***The Official Guitar Thread***

[uncle_rufus]

I've found with acoustics, comparing mine to friend's, that having heavier gauge strings makes a huge amount of difference. Lighter gauges just don't sound anywhere near as nice. I always preferred light gauge strings on my guitars, but if I were to replace them now, I think I'd go heavier.

Agree - heavier gauge virtually always sounds better (it's true on electric as well) but the trade-off is in the pliability of the strings... I don't currently have an acoustic but when I did I used to go with lighter strings because I would quite often want to play the same things as I played on my electrics (solos and all) and the heavier strings were too hard to bend

 

[Andrew_McP]

Lighter gauges just don't sound anywhere near as nice.

I guess most of my experience is sat in my living room, behind my guitar, and the only other guitar I meet irregularly is hand built, has Elixir light strings and sounds absolutely wonderful. But it's not a 'big' sound and I can certainly tell that the Earthwoods I hated were a significantly 'bigger' sound requiring bigger, firmer input to get the best out of them. I don't need that volume though, and my dainty little hands are better suited to needlework than steel wrestling, hence why I'm probably drawn to the weedy end of the spectrum.

Agree - heavier gauge virtually always sounds better

It's a shame there's no immediate way of telling what strings are being played on any music. It would be easier to educate my ear and work out what I really like then (rather than think I like). Mind you, I can't remember listening to or watching anything and thinking 'that guitar sounds terrible'! But then with recordings there's a lot more in play than just the strings.

I'd certainly be happier getting used to heavier strings, if only because then I'd feel like I could play on whatever's put in my hands without looking like a fraud. But realistically, that's not a situation I'm going to be in very often, whereas I'm in my living room amusing myself, my demented Mum and the dog every day, and I definitely don't need to be projecting to the back of a big room.

I suppose if I really wanted to satisfy my curiosity I could invest £150 or so in a big range of strings and make a YouTube video comparing them all. It'd only need about a million hits to make the money back.

 

[uncle_rufus]

I wouldn't worry too much about it to be honest - although it is true that thicker strings are more resonant and "sound better" they are only one component of your overall sound... The difference is more than made up for in most cases by other things - it's no use playing massive thick strings if your fingers aren't strong enough, and even then sometimes lighter strings just feel better to people (and as a result your playing on them will be better, more fluid etc.) I tend to find if I pick up a guitar with much lighter strings than I'm used to it is equally hard to play because the strings feel too delicate, and the tension I'm used to bending the strings under is different so I bend notes out of tune, the response of the strings when I hit them harder isn't quite right etc. etc. it's all just personal preference and what you're used to ultimately

 

[SexyGreyFox]

me and my guitar do not like Ernie Ball's 'Earthwood Medium-Light (12-54) Phosphor Bronze' strings AT ALL

Lol, earlier this year I was put onto these strings but the extra lite version 10 -52 and they sound awesome.
I use my guitar in a live setting with a band and often get told I have a great acoustic sound and I won't be going back to anything else.
Horses and courses.

 

[Andrew_McP]

Lol, earlier this year I was put onto these strings but the extra lite version 10 -52

To be fair to my dainty little fingers, I might have had more luck coaxing something melodic out of 52s compared to the 54s. I can certainly see how these punchy (to me) sounding strings might thrive when used in a live/noisy environment. Or in suspension bridge construction.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

To be fair to my dainty little fingers, I might have had more luck coaxing something melodic out of 52s compared to the 54s. I can certainly see how these punchy (to me) sounding strings might thrive when used in a live/noisy environment. Or in suspension bridge construction.

I have no idea how you can play with 12's, they are like bass guitar strings.
I restrung a bands guitars the other week and they had 13s on their acoustics, my fingers nearly bled and I've been playing since 1970.

 

[Andrew_McP]

I have no idea how you can play with 12's, they are like bass guitar strings.

Probably why they were part of a Tone Pack giveaway with the Faith. All 12's, sadly. Sometime free has a hidden price!

You're making me feel a whole lot better about preferring the weedy silk & steels though. Part of that's just my background playing nylon for a long time, so I like things weedy & mellow rather than strong & bright. But part of it may also be the fact that I'm left handed, playing right handed, and I really don't like my dominant hand's fingertips feeling too numb.

I do like having a choice of guitars and tone now though, especially now I'm listening to a lot of bluegrass and trying to get the hang of crosspicking with a plectrum rather than my nails. Brighter strings really suit that.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

You're making me feel a whole lot better about preferring the weedy silk & steels though. Part of that's just my background playing nylon for a long time, so I like things weedy & mellow rather than strong & bright.

There is a video on You Tube of a bloke playing with different gauge strings and there is no difference in sound in the gauge of the strings.
I think he's destroying the myth of thicker strings sound better.

 

[McGray]

I used to use thicker strings when playing in lower tunings like drop C. Ridiculous flappy nonsense but good fun.

 

[Aztec2Step]

I used to use thicker strings when playing in lower tunings like drop C. Ridiculous flappy nonsense but good fun.

Flappy in Drop C? Sounds like they weren't thick enough!

I've not got an acoustic so have no idea what strings I'd prefer with regards to that, but for electric 6-strings I tune to D standard and use 13-56. They handle Drop C and Drop A (Mastodong, anyone?) nicely.

 

[uncle_rufus]

Flappy in Drop C? Sounds like they weren't thick enough!

I've not got an acoustic so have no idea what strings I'd prefer with regards to that, but for electric 6-strings I tune to D standard and use 13-56. They handle Drop C and Drop A (Mastodong, anyone?) nicely.

13s are "thicker strings"... I use the same on my Jackson which is usually in drop C, B or A... but tbh C isn't that bad with a regular set of 10s or 11s

 

[Aztec2Step]

13s are "thicker strings"... I use the same on my Jackson which is usually in drop C, B or A... but tbh C isn't that bad with a regular set of 10s or 11s

I know they are thicker strings, I was just pointing out what I use and that they aren't flappy in the least in Drop C.
C with 10's & 11's? That's like stringing your guitar with spaghetti!

 

[a1ex2001]

Lol, earlier this year I was put onto these strings but the extra lite version 10 -52 and they sound awesome.
I use my guitar in a live setting with a band and often get told I have a great acoustic sound and I won't be going back to anything else.
Horses and courses.

I have the 11’s on my main guitar and I really like the sound when they are about a week old but bright brand new. I have the 12’s on my parlour which I like as well.

 

[uncle_rufus]

I know they are thicker strings, I was just pointing out what I use and that they aren't flappy in the least in Drop C.
C with 10's & 11's? That's like stringing your guitar with spaghetti!

Absolutely!

There are a few annoying tunings that I like to play one or two songs in where you just can't really get a good balance (presumably the actual musicians would have a special guitar with custom gauges setup just for those songs)... like Parabola by Tool (which is E Standard but with the A string dropped down to E and the E string dropped down to B)

 

[Aztec2Step]

Absolutely!

There are a few annoying tunings that I like to play one or two songs in where you just can't really get a good balance (presumably the actual musicians would have a special guitar with custom gauges setup just for those songs)... like Parabola by Tool (which is E Standard but with the A string dropped down to E and the E string dropped down to B)

That's awkward, essentially a standard tuned 7-string but with the A snipped!

Soundgarden have a few odd tunings, Limo Wreck springs to mind (A down a full step, E down two full steps, iirc).

 

[uncle_rufus]

That's awkward, essentially a standard tuned 7-string but with the A snipped!

True! I've tried to play it on a 7 though (with all strings in-tact) and it's really difficult - the way the riffs use combinations of open and fretted notes means needing to mute the open A string whilst letting the open E and notes fretted on the D ring out - very awkward. You can technically just incorporate the A in places but it then doesn't quite sound like the record. Hey ho, still nice to give it a blast now and again even if the low strings are a bit floppy for it

 

[dirtychinchilla]

My new bass arrived today - Sire Marcus Miller V7 2nd Gen, 5 string. very exciting!

 

[jumpy]

Where's the pictures, you tart?

You can't say that without letting the rest of us bassheads oggle the new shiney!

(I know I'm a week late with the demanding post... I'm a bit slow)

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Where's the pictures, you tart?

You can't say that without letting the rest of us bassheads oggle the new shiney!

(I know I'm a week late with the demanding post... I'm a bit slow)

Sorry chaps!

 

[Nitefly]

A powerful backdrop!

Cool bass