msu65 Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 I mistakenly picked up a set of Elixir Medium Plus instead of Mediums for my G&L. They are 12s instead of 11s. I did not notice until I had opened the box and pulled out the low E. I play heavy strings because I play acoustic also, and I have a tendency to bend the strings out of pitch on barred chords. I have big hands and I'm a big guy. Obviously, you get more sound out of a heavy string and I have heard Stevie Rays strings were so big Ted Nugent picked up his guitar and couldn't even play it. Good enough for me. I called a musician friend and asked if it might mess with the structural integrity of my ASAT. He said that Hollow body Jazz players use 12s all the time. I had the strings on for about 10 minutes when the top edge of my nut snapped off. Fortunately it was a clean break and I superglued and clamped it and it seems ok. Word to the wise. Big strings get more sound but tread lightly. I actually may have to go back to 10s because I went and pulled the strings on my other electric, with 11s, and found the nut wearing excessively on the D string. I guess I will have to play with a lighter touch. Any, more experienced, guitarists out there with suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djwayne Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 I had a similar situation with my Taylor 12 string, only I wanted to reverse the lower octave strings with the higher octave stings, they wouldn't fit in the nut grooves properly so I took it to a guitar repair shop and the guy pulled out a tiny file and opened up the nut just enough to allow the bigger strings to fit it. I'm glad I had him do it, as he had the right size file, and made sure he didn't file too much or too deep, as that would have caused additional problems. He only charged me $10 to do the lower 4 strings. Reversing the strings make the guitar sound like a Rickenbacker, which I wanted. The guitar now plays beautifully and sounds great on songs like Mr. Tamborine Man, Turn,Turn, Turn ..ect.. Living' in the shadow, of someone else's dream.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeleCarlos Posted September 13, 2003 Share Posted September 13, 2003 Dude!!! I started using a cup after G string strated spliting my nuts. If they are new, make sure u lubricate your nut slots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyBlues Posted September 13, 2003 Share Posted September 13, 2003 "Big String Nut Splitter"....great name for a rock band! I was born at night but I wasn't born last night... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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