String gauge and tone.

[korovamilkdud]

I probably should have known this a long time ago, but humor me.

I have a jumbo acoustic, I'm trying to brighten it up a bit. Lighter or heavier? I'm going to try a set of 10-47 tonight.

 

[Armotron]

Re: String gauge and tone.

I believe it is, the lighter, the brighter?

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: String gauge and tone.

At least it rhymes.

 

[Quencho092]

Re: String gauge and tone.

come on guys....

What's the brightest string on your guitar....that's right, the thin E string. So the lighter your gauge, the brighter the strings! yay!

 

[Boston Joe]

Re: String gauge and tone.

The thicker the bricker? :laugh2:

Anyway... If you're going that low, you should try a set of strings with a heavier bottom at least for some decent punch. You can also try a set of 11s that are similar to 10s but with a low E .050 and a high E .011 to stave off the "ping" tone of most 10s-- DR strings makes such a set.

 

[Hellion]

Re: String gauge and tone.

I'm not sure you're going to get a brighter tone with lighter strings. The guitar is kind of the way it is, ya know? You'll get more top end frequencies with a heavier guage of top end strings (12s on up), but that may disturb the balance.

 

[theboatcandream]

Re: String gauge and tone.

I find that heavier strings have more brightness and more bass at the same time.

 

[Curly]

Re: String gauge and tone.

for acoustic stings, it's not only the gauge, but the composition of the strings

phosphor bronze are considered warmer, richer; 80/20 bronze are brighter

I've used D'Addario 85/15 American Bronze for years. They are a bright string, and probably wear a little quicker, but I love the way they sound when they're new. They're a fairly inexpensive string, but that's not really why I've continued to use them.