Restringing 2020 F-55E Maple

[shuttermayfire]

Hey all,

Within the last year I bought myself a new F-55E Maple as a 30th birthday gift. One of the best purchases I’ve ever made.

So it seems as though they’ve strung it with light gauge strings from the factory… I’m an open C tuning strummer that has always played with mediums, and the factory strings just seem super noodly compared to what I’m used to. I've been trying to get used to them, but I just get a lot of play when I press down and I'm ready to move on to a heavier gauge. Maybe I'm being too much of a bear when I play and I need to lighten up a little who knows.

My question is:

1) am I okay just restringing the guitar myself with new medium gauge strings and calling it a day? or,
2) should I take it into the shop and have them restring it *and* do a new setup since I am going heavier in gauge?

I figure heavier gauge strings = more tension all around. This will be a forever guitar, so I just want to do it right and baby this thing. Maybe i’m overthinking it but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

Thank you in advance for any advice. I did try to do a forum search, but I got a few errors when trying to input keywords. I'm sure it's user error.

 

[Shakeylee]

it depends how much heavier you go.
a little heavier, no problem.
a lot heavier and you'll want your nut slotted and maybe a truss rod adjustment.

Open C is very low,so ,tension probably won't be an issue.

 

[Christopher Cozad]

...I bought myself a new F-55E Maple as a 30th birthday gift.

A belated Happy Birthday and Congratulations, all in the same sentence.

So it seems as though they’ve strung it with light gauge strings from the factory… I’m an open C tuning strummer that has always played with mediums, and the factory strings just seem super noodly compared to what I’m used to.

Yes, I am sure they do.

1) am I okay just restringing the guitar myself with new medium gauge strings and calling it a day?

It depends on how fussy you are. ShakeyLee mentioned a change may be needed at the Nut. For fussy players (like me), if the slots in the Nut were specifically cut and filed for Light Gauge strings then they would definitely require widening for Medium Gauge strings. The issue being the wider strings will either bind in the narrower slot and/or ride "high" instead of seating properly (increasing action height and potentially throwing off intonation). Some players don't notice or don't consider it a big enough deal to mess with.

Nut slots are sometimes cut and filed for Medium Gauge strings and then Light Gauge strings are delivered with the instrument. For players who want to stay with Light Gauge strings this is not the ideal setup, but it can work. If this is the case with your guitar, you could be fine installing your choice of Medium Gauge strings. However...

2) should I take it into the shop and have them restring it *and* do a new setup since I am going heavier in gauge?

If your shop has the expertise, I would suggest that is would be a good idea to visit them. Let someone in the know check your Guild out thoroughly. Hopefully they would first converse with you regarding your playing preferences and then verify/set the height and width of the Nut slots accordingly. If necessary, they could address the saddle (action, intonation) and set relief in the neck (as ShakeyLee also mentioned). The objective would be that you receive back a guitar that plays perfectly for you.

Maybe i’m overthinking it...

Methinks this would be a very quiet Forum if no overthinking ever occurred. And/or it would contain many more Tales of Woe, as decisions are made without the benefit of hearing from those who already stepped in it once or twice before.

 

[chazmo]

Go for it, shutter. If you're tuning down that low, you have no risk to try it (other than the aforementioned nut possibly needing work).

 

[geoguy]

Sounds like heavier strings would be an excellent choice, in your case.

But I would hold off on the nut modifications until you're certain that you otherwise like the sound & feel of medium-gauge strings on that guitar.

 

[GardMan]

I have my D-35 tuned to open C (CGCGCE)... since the 3 treble strings are not tuned down (in fact, the 2nd string is up to C), I use bluegrass gauge (John Pearse PB bluegrass, to be precise). In this set, the 3 bass strings are medium, and the 3 trebles are light. The bass strings don't feel so noodle-y, and the trebles not overly tensioned.