Moving to heavier strings...

[Plugger]

Weird thing. I recently acquired a LP Special that came set-up with .010 - .046 strings. I played it and I liked it, even though I've played mainly on .009 - .042 sets for years now. I've never liked the extra stiffness of the slightly heavier gauge, and was always mindful of RSI problems. So, I was happy to play my extra lights all night without breaking a sweat.

But after playing the LP Special fairly intensively for a couple of weeks, I've found my .009 - .042 strings on my other guitars now feel like limp spaghetti. Blech. I don't know if playing the heavier gauge set on the LP has noticably strengthened my fingers in such a short time, or whether it's purely perception, but anyway, I've bought five new sets of .010 - .046 to start replacing strings on my other guitars.

I'm not sure how this is going to work out. I think the reason I like the .010 - .046s on the LP Special is because for whatever reason it seems to be a particularly slinky guitar... can't really figure out from the set-up why that might be. The stop tailpiece is screwed all the way down to the deck, which usually adds stiffness, for example. So something else is going on. But whatever it is, it probably won't be going on with my other guitars, so I'm not sure how well the heavier strings are going to play on my other guitars.

It's weird because I've played extra light strings forever (I remember reading back in the 70s that Jimmy Page used .008s at the time, and thinking that was good enough for me!) I've tried heavier strings from time to time but never felt a compelling reason or desire to switch. Quite the opposite. And now this... it's like the strings are choosing me, rather than me choosing the strings.

Anyway, I thought I'd share the anecdote to see if anyone else has experienced a similar situation. Soggy string blues: "Woke up this morning, and my guitar strings just didn't feel right/ Woke up this morning, and my guitar strings wouldn't put up no fight/ Had to go down the guitar store, and buy me five sets of D'Addario lights"

(Webstrings actually, but I'm a cheapass...)

-Mark

[NTBluesGuitar]

Soggy string blues: "Woke up this morning, and my guitar strings just didn't feel right/ Woke up this morning, and my guitar strings wouldn't put up no fight/ Had to go down the guitar store, and by me five sets of D'Addario lights"

I'm moving to lighter strings. I've played D'Addario 12s and now Ernie Ball Not Even Slinkys. I'm dropping down to D'Addario 11s (EXL115s) because the 12s, while great at getting my hands stronger, just don't have much jingle-jangle on my Strat.

I wants me some jingle-jangle.

[curtisstetka]

Jingle-jangle? Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man...!

I can dig it, Plugger. I played .09s on my 'lectrics for many years. Out of the blue I tried me some .11s and really loved the feel.

These days I find that while the .11s (Ernie Ball Power Slinky) feel great for my right hand to really dig into, they can be a bit fatiguing on the left hand. .10s may be in my future...

[refin]

These days I find that while the .11s (Ernie Ball Power Slinky) feel great for my right hand to really dig into, they can be a bit fatiguing on the left hand. .10s may be in my future...

Power Slinkies are my current favorite .011 set.

[Don]

When I bought my LP it had .010s on it. I was using .009s on all my guitars at the time and was happy with it. The LP felt very stiff and almost old fashioned with the .010s on it.

I put .009s on the LP and, much to my surprise, was very unhappy with the sound.

I switched to .010s on all my guitars and practiced more and I'm actually more comfortable all night long on .010s as I was on .009s due to the extra time put in. I'm also a better player and am much happier with my playing overall.

I have never been a proponent of heavier strings, but I guess it worked out well for me.

[NTBluesGuitar]

Power Slinkies are my current favorite .011 set.

I may have to give them a whirl.

[Coque]

I used 9's for many years on my strats but then I got a couple of Gibsons and that changed everything. I switched to 10's on everything (except my strats) and I have been very happy with them.

That stated, however, I have 12's on my old ES-340 and they are way too heavy for me; super hard to string bend and just offers much more finger-fatigue. The tone is much more rich and creamy though. I also have a Gibson SJ-200 acoustic that, for neck relief purposes, I put 14's on and it plays and sounds awesome. So maybe it's the guitar that dictates the gauge as well.

[bonefish]

D'Addario EXL140's on every guitar I own. light top-heavy bottom is the only way to get the twang and still punk it up ala Social D.

[Thogthecaveman]

I used to use 13s on my strat, but if I didn't play it almost everyday, then the next time I would use it, my fingers would get super sore and I would get blisters I switched to 12s and although they still do make my fingers a little sore, I don't get blisters anymore! By the way, I originally used 9s and they were good for a while, but I switched to 11s because they gave it a much fatter sound, at some point I then switched to 13s. I definately like the sound of thicker strings better!

[Stratlover]

I currently have 10s on all of mine. However, I am about to switch to 11's on one of my Strats just to try it out. I am interested to hear the difference in the tone, and sometimes it is fun to have to dig a little more to get those bends. I have never kept 9s on any of my guitars. They have always felt too slinky to me. That is probably because I played acoustic for a number of years before I really started playing electric.

[FrankieB]

I use 12s on my acoustic, just because lighter just compromises tone too much.

I use 11s on my Gibsons or other 23.75 scale guitars, they feel like 10s on a Strat and they are still bendable with a shorter scale neck, 10s on one that has vintage frets to get that spanky bendy bluesier tone.

I use 10s on Strats and other 25.5 scale guitars, plenty easy to bend and good solid tone. Tried 11s, too hard to bend.

I use 9s on my Tele, lots of spank and pop. Tried 10s and 11s but didn't sound as right and was harder to bend.

13s? I play way too much - my fingers would be mush.

Do a setup after changing gauge, its not fair to compare otherwise.

[boobtube21]

I moved from 9s to 10s about 10 years ago and have never looked back. I like the extra effort it takes to bend too, and they sound a little more solid than 9s IMO.

+1 on doing a set-up after stepping up the gauge. ;)

[Mesotech]

After many many years of using 8's and 9's, I noticed a tendacy to overbend notes. I loved the slinky feel, but hated the instability issues even when pressing heavily on the strings without bending them.

One day while reading the LPF gleaning the effects of top wrapping an LP, I decided to try it and go up in string size at the same time. I also started playing more acoustic (for practice purposes rather than style of music) around the same time. After a few weeks, I found that the 10's on the LP top wrapped were still too small, and I eventually worked my way up to 12's. My Fenders each have 10's on them and I'm not likely to change that anytime soon, but I love the heavy guages on my Gibsons. I even top wrap my 335 now with 12's on it.

One day I was invited to go listen to a band rehearse after work, so I went (without any of my own gear). After their normal practice, I was invited to jam along, and was handed an Ibanez pointy headstock model of some sort. It had 8's installed, and I became really aware that I needed to play this thing lightly because I was afraid I could snap a string just by fingering too hard. The guitar was nice and all, but I just didn't like the feel of limp noodles under my fingers anymore. In my opinion, the tone was thin and ice picky as well, but that could have been the guitar itself, or the Line6 Spider II it was hooked up to.

Bottom line, for me, I prefer heavier strings for the tone and stability. To me, 12's with a top wrap feel just like 10's strung normal, but 'sound' like 12's.

[djinn1973]

Power Slinkies are my current favorite .011 set.

+1 They start out kinda bright but they do play in real nice

[Russ]

I use power slinky on my LPs and EJ 10-50 GHS nickel rocker on the strats.

[Fripperton]

I started mixing the E-A-D from the Skinny Top Heavy Bottom set with the G-B-E from the Power Slinky set for my Jazzmasters which gave me an 11-14-18-30-42-52 set and then I have a 10-13-18-28-38-48 set left over from both sets so I started using those on the strats. I've also been using the Dr. Ducks 9+ set which is a 9-11-16-26-36-46 set which works real well for me on the Teles.

[rudutch]

I waffle between .009's and .010's

-Bill C

[HWY1Strat]

These have been the answer to my string woes. Nice CHUNK on the bottom end and non carpal tunnel syndrome lead breaks on the treble side!
The perfect string for MY Strats! I play them with a pretty high action for more "Grab".

[curt1lp]

I have found lighter string better for my purposes. I use a ZoomG2 digital modeler a lot. I have found this likes lower output otherwise get digital distortion too easily. So I usually play with volume down to 5 and light strings (9s). Also I think this proverb seems to apply to me: Thick strings - the guitar sounds good, Light strings you sound good!

[Stratocaster]

I tend to use 11s on most of my Fender guitars. String guage seems to make a big difference in tone with single coils. Fat strings = fat sound.

On humbucker guitars it doesn't seem to make as much of a difference.

[matsb]

Dick Dale has moved a distance in that direction: "...my strings are .018s, .038s, .048s, .039s, .049s, .060s"
http://www.fenderplayersclub.com/art...gends/dale.htm

[dooley]

Yes the King...Dick Dale plays very heavy gauge but sounds powerful and slick. Seen him 3 times, right down front WOW.
I'm Playing D'Addario Chromes High finish ribbon wound Med .013,.017,.026,.035,.045,.056.
4 spring tremolo on my Strat Squier '62 RI.
Line 6 Spider II 75W and GBX 75W Reverb Bug tandem.
I get the heavy DD sound I want plus the action to bend for the blues.

[Madmoon]

For lack of having an engineering degree or even the standard guitar terminology for that matter. I use the term 'unknown variables' for this phenomena. Seems the guitar has a certain character and by design needs a certain string gauge to express it. But I, as a player, don't want to fight the tension of the guitar to express myself. I use the D'Addario EXL120+ 9.5-44 on one strat and 10-46 on the other and the feel is the same. If I put those same 10's on the other strat it causes noticeable resistance. Both guitars are virtually the same spec's. I'm aware we could just about adapt to anything, but I stick with the lighter gauges and they work well with my style/tone. I'd use 8's if I could get away with it, but they sound weak and don't bring out the tones I desire. Most players may take weeks or months to figure this out. It takes me quite a long time of experimenting to hear and feel what works for me. Okay my excuse is that I'm set to Slow motion....by design.

[Joobsauce]

for me my string gauge depends on the guitar. My jazzmaster/strat clone thingie plays great with 10's, my strat plays great and sounds even better with 11's, and my new les paul clone is feeling VERY thin with 10's (I pull the les paul clone out of the corner every once in a while to play some drop d metal.... get it out of my system) and I think I'll go to 12's on that, because it stays in D or Eb all the time.

It all depends on what I do with the guitar, and what the pickups sound like.

God, this is almost as bad as the poly vs nitro, rosewood vs maple, or the "why the HRDx sucks" debates......

[pauln]

I used to like light strings, but when I began playing in concert performance I noticed that my hands became super strong on stage.

I started putting heavery strings on and put my action up high. Still, on stage the guitar felt so easy to play, too easy.

I now use pretty heavy strings and a very high action. If I pick up my guitar at home it seems way too much, but on stage it is perfect. I need the guitar to fight back a little.

[confused597]

13's on all acoustics save for 12's on my Martin.

13's on my Squier and homebrew Tele, with 11's on my LP Jr. and Hwy.1

Resonator and Tele are in openA tuning everything else is in standard.

[delae30]

I always played with .009 but I read a review on "pure nickel" strings, and decided to try them out. I bought a set of DR Pure Nickel, "Pure Blues." They only had them in .010's and I really like the heavier strings. I was playing with Fender Super Bullets and I find the DR's really nice. I have to admit these DR strings are really warm, they kinda changed the character of the guitar, but they definitely made the super bright bridge pickup much more usable.
The only way to find out what string you like are by trying out different sizes.

My question is if you get your guitar setup and you ask them to put nines on the guitar does it affect the neck if you switch to tens? I am sure the tension is different; is it bad for the neck to do this?

[bonefish]

My question is if you get your guitar setup and you ask them to put nines on the guitar does it affect the neck if you switch to tens? I am sure the tension is different; is it bad for the neck to do this?

going from 9's to 10's isn't that drastic, but if you're finicky about your action it certainly wouldn't hurt to have them do a quick set-up(assuming you'd rather not do it yourself). it varies from guitar to guitar, i've noticed. my tele handles moderately different string gauges with style and aplomb, but my LP is a picky bitch.

also don't forget the neck isn't the only area of concern-the nut and bridge saddles also come into play here. as a rule, once i find a gauge a particular guitar likes i set it up (or get it set up, depending on how lazy i'm feeling) that way and leave it that way.

[Doc W]

My regular electric strings are 10's. When I was playing all the time (gigs 4-5 nights a week), I used 11's. Although I do play every day, it is not as demanding or rigorous as steady gigging and thus the 10's so my fingers don't get sore. I know some country players - and very, very good ones, btw - who use 9's on their Tele and they sound fantastic.

A lot depends on the kind of music you play. Dick Dale may indeed use what amounts to the Transatlantic cable for an E, but he isn't trying to do country bends or slinky blues! Also, if you are not playing all the time and don't tune your guitar down a half step, 13's are probably just going to cause you pain and frustration. Don't punish yourself by using the same strings as your guitar hero. Don't forget, SRV was playing pro gigs ALL the time and had for years, which really toughens up your fingers.

[General Specific]

I used to waffle between 9 and 10 for years. I settled on 9s for a long time.

The nut on my SG was cut real close on the G string. One day the G started fretting out really bad. The string had cut the nut just a little further...

It sat in the case for a long time while I contemplated a new nut. The other day I put 10s on it and behold! Problem fixed and the guitar plays better than new!

It's 10s on the SG. 9s on the Tele and I dunno about the strat yet.

[Offshore Angler]

I generally play 10's on Lesters and 9's on Fenders. I find the shorter scale on the LP makes 9's feel too loose due to the lower tension.

YMMV. I used to use the heavy-ass strings back in the day but started to develop hand problems.

I never bought into the heavy strings equals fat sound theory. I think there are quite a few players that sound HUGE on skinny strings, the Rev comes to mind.

[refin]

On some Fenders I use D'Addario EXL120+-----perfect between a 9 and 10.

[Offshore Angler]

Just a matter of what you're striving for. Big strings are round and mellow, but thin spaghetti has the sting. Lot's better harmonic content with a thinner string, but that's not what everyone is looking for. Experiment and use what you like.

I will say this. For some reason, I've known many a picker over the years that started with thin strings, moved up to heavy, and then, after a few years, went back to light, myself included. I have no way to verify this, but I believe it has to do with learning how to play the amp as much as the guitar. In other words, the guys that focus on playing the guitar favor (in a very general sense) thicker strings, whereas dudes who learn to work the entire rig from pick to speaker prefer ( again, in a very loose generalization) the thin ones. Plus, some techniques don't translate well from thin to thick such as chord vibrato, etc. So playing style will definately affect string choice.

[KyKaH]

I like thin strings. I use 08s on one guitar, cause you can really intonate with them. U can use slight vibratos and those little tricks which will not matter on heavier strings. I realized that watching some of the Holdsworth techniques and could not achieve them with heavier gauge. You just have more control over intonation, but have to be more careful. I still use 10-48 on LP and 11-50 on strat. Also I do not think that heavier strings sounds "better" as one can think - u just turn up your amp and it'll be fine, as B.B. King said )). Just different playing approach. Also I believe that players with softer right hand and soft attack sound much better with lighter gauges.

[Rickenjangle]

A lot of people chase the SRV sound by playing heavier strings. But even SRV was starting to play with lighter strings toward the end...I think he was down to 11's or something.

In my clumsy hands, 9's just don't stay in tune as well - I do a lot of strumming behind my voice, even on electric guitar - so I use 10's on my Fenders and 10.5's (or 10 top to 52 bottom sets) for my Gibsonesque guitars.

[Mikey]

yeah!??? Well, I use whatever came on the freakin' guitar............or.............whatever Gianni or Chuck, or Swanky buy to replace the ones they break.

I never break strings on guitars.

[yankeerob]

Just a matter of what you're striving for. Big strings are round and mellow, but thin spaghetti has the sting. Lot's better harmonic content with a thinner string, but that's not what everyone is looking for. Experiment and use what you like.

I will say this. For some reason, I've known many a picker over the years that started with thin strings, moved up to heavy, and then, after a few years, went back to light, myself included. I have no way to verify this, but I believe it has to do with learning how to play the amp as much as the guitar. In other words, the guys that focus on playing the guitar favor (in a very general sense) thicker strings, whereas dudes who learn to work the entire rig from pick to speaker prefer ( again, in a very loose generalization) the thin ones. Plus, some techniques don't translate well from thin to thick such as chord vibrato, etc. So playing style will definately affect string choice.

We've seen this in a previous thread - it's down to personal choice really - I use D'Addario 11-49's on everything (apart from my acoustic - there I use Elixir Polyweb Med) - I don't have a problem with either single string or chord vibrato, bending notes - though it's been a part of my playing for as long as I've been doing it so... I have strong hands anyway and I find thin strings too easy to play - I find that thicker ones also seem to stay in tune better and last longer - I found them a real charm on the Gordon-Smith with a straight stop bar tailpiece in terms of intonation - there's quite a wide dynamic in what I play - from a whisper soft touch to hitting 'em pretty hard so I like the higher tension - the minute any of them start giving me any kind of funny overtone (I like my neck PU set higher than most) they're gone and I put a new set on (I get a pretty decent break on 10+ sets - important when you've got 4 guitars in regular use!) - I'm funny like that but that's me... I'm not sure there's any less 'harmonic content' - maybe less overtones because of greater string tension but I'll bet there isn't a lot in it - the one thing I would say against them is they're not as good for dive bomb trem work and I can't do that licketty split Albert Lee stuff with 'em though I get around fast enough for my liking - 9-46's seemed to work better for that - but I don't have a need for it in what I play these days... at the end of the day - it's what comes outta the speakers that counts - I played with a guy who used the skinniest strings he could get away with (and only changed 'em when they broke) on a beat up Kay strat copy (with one of those old Gibson HB's that had 'Gibson' stamped into the cover in the middle position) through an equally trashed AC30 Top Boost (what was left of it was all original inc the little HF speakers mounted in front of the blue alnicos) and he sounded amazing - I also knew a guy who used 62-13's with a wound G on his Les Paul Customs through a HiWatt 100 and 412 - and he was no slouch (how he bent notes I have no idea but he did)... it's really a case of going with whatever works for you...

[juniorspecial]

You know, I keep hearing that heavier gauges improve tone.

By that theory, shouldn't a bass guitar sound a hell of a lot better?

Of course, sometimes I get to thinking that what would really improve the guitar tone would be a better melody.

But then I start realizing I think too damn much.

[Doc W]

You know, I keep hearing that heavier gauges improve tone.

By that theory, shouldn't a bass guitar sound a hell of a lot better?

Of course, sometimes I get to thinking that what would really improve the guitar tone would be a better melody.

But then I start realizing I think too damn much.

Junior, heavier gauge strings improve tone because in order to use them, you must tune to Eb, a key no one uses except accompanists
for saxophone players. When you play in Eb, there won't be many other guitarists participating so your tone will be the only tone and thus, by definition, the BEST tone.

As for melody, when one is playing in Eb, using only the three bass strings and playing "chords" with no third through maxed OD pedals, melody is not all that important.

You are SOOO old -fashioned, but it is rather quaint, even charming.

[yankeerob]

I seem to remember this guy - oh yeah - from St Louis - had a fab piano guy who gave him his guitar style - he played in Eb a bit - go steady there Doc - quaint as it might be - I rather enjoy having a low B string on the bass for the power it can produce - i'm an old bugger who - on an inspired night - can still just about beat the clock (thank you TP) -everyone started somewhere - with the passion for a sound - and we all learned afterward that there were other sounds - but it was that initial sound that got us all started - and often it was a certain rawness that gave it it's authenticity... my partner's son is 23, his band tunes to C#, they couldn't play a twelve bar to save their life but would run circles around most of us in terms of trying to push the envelope - they play chords that you have sit down and think about - and rehearse and execute with a determined precision... what he plays when you get him loose enough to play along to the old favorites at an occasional family gathering is even more exciting because it's spontaneous; unconventional to him but the thing that turned him on in the first place makes him push his own limits - it's truly refreshing to be a part of - and it goes on... and on...