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ES-335 12 string gauge


Tenor7

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Just bought a new Gibson ES-335 12 String (my fourth Gibson). Wow! What tone and great looks to match! Nice variation with the coil tapping too. One question though: What are the gauges of the strings that the guitar was fitted with in the factory? The guitar came with no information in that regard (the only thing the guitar did come with, apart from the case, was a certificate of authenticity) and the instrument is not listed on Gibson's web site so no joy there in my search for a manual either. That sort of information ought to be included in the case, especially in such an expensive instrument. Attention to the small details please Gibson.

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Possibly D'addario .010-.046, which is fairly standard gauge for electric 12-string. Certainly would not use anything heavier.

 

I use Elixir Electric Nano .010-.046 on my 1968 335-12, just because they last a lot longer than most, and I don't like to change the strings on that guitar any more than necessary.

 

You've got a fair number of string manufacturers to choose from. Go to juststrings.com to find most of them in one place.

 

The new ES 335-12 is nice in that it has a wider neck than the vintage ones. No coil tap on the vintage ones, but mine has a great set of early patent number humbuckers.

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Unless things have changed a lot since the '70s, just do NOT get silk 'n' steel for an electric. IMHO they simply don't work well at all with mag pups whether you like them on an acoustic or not. And yeah, I messed with pole and pup adjustments. It's been a long time ago, but...

 

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  • 3 months later...

Just bought a new Gibson ES-335 12 String (my fourth Gibson). Wow! What tone and great looks to match! Nice variation with the coil tapping too. One question though: What are the gauges of the strings that the guitar was fitted with in the factory? The guitar came with no information in that regard (the only thing the guitar did come with, apart from the case, was a certificate of authenticity) and the instrument is not listed on Gibson's web site so no joy there in my search for a manual either. That sort of information ought to be included in the case, especially in such an expensive instrument. Attention to the small details please Gibson.

I'm not sure what the standard strings for the ES335 12 are as I don't believe Gibson sell an electric 12 string set! However,if it helps, the 6 string model standard specs are Gibson .010-.046 Brite Wires and I use D'addario .010-.052's on my guitar for a slightly fuller bass sound.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm not sure what the standard strings for the ES335 12 are as I don't believe Gibson sell an electric 12 string set! However,if it helps, the 6 string model standard specs are Gibson .010-.046 Brite Wires and I use D'addario .010-.052's on my guitar for a slightly fuller bass sound.

 

I use these:

 

D'Addario EXL150 12 string 10-46s

 

Not sure if it was the factory gauge, but they do fine, sit in the nut well and all that

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just purchased a new Gibson 12-string ES-335 in antique red, which was manufactured in 2013. Can anyone tell me what the specific gauges/diameters are for each of the 12 strings? The guitar did not come with this information and Gibson does not sell 12-string guitar sets. So naturally, when it comes time to change the strings, I would like to use the same gauges/diameters as the ones that were originally installed on the guitar. Thank you.

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  • 2 months later...

Hi everyone. I eventually emailed Gibson and asked them what gauge strings they fitted the ES335-12 when it left the factory. They replied and it appears the gauges are somewhat non-standard. I was told they fitted the following:

 

10/10 / 14/14 / 22w/10 / 29/12 / 38/18 / 50/25w

 

As far as I've been able to find on-line these don't match any of the easily obtainable sets of 12 string electric strings. How about making some available Gibson?

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Hi everyone. I eventually emailed Gibson and asked them what gauge strings they fitted the ES335-12 when it left the factory. They replied and it appears the gauges are somewhat non-standard. I was told they fitted the following:

 

10/10 / 14/14 / 22w/10 / 29/12 / 38/18 / 50/25w

 

As far as I've been able to find on-line these don't match any of the easily obtainable sets of 12 string electric strings. How about making some available Gibson?

 

Thanks for the update - good to know :-)

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