i experience this all the time.

 

quite a few variables involved

 

I agree. I have all different kinds of guitars here set up with all different kinds of tunings and string gauges, and they all seem to have their own feel.

What I've noticed is that I really prefer guitars with 11's in drop C, but some thinner guitars have a "looser" feel, and they feel tighter in standard D.

It's kind of a guessing game with guitars. Kind of like women, you have to just accept them the way they are, and try not to worry about their flaws.

 

Kind of like women, you have to just accept them the way they are, and try not to worry about their flaws.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

It also depends on the strings you're using. Try replacing the set and see how they feel.

Jimmy:smile:

 

Having said that many factors, which differ from guitar to guitar, determine the tension, I've recently heard that the screws on top of the tuners, can be used to alter the string tension. I think they regulate the stiffness of the poles you stick the strings in. That's one thing I've heard. You can see the holes in which the screws I mentioned are, in the pic below.

That's something that might help.

Alwin

 

Myst and rain, I noticed those screws but didn’t know what they are used for. I suppose loosening them will reduce the string tension. I will play around with them and see how it goes. Thanks everyone.

 

The screws on the tuners don't affect string tension; they only change how easy it is to turn the tuner.

If you have equal strings & use the same tuning on the Jem & RG, they have the same string tension. (Technically, intonating for higher action increases tension since you need to lengthen the strings, but it's by a very small amount.) String length beyond the nut (if non-locking) and the trem's movement during bending can change the feel of bends. For example, a trem set up with 2 springs can seem slightly easier to push the strings a certain distance, yet take more force (and distance) to bend to a target pitch than with 3 identical springs.

Fret and neck size/shape, scalloped fretboard, fret/fretboard smoothness and string height are really the only other things that could effect how easy it is to fret & bend. None of those can change the string tension but might be the reason for a difference in feel.

 

:roll: :roll: :roll:

Both guitars have standard tuning and 0.009 gauge strings. The differences are JEM has ebony, wizard neck, Lo Pro and RG is with rosewood, ultra neck and Edge Pro. Action on JEM is very low like 1.1 mm at 12 fret and RG is like 2.1 mm. I am not sure these are contribute to strings tension.

 

The difference can be determined by how stiff the tremolo springs are. Different springs and different configurations (three parallel, arrow, two parallel and one oblique) cause different responses to the strings feeling

 

I'd guess that you're just finding the Jem easier to play because of its lower action.

 

It is not because of that entirely, I can feel the tensions even in lower fret where action difference is almost unnoticeable.

 

I notice the same issue, however...

The why is a mystery to me..

Physics state that the tension SHOULD be equal ( given equal circumstances )
The tremolo springs thing is a myth. The string will move easier, but take the same force to raise pitch a given amount.
a shorter scale length would make a difference, but comparing jem and rg ( or in my case, jpm ), this is equal ( if correctly intonated ).
My guess :
Smoothness of frets makes a difference in sliding the string over the fret. Resulting in a smoother, easier feel.
spring tightness makes a difference in the PERCEIVED feel, the effect on bends is psychological, as the only difference is a more gradual pressure increase on the string.
Neck profile allows for more or less leverage on the string, making it easier to excert the needed pressure to raise pitch a given amount.

Strange phenomenon

 

The tremolo springs thing is a myth. The string will move easier, but take the same force to raise pitch a given amount.
...
spring tightness makes a difference in the PERCEIVED feel, the effect on bends is psychological, as the only difference is a more gradual pressure increase on the string.

While it's not exactly a difference in tension, I wouldn't call the effect psychological. With a bridge that sags during bending, you need to push the string further out of line to reach the same tension. It's a more gradual increase relative to distance, but a quicker increase relative to pitch. You need to arrive at a greater final force because the string has a greater restoring force.

Say you bend the high E 12th fret 1.5 steps, hold the bend, lock the bridge in place, release the bend and find the string is now at Eb. That means you had to reach the same force as tuning to Eb and bending 2 steps if this were a fixed bridge. That takes more force than bending 1.5 steps from E on a fixed bridge.

 

biggest differences I can think of are lock nut vs non locking, fixed vs floating vs vintage trems.. and string gauge of course

 

Another factor that I didn't see mentioned yet is how old the guitar is. In other words: Does the JEM have more mileage on it than the RG? I own several RGs dating back to 1993 and all things being equal, the older guitars are typically "easier" to play than say my brand new RG2550. The springs are more "broken in" and the frets have considerably more wear. They therefore require a bit less effort when bending.

Having said this, I don't think there is any one definitive factor here. There are probably dozens. Many of which have been mentioned above. Still, I've played identical guitars out of the box and had one feel "stiffer" than the other. Go figure.

Interestingly, in the March issue of Guitar World, this very question is raised Matt Bruck's "Tech Education" column. His answer in a nutshell is: he really doesn't know. LOL

 

Have you checked the truss rod adjustment on the RG?

Is your trem perfectly balanced? Why can't you get the action as low as your JEM? I recently set up two rgs (one was a 2550). Out of the box the string tension was very different but after setup, almost identical. If the neck bow is different, or the trem tensions are not set right, it will be hard to get the action as low as possible. Make sure the knife edge on your bridge is parallel to the guitar body. (This will be a lot easier if you lock the bridge in the correct position, retune, set action, intonation, then remove the block and fine tune while alternating between tuning and slight spring adjustments).

As mentioned in other posts above, the major factors are scale and string gauge. Since both guitars are the same scale and have the same string gauges you should be able to get the tension pretty much the same, aside from very minor factors such as neck shape / leverage, frets, etc..

Sorry for stating the obvious here but remember that string tension, along with string length and gauge, are how you arrive at the note you want. So with any given string gauge and length/intontation, any change you make to the tension will also change the fundamental note. So the thing about the tuner screw adjustment was silly because even if it worked it would have the same affect as just turning the tuner (which also increases the string tension - duh).

Even though the guitars are the same scale, if the intonation (saddles) are adjusted at different extremes the tensions required to achieve the same note may be noticably different. If this is the case be sure to check the truss rod / neck bow and trem balance, and if you change them, then re-intonate and reset the action and retune.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS... just get lighter gauge strings.

 

even on parts of the neck where action difference is not noticable, the action difference will change the tension slightly, same as having a SLIGHTLY longer scale on the guitar with higher action because the string is in fact a little longer from breaking point to breaking point.