# Problems Playing an Acoustic Guitar Strung with 12 Gauge Strings
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 7, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792 "2011-01-07T21:11:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Morris\_Cody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morris_Cody)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792/1 "2011-01-07T21:11:15Z")
I bought a moderately-priced Ibanez acoustic Guitar in August and strung it with 12 gauge strings. Recently, I’ve been having trouble with the 6th and 5th strings. When I hold them down between the 5th and 14th fret, they produce a muted, buzzing noise. I presume there isn’t enough action between the other frets, so it can’t play a clean note. How do I remedy this?
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### Author:  [@Hairy\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hairy_Bob)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792/2 "2011-01-07T21:24:01Z")
If it sounds like the buzzing is from the string touching the fretboard as it vibrates, have a look at the bridge, there are usually some allen-headed adjustment screws to alter the height of the string, it may help to raise those two strings slightly if possible.
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### Author:  [@Morris\_Cody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morris_Cody)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792/3 "2011-01-07T21:28:08Z")
I don’t see anything that allows the neck, bridge or headstock to be adjusted in any way, and I’m curious whether i’m overlooking something?
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### Author:  [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792/4 "2011-01-07T22:06:47Z")
You probably can’t fix this one yourself. There’s a few things it could be, the truss rod or the nut or the height of the bridge, but acoustic guitar adjustments are best left to the pros. Is there a local music shop you can bring the guitar into? Without having it in hand it would be hard to diagnose. The good thing is that barring a few unlikely things it should be cheap to fix if the neck isn’t warped.
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### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792/5 "2011-01-07T22:11:47Z")
What’s the actual model? If we can look it up might give a clue as to what adjustments are even possible. I’ve done lots of adjustments to solid-body electrics but not acoustics. I’m guessing they don’t all have truss rods and bridge height adjustment and whatnot.
Do you mean that the 1st string is 0.012? (When I hear 12 gauge I think of electrical wire and shotguns :))
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### Author:  [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792/6 "2011-01-07T22:57:22Z")
Could be that the neck relief is too much and the truss rod needs to be slackened (I hasten to add that it could be a number of other things). If the truss rod is adjustable, it will be via an Allen key socket either at the body end, accessible through the sound hole, or under a little cover near the nut. Don’t adjust the truss rod unless you know what you’re doing - irreversible damage can ensue.
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### Author:  [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792/7 "2011-01-07T23:14:13Z")
The guitar needs to be set up for the strings you are going to use. It sounds like you’ve got light gauge on it now; it is possible it would not buzz with medium gauge (1st = .013"). If you’re willing to try (and play with) medium strings, that might solve the problem. Otherwise, I suggest have a luthier set it up for the strings you’ll use and your playing style.
The great majority of acoustic guitars have adjustable truss rods (affects relief), with all other adjustments requiring the replacement or cutting down of parts.
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### Author:  [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2011, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792/8 "2011-01-07T23:15:27Z")
> [@Ximenean](#):
>
> Could be that the neck relief is too much and the truss rod needs to be slackened…
Tightened, actually. Slackening increases relief.
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### Author:  [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792/9 "2011-01-08T00:13:19Z")
Unless you really want to change the string tension that the guitar was set up for, I’d put the original gauge it came with back on it.
Besides the truss rod adjustment (not as scary as it sounds, and there are YouTube videos showing how to do it), the intonation is also going to be screwed up, meaning that the 12th fret note no longer is exactly an octave above the unfretted note on one or more strings. It means the guitar will never tune correctly.
The problem is this: on an electric guitar there are nice little saddles on the bridge with adjustment screws that you use to change intonation. On an acoustic, there is a white piece of plastic or bone piece that supports the strings at the bridge. This bridge piece is typically hand fit on nicer guitars, with varying bits of angle filed into it to achieve the proper intonation for the intended gauge.
Certainly one can appreciate that a fiddly hand-fitting-and-filing process is one that probably should be done by a guitar technician.
ETA: Just saw that **Gary T** alluded to this: "with all other adjustments requiring the replacement or cutting down of parts. "
Some years back I bought a whole mess of Savarez nylon-wound strings for my classical guitar. They never seemed to tune right, and I eventually figured out that they were high tension and had thrown the intonation out of whack. I still have several sets of those strings sitting on the shelf somewhere. It’s too much of a hassle to get the work done.
> [@Gary\_T](#):
>
> It sounds like you’ve got light gauge on it now; it is possible it would not buzz with medium gauge (1st = .013").
.012" is light?!
Wow. On an electric, 12’s feel too heavy and don’t bend easily. I like 11’s, and the guitars at the music store are usually strung with 9’s or 10’s.
So, what is a _heavy_ gauge for an acoustic?
(maybe that is why I can’t stand playing steel string acoustic guitars)
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### Author:  [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2011, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792/10 "2011-01-08T05:26:05Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#):
>
> .012" is light?!
>
> Wow. On an electric, 12’s feel too heavy and don’t bend easily. I like 11’s, and the guitars at the music store are usually strung with 9’s or 10’s.
>
> So, what is a _heavy_ gauge for an acoustic?
>
> (maybe that is why I can’t stand playing steel string acoustic guitars)
A typical light set is 12-53 (there are variations, of course). A typical medium set is 13-56. Heavy sets are hard to find – many companies don’t offer them, and Lord knows who the hell can play them – but I did find a 14-59.
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### Author:  [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2011, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792/11 "2011-01-08T07:49:38Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#):
>
> Tightened, actually. Slackening increases relief.
Yes, I should have said “too little”, not too much.
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### Author:  [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2011, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792/12 "2011-01-08T08:00:01Z")
But that would still mean that the truss rod needs to be loosened, wouldn’t it? (assuming that the problem is neck relief and not something else).
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### Author:  [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-strung-with-12-gauge-strings/566792/13 "2011-01-08T13:06:16Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#):
>
> A typical light set is 12-53 (there are variations, of course). A typical medium set is 13-56. Heavy sets are hard to find – many companies don’t offer them, and Lord knows who the hell can play them – but I did find a 14-59.
Those heavy gauge strings sound like something you might throw on a dobro.