The place to discuss, post photos, video, and audio of the G&L products (US instruments, stomp boxes, etc.) produced after 1991, including the amps & gear we use with them.
Hi everyone. I just bought my first G&L guitar to switch things up from my Les Pauls. I was GASsing for a G&L for the past few weeks when I found this:
I am never going to use the whammy bar. Should I (or can I) replace the DF with a hardtail? Or is it not worth the bother?
What about replacing the nut with a roller nut, does that provide any benefits?
What string gauge is recommended? I read somewhere a 9-42 set, is that the consensus for this type of guitar (long scale & thin neck)?
your legacy came with 10-46's factory ...... I would try it out before you switch stuff and see how well it stays in tune , the G&L DF is a darn good unit ..... depending on what neck option it could be thin , you would probably have to pull the neck to see the codes ..... if the bone nut is set up right the roller nut probably won't help anything .....
Welcome, Jim. That's a very nice looking Legacy Deluxe.
Replacing the DFV would require a lot of very precise woodwork, which would always show under a clear finish. You would probably pay as much in the end for a good bridge conversion as you would for a hard-tail G&L. Not to mention, you would end up with a heavily modded guitar with greatly reduced resale value.
Personally, I am a fan of G&L's Saddle Lock (hard tail) bridge. I currently own about half a dozen Leo-era G&Ls with DFVs though, and have no problems with tuning stability. I've even experimented with different string gauges without needing to adjust the DFV. In my experience, it is not unusual to pull out a DFV-equipped guitar that's been in its case for several months, and have it still perfectly in tune. I am not a whammy bar player, so I just leave the bars in the cases and pretend I'm playing on a Saddle Lock.
No opinion here on the roller nut, as I have never experienced using one.
For strings, I would just experiment a bit. You might find that you like a slightly lighter gauge than you're used to on the Les Paul. I've just gone in the other direction (playing a 24.75" scale G-200), and found that I like the feel of slightly heavier strings than I usually play on my 25.5" G&Ls.
Jim_H wrote:Hi everyone. I just bought my first G&L guitar to switch things up from my Les Pauls. I was GASsing for a G&L for the past few weeks when I found this:
I am never going to use the whammy bar. Should I (or can I) replace the DF with a hardtail? Or is it not worth the bother?
What about replacing the nut with a roller nut, does that provide any benefits?
What string gauge is recommended? I read somewhere a 9-42 set, is that the consensus for this type of guitar (long scale & thin neck)?
I am not a whammy bar player, so I just leave the bars in the cases and pretend I'm playing on a Saddle Lock.
That's what I plan to do, so if it stays in tune I'll leave it alone.
Fumble, thanks again for your reply here as well as the intro page. I believe the documentation says this is a #1 neck. I use 10-46 on my LPs so glad to know I can stick with them!
Thanks for the links Craig (and for helping me login to the site).
