string gauge

[ekkerman]

Hallo everybody , i always replace the strings on a les paul for a set of 046-009 and i find this to work best for my fingers tension-wise.

what do you guys and girls think that are probably playing 046 - 010's am i loosing out on sound or is the difference not at all audible?

[theflyingturtle]

The bottom line is that if it works for you then it's fine. Heavier strings sound thicker but that is only one small part of the equation. Which string gauge feels/sounds the best for you? B.B. King used very light strings and SRV used heavy ones. They both sounded good because they used what worked for them.

[ekkerman]

The bottom line is that if it works for you then it's fine. Heavier strings sound thicker but that is only one small part of the equation. Which string gauge feels/sounds the best for you? B.B. King used very light strings and SRV used heavy ones. They both sounded good because they used what worked for them.

 

 

i heared once tha queens , brian may used 0.08 gauge !!! I tried them once but they where flappy and unstable.

On my fenders and gibsons i always use 046-009 , but i bought recently a used 2005 standard les paul and it had 0.10 which i changed for a set of 0.09 but it sounded warmer but perhaps i imagined it.....

Could be that new strings sound more bright and less warm and the "warm "come with a couple of hours play , now its seems better....

[american cheez]

if you have sausage fingers, you may want to try 10s or 11s. if you have small fingers or a very light touch, maybe 8s.

most folks use 9 or 10s.

i use a mix. 9s on the unwound strings where most of my bending gets done, 10's on the wound strings for a little more chug. daddario makes them as a set. 9-46.

[kidblast]

If the 009s fee right and are stable tuning wise. Just go with it!

 

for me, 10s are really right for my hands for most electrics, there are a few however where 11s work (like my archtops)

[ReGuitar]

Give it a try. If you don't like it, change it back to 9s.

 

SRV used 13s, Tony Iommi uses 8s and 9s, Gary Moore used 9s and 10s and they all sound great.

 

It's all about comfort and feeling good when playing a vibrato, bending strings, shredding, etc. Whatever your vibe is.

 

Use the ones you like the most. Follow your ears and fingers! :)

[MichaelT]

As others have said, it's all about what you like. I put Ernie Ball Super Slinkies (9's) on all my guitars and have for a long time. I'm so used to them that switching gauges now would be odd for me. I tried 10's on mine and didn't like them as much but that's just me. Try them both and see what you like. And, try different brands as well because different brands in different gauges have a different feel too.

 

And to answer your other question, I don't feel that I'm losing out on anything by playing 9's.

[Eades]

Billy gibbons uses 7s http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/dunlop-reverend-willys-electric-guitar-string-set--extra-light

[jdgm]

I go up to 11.

 

[charlie brown]

I've used a LOT of different brands, and string guages, over the decades. I've now settled on D'Addario 125's (9-46)!

Good tone, last a LONG time, and are pretty easy to find, even out here, in "the sticks!"

 

My Ric 325, however, always gets 11's (11-49), with it's Short scale, and all. They seem to work really well,

with that particular guitar.

 

 

CB