Floyd Rose/String Gauge Question

Oct 2, 2004
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New Jersey
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Hey guys,
Been playing guitar for about 5 years now, and a few days ago my new Jackson RR-1 came in the mail (absolutely amazing by the way) I've never had a guitar with a floyd rose trem before, and i had a few quick questions. Jackson guitars come stock with .9 gauge strings, now i usually tune to D standard, sometimes drop C, and i know the stock strings are wayyy to light for that. I usually use 10 gauge, but i heard its better to use 11 gauge strings when playing through a floyd tuned down. Can anyone explain why that is? Also, when I decide which heavier gauge to switch to, I need to bring it to a shop and get the guitar's innotation and trem re setup? Thanks a lot! :headbang: :headbang:
 
Creator_Failure said:
Hey guys,
Been playing guitar for about 5 years now, and a few days ago my new Jackson RR-1 came in the mail (absolutely amazing by the way) I've never had a guitar with a floyd rose trem before, and i had a few quick questions. Jackson guitars come stock with .9 gauge strings, now i usually tune to D standard, sometimes drop C, and i know the stock strings are wayyy to light for that. I usually use 10 gauge, but i heard its better to use 11 gauge strings when playing through a floyd tuned down. Can anyone explain why that is? Also, when I decide which heavier gauge to switch to, I need to bring it to a shop and get the guitar's innotation and trem re setup? Thanks a lot! :headbang: :headbang:

I work with electric guitars for a living...

With 9's being so light, loosening the string tension would make them sound like rubber bands. I thicker string will help compensate for the looser string tension of the neck. With 10’s pretty much being the industry standard, Floyds can accept them without any problems, so switching up to 11’s should be no sweat as well.

Tuning down the guitar while using thicker strings might possibly cancel each other out, so there may be no need to touch the truss rod. But if anything only a minor adjust of the truss rod may be necessary. If you’re brave enough you could even adjust it yourself.