Uping the string gauge...?

stevie ray

stevie ray

New member
Right now ive got 10s loaded into my strat, and i was wondering whether or not i should go up another gauge to help with those big bends. The only problem ive noticed with my 10s is that the high e seems a bit small and difficult for me to dig into (occasionally i would notice that string slipping underneath my finger). it's a C-shape neck by the way

Do you think a higher gauge would help?
 
Re: Uping the string gauge...?

stevie ray said:
Right now ive got 10s loaded into my strat, and i was wondering whether or not i should go up another gauge to help with those big bends. The only problem ive noticed with my 10s is that the high e seems a bit small and difficult for me to dig into (occasionally i would notice that string slipping underneath my finger). it's a C-shape neck by the way

Do you think a higher gauge would help?
Click to expand...
from my experience, the strings slip because they are too think and heavy. maybe you should try a lighter gauge... maybe .009's
 
Re: Uping the string gauge...?

It can't hurt. I say, go ahead and give the 11s a shot. If possible, go for a heavy bottom 11 set, like the Dean Markley standard, or Ernie Ball Beefy Slinky. Those thick bass strings rule :)
 
Re: Uping the string gauge...?

I used to put 11s on all mine. Lately, I've been doing 11s on my 24.75"/25" and 10s on my 25.5" guitars. I think I like the looser feel of 10s for a Strat scale length. It depends on how you want the guitar to feel. A full set of 11s will make the guitar more stiff, with more tension on the strings. You could always just buy an 11 for the high E if you want a fuller sound.
 
Re: Uping the string gauge...?

Yes, go for 11s! Much much better than 10s, not hard to bend at all and sound fatter.
 
Re: Uping the string gauge...?

i dunno about the 9s. They sound waaaay to weak and thin for me. They were in the strat before i uped the gauge, and they almost turned me off to using the strat. When i got 10s, the tone was much fatter and satisfying.

Ill play with the high e tho, cuz i neeed thicker sounds for the other strings at least... Perhaps if i keep it in Eb that would help.

keep em coming
 
Re: Uping the string gauge...?

I used to play long, expressive bends out of tune when I was using .009's. I dunno, but when I moved up to .011's I seemed to bend better and more precise. It was a struggle at first but as my fingers grew stronger moving up was worth it although it made me slower. The thicker gauges made me appreciate the single-coil bridge pick-up for the first time and am getting better surf tones out of them.
 
Re: Uping the string gauge...?

stevie ray...definitely do it. ive been moving up gauges for the past few months and now im playing 13s tuned to Eb. Sure, you cant play fast slippery metal like you can with 11s but since i moved up...the only strings ive broken are the d and the g. also if youre using a guitar with single coils, play the thickest strings you can. itll really thicken up the sound a lot and if you go play someone elses guitar or another one of yours with 11s or 10s ull be amazed at the stuff u can do now.
 
Re: Uping the string gauge...?

itbepopples said:
....Sure, you cant play fast slippery metal like you can with 11s but since i moved up.......
Click to expand...

Believe it or not, you can. All a question of practice and touch. Not saying that I can, but there exist those that can... ;)
 
Re: Uping the string gauge...?

If you're having problems with the strings slipping out from beneath your fingers on bends, another thing you might consider are bigger frets. I have Dunlop 6100s on my Strat and it gives you a little more bite on the string.
 
Re: Uping the string gauge...?

string slippage eh-raise your action. It lets you dig under those strings with authority when you want to do a bend. Slows you down a bit, but with practice it shouldnt be a problem.

Just keep cranking those SRV licks until you got them down on 11's and a bit higher action on your problem strings.
 
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