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Lower Gauge + Higher Action vs Higher Gauge + Lower Action

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  • #16
    Re: Lower Gauge + Higher Action vs Higher Gauge + Lower Action

    Guitars are different...

    I've always liked 0,11's because they gave me a thicker tone,

    but I once owned a Yamaha SA-5, 1966 model (sn. 374), that sounded the best with 009's!! :o
    (guitar was stolen).

    So,

    To answer your question;

    it depends on the guitar, and use-
    but nowadays, 011's and quite high action.

    I get more dynamics out of higher action;
    and playability is seldom an issue, as I'm of the "slow hand" type, and never learn't how to "shred"
    Last edited by Erlend_G; 06-07-2020, 05:31 AM.
    If somethings important- send a PM. I might be offline for long periods. Rock on!!!

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    • #17
      Re: Lower Gauge + Higher Action vs Higher Gauge + Lower Action

      I’ve never understood the debate on string gauges. I just looked at Ernie Ball, they have 17 different gauges under standard Slinky 6 string gauges. Everyone has a different preference. Strings are so cheap, buy a set of 9-42, do a setup high and low, then get a set of 10-52, do a setup high and low. You’ll have some preferences that you can use to dial in where you want to be. I’ve been running my main Strat with 10-52, sight relief and low action with a stiff Trem for a few years now, it works well for me. I could see how others want higher or maybe even lower action, and higher/lower gauge.
      Oh no.....


      Oh Yeah!

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      • #18
        Re: Lower Gauge + Higher Action vs Higher Gauge + Lower Action

        You can set up a guitar with most string sizes to play well. Some people like to fight the guitar, some want things to be super easy. Good thing is that we don't all have to share a guitar, so in the end, it is up to you. Learning how to do your own setup will allow you to do some experimentation for the cost of a few sets of strings.
        Administrator of the SDUGF

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        • #19
          Re: Lower Gauge + Higher Action vs Higher Gauge + Lower Action

          I played at my dad's service today, then we had a memorial jam afterward. I played his Gibson F-5 mandolin, which I set up with lighter strings than I typically use and MUCH lower action than I usually use. I was glad it was like that during the service, as I was nervous as hell and needed all the help I could get. About an hour into the jam, I got to thinking about how it didn't have as much punch as I wanted. I'm going to raise the action some, and probably go back to the heavy gauge strings.

          My wife's cousin came up, and brought his acoustic guitar with him. It's setup 11-50, with EXTREMELY low action. My Gibson is 12-56 with what I'd call medium action for an acoustic. For fingerpicking, his sounds good and is super easy to play, but if you want to flatpick and really dig in, it falls apart.

          Point is, different setups work for different things.
          “I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt

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          • #20
            Re: Lower Gauge + Higher Action vs Higher Gauge + Lower Action

            i play slide a fair amount and switch between fretting and slide in the same song all the time. i have 11s on all my electrics and the action is higher than id guess most people would like but it works well for me. "a little too high for solos, a little too low for slide" or whatever warren haynes said. for acoustics i have a tayor that plays like butter but if you hit it hard, it doesnt give you anything more and doesnt sound great. my martin on the other hand has higher action and isnt as easy to play but gives you something back if you lay into it. different setups for different things like chris and others have said

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            • #21
              Re: Lower Gauge + Higher Action vs Higher Gauge + Lower Action

              Slide playing is the one area where lighter strings have been a real problem for me, even with the medium action that I prefer.
              .
              "You should know better by now than to introduce science into a discussion of voodoo."
              .

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              • #22
                Re: Lower Gauge + Higher Action vs Higher Gauge + Lower Action

                Originally posted by TMD
                I don’t follow. How do higher strings have more downward pressure, and how does that keep the strings secure under your fingers?
                It's because you have to press the string down slightly farther to fret a note. Somehow that little bit of extra pressure at the contact point keeps the string from trying to slip out from under the fingertip when you bend. It seems especially helpful for bends using the index or middle finger. For me at least.
                .
                "You should know better by now than to introduce science into a discussion of voodoo."
                .

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                • #23
                  Re: Lower Gauge + Higher Action vs Higher Gauge + Lower Action

                  Originally posted by jeremy View Post
                  i play slide a fair amount and switch between fretting and slide in the same song all the time. i have 11s on all my electrics and the action is higher than id guess most people would like but it works well for me. "a little too high for solos, a little too low for slide" or whatever warren haynes said. for acoustics i have a tayor that plays like butter but if you hit it hard, it doesnt give you anything more and doesnt sound great. my martin on the other hand has higher action and isnt as easy to play but gives you something back if you lay into it. different setups for different things like chris and others have said
                  i can do it now but it took a long time to develop the touch needed to play on light strings and/or low action if i borrow a guitar to sit in or something. like most things, practice gets ya there

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                  • #24
                    Re: Lower Gauge + Higher Action vs Higher Gauge + Lower Action

                    Originally posted by jeremy View Post
                    i can do it now but it took a long time to develop the touch needed to play on light strings and/or low action if i borrow a guitar to sit in or something. like most things, practice gets ya there
                    Practice? What’s that?
                    Oh no.....


                    Oh Yeah!

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                    • #25
                      Re: Lower Gauge + Higher Action vs Higher Gauge + Lower Action

                      its a thing i used to do a lot! and for the past 15+ years have been coasting on that practice. these days i barely pick up a guitar if im not on a gig, havent been any of them since mid march and dont expect there will be for a while. thisll be the first year i havent done 100+ in as long as i can remember. might have to start practicing so i dont forget how to play

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                      • #26
                        Re: Lower Gauge + Higher Action vs Higher Gauge + Lower Action

                        Originally posted by jeremy View Post
                        its a thing i used to do a lot! and for the past 15+ years have been coasting on that practice. these days i barely pick up a guitar if im not on a gig, havent been any of them since mid march and dont expect there will be for a while. thisll be the first year i havent done 100+ in as long as i can remember. might have to start practicing so i dont forget how to play
                        I was playing recently and thought “I am so much worse now than I was about 15 years ago”. Wait, when did I rejoin the forum?
                        Oh no.....


                        Oh Yeah!

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                        • #27
                          Re: Lower Gauge + Higher Action vs Higher Gauge + Lower Action

                          I used to do 10-52s with medium action... Now I do 10-46, but also with medium action.
                          Originally posted by Myaccount876
                          Attenuators are for pussies. Neighbors calling the cops isn't a problem - if the cops can actually still decipher the neighbor's complaint on the phone with the Marshall in the background, you're doing it wrong and it needs to be louder.

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