Why did I waste R 89.00?

Jack-Flash-Jr · 2010-01-05T13:21:41+00:00

It's like having that last tequila when you know it's just not going to work for you... but you do it anyway. I bought a set of .009's why the hell not? It's...

Why did I waste R 89.00?

NorioDS

I haven't figured out how to bend air yet - that's why ?

Wizard

Norio wrote: I haven't figured out how to bend air yet - that's why ?

Use the Force young padawan ...

singemonkey

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
Electric Nickel Wound Guitar Strings
Extra Light .009 .012 .015 .024w .032w .042w
Light .010 .013 .016 .026w .036w .046w
Heavy .011 .014 .018 .028w .038w .048w

Shouldn't .011s be medium? Not only following the pattern, but aren't there heavier nickle-wound strings?

inflames

Use the Force young padawan ...

Thanks you Obi-Wan Kenobi

Wizard

inflames wrote: Thanks you Obi-Wan Kenobi

I'm sure you didn't expect your 1,000th posting on Guitar Forum to include a reference to Star Wars.
?

evolucian

singemonkey wrote:
Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
Electric Nickel Wound Guitar Strings
Extra Light .009 .012 .015 .024w .032w .042w
Light .010 .013 .016 .026w .036w .046w
Heavy .011 .014 .018 .028w .038w .048w

Shouldn't .011s be medium? Not only following the pattern, but aren't there heavier nickle-wound strings?

I think the D'addario 11's have a 49 in the bass... ghs has some hybrid i think with a 52 in the bass... man does that think lay new trams... ouchy

AlanRatcliffe

singemonkey wrote: Shouldn't .011s be medium? Not only following the pattern, but aren't there heavier nickle-wound strings?

Correct. Sorry :-[

BMU

This thread reminds me, I wanna try some 10 - 52s. Problem is, the heaviest 7th string gauge I can normally get hold of is a 59. Seems pointless going up to 52 on the E when the low B is only 59. A 46 and a 59 just seems more sensible together.

Jack-Flash-Jr

BMU wrote: This thread reminds me, I wanna try some 10 - 52s. Problem is, the heaviest 7th string gauge I can normally get hold of is a 59. Seems pointless going up to 52 on the E when the low B is only 59. A 46 and a 59 just seems more sensible together.

Surely you just get better tone on both with 52 and 59?

BMU

Interesting point. To me it's not really about improving tone, just getting a tight string tension to facilitate fast rhythms. I figure the guitar is all about playability while it's the amp's job to somehow smear a palatable sound onto the whole thing. ?

singemonkey

BMU wrote: Interesting point. To me it's not really about improving tone, just getting a tight string tension to facilitate fast rhythms. I figure the guitar is all about playability while it's the amp's job to somehow smear a palatable sound onto the whole thing. ?

You trying to cause trouble? ?

BMU

singemonkey wrote:
BMU wrote: Interesting point. To me it's not really about improving tone, just getting a tight string tension to facilitate fast rhythms. I figure the guitar is all about playability while it's the amp's job to somehow smear a palatable sound onto the whole thing. ?
You trying to cause trouble? ?

Hehe. But of course, it's an internet discussion forum isn't it? ??? (But seriously, no - that's really what I think. Is that bad? HAHAHA. )

singemonkey

BMU wrote:
singemonkey wrote:
BMU wrote: Interesting point. To me it's not really about improving tone, just getting a tight string tension to facilitate fast rhythms. I figure the guitar is all about playability while it's the amp's job to somehow smear a palatable sound onto the whole thing. ?
You trying to cause trouble? ?
Hehe. But of course, it's an internet discussion forum isn't it? ??? (But seriously, no - that's really what I think. Is that bad? HAHAHA. )

You're kind of saying that guitars and pickups don't contribute to the tone. Bit of a red flag to all of those constantly nattering on about which guitar/pickup/wood/scale-length/etc. produce the best tone. But you're right in a sense, I think. That the amp contributes more to tone than anything else. A Hondo II through an amazing amp, will sound better than a Stratocaster through a ghastly amp.

But strings are a compromise between tone and playability. For some people playability also demands a bit more resistance from the strings (otherwise they feel like noodles to those people). And certain types of very fast playing can be ok with heavy strings - like jazz players who don't bend a lot. As long as the action is set low, .013s will be as playable as anything - until you need to do a full tone bend at the second fret that is. ?

BMU

You're kind of saying that guitars and pickups don't contribute to the tone.

Sheeeeez we're talking about STRING GAUGE. ?

Jack-Flash-Jr

BMU wrote:
You're kind of saying that guitars and pickups don't contribute to the tone.
Sheeeeez we're talking about STRING GAUGE. ?

Part of the problem is that even if the amp does its magic... I just "hear" the thinness in my head anyway.

Bob-Dubery

BMU wrote:
You're kind of saying that guitars and pickups don't contribute to the tone.
Sheeeeez we're talking about STRING GAUGE. ?

Surely that makes a difference to tone? It does on an acoustic, and I don't see why it wouldn't on an electric.

Jack-Flash-Jr

X-rated Bob wrote:
BMU wrote:
You're kind of saying that guitars and pickups don't contribute to the tone.
Sheeeeez we're talking about STRING GAUGE. ?
Surely that makes a difference to tone? It does on an acoustic, and I don't see why it wouldn't on an electric.

It really makes a difference when you're unplugged ?
IMHO it does make a difference when amped but BMU isn't that far off when she says you can cover over with settings.
Where it really comes in is what it does to your attack I think (light gauge = playing drums on jelly for me)... you will hear the difference then.

singemonkey

X-rated Bob wrote:
BMU wrote:
You're kind of saying that guitars and pickups don't contribute to the tone.
Sheeeeez we're talking about STRING GAUGE. ?
Surely that makes a difference to tone? It does on an acoustic, and I don't see why it wouldn't on an electric.

It definitely does make a difference amplified or unamplified. But I think that BMU's saying that the most important factor in gauge choice should be playability.

MikeM

I am officially going up to 11s on my strat.

BMU

Jack Flash Jr wrote:
BMU wrote:
You're kind of saying that guitars and pickups don't contribute to the tone.
Sheeeeez we're talking about STRING GAUGE. ?
Part of the problem is that even if the amp does its magic... I just "hear" the thinness in my head anyway.

I think there's something in that. A lot of what we eternally kvetch over is actually the way the thing "feels" rather than how it actually sounds to an outsider. I'm of the persuasion that we guitarists spend far too much mental anguish worrying about pickups/tonewoods etc.

I'm not saying those things don't matter. I'm just saying that once you get to a certain level of gear (a UV with Dimarzios say. Or a Schecter Loom with EMGs...maybe even a good Strat I'll grudgingly admit ? ) you REALLY DO NOT need to spend your days breaking your head to get good tone. .09s or .13s...that's where the playability argument starts exceeding the tone consideration by far.

Allow me one example I really enjoy. Per Nilsson from Scar Symmetry is a phenomenal lead player with great metal lead and rhythm tone. Yet he famously uses whatever pickup the guitar is stocked with, including the same RG1527 as mine, which even I think has mediocre sounding Ibanez no-name brand pups. Even I am planning to swop those out!! It's a placebo. It just doesn't matter that much. It's FUN to talk about and replace pups and switch string gauges, for sure. But in the end just play what feels good to you.