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  • String gauge comparison....



    I stumbled across this video, and I found it interesting. They compare various string gauges in terms of tone. I was surprised by the results. I’ve always thought heavier gauges = better tone. It just something I was told, and just always believed. Then recently a local store started carrying those Billy Gibbons strings, and some other brands of really small electric strings. They say folks are buying them too.

    I recently bought a used Eric Johnson Strat, and it came with a brand new set of tiny strings on it. I don’t know what gauge they were no bigger than 8’s maybe even smaller. They felt strange to me, I’ve owned Strats since I started playing, and I’ve never played anything smaller than 9’s. I didn’t care for the feel of them, and put on 10’s.

    Check out this video and see what your ears tell you. To me, the heavier strings had more power to them, and sounded ballsier. However, I didn’t hate the tone of the lighter strings, but you could hear the difference. What did you think?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  • #2
    Re: String gauge comparison....

    Link doesn't work.
    Originally Posted by IanBallard
    Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.

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    • #3
      Re: String gauge comparison....



      Try this.... I used Tapatalk on the first one, maybe something went wrong.

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      • #4
        Re: String gauge comparison....

        For electric I think it’s more about feel than tone, especially recorded.

        I’ve tried everything from 9s to 11-54 on my Strat. When I’ve been playing a lot, I like 10-52, lots of spank and the low notes don’t go out of tune. When it’s been a while I like 9-46. I play with a heavy right hand, so the lighter strings flub out. The high notes are fine with lighter strings and easier to bend, but then there’s a volume mismatch if you go too out of whack. I think 10-49 would be ideal, too bad they aren’t available in Elixir.

        One of my pet peeves is people using light strings on an acoustic. 10s in any acoustic and 11s on Dreads sounds so plinky and dead. Gotta get tension on the top and get it moving!
        Last edited by PFDarkside; 01-25-2020, 10:10 AM.
        Oh no.....


        Oh Yeah!

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        • #5
          Re: String gauge comparison....

          Originally posted by PFDarkside View Post
          For electric I think it’s more about feel than tone, especially recorded.

          I’ve tried everything from 9s to 11-54 on my Strat. When I’ve been playing a lot, I like 10-52, lots of spank and the low notes don’t go out of tune. When it’s been a while I like 9-46. I play with a heavy right hand, so the lighter strings flub out. The high notes are fine with lighter strings and easier to bend, but then there’s a volume mismatch if you go too out of whack. I think 10-49 would be ideal, too bad they aren’t available in Elixir.

          One of my pet peeves is people using light strings on an acoustic. 10s in any acoustic and 11s on Dreads sounds so plinky and dead. Gotta get tension on the top and get it moving!
          I agree 100% about acoustics. The strings are a big part of the equation.

          On the electrics, I just always thought bigger strings were the key to better tone. Many of the players I’ve looked up to used bigger strings. Smokin Joe Kubek told me this when I met him, and he used massive strings.

          I thought in my head bigger strings meant fatter tone, but in this video I didn’t think the 8’s were thin sounding. I felt like they sounded brighter, with more highs and less low end. That’s just how it sounded to me.


          Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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          • #6
            Re: String gauge comparison....

            There are advantages to either heavy or light. Heavy has a fatter tone but you get diminishing returns since tighter strings have less bass response than looser strings. Lighter strings have thinner tone, but are brighter and more articulate, can sound good in a band, and they're easier to play.
            The things that you wanted
            I bought them for you

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            • #7
              Re: String gauge comparison....

              Completely preposterous.

              They never mention even ONCE the most important part of all this.

              EQ circuits can remove frequencies but they can't create them if they are not there.

              larger strings allow you to tone sculpt because you have more of the full range to work with.

              Give me those 10s or 11s and bump the mid EQ and presence -dial back the low and high and I'll show you what tight balls through a JCM is supposed to sound like.
              Last edited by NegativeEase; 01-25-2020, 12:53 PM. Reason: spelling
              “For me, when everything goes wrong – that’s when adventure starts.” Yvonne Chouinard

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              • #8
                Re: String gauge comparison....

                I think, the lighter the gauge like an 8 the more pronounced mids you'll get, the thicker the gauge the more fuller over all the tone would be. I use Ernie ball hybrids and super slinks, extra slink makes my tone thin an piercing but the mids are more dominate. I play with humbuckers, I have no expierence with single coils. But also aside from strings, the overall strength of the magnet plays key.
                Jackson Custom Tele
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                • #9
                  Re: String gauge comparison....

                  Originally posted by NegativeEase View Post
                  Completely preposterous.

                  They never mention even ONCE the most important part of all this.

                  EQ circuits can remove frequencies but they can't create them if they are not there.

                  larger strings allow you to tone sculpe because you have more of the full range to work with.

                  Give me those 10s or 11s and bump the mid EQ and presence -dial back the low and high and I'll show you what tight balls through a JCM is supposed to sound like.
                  That's my personal approach also. Fat clean tone is important to me so I use 10-49 and I can eq it thinner if I want a more aggressive sound.
                  The things that you wanted
                  I bought them for you

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                  • #10
                    Re: String gauge comparison....

                    One of the things I think has improved immensely since I started playing is that the whole string gauge thing has been put somewhat into perspective. In the early 2000s the heavier = better mentality was ubiquitous. It isn't completely gone, and you still find the occasional sexist or transphobic slur used against those deemed to use too light strings, but as a whole there seems to be a greater acceptance of the idea that there is no solution that sounds inherently different from the other. May this video help contribute to this development!

                    A few thoughts:

                    * As far as this video goes, I think the .008s and .009s sounded pretty good both, and far superior to the heavier strings. This is of course likely to be owing both to the style and the way the rig is EQd. Then again, when you already have the rock voicing right there, why bother compensating with something else?

                    * I suppose one might say that the thinner strings sounded more vintage, and that the thicker ones had a more modern voicing.

                    * I can see uneffected cleans sounding better with heavier strings, but again, in a rock context, I like the sound of thinner strings once chorus and reverb are added.

                    * If you want thinner strings to sound warmer, try pure nickel strings. I've been using Fenders 150L sets (.009-.042, pure nickel), and the only thing I have been more pleased with is the now-discontinued 150XL set (.009-.040).

                    * Both demand different types of control. Lighter string demands a lighter hand to get the most out of their dynamic range, and a better ear so as not to throw the intonation out of whack. Heavier strings have a very different dynamic range, which demand that you apply more force to get the most out of them (you'll also need be stronger to do acrobatic bending).
                    Last edited by Sirion; 01-25-2020, 03:48 PM.

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                    • #11
                      Re: String gauge comparison....

                      I hope this isn't going too far off topic, but I always thought it might be interesting to take a 12-string, and string it with two sets of heavy and light strings, both tuned to standard tuning. Say, 11's and 8's. Might be interesting.

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                      • #12
                        Re: String gauge comparison....

                        I did listen, even dug out my old cans to be objective. I thought as the string gauge went down they lost low end. Of course, I am the guy who has always been accused of wanting too much low end on my guitar. Especially by our bass players. Enough said.
                        I miss the 80's (girls) !!!

                        Seymour Duncans currently in use - In Les Pauls: Custom(b)/Jazz(n), Distortion(b)/Jazz(n), '59(b)/'59(n) w/A4 mag, P-Rails(b)/P-Rails(n); In a Bullet S-3: P-Rails(b)/stock/Vintage Stack Tele(n); In a Dot: Seth Lover(b)/Seth Lover(n); In a Del Mar: Mag Mic; In a Lead II: Custom Shop Fender X-1(b)

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                        • #13
                          Re: String gauge comparison....

                          For me, strings are more about feel than tone, although both factor. The guitar has to "fight" me just a little bit. I can't get that resistance from 9s or thinner, so I tend to prefer set of 10s or 11s.

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                          • #14
                            Re: String gauge comparison....

                            Originally posted by GuitarDoc View Post
                            Link doesn't work.
                            Tapatalk added a <br%20/> to the end of the link. Keep this in mind if any of you use Tapatalk.
                            I miss the 80's (girls) !!!

                            Seymour Duncans currently in use - In Les Pauls: Custom(b)/Jazz(n), Distortion(b)/Jazz(n), '59(b)/'59(n) w/A4 mag, P-Rails(b)/P-Rails(n); In a Bullet S-3: P-Rails(b)/stock/Vintage Stack Tele(n); In a Dot: Seth Lover(b)/Seth Lover(n); In a Del Mar: Mag Mic; In a Lead II: Custom Shop Fender X-1(b)

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                            • #15
                              String gauge comparison....

                              I use 9s on most of my guitars. I have used 8s in the past. Lighter strings offer more snap when you pick, and a lot more nuance with bends and vibrato at standard pitch.

                              I was actually surprised that he uses 8s on his Gibson scale guitars. But so does Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons, Tony Iommi, Jimi Hendrix, Terry Kath....

                              I’ve been toying with the idea of putting a set of 8s on my Parker. Right now that has a 9-46 set. And I use a 1.14mm pick. Never have issues with breaking strings. Heavier strings will break sooner since the tension is higher.

                              When I hear people playing 11s and up, their bends and vibrato always sound stinted. They never quite reach the note.

                              And the low strings sound too flubby. Might as well be playing a bass.


                              Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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