Do you notice trem guitars having more tension / Need smaller strings?

[Shask]

I am curious to see if anyone else notices this.....

Long story short - I used tremolo (Floyd) guitars for many years and used fairly light strings (9's or 10's detuned). I then started using hard tail guitars and noticed that I needed larger strings for the guitars to stay in tune. I got used to using strings that are a little heavier (10's -> 11's range). I recently started going back to Floyd guitars, and now I am noticing that they are tearing up my wrist. (I have a history of fretting hand wrist issues).

This seems kind of crazy to me, but makes sense because when you you bend notes you are causing the trem to pull out of the body. I could see there being more tension because of the springs.

So, anyone else notice this a lot? Do you have to use lighter strings on your Floyd guitars vs. your hard tail guitars? (assuming scale length and everything is the same)

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Can't say I've noticed that at all, and I've been around a bunch of guitars.

If the trem is set properly everything should be balanced. I know the relative tension changes on bends, but that should be it.

From the sounds of it you grip the hell out of the neck, so you might be running into fretting height anomalies.

inb4 headstock string length argument

 

[chopeth]

Yes, I think exactly the same. The strings in my guitar with FR feels harder than my ones in the hipshot or TOMs even when they are the same gauge. Anyway, I don't have any issues with tension. I use different strings depending on how I tune everytime I change them and I like them tight but don't have any restrictions because of tension nor plan to use lighter gauges by default in the FR.

 

[Shask]

Can't say I've noticed that at all, and I've been around a bunch of guitars.

If the trem is set properly everything should be balanced. I know the relative tension changes on bends, but that should be it.

From the sounds of it you grip the hell out of the neck, so you might be running into fretting height anomalies.

inb4 headstock string length argument

Yes, I tend to play with a "wrap my hand around the neck" type style, vs. the thumb planted on the back of the neck style.


Yesterday I was playing my Charvel So-Cal, and it was tearing me up with 10-46 tuned in E. So, we are talking a fairly round neck and not massive strings. I am not new to this, so the trem was all set correctly. It needs a truss rod adjustment, but still, that is not major enough. I eventually had to tune it down to D with the Floyd sitting on the body. I used to use 9-46 on there, so I will probably go back to that. Can't stand the 42 for the E.

 

[ElRay]

If the trem is set properly everything should be balanced.

If the trem isn't moving, the total tensions are balanced. If there's an unbalanced force, then something will be moving. If the scale lengths, string gauges and pitches are the same, the tension will be the same.

I know the relative tension changes on bends, but that should be it.

That's what it is. The strings are fixed at the saddle and the nut, so there's very little string outside of the speaking length, so there's a lot less compliance, so the perceived tension will be greater when fretting/bending.

Ray

 

[D-EJ915]

I've always found the opposite to be true. I typically find it easier to play with heavier strings on guitars with floating bridges.

It's possible you just do not jive with straight neck angles which are typical with floating bridges but atypical for fixed bridges. I know several people that are like this, they can only play comfortably with guitars that have angled necks and raised bridges.

 

[feraledge]

Yes, I tend to play with a "wrap my hand around the neck" type style, vs. the thumb planted on the back of the neck style.


Yesterday I was playing my Charvel So-Cal, and it was tearing me up with 10-46 tuned in E. So, we are talking a fairly round neck and not massive strings. I am not new to this, so the trem was all set correctly. It needs a truss rod adjustment, but still, that is not major enough. I eventually had to tune it down to D with the Floyd sitting on the body. I used to use 9-46 on there, so I will probably go back to that. Can't stand the 42 for the E.

I can't remember if I mentioned his in one of my threads yesterday, but I've noticed on my bolty guitars where the truss is at the heel that they seem far more impacted by minor differences in relief than guitars with truss rod access at the head. I have no idea if this really could play a bigger role, but there are times when I see that the guitar could use an adjustment, but that it's not pressing and others, like with my Charvels where a half turn of the truss is practically the difference between being a burden and sheer joy to play.
I could see how the extra relief in the mid section on my own Charvels, when not quickly adjusted might cause extra strain because of a profound difference in necessary tension on the strings. I too tend to wrap my hand around the neck, but you're getting wrist issues on necks that never bothered me. Mysteries. The ecology of hand-neck relationships.

 

[isispelican]

Yes I have definitely noticed it, guitars with trems have a certain pull on the strings that makes them seem a little heavier gauge.

 

[Force]

Opposite for me, trems make the strings feel softer, mostly for vibrato & bending because the bridge isn't locked into one spot, allowing it to move as you create more tension on the spring doing said actions.

Not noticed any difference in tension as far as just picking or strumming, though.

 

[Peter.F]

I have a JP12 and hardtail Ibanez RG652, both setup in the same tuning with the same strings. The JP to me does feel noticeably tighter, but I can't explain why.

 

[Chokey Chicken]

Never noticed tension differences, but you do have to bend farther to get a note to the desired pitch. Bending the notes pulls on the trem and "dives" the notes a tad. I doubt this would cause too many issues though.

 

[dimitrio]

I second to those saying strings feel lighter in floating bridges.
That being said, string hardness feeling differes from guitar to guitar, quite often even despite the bridge construction, so it is not always 100% rule.

 

[Sumsar]

Well yes obviously it is harder to bend on a guitar with tremolo. I play guitars with Floyd Roses 90% of the time and every time I pick up my rg7321 hardtail I'm just like "Wow i can do 2 whole step bends, wtf?" even though the tuning, scale length and strings are the same as my tremolo guitars where I can't bend as much.

 

[pushpull7]

Reminds me very much of a post I started a long long time ago.

Yeah, I think so with my ibby's. But lately I got a FR and 9's seem really floppy. So even though I'm pretty handy these days with either I wonder if it might not be springs or something in the mech of let's say an "edge pro" vs a "FR"

Still discovering.....even at my age.

 

[WhoThenNow7]

Great topic.. I think it varies for each guitar. I do agree, that some guitars can feel tighter even if they each have the same scale length, string gauge, and tuning.

It makes things really complicated when you have multiple guitars and you think you have all your preferred string gauges figured out

 

[pushpull7]

You took the words out of my mouth. It's like at GC:

"Uhhhhhh, I'll have 3 sets or the EB pinks, 2 of the orange EB's and 2 of the D'Adarrio 9.5's

 

[Edika]

You have other factors like different trems, springs and type of strings. I have seen differences for the same gauge of the same strings in different tremolos. The easier to bend is my Ibanez with the Edge Zero trem while the hardest to bend is my Carvin with the Wilkinson trem. Different type of strings feel and behave different on bends. I find D'addario strings easy to bend while Elixir's where really difficult. Now on fixed bridge I don't have to bend as much to compensate for the trem movement so that might be what feels to you less tension. But the difference is minimal so I think that the problem with your wrist might be making it appear a lot more than what it actually is.

 

[WhoThenNow7]

You took the words out of my mouth. It's like at GC:

"Uhhhhhh, I'll have 3 sets or the EB pinks, 2 of the orange EB's and 2 of the D'Adarrio 9.5's

I seriously need to try out those 9.5's!

 

[OmegaSlayer]

I feel strings on the Floyd to be tighter compared to Edge

 

[pushpull7]

I seriously need to try out those 9.5's!

For my strat (not double locking) they seem to be about right. 10's are just a little stiff.