Factory String Gauge of Westone XA-1530 Series Guitars

Nephews of Mats,

I sold my black heart and soul to purchase my dream guitar, the Anniversary Edition 1987 Westone XA-1530 early this year .

I didn't want to replace the strings immediately, and was tempted to never replace them but it has become my primary guitar in my thrash metal band Brothers of Blood, and thus quickly warranted replacement (I know, I wish I didn't have to either.)

This brought up an important question: 
What is the string gauge on the factory Westone XA-1530 guitar strings?

I read a post once that said it was some odd gauge like 0.095 , in between 0.010 and 0.09, but I wanted to make sure. The strings feel thinner than 0.010s (25.5 in scale length and 22 frets if this relevant) but I know strings feel looser and floppier over time, so I didn't want to make any assumptions yet.

Does anyone know the factory string gauge of Westone XA-1530 guitars? I'd rather not set it up again as it is precious to me the way it is. I also would rather not set it up because I'm a broke teen without much technical repair experience, and don't want to ruin my precious.

Increase the dreadful phobia!

Hi and welcome here.
The Genesis is a wonderful guitar, just a bit different to make it stand out from the crowd and really comfy to play. Congratulations!

I wouldn't lose sleep over the strings. It's an F-scale guitar and feels right at home with any standard 9 gauge set of your choice.

It likely would have originally come with 9's but without measuring it or playing it I couldn't tell you if the previous owner maintained that gauge or changed it to 10's for example.

The choice is completely up to you, 9's will give you more flexibility so you can string bend more easily, and give the tremolo a lighter response. 10's will offer a more solid feel on the trem and allow for a more aggressive strumming and perhaps a bit more stability. The choice is entirely up to personal preference.

If you're not experienced in changing strings on a tremolo equipped guitar with a string lock, perhaps taking it to a guitar technician or an experienced player would be a smart choice, and stick around while he does it and ask questions. It 's not rocket science but it can be tricky and frustrating the first time out.

If you cannot do that it would be possible to change the strings yourself, carefully, one at a time. The main thing to be concerned about then is the string lock which needs to first have the clamping plates removed. Be careful not to lose them, they are proprietary items and there are virtually no off the shelf replacements!

From there the procedure is the same as any other tremolo bridge restringing. You can find lots of info on the internet to help. Pay attention to resetting the fine tuners first so that you have adjustment room for later adjustment. Whatever you do there will always be minor adjustments every time you play.

Good luck and happy playing.

Thanks for the tips about the string lock and fine tuners! I've changed strings many times before, but never on a guitar this "sophisticated."

I am now assured the string gauge is probably 0.09, but I wondered about them not because of restringing, but in case I needed to play more with the bridge, string tension or adjust the truss rod (assuming I put a different gauge on.)


This issue has become less relevant, thanks for the advice!

Increase the dreadful phobia!

Happy to help, enjoy that bad boy!