Help with string choice for New Hartford F20

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I am replacing the strings on my New Hartford Guild F20. It is a very small bodied guitar with a 24 3/4 scale. I love the guitar it is warm and extremely articulate. I have been using Elixir PB lights, but was thinking about using light/mediums to give it a little more volume, low end, and a little more tension on the bass strings.

Being that it is a very light and small guitar, would the light/mediums put too much tension on the guitar and potentially cause the bridge to lift?
 

geoguy

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Welcome to LTG, brooksj77. :tranquillity:

I'd probably try a set of D'Addario PB lights first. If it came from New Hartford with lights I'd prefer to stay with that gauge.
 

adorshki

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Being that it is a very light and small guitar, would the light/mediums put too much tension on the guitar and potentially cause the bridge to lift?
That's one possibility, the other is the tension on the neck which pulls the headstock towards the bridge and causes the neck to "cave in" to the top. Granted it's a long slow process(years) which evidences itself by rising string height/poor intonation, but ultimately the neck needs to be reset, the single most costly repair a guitar can need.
Not sure what you meant by "light/medium" and I don't know what the Elixir "light" gauge set is, but here's the "theory":
Good makers like Guild start by deciding what string gauge the guitar's going to use and then design the guitar, especially the top, to make the best use of that tension.
So going to mediums is no guarantee of "better" tone. You might get better volume at the expense of lost sustain, for example, because the top is too "tight" with the heavier strings, it can't resonate to its optimum.
New Hartford put a LOT of effort into their top designs.
There's folks here who say, sure, try a heavier gauge, use what sounds best to you, a guitar's only got a limited life anyway, get the most from it while you can..and I can't argue with that.
BUT, there's a lot of us who believe for sure if you use heavier strings than it was designed for you're going to need a neck reset for sure, sooner rather than later (if ever, when using the factory spec gauge. My D25's 19 years old and still has dead perfect alignment, and never lacked for volume using the factory spec lights)
So I'm just trying to present the pros, cons and "whys".
There're also gauge sets like "Bluegrass" that mix medium bass strings with light trebles, and Like Geoguy, I'd also suggest trying out some D'Addario EJ-16, uncoated PB lights, .012-.053, compared to the EXP-16 coated lights that New Hartford shipped 'em with.
 
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txbumper57

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I think you will be fine with Medium/Lights on it if that is the way you want to go. Heavier bass strings with the light treble strings. Something else to take into consideration is that your F20 is a short scale at 24.75" as opposed to the 25.625" scale of the other standard Guilds. The Shorter scale means there is less tension on the strings to reach standard pitch than on a longer scale guitar. I will say that New Hartford made Guilds are some of the best built guitars I have ever seen. I don't think you will have any issues as long as the guitar is properly cared for and set up correctly. Unless you decide to leave the guitar in the trunk of a hot car for an extended period of time on some of these 105 degree days we have been having lately it should be just fine.

Like Al stated previously though, You may not like the tone you get from the heavier strings. I would try a couple of different types of strings (phosphor Bronze, Coated, Uncoated, Monel, Nickel Bronze, different manufacturer's, etc...) to see if that may help you find the tone you are searching for as well. You may wind up just switching brands and types of strings instead of the gauge and find exactly what you are looking for. Best of luck and enjoy that F20, They are great guitars!

TX
 

mavuser

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highly recommend John Pearse SL550's (11s) on the short scale F-20.

12s if tuned a half step down, otherwise too much tension for me. have fun! nice guitar!
 
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