Moving to heavier strings...

[NTBluesGuitar]

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

I wouldn't say it improves the sound, just makes it a bit fatter, and, the trade off is maybe a bit muddier.

Most of the jazz/blues guys that I listen to like .11s We all know SRV was a fan of .12s or higher, but he tuned down a half-step.

I tried .12s for a while, and ended up moving back to .11s for clarity's sake. My new Tele came with .10s, and so far, I kinda like them. I may consider .10s for my solid body electrics, but I'm not sure yet. I'm heavy-handed with my left hand, so .09s are not in my future.

Point is, it's like anything else, whatever you like is the way to go.

[Offshore Angler]

That guitar player from St. Louis is the reason I play, and his licks come from the piano player that hired him. When Johnny Johnson helped him rework a Bob Wills tune, what we all love was born at Chess records. So the Chess brothers were the ones that had the foresight to record an unconventional song rework by a talented guitar player. We owe the Chess brothers as well.

[yankeerob]

Yer right there OA, mebbe that's what's missing in music today...

[refin]

I still have .011s on my Les Pauls.The scale seems to work well with the Ernie Ball Power Slinkys (.011-.048).
However,I might try the D'Addario 10.5 set.Most of my other guitars have the 120+ set (.0095--.044).As stated before,I like a consistent tension on all my guitars,and that means different strings to cover different radiuses,fret sizes,ect.I do notice if I tring the teles too heavy they lose twang.

[Stonefreefuzz1]

Hey refin, I dig the .095 to 44 gauge , I didn't even know D'Addario made a set, whenever I used them I had bought DR's , I gotta check the D'Addario set out.

[Doc W]

I look forward to lower and lower tunings. First it was Eb, then D, now it is Db (or C#, let's not quibble). Do I hear a C?

Will the D Flatters scratch head when they jam with the C guys, wondering why they have to play at the 11th fret so much? How about a band consisting of 2 guitars, keyboard, bass and drums. Imagine one guitar is tuned to Eb, the other to D, the bass player to Db, and the keyboard player goes up a semitone (with the aid of modern electronics). Where does this leave the poor drummer, I ask you?

Personally, I play guitar on a Fender 6 string bass tuned to an open D13b5b9. My slide playing is ... esoteric.

[thegeezer]

Both myself and my guitar band mate use 11s/50s and we don't tune down, you lose the tone you are looking for if you tune down, that is our opinion but this is subjective so what sounds good to you use. Heavier gauge strings stay in tune better when you stretch three frets.
Jerry

[yankeerob]

I can't believe we're still talkin' about strings - when I was gigging 6 nights a week I bought 46-10 sets for about $2 a pop on w. 48th St... I changed 'em every other gig and they were consistent enough to stay in tune on the hardtail Strat and Lester goldtop Dx I was using - it was the heaviest set I was comfortable with whilst not impeding my ability to express myself - it was a simple formula that did what I needed it to do.

Now I'm a weekend warrior I can be a boring old fart and an 11-50 set isn't that much heavier and provides the same exercise that I got then - I use better quality strings (D'Addario - bought in bulk and Jr. uses the same gauge so that works - some peeps like Ernies - I like D's) now that I don't change them as often - I still play everyday - I just don't sweat everyday - so they last a good coupla weeks before I start hearing little nasties creeping in... it's usually the G string or the bottom E - just physics; metal fatigue and all that...

And just to take the conversation a little sidewards - if I was wang-dangin' rock&rollin' like we did in the mid-late 80's I'd use an 09-46 set - with a good fulcrum trem - had the most balanced descent and ascent - musically - that I've ever had the disposal of - with a good PAF in the bridge it was ...

It's part application, part what feels comfortable on each individual instrument but most about whatever inspires you to execute your best performance -