I got 9.5's now but maybe I should switch to .010's

[Napthol]

Got my guitar back from a technician today. I told him to string it with 9.5's. Easy to bend yes, but I'm wondering if I should really go back to .010's. If the strings are too loose can that cause a buzz when playing a string open?

I hear a slight buzz on the A string when I play the string open.

The frets have not been leveled though either.

 

[Mincer]

If the open string is buzzing, it could be the nut, too.

But, to me, 9.5 is way better that 10. I don't want to work that hard.

 

[Napthol]

Yes I spoke with him and he is going to take a look at the nut.

 

[Seashore]

Light strings on top won't automatically doom you to a life of fret buzz. You can always loosen up the truss rod a tiny bit for more relief if you need it. I would play the thing for a while and try to get used to it, that way you'll have a better idea of what you really want to change (if needed).

 

[jeremy]

find the gauge that works best for ya, but a buzz shouldnt be caused by strings unless youre going from a higher gauge to lower and the action/relief needs to be tweaked. open string buzz might be the nut, but if you went from 10s to 9.5 id guess you might need a touch more relief in the neck as mentioned.

 

[Chistopher]

Light strings on top won't automatically doom you to a life of fret buzz. You can always loosen up the truss rod a tiny bit for more relief if you need it. I would play the thing for a while and try to get used to it, that way you'll have a better idea of what you really want to change (if needed).

Thus right here, lighter strings have less tension on the neck, so sometimes you need to adjust the truss rod to compensate. Sometimes even minor changes in string guage will be enough to require a slight adjustment.

 

[Napthol]

I like the bendability of the 9.5's, but they do feel a little loose and sloppy though too, which I kinda disliked a bit. Pros and cons to everything in life.

 

[switchman]

All the info here is good so just to add to it... There's a couple more reasons switching to a lower string gauge can cause open string buzz even if the nut wasn't touched.

The string can be loose in the slot. Wound strings could be .002-.006" narrower dropping half or whole gauge. If an A slot was cut for a .036" and now you have a .034" or .032", it could be enough to vibrate sideways in the slot causing a buzz.

Wound strings don't exit the slot at a perfect sharp corner. They rise up slightly before straightening out. The rise is greater on thicker strings, less on thinner strings. So all else being equal compared to a setup with 10's, the Low E and A from a set of 9.5's can have slightly less clearance over the first fret causing a buzz. Sometimes this is addressed by adding relief but that's not ideal. If the neck is straight and the buzz goes away with a capo at the first fret then the nut is too low for that gauge and should be replaced.

Here's a (not great) found photo showing this, its not huge but its there. The Low E on a P or J Bass with the string wound all the way down the post is the most extreme example.