A few LP Standard stock string questions

[EddieNYC]

Hi everyone - I’m about to buy a used 2017 Les Paul Standard from someone and they told me that when they bought it a few months ago the store restrung it with ultra light 9-42s. I want to go back to the stock strings that a new one out of the box comes with but am having a problem with being certain about which strings they are. With my two Gibson acoustics the case included a spare set of strings so I have no doubt there. The website says 9-46 but I see all over the place that people say it comes with 10-46 as stated in a manual (which I can’t find online). I called Gibson and the guy only told me that bright wires are brighter and the LP signatures are smoother but couldn’t say which strings come with it. He did say they were 9-46 though. So......

 

1) are the strings 9-46 or 10-46?

 

2) are they bright wires or the les Paul signature strings?

 

3) If the guitar was restrung with 9-42 and I want to go back to 9-46 do I need to take it to a shop to have it RE-setup? It was bought at Sam ash so I can’t I’m against that a tech swapping strings at the time of a sale wouldn’t have checked/tweaked it if it needed to be tweaked. I just don’t want to damage it in anyway by leaving the 9-42s on if a setup wasn’t changed but should have been, or changing to the 9-46 or 10-46 and hurting it by not doing a setup.

 

This will be my first Gibson electric!

 

Thanks!

Mike

[deeman]

You won't damage the guitar using different sized strings. The intonation and action may be off though.

 

If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't worry about what strings the guitar was originally strung with. If I liked the guitar and got a good deal I'd buy it and take it to my tech and get it set up with the strings I like to use.

 

It is very common for people to take a newly acquired guitar (even brand new) for a set up.

[pippy]

They used to come with 10-46 but there have been changes recently so I don't know for sure what yours will have had originally.

 

You certainly don't need to take it to a tech. to have the intonation checked - always assuming you can tell which bit of a screwdriver is the handle and which bit is the business end. It only takes a few seconds to check whether it needs adjustment or not and if it DOES need adjustment it only takes a few minutes to do it.

 

Get it tuned properly and check intonation at the 12th fret on each string in turn.

If it's correct then no adjustment needed.

If the fretted note is sharp then you need to screw the bridge saddle away from the front of the bridge.

If the note is flat then screw the saddle towards the front.

Once adjusted play something on the guitar for a bit and re-check after things have all settled down.

 

That's it. It's hardly Rocket Science.

 

Pip.

[EddieNYC]

I called a Sam Ash and they said they thought it was the Cleartone 9-46 that they come with.

 

I looked at the cleartone site and found this:

 

If you have a Gibson or ever aspired to own one, you gotta read this. As of this year 2014, Gibson has been stringing ALL of their new electric guitars with Cleartone Strings! You heard this correct. Gibson crafts among the best quality guitars in the world and they chose our strings to give you the ultimate first impression. Not only do Gibsons feature Cleartone Strings, they also boast an impressive set of new OEM features.

 

I’m assuming this has to be true or else Gibson would have sued them to take it down. I find it amazing that Gibson sells Gibson strings but doesn’t put them on their guitars.

 

Mike

[EddieNYC]

They used to come with 10-46 but there have been changes recently so I don't know for sure what yours will have had originally.

 

You certainly don't need to take it to a tech. to have the intonation checked - always assuming you can tell which bit of a screwdriver is the handle and which bit is the business end. It only takes a few seconds to check whether it needs adjustment or not and if it DOES need adjustment it only takes a few minutes to do it.

 

Get it tuned properly and check intonation at the 12th fret on each string in turn.

If it's correct then no adjustment needed.

If the fretted note is sharp then you need to screw the bridge saddle away from the front of the bridge.

If the note is flat then screw the saddle towards the front.

Once adjusted play something on the guitar for a bit and re-check after things have all settled down.

 

That's it. It's hardly Rocket Science.

 

Pip.

 

The Gibson website for the 2017 LP Standard says it comes with 9-46.

 

And Thanks for the reply. I may to find a video on it so I don’t screw it up. So it’s not a tuss rod exercise? Would the action be notably different? I’ve only changed things on my acoustics because my old fender had a Floyd rose that I never wanted to touch.

[Black Dog]

The Gibson website for the 2017 LP Standard says it comes with 9-46.

 

And Thanks for the reply. I may to find a video on it so I don't screw it up. So it's not a tuss rod exercise? Would the action be notably different? I've only changed things on my acoustics because my old fender had a Floyd rose that I never wanted to touch.

 

I'll just venture a guess here and say that I really doubt they would have messed with the truss rod going from 9-46 down to 9-42's. Possible but unlikely. I say this based on me messing around with strings from 10-46's down to 9-42's and even tried a set of 8's once. Didn't have any need for a truss rod adjustment. So I'll bet your truss rod is right where Gibson left it.

 

If anything when you go back to the 9-46s you may get a touch more relief in the neck from the increased tension which would raise the action a little. That may require adjusting the bridge down a bit depending on what you like.

 

 

 

[pippy]

...I may to find a video on it so I don't screw it up. So it's not a tuss rod exercise? Would the action be notably different?...

Here's a simple vid clip. It's not going to win any awards for presentation but it has the benefit of being suitably brief and the info is correct;

 

 

The guy uses a strobe tuner which is an accurate way of knowing if adjustment is needed but if you have a reasonable ear then it's not an essential part of the process.

He is also adjusting an ABR-1 bridge which has the adjustment screws at the 'front' side of the bridge. If you have a Nashville they will be at the 'back' end but the story is the same.

 

As Black Dog said earlier it's highly unlikely that you'll need to adjust the truss rod.

 

The action would be the same; you haven't altered the height of anything. It's the tension of the strings which will be different. They will be 'tighter'. My advice is to get used to it. Tonally heavier strings are generally found to have more 'meat' available to the player but a lot depends on amp / guitar tone & volume settings.

 

Good luck!

 

Pip.

[IanHenry]

I called a Sam Ash and they said they thought it was the Cleartone 9-46 that they come with.

 

I looked at the cleartone site and found this:

 

If you have a Gibson or ever aspired to own one, you gotta read this. As of this year 2014, Gibson has been stringing ALL of their new electric guitars with Cleartone Strings! You heard this correct. Gibson crafts among the best quality guitars in the world and they chose our strings to give you the ultimate first impression. Not only do Gibsons feature Cleartone Strings, they also boast an impressive set of new OEM features.

 

I’m assuming this has to be true or else Gibson would have sued them to take it down. I find it amazing that Gibson sells Gibson strings but doesn’t put them on their guitars.

 

Mike

 

My 2014 Les Paul Traditional came with a label in the case saying it can with Cleartone 10's. I'd never heard of Cleartone strings before then but I use them all the time now, they sound and feel great and last forever, the Trad is only on it's second set of strings from new and they are still good.

 

 

Ian

[Pinch]

Hello Mike,

 

your guitar came with Britewire 9-46 strings. D'Addario makes the exact same gauge set (EXL125) if you want to stay with factory spec's. You can put 9s or 10s on too, no problem. Maybe there will be a slight change in neck relief, but when I replaced my 9-46 set with 10s, nothing really changed, including intonation.

 

Adjusting the truss rod and intonation is super easy - check out YouTube. There's really only one rule - turning a saddle screw or a truss rod nut should require VERY little force. It should be like butter. If it's not, never EVER try and force things. If you stick to that religiously, you'll do no harm.

 

If you decide to adjust neck relief, know that 1/4 turn is plenty. Let it settle overnight. I usually only go 1/8 of a turn, if that.

 

Hope that helps. Any questions, there's always someone here.

[Pinch]

Or maybe Cleartones. Not sure, but I think Britewires.

[Little Jerry]

If I were you, I would worry less about what strings originally came on the guitar and more figuring out what strings you actually like playing on the guitar. My guess is that Gibson doesn’t put strings on their guitars to optimize tone, that’s subjective to the individual and most people likely change strings to their preferred brand the first chance they get. Instead, Gibson probably puts the most economical strings they can negotiate on their guitars. If you are relatively new to playing electric guitar, I suggest you experiment with different string brands and gauges. If you do a Google search on “best strings for a Gibson Les Paul” you’ll quickly see there is no consensus and everybody has their own opinion. Personally, I like Gibson Vintage Reissues VR10 (10/46) and D’Addario NYXL (10/46), but YMMV.

 

As others here have suggested, I also suggest that you take your guitar to a guitar tech for a set-up. A good tech will do a quick inspection and take measurements before actually doing the work. The tech will check the frets, the neck and see if there are any undisclosed issues/repairs with the guitar. Hopefully there aren't any, but if there are, then hopefully you would be able to return the guitar. Assuming there are no issues and the tech performs the set-up, a good tech will ask you what you want from the guitar and set the action and then intonate based on your style and the strings you want to use. A good tech will also work with you and make adjustments as you hone in on your preferences. My tech charges $68 for this service if I provide the strings.

 

Good luck and I hope your purchase works out for you!