String gauges...

chromewhore2010 · 10-08-2009, 12:16 AM

Is it true that using higher gauge strings will give you a much strong, punchy sound when playing? Also is it true that using higher gauge strings and rubbing your hand along them will create alot more scratchy sound than using lower gauges?

opt1c8n · 10-08-2009, 12:33 AM

Yea

chromewhore2010 · 10-08-2009, 12:41 AM

Is the difference substantial or is it not worth adjusting the springs on my guitar?

AngryHatter · 10-08-2009, 12:53 AM

Depends on your ears.
I use 9s or even 8s.
I change them a lot so I don't hear much loss in them between changes.

opt1c8n · 10-08-2009, 01:00 AM

It makes a huge difference. Try it. Going up a gauge is not gonna require significant changes to your setup.

chromewhore2010 · 10-08-2009, 01:02 AM

Yeah i've been used to 9's for a long time on my Ibanez and i'm too afraid to swtich guages on my floyd rose. Since i'm very close to finishing a project guitar i'm thinkin i might start off with 11's or even 12's. Just wondering if it's worth it.

chromewhore2010 · 10-08-2009, 01:03 AM

Thanks for the advice

MrRhoads · 10-08-2009, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chromewhore2010

Yeah i've been used to 9's for a long time on my Ibanez and i'm too afraid to swtich guages on my floyd rose. Since i'm very close to finishing a project guitar i'm thinkin i might start off with 11's or even 12's. Just wondering if it's worth it.

You can´t change string gauge on a Floyd Rose unless you adjust the springs.
Otherwise you´ll be fine

ElhazGuy · 10-08-2009, 09:33 AM

When I went from 9s to 10s I noticed a strong difference, mainly on 2 aspects:

. Playability - the higher the gauge, the higher the tension. Bends became a tough task for me back in the day;
. Tone - it's pretty noticeable that my sound became stronger and a little darker than before.

Hope it helps.

River · 10-08-2009, 10:39 AM

If a heavier gauge suits your style, fine. If not, any raw tonal differences (why assume they'll be improvements?) will be wiped out by your inability to play "your" way. Lots of great tone out there from light strings (BB King, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page...).

My playing style is adapted for 9-46, and shall ever remain, I imagine.

Ralph Fenix · 10-08-2009, 10:56 AM

I went from 11 to 12 on my ESP Scythe, i had to buy and insert a fourth spring. i think i'll go back down tough, the whammy bar is waaaay to stiff now:P

Exluthier · 10-08-2009, 11:18 AM

I think it comes down to a mix of tone and playability. One step up 9s-10s etc. Isn't going to effect you too much. I play 13s now but it took me a while to get there. I love the tone I get and another added bonus is I don't break strings, and believe me I try to break them! My playing did suffer while I was getting used to the extra tension though.

MrRhoads · 10-08-2009, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by River

If a heavier gauge suits your style, fine. If not, any raw tonal differences (why assume they'll be improvements?) will be wiped out by your inability to play "your" way. Lots of great tone out there from light strings (BB King, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page...).

My playing style is adapted for 9-46, and shall ever remain, I imagine.

BB King uses a strange set of strings;
String 1: E - .010

String 2: B - .013

String 3: G - .017p

String 4: D - .032w

String 5: A - .045w

String 6: E - .054w

Both light and thick...

chromewhore2010 · 10-08-2009, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrRhoads

You can´t change string gauge on a Floyd Rose unless you adjust the springs.
Otherwise you´ll be fine

Yeah, i understand that. I dont' feel like it would be worth the change on the guitar, considering it takes a good hour to make that change. I'm thinking i'm going to start with 11's on my strat and see where it takes me from there. All the advice is extremely helpful. Thanks all

River · 10-08-2009, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrRhoads

BB King uses a strange set of strings;
String 1: E - .010

String 2: B - .013

String 3: G - .017p

String 4: D - .032w

String 5: A - .045w

String 6: E - .054w

Both light and thick...

I wouldn't mind going up a bit on the wound strings myself, but I don't adjust well to larger high strings. I may try something like that, though "light tops, obese bottoms"!

MrRhoads · 10-08-2009, 03:36 PM

"River"

I tried .011-.054 before, wasn´t to keen but now that i have better gear i´ve got a new set of .011-054 waiting for me

One benefit of .011-.054 is that i feel i get more controll of the bends, otherwise .010-.046 is my favourite

lineboss58 · 10-08-2009, 04:16 PM

Most guage i use is 10-46 barring my explorer III when i have to use 10-50, i have a couple i use 9 guage on but thats because they came with that from the factory.

Hamtone · 10-08-2009, 04:30 PM

11-49 for me. I love how it sounds and I play fast. Big thing for me is when I play with my fingers I have a kind of "chick'n pick" attack on some things and lights strings would just fart, not enough tension. I notice it too when I am playing rhythm sounds flat or clangy, when trying out a guitar at the music store.

whytheflyband · 10-08-2009, 04:33 PM

I use 11's and will probably go to 12's eventually. Your tone does get bigger, the pickup is a magnet and the more metal you have shaking and grooving over it the more signal you get. Seth Lover even stated in an article that humbuckers were designed to be used with like 12's or 13's in order to get the fundamental tone from them.

ElhazGuy · 10-08-2009, 04:35 PM

I use 10-52, from Ernie Ball.

It's a hybrid set that I found perfect to what I look for when it comes to tone and playability.

The ConGREGation · 10-10-2009, 11:51 AM

Every guitar does respond differently to string gauges, by theory and practice I usually use 9's on strat styled guitars ,10's on Tele's and Les Paul's. Larger gauge strings add a little to tones , but to me is not worth the effort to change pickup heights, pole heights and set ups and playing difficulties as a trade off.

chromewhore2010 · 10-10-2009, 07:42 PM

Very true.

rockmonkey · 10-11-2009, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chromewhore2010

Yeah i've been used to 9's for a long time on my Ibanez and i'm too afraid to swtich guages on my floyd rose. Since i'm very close to finishing a project guitar i'm thinkin i might start off with 11's or even 12's. Just wondering if it's worth it.

I use 11's on my RG but I had to modify the Edge pro bridge so that it could take 2 more springs. Under normal circumstances the RG can't handle anything larger than 10's. There are a few exceptions like when it's brand new and the springs are still tight or if you are using low tension strings like those from newtone.

Using larger strings is a great way to get more power without significantly changing the overall tone.

Kaicho8888 · 10-11-2009, 09:14 AM

You get more rounded tone on a heavier string, but bends require a little more work...do what you feel is good to your ears and playing.

epilespaul2000 · 10-11-2009, 11:50 AM

I think it mostly depends on your style. 9's are WAY to flimsy and lack a little bit of oomph in my opinion. With my picking technique and the way I pull the strings 9's simply just don't cut it.

affrey · 10-16-2009, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitarsz

Every guitar does respond differently to string gauges, by theory and practice I usually use 9's on strat styled guitars ,10's on Tele's and Les Paul's. Larger gauge strings add a little to tones , but to me is not worth the effort to change pickup heights, pole heights and set ups and playing difficulties as a trade off.

I agree. I use Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9 on my B.C. Rich with Floyd Rose and Ernie Ball Slinky 10 on my Les Paul. I used 10s and 11s on the B.C. Rich but the action was a little low for those gauges and I didn't get the desired results that I wanted. I went back to the 9s. It all depends on your style. Also, I use each of those guitars to play different styles.

captain amazing · 10-17-2009, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by River

If a heavier gauge suits your style, fine. If not, any raw tonal differences (why assume they'll be improvements?) will be wiped out by your inability to play "your" way. Lots of great tone out there from light strings (BB King, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page...).

My playing style is adapted for 9-46, and shall ever remain, I imagine.

didnt bb king use 13s? he said that he used all that was available at the time, which were 13s

10-08-2009, 12:16 AM	#1 (permalink)
chromewhore2010 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Posts: 180 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	String gauges... Is it true that using higher gauge strings will give you a much strong, punchy sound when playing? Also is it true that using higher gauge strings and rubbing your hand along them will create alot more scratchy sound than using lower gauges?

10-08-2009, 12:33 AM	#2 (permalink)
opt1c8n Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 202 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post	Re: String gauges... Yea

10-08-2009, 12:41 AM	#3 (permalink)
chromewhore2010 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Posts: 180 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: String gauges... Is the difference substantial or is it not worth adjusting the springs on my guitar?

10-08-2009, 12:53 AM	#4 (permalink)
AngryHatter Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: SoCal Posts: 778 Thanks: 6 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts	Re: String gauges... Depends on your ears. I use 9s or even 8s. I change them a lot so I don't hear much loss in them between changes.

10-08-2009, 01:00 AM	#5 (permalink)
opt1c8n Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 202 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post	Re: String gauges... It makes a huge difference. Try it. Going up a gauge is not gonna require significant changes to your setup.

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10-08-2009, 01:02 AM	#6 (permalink)
chromewhore2010 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Posts: 180 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: String gauges... Yeah i've been used to 9's for a long time on my Ibanez and i'm too afraid to swtich guages on my floyd rose. Since i'm very close to finishing a project guitar i'm thinkin i might start off with 11's or even 12's. Just wondering if it's worth it.

10-08-2009, 01:03 AM	#7 (permalink)
chromewhore2010 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Posts: 180 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: String gauges... Thanks for the advice

10-08-2009, 09:33 AM	#9 (permalink)
ElhazGuy Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brazil Posts: 146 Thanks: 5 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: String gauges... When I went from 9s to 10s I noticed a strong difference, mainly on 2 aspects: . Playability - the higher the gauge, the higher the tension. Bends became a tough task for me back in the day; . Tone - it's pretty noticeable that my sound became stronger and a little darker than before. Hope it helps. __________________ Please, be patient with a brazilian guy writing in english, but I always try and reflect my honest opinion about the subject.

10-08-2009, 10:39 AM	#10 (permalink)
River Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Crestone, Colorado, USA Posts: 12,974 Thanks: 94 Thanked 134 Times in 20 Posts	Re: String gauges... If a heavier gauge suits your style, fine. If not, any raw tonal differences (why assume they'll be improvements?) will be wiped out by your inability to play "your" way. Lots of great tone out there from light strings (BB King, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page...). My playing style is adapted for 9-46, and shall ever remain, I imagine. __________________ When you don't know where you're going, every road takes you there. And you can't make a wrong turn. Rory Gallagher is "The man who got me back into the blues." - Eric Clapton

10-08-2009, 10:56 AM	#11 (permalink)
Ralph Fenix Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Oslo, Norway Posts: 51 Thanks: 5 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: String gauges... I went from 11 to 12 on my ESP Scythe, i had to buy and insert a fourth spring. i think i'll go back down tough, the whammy bar is waaaay to stiff now:P __________________ My Gear: Ibanez SZ2020EX ESP Alexi-Scythe Gibson LP Custom '05 Ibanez MIMX65

10-08-2009, 11:18 AM	#12 (permalink)
Exluthier Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 89 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: String gauges... I think it comes down to a mix of tone and playability. One step up 9s-10s etc. Isn't going to effect you too much. I play 13s now but it took me a while to get there. I love the tone I get and another added bonus is I don't break strings, and believe me I try to break them! My playing did suffer while I was getting used to the extra tension though.

10-08-2009, 03:36 PM	#16 (permalink)
MrRhoads Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: SWE Posts: 1,254 Thanks: 58 Thanked 26 Times in 8 Posts	Re: String gauges... "River" I tried .011-.054 before, wasn´t to keen but now that i have better gear i´ve got a new set of .011-054 waiting for me One benefit of .011-.054 is that i feel i get more controll of the bends, otherwise .010-.046 is my favourite __________________ 2006 Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded Tobaco burst 50's neck with RS Guitarworks Gear Strings; Gibson or Ernie Ball 010-046 mostly AMP; Peavey Windsor Studio Pedal; MXR GT-OD www.eurotubes.com - Best customer service ever www.gitarrdelar.se - Best place in Sweden to get RS Guitarworks gear Me + My Gear = Rock´n´Roll

10-08-2009, 04:16 PM	#17 (permalink)
lineboss58 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 283 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: String gauges... Most guage i use is 10-46 barring my explorer III when i have to use 10-50, i have a couple i use 9 guage on but thats because they came with that from the factory.

10-08-2009, 04:30 PM	#18 (permalink)
Hamtone Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Far Northeast Posts: 1,777 Thanks: 4 Thanked 5 Times in 4 Posts	Re: String gauges... 11-49 for me. I love how it sounds and I play fast. Big thing for me is when I play with my fingers I have a kind of "chick'n pick" attack on some things and lights strings would just fart, not enough tension. I notice it too when I am playing rhythm sounds flat or clangy, when trying out a guitar at the music store.

10-08-2009, 04:33 PM	#19 (permalink)
whytheflyband Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 203 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: String gauges... I use 11's and will probably go to 12's eventually. Your tone does get bigger, the pickup is a magnet and the more metal you have shaking and grooving over it the more signal you get. Seth Lover even stated in an article that humbuckers were designed to be used with like 12's or 13's in order to get the fundamental tone from them. __________________ Shawn www.myspace.com/nobodysdarlingsmusic 2001 Gibson ES 135 90's MIJ 62' reissue custom Tele 2003 Larrivee L-09 Acoustic Matchless Independence 4x12

10-08-2009, 04:35 PM	#20 (permalink)
ElhazGuy Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brazil Posts: 146 Thanks: 5 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: String gauges... I use 10-52, from Ernie Ball. It's a hybrid set that I found perfect to what I look for when it comes to tone and playability. __________________ Please, be patient with a brazilian guy writing in english, but I always try and reflect my honest opinion about the subject.

10-10-2009, 11:51 AM	#21 (permalink)
The ConGREGation Owner of Greg's Guitars Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Atlanta ,Ga. Posts: 671 Thanks: 0 Thanked 14 Times in 5 Posts	Re: String gauges... Every guitar does respond differently to string gauges, by theory and practice I usually use 9's on strat styled guitars ,10's on Tele's and Les Paul's. Larger gauge strings add a little to tones , but to me is not worth the effort to change pickup heights, pole heights and set ups and playing difficulties as a trade off. __________________ SPONSOR MLP FORUM The Vintage Guitar News and Views, Greg's Guitars monthly article to inform and to entertain you. An Atlanta based guitar, amplifier and effects pedal dealer. Vintage ,collectible,and players guitars.Check my website for updates and new listings as well as parts for your guitar,bass or amp.Thanks. Greg Mayo 770-337-9679 gregsguitars1@yahoo.com Owner of Greg's Guitars.

10-10-2009, 07:42 PM	#22 (permalink)
chromewhore2010 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Posts: 180 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: String gauges... Very true.

10-11-2009, 09:14 AM	#24 (permalink)
Kaicho8888 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: String gauges... You get more rounded tone on a heavier string, but bends require a little more work...do what you feel is good to your ears and playing.

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