Re: What gauge strings did Jimi Hendrix use?
It is well documented that Hendrix used the Fender 10-38 set, but many people have said that he switched out one or two strings, as has been stated previously in this thread. Someone who got hold of one of his guitars said it had an .009 on the first string (measured with a caliper). As for the .038 bottom E, remember he used an upside down neck, so the low E had the longest string length, and therefore more tension than a standard setup. No one knows exactly what he changed out, but it is a good bet he tried different combinations, since he started tuning down a half step when playing live later in his career. Along with flipping the nut on his new guitars, he would put his trem bars in a vise and bend them to the shape he preferred for the dive-bombing he did. This being said, many have reported that he could borrow a regular right-handed guitar from someone at a jam and play just as well, I'd say that is quite a talent. The studio recording of "Foxy Lady" was supposedly him playing Noel's Tele, I doubt he took the time to flip the nut and restring to play that, he just played it as it was. Incredible to me.
By the way, Fender had the 10-38 light set long before Ernie Ball came out with his strings. Gibson also had a 9-40 set, and Fender later put out a 9-40 set along with the 10-38's. Ernie Ball came out later with Super Slinkies (9-42), and later expanded with the 10-46 and other gauges, basically EB's contribution to the market was that before they came along, string companies didn't have standardized gauges, each maker had different gauges, but after a while they all fell in line with EB's gauges for their sets (9-42, 10-46, 10-52, etc.). But to claim their were no light string sets before EB is just not true, I know because I was around then and I remember when the EB's came out, they only had the Super Slinky set at first, but the Fender Rock'n'Roll 10-38 and the Gibson 9-40 sets were out before that.
Al
