String Tension

[Aaron Leone]

I usually use 10's on my Fenders. Never anything lighter. Gibsons 10 and 12's depending on the guitar or application.

Sat. I played at a show in Bethleham PA - nice stage, tons of watts and a great crowd. So I decided the night before to restring the Gatton Tele and put 9's on it. i usually use 10's Just to see if I would like the sound. The band I was playing with plays fast freight train type country stuff. Lots of room for over the top plucking.

Here is the point:

1. I can play much faster on heavier strings and like the rigid feel.

2. The guitar was a little to easy to manhandle but the tones was fantastic for the cluck.

3. I like the feel of 10's for the tele but the guitar turns into a blues tone which sounds great but doesn't have enough pop.

The delema:

1. Love the 9's for the snap and cluck

2. Love the 10's for the control and speed pucking

I'm not gonna buy a 2nd Gatton-so its a trade off

What would you do? Raising the strings isn't the issue. The Neck is perfect now.

Do i have to choose?

Aaron Leone

www.FunkyDogMusic.com

[Aaron Leone]

actually the guitar with 9's played fine and I had no problem playing- didn't even think about it

I guess this is more off a mental stumbling block.

I just hate to know I'm playing 9's-But I find also doing a closer Hendrix sound requires lighter strings. I have too many musical interests. This sucks

hahahahahaha


Aaron Leone


www.FunkyDogMusic.com

[Black Bear]

Have you tried different types of strings in 10's? Nickel, Steel, Cryogenic, etc... Might get you somewhere in between...

[Aaron Leone]

well if we package a set of 12's with 8's wrapping I guess it works oru to a set of 10's

:)

kind of like diet soda-helps remove the fat from the 3 quarter pounders people eat at lunch. hahahahaa

Aaron Leone

www.FunkyDogMusic.com

[Teleologist]

A lot of Nashville studio guys use 9s on Teles and a few even use 8s, notably James Burton so you're in pretty good company ;-) Stick with a light touch for speed but turn up the amp a bit and let it do more of the work. The sound of lighter strings is also more sensitive to pick thickness IMO. String tension of the wound strings depends on the core wire diameter so not all 9s are the same. Some companies also have light/heavy sets i.e. 9-46. FWIW I really like GHS Burnished Nickel Roundwounds on Teles but I have to confess - I have 9s on 1 Tele, 10s on another.

[Scott Stulken]

I used to have a conscience problem with using anything lighter than .011s. I swore I'd never play .009s, but one day I decided, what the heck, so I threw some .009s on the Tele. It was strange going from .012s to .009s, but in a fun way. I could still control the strings and there was a definite "pop" to the sound that wasn't there before.

So, I say: don't worry about string gauge... so many greats have used .008s and .009s (and lighter) over the years, that it's really a moot point.

Cheers!


P.S. I went back to .011s on the Tele. In the end, that's what I liked best.