singemonkey wrote:
vic wrote:
Thanks guys...I love the guitar so far.
However I'm not too comfortable with the strings. They're Darco acoustic bronze wounds.... 12-54's . I'm thinking of going down to 10's...I realise I could lose some volume in the process, but what the heck.
I dunno Vic. It's not right putting such light strings on an acoustic. You'd not be making the most of your guitar. Better to make sure the set up is perfect and playability should not be an issue on 12s.
Especially on Gibsons which tend to be on short side scale length wise. My acoustics are both 25 plus inches scale - a Stratocaster scale length. I played a Gibson jumbo at Hugh's Fine Guitars once. It had a Les Paul scale length, and I couldn't believe how much easier it felt.
But experts can't agree on this one. Tony Rice plays with 11s. Martin Simpson plays with 13s or heavier.
Sounds like a "bluegrass" set on that guitar. Light on the first 3 strings, medium on 4 to 6.
You got to try different things to see what floats your boat.
It is possible to bend the heavier acoustic gauges, though obviously you'll never get it as easy as you do on an electric. John van Nierop (who I used to go to for lessons) can bend a whole tone on 13s. Richard Thompson gets his bendy rocks off on acoustic with 12s - though he stops somewhere short of Jerry Dononhue (or Richard Thompson on electric for that matter).
So it's a trade off. Different gauges, different compounds, what facilities are important in your playing.
If you want to do slide then go heavy - you get the tone that way.
Compounds effect tension as well. All else being equal phosphor bronze strings will have a little more tension than 80:20s.
Find out what the guitar is built for and also what's the heaviest it can take.
There's also the question of the strength that comes from playing different strings and different types of guitars. Richard Thompson does a lot of solo acoustic shows. He says that when he gets back home after a run of solo shows he picks up an electric and can't believe how much strength he has in his hands and how easy the electric suddenly feels.
I second the set up point. Get it checked, or check it yourself and see if the truss rod doesn't need tweaking. It's rude to ask, but I'd wager that you didn't pay peanuts for that guitar, so the shop shouldn't get in a snit about throwing in a set up.
