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String Tension


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i have 4 guitars at the moment, 3 are strung and tuned, 1 is an LP copy (mahogany set neck and body, bought for $75 and overhauled) an ibanez rg270 (maple neck rosewood board), and a novaro acoustic, all have the same guage strings, 0.09mm - 0.52mm, but here is my problem, the ibanez has very tight strings and is hard to bend without under-bending, the LP has very little string tension even when in tune and i can easily bend the 3rd string to the top edge of the fret board(the way i like it), the acoustic is right in the middlenot to tight not too loose, all of them hold tune really well, what is the cause of the inconsitencies with the tension??

thanks

luke

:DB)

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Hey man,

I am pertty sure that string tension (in regards to strings of the same tuning/gauge) are relative to pitch- higher tention, higher pitch. I dont think the problem you are describing is due to the different scale legnths- it probably doesnt help, but I doubt the Ibanez's scale legnth (25 1/2 ?) would make as much difference as you have described (compared to the LP )

Hows the action differ on the guitars? Maybe the action on your Ibanez is high- I have run to an Ibanez like that- how much clearance is there between the strings on each guitar and their respective 12th fret?

Hope thats a help,

Luke

Edited by LukeR
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The scale-length of the guitars can sometimes make a guitar's strings feel more "slinky" or easy to bend, a 25.5"(your ibanez?) scale length would have a higher string tension and string bending would be harder, but on a 24.75"(LP) scale length strings should be easier to bend.

String angle coming off of the bridge can also effect the string tension. I believe the greater the angle the more tension, and the less the angle the less the tension.

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"String angle coming off of the bridge can also effect the string tension. I believe the greater the angle the more tension, and the less the angle the less the tension. "

I think this is blatantly false... different break angles only produce more or less tension on the bridge or nut. If what he said were true then there would be no need for 35" scale basses- cause all you would have to do is increase the "break angles."

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"String angle coming off of the bridge can also effect the string tension. I believe the greater the angle the more tension, and the less the angle the less the tension. "

I think this is blatantly false... different break angles only produce more or less tension on the bridge or nut. If what he said were true then there would be no need for 35" scale basses- cause all you would have to do is increase the "break angles."

yeah...pretty much a false statement i agree.

but the scale length can and does cause the tension changes the original poster describes

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I'm sorry disregard that info then.

I read a post about this a few weeks ago, and I was pretty sure that it had to do with the string angle coming off of the bridge and how it made the strings easier or harder to bend. It was this guy who said that his Les Paul felt like it was too hard to bend the strings on.

Edit: Here's the thread

Edited by thomasteven
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Interesting thread. I always wondered about this as well. If the same string is tuned to the same note on different scales the tension needed for that should be the same if my rusty physic skills do not fail me. However the longer the string the more elastic it should be and the easier to bend, because there is more material that can stretch. An example: If you have a rope fastened between two trees. If the trees are far away from each other and the rope is at a certain tension it is easier to pull it to one side as if the trees where very close together. This is because every inch of rope/string can be stretched by a certain amount. The longer it is the easier to stretch. Therefore I always found the opposite to be true: The longer the scale length the easier it is to bend. There is however another important part to this: On a Gibson the actual string length is much longer than on locking trem guitars. On a locking guitar the strings are only as long as the scale length. On a Gibson you have the whole length from tuners to bridge and then to the string anchor. This would explain the findings in this post. I always found Gibsons too hard to bend in comparison to a Strat....in the case of a Strat the string length between nut and tuners is quite long especially for the high strings and the scale is longer.

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That would also esplain why it would be easier to bend with the lesser angle, because coming off the bridge it has to go farther(usually) in order to have a lesser angle.

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longer scale lengths require higher action, because the strings vibrate more- true. thus the higher action on basses and especially extended scale basses like 36"+ and double basses. The actual length of the string from, anchor point to anchor point can also affect the amount of string that you have to stretch from- regardless of scale length. The more length of total sting the more you can stretch or bend it, but still- more string length USUALLY indicates longer scale and thus higher tension. Certain factors seem to play against each other to a degree.

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hey guys,

the scale length of the ibanez is 25.5, i dont know the scale length of the acoustic, but its shorter than the LP, but the LP has very slack but tuned strings. i checked the action on the ibanez and its about 1mm from the crown at the 12th, and about 0.9 at the 1st so the neck is fairly straight, the LP on the other hand is about 1.5 at the 12th and only about 0.3 from 1st, (a slight up-bow nothing that cant be fixed), i never considered the string stretching past the nut being a factor

luke

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