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Topic: String gauges / height on BMI S10 |
Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 2 May 2014 6:30 am |
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I have a BMI S10 that plays and sounds great except for one thing. There is a noticeable unevenness in string height. The most noticeable thing is that the 5th string (B) is appreciably lower than the others, making it hard get things clean on the 1st fret without additional pressure to avoid string buzz. I realize the 1st fret is going to be a bit more difficult due to higher tension there, but I can put a straight edge across the strings and see a gap on the 5th string.
String gauges are currently: 13, 15, 11, 14, 18, 22W, 26W, 30, 34, 38. I can't find any specs anywhere on BMI as to recommended string gauges, so this is basically an Ernie Ball set except I use an 11 instead of a 10 on G#. Does anyone play a BMI and know the gauges they are shipped with?
Edit: I just spoke with Dan Burnham and he says the BMI uses gauged rollers, which may need to be replaced. He's also going to send me the recommended string gauges so make sure I don't have something wrong there.
Great folks at BMI.
_________________
GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal.
Last edited by Jim Williams on 2 May 2014 6:39 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Earnest Bovine
From:
Los Angeles CA USA
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Posted 2 May 2014 6:38 am
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This problem can be fixed if you get different ("gauged") nut rollers for each string. It may not be worth the trouble or expense.
For now if I were you I would check the nut rollers that you have already. Maybe they are gauged, and somebody accidentally put one with a deeper groove under string 5. If so you could move it to string 1 or 2. |
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Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 2 May 2014 6:42 am
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Earnest, yes, Dan at BMI just confirmed that the roller sets on the BMI's are gauged. I can get a complete set for $30, and I have noticed a few of them are kind of scarred up, and it has a tendency to break 3rd strings so I will probably do that. I need to order a set of nylon tuning nuts for it anyway. It's a great guitar and I plan to hang on to it a while, so I don't mind spending a few bucks on it.
_________________
GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 2 May 2014 6:43 am
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| plus, you are going to have a slight uneven height going from a plain 5th string to a fatter wound 6th string. |
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Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 2 May 2014 7:12 am
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Yes, Dan also pointed that out to me. I had two string gauges off of their recommended set so I'm going to change those and see what that does...if it doesn't make it a lot better, I will order the new set of gauged rollers and put on it.
_________________
GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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Steve Rosko
From:
Georgetown, Texas
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Posted 14 Aug 2014 5:55 am
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I'm having the exact problem with a used BMI S10 I bought a few months ago. I emailed Dan at BMI. He's traveling and said he'd get back to me. In the mean time, can you tell me what the recommended string gauges were from BMI? Also, did putting the correct strings on solve your problem? Did you end up changing the gauged rollers?
Thanks, |
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Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 14 Aug 2014 6:16 am
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Steve, unfortunately I don't remember the gauges that were recommended except that one of the strings recommended a plain string that in many sets comes as a wound string. Mine still is a little difference but not really a big problem once you get used to it and I really only notice it on the first fret if at all. If yours is worse, or noticeable as far down as the third fret then you may have the wrong gauge strings or if you recently got the guitar used, some previous owner could have changed the order of the rollers as they ARE gauged rollers. You can get a new set of rollers from BMI for around $45 or $50 I think, or if you have a local machinist they could probably measure the rollers and you could figure out the proper order based on the string gauges you are using.
_________________
GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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