Considering switching to 11 guage flatwounds

I just got my guitar back from the shop after having it foolishly set up for 10s. I am very intrigued by 11 guage flatwounds, but I don't have the money or patience to spend and wait for yet another set up.

If I made the switch, would the neck need re-adjusting? How about the intonation? Thanks a lot!

Which set would you choose 11/50 or 11/52?

I went from 10/46 to 11/50 with no trussrod adjusting needed. Just changed the saddles a bit because I changed the height, but I'm not sure the gauge change alone would have required to set the intonation again.
I have a rosewood neck and maybe a maple neck is more 'elastic'.
Also, 11/50 are hard to find so I will go to 11/52 definitely. I could give you some news at this time. The new strings are ready and the old ones quite dirty so it will be quite soon. :lol:

Which became my new "Jazz" axe:

Remember those Aztec Gold HxH teles that MF blew out a while back?

- Arched mahogany body
- Set mahogany neck w/ RW fingerboard
- Uninspiring DiMarzio p/ups

Now it sports a creme LP-ish pickguard to to with the creme bezels, a Duncan Seth Lover in the neck, and a "59 in the bridge. New CTS pots, CRL switch, and now I've got instant Wes with no feedback beefs! Flat wounds on a Tele for jazz rule! :D


-Bill

Thanks for the replies, guys. How can you tell if a guitar needs a truss rod adjustment or a change in string height? All I know is that you have to adjust the string length to set the intonation. :oops:

Thanks for the replies, guys. How can you tell if a guitar needs a truss rod adjustment or a change in string height? All I know is that you have to adjust the string length to set the intonation. :oops:

A quick check for truss rod adjustment is put a capo on the first fret, hold down the strings (one at a time) at the highest fret, and you should be able to slide a playing card (aprox .010") through at the 12th fret on each string without touching, 2 cards (aprox .020") should not fit without dragging. String height is personal preference, as long as there is not excessive buzz from the frets. Hopefully this helps.

Right, thanks a lot. I think that I'll just go for it and buy 11s on Monday and see what happens.

My guitar is an American Standard, so it has the 6 strat-like bridge saddles instead of the older 3 peice brass ashtray thing.

i've never gotten a pro setup.
i understand, though, that if you change strings from say, 10/46 to 12/52, you will likely need a little tweaking.

my main tele, 6 months old, came set up with 10s.
right now i'm playing 12s tuned down double flat.

intonation and nut problems are no sweat to fix,
but i've never tweaked a trussrod before.

string height seems fine,
but do i need to worry about neck problems even if my strings are two steps flat?

Good tip if you have to tighten the truss rod is to remove the adjusting nut completely and lubricate it with light oil or vaseline before tightening it.Do only a 1/8th to 1/4 turn at most
The tip comes from Dan Erlwine's book -- Guitar Player Repair Guide--and I would recommend it most highly.
Good luck with the flatwounds , I tried a set on my 335 and they are no.1 for jazz tone .
The 11 set I fitted felt very very stiff compared with roundwounds and if that corresponds to increased neck strain you will need a truss tweak.
Interestingly the D'Addario site lists the string tension for all sets ( as they do on the packet) so it may be interesting to see what they quote for their jazz string sets.
Another tip ( my own this time) is that we are all familiar with string guages in 100ths of an inch eg 009 - 042 so why not use a suitable guage string offcut as a feeler / sighting guage when measuring relief. Most Fender strats are setup with 012" relief at 7th fret.
Mike

The string tension thing fascinated me me so I took a look at the D'Addario site and worked out the following numbers.
String pull on a set of roundwounds 10-46= 103.6lbs.
" " 11-49= 118.6lbs.
" " flatwounds 11-50= 137.3lbs.

so not a major difference going from 10 to 11s but an extra 33.7lbs pull on the neck with flatwounds, so I guess a truss rod adj would be necessary

Mike

I had flatwound 11s on a tele for a while; they sound great. Now using daddario flatwound 10s which more or less compensate for the inherent greater tensio-they almost play like roundwound 11s. Just my .02[/code][/quote]

On my MIM Squier tele, .010 -.044's...I like the feel, they bring me back to the 60's when I was learning to play. Great for surf or 60's music, but bending is a chore.

They are expensive, but Pyramids are supposed to be not as stiff.