.09 Strings vs. .10 Strings--Newbie Question

[goby]

I have a slow connection at home, and I'm having trouble searching the archives.

What is the different between .09's and .10's (besides size, of course).

I'm an advanced player (because I CAN PLAY THE F CHORD!!!)

Ok, I'm a beginner, playing 8 months. I want to do things right. I play classic rock and punk. Got a LP Custom. Not too worried about "my sound" right now. I'm worried about my left and right hand only.

I'm playing .10's, but I bought some .09's. I'm wondering if I should start playing .09's, stick with .10's, and maybe play .11's.

I hope this isn't a really stupid question. I'm looking for an answer like....

Play .09's their easier
Play .11's, they'll make you a better player in the end
Play what's on sale at Guitar Center
Doesn't really matter
Play whatever feels better

Thanks!!!!!

Anthony, Rock Star in Training!!!

[Sinmastah]

Play whatever feels better. I use 9's on my SG and 10's on my LP. I perfer 9's for the bending, but I like to go Eb a lot, which isn't exactly good for 9's. I suggest trying out 9's and see how you like them. Remember you will have to change intonation though if you change string size.

[VoodooHighway]

Hi,
How do the 10's "feel" to you? Do you seem to have any trouble bending strings? If not, I wouldn't go down to 9's. If anything, I'd go up to 11's.
The thicker the string, the better the tone. (More mass over the pole pieces equals greater output. You will notice this especially on Strats and Teles.)
I've also found that I have less tuning troubles with thicker strings. (If you plan on doing any de-tuning. For example: down a whole step, or more, thicker strings will be your friend!)
Ultimately, play whatever feels the best to you.
Personally, I use 13's .

Take care,
Ace

[Sinmastah]

13's? Geeze, I think thats the string size I have for my g string.

[VoodooHighway]

Originally Posted by Sinmastah

13's? Geeze, I think thats the string size I have for my g string.

I can remember when I used a set of 8's , with a 7 high 'E' string.
13's are nothing...Pat Martino uses a .017 for a high 'E'!!!

[ES350]

Using a bigger string will get your hand built up and keep the tuning problems to a minimum...and it sounds better. Get some .011s.

[River]

I tried "regular bottoms, slinky tops" on a whim, and my blues bending improved substantially. There is a difference in "tone", or at least output, but to my ears it's negligible except when playing unplugged or 100% clean. I have never gone back, as I cannot make the adjustment to bend-and-hold accurately on different gauge strings, heavier or lighter, quickly enough. By keeping the bottoms regular or heavy I can get great chunka-chunk rhythm lines, yet bend the B string until you'd swear it would break.

I think it depends mostly on your style and finger strength. Try lighter and heavier, decide, then adjust your intonation.

[LJGriggs]

This is only my experience and opinion and may not be the same as yours or anyone else, so take it for what its worth...

I have tried using 9's on a couple of occasions because I thought they would be "easier to play". Both times I couldn't wait to get them off my LP's and put 10's back on. For some reason (I have heard it has to do with the fretboard/neck scale, but I don't know) the 9's made my LP's sound and play like total cr@p. I had difficulty controlling my bends and I couldn't seem to "feel" them under my fingertips. Both of these situations would probably correct themselves after a while, but the big issue for me was the tone. I have a Studio with humbuckers and a Goldtop with P-90s. Both sounded thin and fizzy with the 9's to the point that I hated playing my guitars. I play everday, its like eating and breathing to me. If I miss a day playing I'm like a junkie needing a fix. With the 9's I went three days without playing until I could get my hands on new sets of 10's. I will never put 9's on my LPs again.

Some folks like 9's, 8's, 11s, whatever and thats fine. Use whatever works for you. The 10's just seem to match the "sweet-spot" on my guitars.

[TheWellGoodShow]

Do what you like, because you tend to be better at which you like.

[monroe]

9's bend easier.
10's tune and intonate better, have better dynamic range, a more pronounced fundamental tone, better sustain, longer life, etc. (IMHO, of course.)

[River]

All of the above is worthy of consideration, it's one of those infamously subjective things. Here's some very practical advice:

"I would like to point out that string gauges can affect the tone and volume in both --acoustic and electric guitars. Heavier gauge strings tend to make the guitar louder with a much deeper tone than lighter gauge strings. They are also more durable and you can count on them to stay in tune better and in longer times than the lighter gauges. The setback is that they can put a lot of strain on your fingers playing on several chord progressions. And your guitar, especially acoustic guitars, should be made to withstand heavy string tension. Therefore, my recommendation for beginners is to start off with a light gauge string-set to get accustomed in learning some chords. Don't choose anything lighter than the "Super Slinky" string gauges. Any string lighter than the ".009" gauge tends to break off easily. And for those of you thinking that the Super Slinky set are just too light, let me mention that Jimmy Page uses Super Slinkies for his Les Pauls -- touring on the road."

That's from Guitar Tips from Edward Epiphone

[jomo]

I go back and for and never mess with the intonation.
Like everyone else though, I like 9s for bending and 10s for just heavy sustain.
I've never had intonation issues.

[b-squared]

10s on my LPs, 11s on my Strat.

BB

[monroe]

Originally Posted by b-squared

10s on my LPs, 11s on my Strat.

BB

That's interesting... many do just the opposite of that.
BTW, how's that arm doing?

[Tenacious T]

10's on all my Lesters...9's on all my Floyd guitars.

[goby]

Hey guys, thanks for the info. I haven't responded in detail, but I've read all of the posts. I'll respond later tonight, or first thing in the morning.

[kspeed]

I played 9's exclusively for years, but now I use 10's on most of my guitars. Tone is slightly richer and sustain is a little better now, and after years of playing the difference in "toughness" is negligible to my fingers.

[capitalalchemy]

I once bought a pack of strings where the low E was a 60 gauge. That's what Stevie Ray Vaughan used and Zakk Wylde uses them. Oh God, talk about a set of strings being unkind.

GuitArticles

[Dolan]

I go for a set of 10-46. Its seems to be just right in terms of tone and feel for me. If your just starting out, I would go with 9's for now. Why make learning any harder than you have too? You can always move up in a few months.

[goby]

OK guys, here's my thoughts.

First, thanks, you guys are awesome...

As for the arm, its doing fine. I conquered the F Chord, so I won't be doing the Am to F for 2 hours a night drill. If any beginners are reading this, that's how I conquered the F chord. 2 hrs a night for about 2 weeks. But carpal tunnel started. So I backed of playing anything like that again. My hour or so on the guitar varies from scales to chords to songs. So the arm is now o.k.

I don't seem to need to bend at this time. I'm not really playing songs. Mainly scales and chord word and parts of songs. And no, its not boring. I feel when I start playing a songs from beginning to start I'll have a great foundation.

I actually like the thought of sticking with 10's and even going to 11. I'm borrowing a Taylor with thick strings (friend asked me not to change them...that's cool, I don't know how to and don't want to ruin a $2,000 guitar.) My hand is getting stronger. As for the F Chord, I get it perfect more than 1/2 the time, but still there are times when the 6th string is not clear. But I'd rather practice than "cheat" and get 9's or 8's. I know its not technically cheating, but you get my point.

On a solo like Stairway to Heaven, there is some fast bending (fast for me) in the middle (15th Fret to 12th to 13th) that I'm sure would be easier with 9's.

Thanks again for everthing. I think I'll even try the 11's, and try the 9's. No one talked about 8's or 8.5's, and I don't think I'll try them.

BTW, what intonation??? Does it involve a screwdriver? Should I start a new thread, or search for the answer?

Thanks Again.


Anthony

[VoodooHighway]

Originally Posted by goby

BTW, what intonation??? Does it involve a screwdriver? Should I start a new thread, or search for the answer?

Thanks Again.


Anthony

Intonation My Guitar Won't Play in Tune - How to Check and Correct Intonation - Intonate Your Guitar

[Texas07R8]

Originally Posted by Dolan

I go for a set of 10-46. Its seems to be just right in terms of tone and feel for me. If your just starting out, I would go with 9's for now. Why make learning any harder than you have too? You can always move up in a few months.

I agree, I use only 10-46 now. Back in the day (early-mid 70s) me and my mates tried Super Slinky .008s most of the time, we were young, stoned and stupid. We wondered why we couldn't keep our guitars in tune. My best bud Mike had a 68 Strat, I had a Flying V. He stayed so pissed at that Strat he actually stabbed it with a screwdriver one night at practice. We liked those skinny strings because we thought they were easier to play and bend which they were but crap we didn't realize what a price we paid in keeping the damn guitars in tune. I've tried 11's and I just don't care for them, but they do have a strong rythym tone due to the heavier gauge strings.

I have a vintage SG (69) and I run 10's on it too even with that skinny ass neck and fretboard. Same with my R8 and my Custom Lesters, Flying V and my Strat. The only thing I don't use 10's on is my Ovation Acoustic/Electric.

[Wuchak]

I'd stick with 10's for now. They are pretty much the standard string because they do everything well. They are thin enough to bend fairly easily but thick enough to give a good rhythm attack and to stay in tune. With 10's you can detune 1/2 step and they will bend like 9's. Similarly you can go to 11's (my choice) and detune them 1/2 step and they bend like 10's or easier. If you detune with 9's you just have floppy wisps of metal that don't stay in tune and sound paper thin.

For anyone that switches back and forth between gauges and says that they don't have to adjust their intonation I'll throw the bs flag. I suspect they just haven't checked the intonation. The laws of physics say that the intonation will be off when changing gauges. It might not be off a lot but it will be off.

The rule is that the shorter the scale length the less tension you'll have on the strings when tuned to the same pitch as a guitar with a longer scale length. So a set of 10's on a LP will be easier to bend than a set on a Strat. I have a mini strat for a living room guitar and the 11's on it bend like 9's on a regular one.

Once you have been playing for a while then you might decide you would like a heavier or lighter string but you really can just stay with 10's forever. As a new player 9 gauge strings are not the answer to any bending or speed difficulties you encounter, more practice is : ).

Try some 10's in different materials, stainless, nickel, etc. Each feels a little different and will sound different. If you have a favorite player with a tone that you really like find out what kind of strings they use and have your guitar setup with those. You might not be able to afford their guitar or amp but you can afford their strings so it's a good place to start.

[wullie]

I use 11's on 24.75" scale lengths (Gibson Les Paul) and 10.5 on the 25.5 scale length (Strats and teles).

When I am playing out more I up the sizes as my fingers get stronger.

The more you play the stronger your fingers will get.

Changing size from 9 to 10 will not need any setup changes to your guitar however if you go up (or down) more you will need to have your guitar set up for the strings.

[guitarEd]

Goby, as you can see, there are lots of opinions here. None are wrong and none are nessessaraly right. You gotta find what works best for you.
10s are good all around strings, and are very much comes standard to most electrics.
I use fender 9s myself as these seem to work well for me for what I play.
8s are a little too thin for me, as you have to be more spot on with chording as the strings will stretch out of tune easy. 8s will also break easy if you are heavy handed, but so will 9s and 10s.
The nice thing about strings is that they are cheap, and trying out a few sets to find what works for you will not break the bank.
Also all strings are not made equal, a set of 10s from different manufactures will feel, play and sound different.
Since you asked about intonation, that tells me you may not know much about proper setups. Having one of these done will go a long way in improving your playing. Learn to do this yourself, its not rocket science.
A lot of players will get a tech to do this, but he is only setting it up to what he thinks you want, or worse, what he wants. It may come back playing better than before, but maybe it could be just a little better.
You need to be able to tweek the adjustments till you find the your sweet spot...then when you pick up your guitar your hands will say, "yeah, im home ...."

ed

[jo07]

for me it's .09 but .10 are a bit stiffer

[Adwex]

10's sound alot better.
9's play easier, for a beginner.

Keep the 9's for now, switch to 10's next year.

[jo07]

it is your opinion and it's ok, but it's depend on what you play,and what sound your lookin for right?

[ren2008]

Originally Posted by Sinmastah

13's? Geeze, I think thats the string size I have for my g string.

Oh so you wear them too!!! nice :P

[uOpt]

I use string sets with the high strings from 009 sets and the low strings from a 010 set.

The bass strings have more kick, in particular when fingerpicking.

The only annoyance is the 011 H string in there. Can't anybody have such a set with 012? Dean Markley gives you 011 with the 009 set and 013 with the 010 set. Moo.