evolusean said:
hey did you have to make many adjustments to the springs and intonation etc? or did the tension of the strings coupled with the fact they were tuned lower kind of cancel those issues out?
Hey!
You'll have to adjust the springs when you're changing string gauges.
So, yes, you'll have to do the adjustments.
And you'll have to intonate the guitar too, but be sure the trem is at its right position before intonating, because if you adjust the springs, the trem shifts its position a little bit, the intonation won't be right, and you'll have to do it over again, and always remember to strech the strings properly.
So the bottom line is:
1. stretch strings
2. tune, and adjust the springs if necessary.
3. intonate. (if sharp, the saddle has to be moved away from the neck, and vice versa)
btw: I always use a small 1.5V battery under the bridge while changing strings, so I'm able to remove all strings at the same time, and it makes me able to clean the fretboard completely.
I know somebody likes to remove one string at the time, but that's probably okay too.
good luck
Tony