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String Gauges – Do They Matter?
So this is an age-old discussion that has been brought up time and time again. @Notecracker showed me this video where they test different string gauges to see if there’s a difference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGXj_NQONYM
Granted, this they are mainly playing high gain content, but it’s definitely eye opening. What string gauges do you use? And do you think it matters?
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15 Replies
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Just to state where I stand on the debate… I’m a loyal 10s user. Seems to be the most comfortable gauge for me and they tend to last a bit longer, IMHO. But maybe I’m missing the boat on using 8s! May give them a try… 🤔
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I’ve seen this video before, and I agree. There’s definitely a sound/tone difference between string gauges.
I’ll typically use EB Titanium 9-42 on my Strat and Tele, 9-46 on my LP, D’Addario 10-52 on my Yamaha S2000 (335-ish) to get a nice thick Larry Carlton-esk sound.
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Different gauges for different guitars:
The Floyd equipped Kramer likes 9.5 – 44
10s for my strats/tele
10.5 – 48 for my les paul (and dangelico with its 24 3/4 scale)
11 – 48 for the bigsby equipped gretsch
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I have used 10’s for the 9 years I have played guitar. Last month I got 9’s on all my solidbody guitars. Makes everything easier for me. Will try 8’s on the new strat coming tomorrow. I imagine some degree of trussrod adjustment will have to be made to make that work. 🔨
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There’s gotta be a point where the gauge gets so small that the strings break regularly, right? That’s the main reason I go with 10s, they are comfortable and they don’t break often. @Notecracker – let us know how the 8s are… although I’ve got quite a collection of 10s stacked up, so if I do make the change it won’t be for a while! 😬
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May go for 7’s Damian. If it was good enough for Jimi, it’s good enough for me. 😎🤘🏽
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This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by Notecracker.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by
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While being interviewed in 1992, founder and chairman of RotoSound, James How stated,
“When musicians were looking for a specific sound or concept, they would come visit me at the factory. Jimi Hendrix was not pleased with the sounds he would get when he bit his strings, so I developed a gauge which he thought ‘tasted’ right. The .006 and .007 were the first strings he used to bite that sounded ‘right’.“
Back in the day, light strings were the standard as many guitarists of that period. Eric Clapton and BB King, and many others used very light gauges, sometimes even 8s for the high E. The trend of bending strings heavily started the need to have light strings. There’s a story of British guitarists of the 60s purchasing mandolin strings until electric guitar string manufacturers caught up with the trend.
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It’s hard to argue with Jimi! Guess I’m gonna have to see what lower gauges are like… hope they don’t break while I’m tuning up! 😆
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I dig the EVH circa 1978 set from Stringjoy. You can bend the low E to your feet.
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StringJoy makes some very nice strings. I like their acoustic strings. They’re all I use anymore on my acoustics.
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This was very cool and interesting! Thanks for sharing!
I used 10s forever and switched to 9’s about a year ago. They sound incredible on my Les Pauls and my Strat. I still have 10s on my Michael Kelly, but that’s due to the Floyd Rose. As soon as I have time to string & adjust, I’m putting 9s on as well.
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I always think it’s a trade off between tone and ease of playing. Heavier strings sound better, just because there’s more moving mass in the magnetic field of the pickups, but are harder to bend.
I use 10s on my SGs, 11s on my Squier Mustang and 11s (with an unwound 3rd) on my acoustics.
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Notes from the Lab.
Okay. I took the plunge this morning. Went from 11’s on the Epiphone Sheraton to 9’s.
As B.B. King once said to Billy Gibbon’s, “Why are you working so hard”.
And I at least see the point now after playing for an hour. Bending is way easier. If anything slightly negative should be said, it’s just that you have to be more careful to control bending to the right pitch since it’s so much easier, but that’s just a question of practice. The overall feel is really nice and for some reason it also invites you to play a bit more with dynamics.
I hear no loss of bottom end or mids in contrast to the 11’s when playing through the monitors in the musicroom. So my take on this is that I’m personnaly sold on this concept of lighter string gauge. It feels right and playing the bit of blues with the B.B. trackwas a new experience that made me think that a lighter touch generally would suit my playing better. Quite a revelation really. 🤘🏽😎🤘🏽
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I used to think that heavier strings provide a thicker sound. A few years ago I learned that wasn’t true. Many heavy bands use 9s. It comes down to what is most comfortable. If the low string isn’t thick enough then it can feel too floppy and when high strings are too thick it is more difficult to do fast runs.
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I’ve been a religious user of 10s for decades, and only recently switched to 9s due to some arthritic issues in my left hand. I’ve found little tonal difference in using the 9s, but a lot of relief for my fretting hand.
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