Which string gauge do you prefer?

Werner-Carstens · 2009-02-03T11:24:50+00:00

Hi all, in every interview with respected guitar players I always look for the section where they discuss string gauges. It seems to me that heavier gauges a...

Which string gauge do you prefer?

Sidecar

For a regular tuned electric, I prefer 11's They seem also to keep their tuning better. I find thinner strings go out with vigorous playing.

On my Tele which I tune down by a full tone, I use 12's but with a thick 2nd (17 or 18) and my 3rd is wound, about a 22~24. If i use a stock set of 12s those strings just tend to go out.

On acoustic I use 12s.

Thicker strings just seem to give better tone to me, with more body and they strum better. Also, I'm a strummer! ?

Edit: BTW, I tried a set of Rotosounds 11s my Hondo and they sound great! I usually use d'Addario (Which i'm perfectly happy with)

Frans-B--Cocq

I currently have Elixir Nanowebs on my Ibanez, gauges 09-52. Elixirs are great strings, but next time I'll buy some thicker ones. The Strat however has something like 11-58 or dunno, with a wound 4th string. Now that's too much.

MikeM

10-52 on 25.5 scale, but want something like 11-54 or 11-56 for my strat..

Keira-WitherKay

me i like nice floppy low tension nylons ....... e ? either normal tension detuned to Eb ...for the floppyness of course or low tension which seems to be impossible to buy here ........

AlanRatcliffe

MikeM wrote: 10-52 on 25.5 scale, but want something like 11-54 or 11-56 for my strat..

??? Strats are 25.5"...

Seventhson

I like extra light nines from D'Addario.

peters

Ernie Ball 8's do the trick for me, if I am away from home and my guitars for extended periods my fingers do not take a beating (when returning) that 11's would subject me to.

MikeM

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
MikeM wrote: 10-52 on 25.5 scale, but want something like 11-54 or 11-56 for my strat..
??? Strats are 25.5"...

They are also not hardtail and have a different attack feel and sound on the bass strings in particular. (IMO of course)

PeteM

I use Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkies on my Gibson 330. Arthritus is a B@#$%R.
E 09
B 11
G 16
D 26
A 36
E 46

And I use Ernie Ball Black & Silver Nylon for my Cort nylon acoustic.

Both seem comfortable - no need to change unless someone can suggest something better.

Joop

Ernie Ball Beefy Slinky's .11 .15 .22 .30 .42 .54
I mostly practice in standard tuning, but tend to play in E flat with backing tracks. These strings handle down tuning really well and I find that they don't de-tune quite as easy as .10's when you do up to 1 1/2 step blues bends.

shadow1

OVERALL I LIKE 10-52'S DDARIO, ernie ball i find very harsh sounding and dont last long.
BUT i think i just the best strings ever! ALEXIR coated, it feels funny in the beggining BUT they last so damn long that i think they the way foward...cheaper in the long run.

I have multitudes of tunnings Eb, drop C#,Drop C, the drop C they get too loose but i cant handle 12's yet...

the 10-52's are AWSOME on my strat tuned Eb, difficult to play on a strat setup (compared to my ibanez) but sound awsome!

tried 9's and honestly i have no idea how people play those things? they just vibrate WAY too much when i strum even with soft pics. Then again i get ALOT of my tone from my strumming hand ? I love the feel of 9's tho..wish they worked for me...seems like effortless playing ?

singemonkey

Interesting reading Tomcat's story with the AF75. I was listening to Scotty Moore on the early Elvis tracks recently. Really big sound from 12's or 13's on a fat hollowbody Gibson with P-90s.

I've been playing with .10s since I don't know how long. But when I put a Bigsby on my Les Paul, I'm thinking of using .11s from then on. One question I have though. Bending .11s I reckon is just a question of developing finger strength. I have no problem getting .10s on a stratocaster scale-length up to pitch even at the first fret. But what about vibrato? Is it possible to do a strong blues vibrato on .11s?

I'm thinking of Keira's BB King quote. I've just started developing my vibrato from nothing at all to gettin'-there.

I've got this beautiful SG which I'm going to sell cos I can't really afford to own it. ☹ So I haven't changed the setup as I would have if I was going to keep it. It's got .9s on it. A travesty. It just doesn't feel right at all. The tone is freakin' titanic. I can only imagine how much more titanic it would be with .10s.

AlanRatcliffe

singemonkey wrote: But what about vibrato? Is it possible to do a strong blues vibrato on .11s?

Absolutely. Ask SRV. Just a matter of getting used to it.

I do a lot of wide vibrato and up to tone and a half bends with one finger - all 'cos I'm self taught an' no-one ever tole' me otherwise. ? When I finally found out you could use more than one finger I immediately started bending the dam' things right off the fingerboard, so I still use one finger.

OT:
'S funny - but a lot of what I know about my own playing comes from what other people have observed and told me. From the above one finger bends to Riaan telling me at Gremestock that I always bend downwards (like he does). An' I'm all like: "I do? Golly! You're right!" (I think I hid it well tho). ? I also usually start vibrato immediately as I play the note (observation courtesy Dave Shapiro - Ravenwolf, Dave Nissen's various Irish bands et. al.). Gareth Travis (Vintage Vibe here) was particularly helpful: "That's shit!".

singemonkey

Heh. I had a home-cooked vibrato. When I started looking into it I realised just how crap it was. It's not great now, but it's getting somewhere - even though I too find myself using one finger a lot on unbent strings. I'm just *starting* to get a real sound off vibrato on a bent string; where it's not a wang-a-wang-a-wang sound ?

It's very easy on .09s but it feels all wrong nonetheless.

josh

for standard E i use regular slinkys
for drop B i use .11 .15 .18p .36 .42 .54

peters

I bought a guitar with the wound strings being luminous green and the unwound strings a luminous scarlet, does anyone know what make of strings these are and who stocks them. Thanks / Peter