E string detunes like half a step i have fret buzz.
(what is a "normal" nut hight?)
Also fret buzz was quite a big issue so i raised the saddle quite a bit.
The guitar in question is an ibanez GRGR121EX.

[Tone Slinger]

Is that a guitar (your Ibanez) that has the flat fretboard (like '18 or something) and the thin 'wizard' neck ? If it is, then I dont know what you can do to get it to where you want it. A barritone scale or another build type (set bridge/string through the body) may be what you want.

I forget that some people like the strings real LOW. I simply cant play on a guitar set up that way. Requires such a light touch. Feels like trying to play a rubber chicken.