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Tagged: Super Light 9's for my electrics
- This topic has 22 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 4 months ago by charleydelta.
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February 29, 2020 at 3:09 pm #161903
Today while going through the challenge submissions I came across one using 11 gauge strings doing a lot of bends but not quite getting there pitch wise let alone doing a vibrato. I went through the same dilemma and ended up with RSD in my wrist while I was learning. Puts a damper on playing altogether and wasn’t worth it. So I went to 9s.
My bends got a lot easier and more accurate with smaller gauge strings. I use 9s when I’m playing a lot of bends. I really don’t find I lose much in tone that I can decern. Brian May plays 8s as does zz top and they have great tone.
If you are interested there is an episode of ‘That Pedal Show’ that tested various gauges in a ‘controlled’ environment. They came up with 10.5 gauge as the best compromise but the still hurt my hand. You can catch them on youtube.Thoughts???
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February 29, 2020 at 3:17 pm #161909
Well, you said it right, Richard. What good do heavy gauge strings do if you get RSD or simple pain and have to stop playing? I sometimes enjoy heavy gauged strings on my SG with them Humbuckers, because I think they give the pick-ups more boom, but really with an electric guitar you just have to turn the volume up and get the same effect.
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February 29, 2020 at 6:53 pm #162048
are 11’s right for your needs?
this info might help
Does size (String Gauge) matter?
as duffy said once: strings sound different on different guitars
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February 29, 2020 at 7:05 pm #162052
I use 9’s on every thing and tone is fine
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March 1, 2020 at 12:23 am #162117
At least I know now the string gauge I used on the borrowed electric.
The Regular Slinky packet says 10,13,17,26,36,46. So it was 10.
And that there is also Beefy 11, Super 9 and Extra 8. Are the other numbers relevant also or just the first number?Beefy Slinky: 11,15,22p,30,42,54
Regular Slinky: 10,13,17,26,36,46
Super Slinky: 9,11,16,24,32,42
Extra Slinky: 8,11,14,22,30,38 -
March 1, 2020 at 8:09 am #162309
I think if you are bending a lot, which I find I do with many AM lessons (e.g. EP219), I need 8s or 9s. 10s or 11s make bending hard if not impossible: it’s hard to reach the note and the tips of my fingers get very sore. If you’re not bending much then 10s or 11s are OK and perhaps they sound better in some situations, e.g. bright jangly chords. So I’m aiming to have one guitar set up with 8s or 9s to use for bending and another guitar set up with 10s or 11s for strumming.
Jonathan Amos, Matsuyama, Japan
The farther one travels the less one knows.
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March 1, 2020 at 9:15 am #162327
I almost gave up on acoustic until I moved to 10’s. Now the pain is gone. I may have lost a drop in tone but it feels great to be pain free.
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March 2, 2020 at 1:10 am #162783
I’ve shot myself at 9s for several years. The playing comfort is just right for me. Yes, and the sound fits me without any flaws. Ron Wood also plays with this size. I also criticized the 11s strings and finally went over 9s strings over 10s. When it comes to bending, it is for me that I achieve a whole tone well.
Play guitar just like you live; don't get bogged down in theory, it's just a tool without feeling.
Wilfried
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March 3, 2020 at 4:45 am #162959
I have 11 d’addario half rounds on my Gibson 330 (which I used on 219) and gretch
and
same make model but 10’s on my Strat and Les PaulI prefer the heavier gauge on the 2 hollow bodies for a number of reasons in terms of bending they feel fine but a bit stiff on the 1st 3 frets. One of the important things to note is both have huge string length as both sport a bigsby and are the standard Gibson scale length which is not as tight as Fenders.
For me the sweet spot with a Les Paul is a 10 due to scale length and feel if you put a 10 on a Telecaster my experience is it feels very stiff to play on the other hand a Stratocaster has a bit of give in it due to the wammy bar but for the most part if I was recommending a gauge for a Fender it would be 9’s
I would add that my wammy bar on my strat is wound down and I find 10’s no problem.
Personally don’t see there is a universal 1 size fits all and its further muddied by the differences in scale length and string length on differing model guitars and also different makes/models of strings have a different feels.
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March 4, 2020 at 8:21 am #163026
A final comment on 11’s my hollow bodies both got professionally set up for a heavier gauge most guitars are set up for 9/10’s
Setup doesn’t change how stiff it is but it does change the feel a lot
As Dan and Mick (TPS) say There are no answers just better questions
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March 4, 2020 at 12:20 pm #163029
As Dan and Mick (TPS) say There are no answers just better questions
This statement sums string gauge up very well – and the question that has to be answered is “What gauge is right for me”.
I’ve come to the point that I don’t care what a You Tube video or online magazine article says is “the right gauge’. I know what works for me and that is all that matters.
I’ve worked with my hands most of my life so my hands are stronger than someone who hasn’t – doesn’t make me better because of that added strength, it makes us different
10s works best for me on electrics overall – I prefer 11s for bending b/c I stay in tune better on the bends, however certain other slurs are too hard with 11s so 10s is a good compromise for me
11’s works well on acoustic b/c with 10s, I find that I have the strings slapping against the fretboard as I’m fingerpicking. I can play 12s but again, certain techniques are too difficult so 11 is the magic numberThere will be continual You Tube videos “demonstrating” beyond a doubt that we are using the wrong string gauge, the wrong string formulation, the wrong string brand, the wrong amp, the wrong brand of tubes in your amp, etc etc etc ad naueseum
Find what works for you and go for it. We as students of the guitar waste too much time on someone else’s opinion and gadgets. I got away from modeling amps b/c I spending too much time ‘twiddling the knobs’ to see what tone that I could get. Even though I’m using a Blackstar ID260 that has a lot of options, most of my tones have no more than reverb, delay and/or tremolo.
Don Deering shared an early BB King album with me that is on You Tube. Some of BB’s best playing and it was a guitar and amp in the studio. Considering that it was recorded in 1961, we can rest assured that it wasn’t one of the option ladened amps that we have today and truth be told, he may have been using Black Diamond strings with a wound 3rd. Some of BB’s best playing is on that album and some of best guitar tones as well.
As Dave Mason aptly said in the chorus of his song “Let it go, Let it flow”. The human spirit contains wonderful expressions and players like Alvin Lee, Kim Simmonds, Dickey Betts, Duane Allman etc proved that it isn’t the equipment so much what our hearts flow into our hands…….So Friends and Neighbors – My mid-week rant is now complete……
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October 24, 2020 at 6:16 pm #215821
Haha, that would have been me….I just got back to being able to be on AM after some circumstances that needed my attention for a few months and I came across your comment. I had never played any bends or vibrato before joining the AM site….I played Jazz style chord melody and only plucked the strings with my fingers, a lot of people even use 12s on a Tele for that. I am trying Ernie Ball Turbo Slinky 9.5s I really don’t like how the thin strings feel playing them but I guess I need them.
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October 24, 2020 at 10:19 pm #215831
Haha, that would have been me….I just got back to being able to be on AM after some circumstances that needed my attention for a few months and I came across your comment. I had never played any bends or vibrato before joining the AM site….I played Jazz style chord melody and only plucked the strings with my fingers, a lot of people even use 12s on a Tele for that. I am trying Ernie Ball Turbo Slinky 9.5s I really don’t like how the thin strings feel playing them but I guess I need them.
Hi Dana
I noticed that you mentioned that some use a Tele for jazz and it brought Ed Bickert to mind. One usually associated a full sized hollowbody guitar with jazz such as Wes Montgomery using a Gibson L5 – but I remember seeing Ed many years ago on a TV show and he was using a Tele with a small Roland Cube amp. It was one of the original cube amps that Roland made before the days of the Blues Cube or the current line of Cube amps. Ed’s tone was amazing as was his playing. A true master.
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October 24, 2020 at 11:43 pm #215833
Yes, Ed Bickert was amazing, I actually bought my tele because of him..I love his style and sound.
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October 25, 2020 at 6:01 am #215848
been around the block a few times and I have found the Ernie Ball Super Slinky ( 8×42 ) is the go to for rock and for bending. which has been a standard since the 70’s
king used 8×42’s and no one accused him of having bad sound….
they also make a extrhttps://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EB2225–ernie-ball-2225-extra-slinky-nickel-wound-electric-guitar-strings-008-038?mrkgadid=3308753544&mrkgcl=28&mrkgen=gpla&mrkgbflag=0&mrkgcat=guitars&&acctid=21700000001645388&dskeywordid=92700046934855747&lid=92700046934855747&ds_s_kwgid=58700005285195714&ds_s_inventory_feed_id=97700000007215323&dsproductgroupid=404011633130&product_id=EB2225&prodctry=US&prodlang=en&channel=online&storeid=&device=c&network=g&matchtype=&locationid=9061323&creative=290335235438&targetid=pla-404011633130&campaignid=1465808371&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxNT8BRD9ARIsAJ8S5xamBMWTlC7X42T2RRy3HTbDlYJ8IcDIMIWcG6JXaWbGLVuccuoooB0aAsokEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.jimdunlop.com/string-lab-series-billy-gibbons-guitar-string-07-38/
s……..o let your fingers do the walking
a slinky 7×38
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October 25, 2020 at 6:05 am #215849
edit
been around the block a few times and I have found the Ernie Ball Super Slinky ( 9×52 ) above was a typo) is the go to for rock and for bending. which has been a standard since the 70’s
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October 25, 2020 at 11:33 am #215865
BB king used 8’s…
..Billy..
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October 25, 2020 at 1:00 pm #215869
I’m also trying the Martin Flexible Core on my small body Collings – I think changes take some time to get used to and I’m willing to give it time. If I go lighter than the 9.5 on my Tele my guitar tech said he will need to do some tweaking to the neck and intonation for me.
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October 25, 2020 at 2:48 pm #215871
I’m also trying the Martin Flexible Core on my small body Collings – I think changes take some time to get used to and I’m willing to give it time. If I go lighter than the 9.5 on my Tele my guitar tech said he will need to do some tweaking to the neck and intonation for me.
checking the action and intonation when either going up or down string guage is the thing to do, tbh i would be more concerned if your tech didnt do those checks and tweeks.
..Billy..
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October 25, 2020 at 8:07 pm #215884
i’ve also tried different strings gauges; generally thicker the string the thicker and darker the sound, and harder to bend. 9s are pretty bendable and not overly trebly, i use them on my Tele. On my Strat i’ve got 10s for less treble, but I tune the guitar down 1/2 tone to make them more bendable. But then I have to always be thinking about playing 1/2 higher so key of A becomes Bb, etc.
On electric I would never go to 11s; just too hard on my old fingers. -
October 25, 2020 at 9:42 pm #215888
So I’ve had the Ernie Ball Turbo Slinky’s 9.5, 12, 16, 26, 36, 46 on today and I have really enjoyed playing them…I played the same tune that I did in the Feb Challenge and it was much improved. I also have a new amp The Boss Katana MKII 50, I have had a good day of music.
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October 26, 2020 at 6:34 pm #215926
There is another consideration – at least for me. If the gauge is too thin, it becomes very hard to keep some chord voicings in tune, especially on the B and G strings. My Vela came with 9s and for me it was unmanageable. (Take note that BB King didn’t play a lot of chords). ‘
I switched to 10s, which are mostly OK. I can do large bends on it pretty easily, and it doesn’t go as sharp on hard chord voicings up the neck. My flattop has 12s and my Archtop has 14s. My Tele Will have 11s on it, which I think will be a better fit for me.
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November 1, 2020 at 3:02 pm #217987
I use 9’s on both of my vintage Strats and my Gibson ES 339. I switched from 10’s a few years back after arthritis in my wrists made up my mind for me. I particularly like Elixir Nanoweb Super Lights.
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