Will changing string gauges affect my Ric's neck?

[Metal Jockey]

I'm not certain of the actual gauge of strings that are on my Ric right now. When I bought it a couple of weeks ago, I told the bass tech at Dave's Guitar Shop that I planned on using 45-105 gauge strings. The strings that came on the bass appear to be those gauges as they seem to be the same sizes as the ones on my other bass which are also 45-105.

But now I want to try some lighter gauge strings, either the Rotosound 66 Funkmasters which are 30-50-70-90 or the Rotosound Swing Bass 66LA which are 30, 50, 65, 85.

Will changing to these lighter strings require me to adjust my neck via truss rods? That's a whole can of worms I really don't want to open up. She plays really nice now the way it is and the action is low, but I just want to try a lighter string without having to screw anything up.

[Colonel Sanders]

Yes it is going to affect the neck.

[jps]

String gauge, in and of itself, does not necessarily determine the tension they will actually have on the neck. There is more going on than that with string science. You may or may not have to adjust the truss rods, but if so, it is not rocket surgery; learning how to do basic adjustments on your bass should be just as important as anything else you do with the bass. it's all pretty simple really, with just a few basic tool required, mostly for turning screws and nuts. Changing the string gauge may (probably) also require minor adjustments to the bridge saddles as most likely the intonation will have to be adjusted to compensate for the different gauge strings (this is where gauge differences are important).

[Metal Jockey]

Thanks Jeffs.

Ok, well I guess I have to learn how to do this stuff at some point. I will go ahead and order up some of the lighter gauge strings and throw caution to the wind and see what happens.

[jps]

If you want really low tension strings (which is what I think you are really looking for) try TI Jazz Rounds, they are the lowest tension strings in the known universe. They take some getting used to but after a while you may (I do) find "standard" strings, say the typical 45-105 set, feel like bridge cables.

[kiramdear]

I would just go ahead and restring and see what happens. Maybe everything will be fine.

[jps]

I would just go ahead and restring and see what happens. Maybe everything will be fine.

We can not allow such positive thinking, here!

[kiramdear]

Hey, it could happen.

If not, it's nice to have friends.

[Colonel Sanders]

Thanks Jeffs.

Ok, well I guess I have to learn how to do this stuff at some point. I will go ahead and order up some of the lighter gauge strings and throw caution to the wind and see what happens.

Re-adjusting the neck is a 5 minutes job. And it is an easy one as long as you have the right tools. There is a zillion posts about neck adjustment here, a search will dig out some very good posts.

[Seans]

Go for it Richard, you won't have too tighten the nuts that's for sure, just loosen them off evenly, one nut flat at a time. You could put a felt tip pen mark on the original setting before you start, for reference.

[Metal Jockey]

Did my Ric come with a tool that will allow me to adjust the truss rods, or do I need the one shown here at POTR?

http://www.pickofthericks.com/rickenbac ... -rod-tool/

[Colonel Sanders]

Did my Ric come with a tool that will allow me to adjust the truss rods, or do I need the one shown here at POTR?

http://www.pickofthericks.com/rickenbac ... -rod-tool/

You will need the tool sold by POTR or something similar. In some rare occasion, the nut driver sold by POTR may be a struggle to fit in. When that is the case, a little buffing with a grinder will fix this issue.

But adjusting the neck is very easy and nobody should be scared of doing so.

[Metal Jockey]

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions.

I'm happy to report that even though I did buy the truss rod tool, I didn't need it. I put the lower gauge Funkmasters on and the neck didn't change at all. I'm getting a small bit of fret buzz on the E when I pluck hard because of the increased flexibility of the lighter gauge string but that's it. I may need to raise the bridge saddles up ever so slightly. These Funkmasters sound sweet and are great to play. Oh yeah and Jeff (jps) - as soon as I started playing on these lighter strings the term "bridge cables" came to mind. Not sure I can go back to heavier gauge strings after these. My only gripe is that they are not as smooth as whatever strings came on my Ric that I replaced. Those were heavier gauges but had noticeably less resistance as I slid up and down the strings compared to the Funkmasters. Perhaps they were coated? Maybe the Rotosounds just need to be broken in? Any thoughts on this?

[jps]

Oh yeah and Jeff (jps) - as soon as I started playing on these lighter strings the term "bridge cables" came to mind. Not sure I can go back to heavier gauge strings after these. My only gripe is that they are not as smooth as whatever strings came on my Ric that I replaced. Those were heavier gauges but had noticeably less resistance as I slid up and down the strings compared to the Funkmasters. Perhaps they were coated? Maybe the Rotosounds just need to be broken in? Any thoughts on this?

Rick strings are not coated, probably just a smaller outer wrap wire diameter so there is more windings/inch/cm/whatever you measure in. One of the great things I like about the TI Jazz Rounds is that many people who play my basses with them think they are playing with flatwound strings.

Regarding the buzzing, learning to play with a lighter touch will pay big dividends once you get comfortable doing so.

[Metal Jockey]

Agreed that a lighter right hand is the way to go and something I need to work on.

That says a lot about those TI's if people think they're flats. My first thought when I saw the prices of them were, "That's insane!" But then I remind myself how much I just dropped on my Ric and things fall into perspective. What exact model do you recommend?