Heavier Gauge String Set Up Tips

[DuncanCE22]

So I have been playing a heavier gauge string on my CE22 for a few months now and I am struggling a little with the set up. I can get it sounding perfect but the action is very high. If I lower the action then I seem to get a fair bit of fret buzz. anyone got any tips on set up? The string gauge I'm using is 11-49's

Thanks in advance for any tips.

 

[CatStrangler]

What's the relief in your neck like? Is the buzzing occurring everywhere when you lower the action or mostly in the lower frets? If lower only you made need to loosen your truss rod a bit and introduce some relief. I usually set up my PRS with just a hair of relief and the rest of the setup is just dialing in action to taste.

 

[Huggy Love]

The 4 main factors in this equation are:
-string tension
-bridge adjustment
-neck relief
-fret condition

If you just went up to 11's from 10's a little more tension on the truss rod should put the neck in the right condition to accommodate the heavier gauge without having to mess too much with the bridge height adjustments, maybe a quarter turn or so. Don't know what your frets are like but they are always a factor when it comes to buzz issues so that is always something to look at, and if you don't want to spend the time to master the art of setups (it's a real art) it may be worth a few bucks to have a pro get the thing firing on all cylinders. I've done repairs for a very long time and pretty good at setups but I'm not beyond letting a pro do it for me.

Hope this helps.

 

[mezzio]

Sam Ash has a pretty good step-by-step article on setting up a guitar, just tweak it to your liking.

http://www.samash.com/opncms/opencms/samash/library/main/How_to_Set_Up_an_Electric_Guitar.html

 

[Boogie]

If you just went up to 11's from 10's a little more tension on the truss rod should put the neck in the right condition to accommodate the heavier gauge without having to mess too much with the bridge height adjustments,

This has been my experience, too. I now have 11s on everything but my ES-335 and even the Strats needed little tweaking.

 

[HANGAR18]

The PRS web site has setup instructions. Set the neck relief correctly first and then adjust the bridge height to taste.
Keep in mind that the tremolo bridges are limited as to how low they can go. If you want to go REALLY low, you'd need a non-trem bridge like on a McCarty or something.