What string gauge....?

[les paulverizer]

As the first component of the "Tone Chain", comin' right after our fingers, string play a very important role in the final Toneful result, hence I was thinkin'......

Y. Malmsteen, Billy F. Gibbons, Jimmy Page, Brian May, A. Holdsworth, use 08's

E. Van Halen, J. Satriani, Michael Shenker, use 09's

Ry Cooder, D. Trucks, R. Buchanan, uses 10's

J. Beck(and apparently J. Hendrix) uses 11's

Stevie Ray Vaughn used telephone lines.....

Now, since these guys not only are/were famous for their chops and musicality but also for their monstrous/intense/juicy/serious TONE, does this disprove the "the bigger the strings the better the tone" theory? ???

What do players on this forum think of this, and what gauge do you use?

Right now I'm on DR Strings 10-46 (the best brand, without a doubt!). 8) 8)

[Kuz]

You forgot David Grissom plays 11s  ;D

 

I think you have the perfect set at 10-46 (and it's not perfect because thats what I play ;D). I think you need some bulk & tension on the guitar to get the tone out. No doubt others play lighter strings (with a 50 or 100 watt amp cranked) and anything much heavier without tuning down could cause problems down the road on the guitar (too much tension at standard tuning)

 

So I vote for 10-46.

 

PS It also may depend on what type of music you play. I mainly a blues & fusion type of guy.

[GuitArtMan]

I thought Hendrix used 09s?  ???

Anyway, Hendrix, and SRV both tuned down so that lowers the tension.  Does Beck tune down as well?

[Kazwell]

Check out this thread I started several weeks ago. I poses the same sorts of questions in a different way.

 

http://www.heritageownersclub.com/forums/i...opic,304.0.html

[yoslate]

"PS It also may depend on what type of music you play. I mainly a blues & fusion type of guy."

 

With you, again, Kuz.  Although I've used 48-11's forever.  I do the bluesy/jazzy sort of thing, and I think the heavier wires do give a kind of "cred" to the tone of my instruments.  But more significant than the inherent tone of just the strings is how they make one play.  I find I do a better (a very relative term, mind you) job of phrasing, note selection, vibrato, voicing, and bending the note when I have to work at it, just a bit, as the heavier strings ask me to.  I now play with a much cleaner tone than I used to, as well, and can "get away" with less than in my overdriven youth.  Back when I was younger, lighter gauge strings let me be a little more sloppy than was healthy...as was the case with so many things, when I was in my twenties!  Oh, and I'm a recent convert to DR's as well (lotta the locals, good players, don't seem to like them?).  

[Gitfiddler]

I believe that the best tone comes from our hands and your soul.  Yes, strings are very important, for obvious reasons, but if you handed George Benson a pointy-headstock shredder guitar with 008's on it, he'd still sound like Benson.

 

As stated, it depends on the preferred music or style.

 

String gauge also depends on the guitar.  Here's my personal 'rule of thumb' guide:

 

25.5 scale Archtop:  11 or greater flatwounds; roundwounds if 12 or larger;

 

24.75 Semi-hollow: 10 or 11 or greater roundwound or flats;

 

25 or 25.5 scale Solid body:  10 or 11 roundwounds

[les paulverizer]

I thought Hendrix used 09s?   ???

Anyway, Hendrix, and SRV both tuned down so that lowers the tension.  Does Beck tune down as well?

 

Beck said he turned into using heavy string after a meeting with Hendrix, who told him something along the lines of "what are you using those cissy strings for.....?" :-

As far as I know Jeff tunes to pitch, A440

[Kazwell]

Beck said he turned into using heavy string after a meeting with Hendrix, who told him something along the lines of "what are you using those cissy strings for.....?"

 

I think Hendrix meant "sissy" strings, but he was doing some hard downers and acid that day.

 

 

    "'Scuse me while I ciss the sky"

 

                      Jimi Hendrix Lyric from "Purple Hase"

[les paulverizer]

Someone thought Jimi sang "Scuse me while I kiss this guy", but that's takin' it too far.....maybe they were on acid...!

Talkin' of "cissy"...... ;D ;D ;D

 

Goin' back to the string subject: frankly I've only noticed a difference on the bass strings, with 09 gauge makin' the chords sound kinda keak....sorry, I meant weak! (damn keyboard!).

 

Then again, Billy F Gibbons's chords sound HUGE...even live; maybe it's only a matter ofgettin' used to it...

[Windstring]

Well, Folks, I think strings are important, but perhaps in ways that are different. I actually have different gauges of strings on different guitars. If I want to play blues, and need to be able to stretch, 9s (ie 9-46) or 10s (ie 10-48) make good sense. However, where strong attack and articulation are more important for jazz licks, 11s (ie 11-50) or 12s (12-52) or even 13s (13-54) seem to work well. If one only plays in a single style, then perhaps a single "universal gauge" will work fine. Scale length can also play a role: 13-54 on a 25.5 inch scale can be pretty bruising, although even that can be mitigated by keeping the action nice and low. I thought it was interesting to learn that Steve Howe actually uses 9s for both the top E and B.... ??? Finally, I think there is merit in having at least one guitar with some heavier strings because "working out" on that instrument will give you strength that you can exploit when playing "live" with a guitar that is more "lightly-shod". Ok, enough "string theory" for today. Cheers.

[111518]

My first teacher way back in the 70s encouraged me to avoid anything lighter than 10-46 because of tone and tune, and I thank him for that advice.  (He also broke me of the light pick habit).  I think it made me play and sound differently than friends who went for 9's or esp. 8's.  I've since gone to 11's (which sometimes run to 49, or 50 or 52, depending on brand) on my guitars with unwould g's.  Since most "classic" guitars were designed around the heavier strings in use in the fifties, I don't think 11's or even 12's at standard tuning should damage most guitars (unless they had inherently flawed designs, like early SGs).

 

One of the advantages of heavier strings is more tension on the g-string, which in most unwounds sets is not at enough tension to perform uniformly.  (There was an interesting article in Vintage Guitar within the last couple of years about the physics of this, but I can't find it on their webpage.)  I think the Eric Johnson med. set that GHS markets has a 19 for the g --tried it, and it just seemed to cross the line and make the whole guitar seem too stiff-- but I think an 18 sounds truer than a 17 or smaller g, and, since I'm playing more acoustic these days and my hands are stronger, I'll probably try the 19 again at some point.  So, that and, lets be honest, the machismo of using man-sized rather than sissy strings, explains 11-15-18.

[Kazwell]

I agree w Windstring as scale DOES play a major role. I personally use 11-48 Rotosounds and will most likely stick to these for a long time. I was using DR 11-50, but the low E seemed too bassy and stepped on my bass tones when recording over guitar tracks with my bass guitar.  I was a Fender player for years-Tele and Strat interchanged about every year, (that was usually the "I am getting sick of this guitar threshold I had for years and they seemed to compiment each other very well.)  I tuned down a half step for years as a way for all of us in the band to save our voices when palying 3 to 4 nights a week. I used tens for a while, until someone at a music store suggested 11s especially since I tuned down a half step. After leaving the band scene, I kept up with the 11s because I grew to like the tone and the idea of having more steel to pull across the fret board which in some respects made bending easier. After a few years I got gutsier and went to full tuning but soon realized that the Fender scale was just too much on my fingers and decided to keep the gauge and tuning, but change brands. I moved on to Les Pauls which led me to my  Heritage H-150 which led me to this forum. So folks, if you gotta problem with me being on this forum with my crude comments, bad Photoshop pictures and dumb jokes, you can blame the sales guy at Gravity Strings in St. Louis who suggested I try 11 gauge strings...it's ALL his fault.... ;D

[High Flying Bird]

Me and my buddies use DR 10's on all of our electric guitars.  I have used DR's for about 20 years.  I love the tone and feel of these strings.  All of our guitars are set with high action as well. 

DR's are a little loose feeling to me.  This helps in string bending.  These strings don't have the weak g string issues that other strings had. 

I also use DR acoustic strings on my Heritage acoustic.  I think the gauge is 11 on these. 

 

Before DR's I was using some German gold strings that I think were called Maxims.

 

As for picks, I was using Fender heavys until I started playing again last year.  I was in a guitar shop and bought some of the Cool Picks.  I use a heavy in these too.  They have a sand paper type grip on them and I don't have rotating pick issues like I did with the smooth Fenders.  Even though they are not a hard tortoise shell type material I still get good attack with them.

[PacerX]

Ah....

 

The strings question...

 

K, I vary gages depending on the type of the guitar, the purpose of the guitar, the scale length, and the tuning.

 

Here's the way I break it down:

 

1) Heritage H-150 (24.75", drop-d tuning)

 

I use a standard set of 10's, except for the low "E" (which is now a 'D'), which is the standard low E from a set of 11's to try to get the tension in order.  24.75" guitars feel too floppy for me if I use .009's.

 

 

2) Fender Strat (25.5", standard tuning)

 

I use a standard set of .010's.  I like the feel of a .010" set on a Fender.

 

 

3) Fender Tele (25.5", standard tuning)

 

I use a standard set of .010's.

 

 

4) Kramer Pacer American (25.5", drop d tuning, Floyd Rose trem)

 

A standard set of .009's, except for the low "E" (which is now a "D").  For that, I use a .046" from a standard set of .010's.  Used primarily for shred stuff.

 

 

5) Floyd Rose DST (25.5", standard tuning, new Floyd Rose trem)

 

Standard set of .009's.  Also used for shred stuff.

 

 

6) Ibanez 7-string (25.5", standard tuning on the first 6 strings with the 7th string tuned to "A")

 

Standard set of .009's plus a .070" 7th string.

 

 

 

Universally, I use GHS Boomers.  So, the trend is .010's on 24.75" guitars, .009's on 25.5" guitars - except for single coil Fenders, which get .010's.

[Kuz]

I am using and really enjoying Ernie Ball Slinky CLASSIC pure nickel windings.

 

I like the tone and they are the first string in a long time that I think last longer!