No, I'm not talking about adult beverages or having a date. Joan still doesn't let me date and it's too early for a drink. I'm kidding, of course - it is after 5 o'clock.
I have had the Emerald X7 for 12 days now. I like it. It was nicely set up from the factory. But, every guitar player has preferences for they way they like their guitars set up. And the strings they like to use. I knew I would be changing the strings because I didn't care for the D'Addario strings that came on it.
I figured: as long as I am replacing the strings, I'll sand down the saddle, making the action even lower. I don't have another saddle (the piece that goes between the bridge of the guitar and the strings)... I prefer to keep the original saddle and work on a second saddle... just in case. If you sand it too low, you risk the strings buzzing on the frets or changing the tone.
Our kitchen island makes a good guitar work bench, and I am fortunate to have the assistance of the lovely Izzy - she loves to play with the string while I'm working on the guitar...
First, the old strings have to come off. Here's the saddle...
It's the smaller black thing in the photo above. The lower black thing is a sanding board. Look close at the saddle, and you can see where I've marked it with a "T"... top, so I get it put back in the right direction.
Putting on the new strings...
Yes, with Izzy's help...
She's holding down the end of the string - couldn't do this without my little furry assistant.
The results: the guitar was very nice to start with, now it is even better! It plays easier and I definitely prefer the sound of these strings. Plus, they are what my fingers are used to, and they have way less "squeek" (as you move up and down the fretboard).
I am SO liking this guitar!
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