Sound of electric guitar with low tension in strings

[Wayne27]

Do electric guitars with low string tension sound good? What about a guitar with 24 inch neck with 9-42 electric guitar strings?

 

[Chistopher]

If you own a guitar you can test this out by detuning : popworm:



It really depends. Larger strings tend to sound better detuned, how hard you thwack the strings makes a difference, the rigidity of your pick makes a difference. Best to just experiment.

I've got a Mustang with 9's and a 24" scale. It sounds just fine.

 

[zionstrat]

In this case, good is very relative. As mentioned before heavy gague and longer scale can give you considerably more power.. for example it's pretty difficult to get SRV sounds without this formula.

On the other hand short scale low gauge strings will give you an entirely different feel.. I find it very useful for finger style because you feel the string more you have more control and I find it more articulate.

But on the opposite of the spectrum, you can't play nearly as hard as you can with heavier strings and longer gauge and you're not going to get that sound.

But the smaller intimate sound can be very useful.. I find I use much deeper vibrato and a lot more expression comes through with the light gauge setups.

So it all can be good depending on what you're trying to do.