Difference between string gauges

[Alter]

Hey,

I wanna know all the noticeable differences between string gauges, it's of a floyd rose equiped electric guitar
I'm hesitating mostly between 9 - 46 and 10 - 52

Also, in 10 - 52, I wanna know what the differences are between a standard tuning, a half step down tuning and a full step down tuning
Do I have more sustain ? Can I bend more easily ? Do I risk to have my strings freezing ?

Thanks in advance !

 

[Mincer]

Re: Difference between string gauges

Well, it is different for everyone, but there are a few things to know.
Thicker strings are harder to bend, unless you are downtuned. Some people thing bigger strings always sound better (I don't). In the end, it comes down to what you, as the player, like. I like very little resistance. Some people like more.

 

[dave74]

Re: Difference between string gauges

9-46 is a great set for E standard with good tight/beefy lows
10-52 is good for D-standard, but you might prefer a 10.5 or an 11 for the high string.

for half-step down I like 10-50


strings are cheap fortunately

 

[Alter]

Re: Difference between string gauges

They are, but not the Elixir ones, and not when you have a Floyd

So 9 46 in standard E is essentially the same than 10 - 52 in standard D ?
Same bending force ?
Better sustain with 10 52 ?
Less freezing when hitting strings hard ?

 

[Sirion]

Re: Difference between string gauges

They will pretty much be the same tension, with the thinner string being slightly higher with the .009 set tuned to E. The tuned down D's will therefore be slightly easier to bend, at least the unwound strings. I doubt that there is going to be a very noticeable difference in sustain.

What do you mean by strings "freezing"? If you mean being struck so hard that the pick attack sharpens the pitch notably, or generally lower tuning stability, I don't think you'd have to worry about that.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Difference between string gauges

Well, it is different for everyone, but there are a few things to know.
Thicker strings are harder to bend, unless you are downtuned. Some people thing bigger strings always sound better (I don't). In the end, it comes down to what you, as the player, like. I like very little resistance. Some people like more.

What do you like to play? I have used pure nickel Fender .009-.040s for ages. They go against the grain of the times and its light/heavy sets, but I find that I both like the brightness of thinner strings and the ability to bend the wound strings with the same ease as the unwound ones. It seems like they have gone out of production, so I might use that as an opportunity to try an even lighter set. (I generally tune to Eb)

 

[VinceT]

Difference between string gauges

I have to say stop thinking about it, and just string your guitar up with one set, play for a couple of weeks then string it with the other set and play for a couple of weeks. Trust your ears, fingers and soul - they’ll tell you what works for you.


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[dave74]

Re: Difference between string gauges

They are, but not the Elixir ones, and not when you have a Floyd

So 9 46 in standard E is essentially the same than 10 - 52 in standard D ?
Same bending force ?
Better sustain with 10 52 ?
Less freezing when hitting strings hard ?

Ah elixirs,,,,,,that's the problem right there! lol
Just joking really, but when I tried them for a couple sets I hated that they sounded "filtered", like there was less thump down low and less zing up high (speaking only about the wounds, not the plains obviously)

Floyd or not shouldn't really make a difference on cost or durability.
I know some brands sell tremolo sets that have the weird flat ends instead of ball-ends,,,,,,,,but those aren't really needed.

 

[Alter]

Re: Difference between string gauges

Thanks guys

The problem with the floyd is that I have to re-set the floyd (if not my neck) everytime I change the tension of the strings / and the tuning

That's one of the reasons why I can't do the tests myself for now, even if I agree with VinceT said

@Sirion when you say higher, you mean there will be more distance between the string and the neck with the 009 set in E, then with the 10 in D ?

And yeah that's what I mean by freezing, I already had the problem with thin strings in Drop D.
040 seriously ? that sounds very thin to me

So no added sustain for the 10 - 52 ? I read everywhere that thicker strings means longer sustain...

 

[Mincer]

Re: Difference between string gauges

Well, sustain is enhanced by many things: compression of the preamp and power amp, amount of gain, guitar weight, materials, and playing technique. Many rock icons use very thin strings (tuned down, even, like Tony Iommi) but have no problem with sustain. Bigger strings might vibrate a little longer, but look at the guitar system as a whole, and there are other factors.

 

[zionstrat]

Re: Difference between string gauges

First, I want to reinforce that many are happy with lite gauge strings.

But I like heavy strings because I can play them soft or very hard, which provides nice dynamics. even more important is the increase snarl and range of sounds from popping to complex rhythms and fast tremello that just don't work when lite gauge strings slink away from the pick.

Keep in mind that I am one in 25... Very few play 12s at pitch and it takes time to build strength to bend.

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[Sirion]

Re: Difference between string gauges

First, I want to reinforce that many are happy with lite gauge strings.

But I like heavy strings because I can play them soft or very hard, which provides nice dynamics. even more important is the increase snarl and range of sounds from popping to complex rhythms and fast tremello that just don't work when lite gauge strings slink away from the pick.

Keep in mind that I am one in 25... Very few play 12s at pitch and it takes time to build strength to bend.

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The interesting thing is that I have heard people justify using light strings on exactly the same grounds: they claim they give a larger dynamic range, since less force is required to get a sound in the first place. On the face of it there might be some truth in this, since humans can only pick so hard, but the full potential in that respect is rarely used on guitar, no matter one's choice of strings, so I assume it comes down to picking technique more than anything.

I think you are right when it comes to tremolo picking, or fast alternate picking. I remember suffering in that respect when I tried .008s years ago. Then again, if works for Yngwie, so who knows…

What is certain is that they provide different sounds. Thicker strings sound fuller, thinner have a bit more bite, twang, or whatever. I prefer the latter, but I'm not sure if I would if I hadn't been playing .009s for so long that that is the sound I associate with my guitars.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Difference between string gauges

@Sirion when you say higher, you mean there will be more distance between the string and the neck with the 009 set in E, then with the 10 in D ?

I just meant that there will be more tension with a .009 in E than a .010 in D. If you go over to the Evertune page, you can test this out string by string, if you like.

Regarding pitch, I know that people often run into problems with .008s. The only string I have to watch out for is the thick E string, which is .040, and usually tuned to Eb. Unless you are a very hard picker I think you should be fine with either of the sets you mention.