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what gauge strings on my new SJ-200


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Hi, I just got a new SJ-200. I've never had one before, so, if you own one, I was wondering what has been your experience with different string guages. I'm running light gauge Elixers on them right now just because that is the gauge that came on it. I always have run medium gauge on my acoustics because I like the way they shake the top, but I really don't want to screw something up by running them on this new SJ. What do you think?

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I use D'Addario Phosphor Bronze 12-53s on all

of my acoustics...they're great strings, and a good compromise between top-shaking tension and playability.

 

I used to use 13s on my SJ200, but they pulled the action up to the point where I was going to need a neck reset to continue using 13s on the guitar. I returned to using 12s, and after the action had settled down a little I had my luthier do a refret (the guitar has had a hard life as I play around 150-200 live shows a year, and it was my main stage squeeze for five years) and full setup, and now the guitar is as right as rain and plays like butter.

 

Another friend of mine swears by 13s, but recently opened his case after a journey to find the top had completely come away from his Yamaha Country Jumbo. I mentioned this to a luthier friend of mine, who surmised that smaller guitars are better suited to heavier strings, due to there being less expanse of top to be placed under lateral stress by the string tension, which can cause the top to pull up in certain jumbos.

 

This is all opinion and conjecture, though...a lot of folks swear by 13s on their SJ200s, which, as you pointed out, drive the top harder and get the guitar rumbling in the bottom end.

 

I stick with my 12s and just dig in a little more with a .73mm pick, but each to their own of course.

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String gauge (and brand!) is a personal choice. The 200 will likely stand up to .013 strings as well as any other guitar of quality for the short run, but it is my opinion that over time heavier gauge sets will shorten the serviceable life of an instrument - the guitar will require surgical repairs much sooner than one strung with .012s. We are talking about a structure of light wood, purposely built so to be resonant, that string tension moves over time. Higher tensions equate to more movement initially and, over an extended period of time (years), will cause things to move beyond what is considered a good setup. So you've got to ask yourself a question.....

 

.....do I feel lucky?

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purposely built so to be resonant

 

Let's not forget that they are also purposely over-built to a standard that attempts to minimize warranty work, even at the expense of some resonance and response. That's how large manufacturers of guitars maximize profitability, and that's an area where boutique shops can sometimes outdo them . The J200 is plenty sturdy enough to handle medium gauge strings, as are all of Gibson's standard jumbos and super jumbos. When they start making them light enough so that string gauge is a critical issue as it regards longevity, then players who otherwise would feel the urge to switch to heavier strings, probably won't be as apt to, because the response and volume would be there in the first place.

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Hey Buc' date=' what gauge do you run on yours?[/quote']

 

I string mine with .012s. I have tried .013s on more than one occasion but, tuned to pitch, I did not like the higher action that heavier strings produce. But mostly I did not like the way the top puckered behind the bridge. Certainly the saddle height and the t-rod could be adjusted for the gauge, but there is no legitimate preventative measure for bridge roll. In the short term the guitar would perform well with mediums - the volume and punch was improved. But long term, wood is no match for steel under tension and I believe some years hence the guitar would require brace repair at a minimum. In the end, for me, the prospect of long term damage is not worth the extra volume and punch of .013 strings. Call me paranoid, but 15 years working in a retail music store with a full-blown repair shop convinced me that .013 gauge strings are detrimental to the health and longevity of one's guitar.

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There are also compromises one can make with "tweener" sets of strings....like John Pearse New Mediums, which have a medium gauge low and hi E string, and a medium gauge B string...with the others being light gauge. There are also various "Bluegrass" sets, which use medium gauge for some of the wound strings. Then there is my favorite, JP Pure Nickel mediums, which have less tension than either 80/20 or Phosphor Bronze, and play like lights. I use them on my Martin 12 fret 000-18GE Custom, which is extremely lightly braced and deeply scalloped---no troubles so far.

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Gauge 12. I agree with what's been said about 13s - great sound, potential trouble. I got on the wrong end of that once - and once was enough.

 

I've been using Martin M2100 P-Bronze. But currently I'm experimenting - going back and forth between Elixir (polyweb coated) and D'Addario Flat Top Phosphor Bronze Wound which are kind of between flat-wound and round-wound strings. The Flat Tops are round-wound and then the string is ground smooth and semi-flat, but not all the way flat. I like them because they're less noisey (finger slide noise etc), especially when amped/mic'ed.

 

Some time ago, here on the forum, I was in a discussion of flat-wounds and I was saying I liked them, but for my ears they generally lacked the bite of round-wound strings. Someone suggested the D'Addario XL Half-Rounds for my jazz box and I liked them so much, I decided to give the acoustic version a try on my SJ-200. I'm still deciding which way to go. I like the Half-Rounds, but I'm thinking the Martin's sound a bit better.

 

Decisions, decisions. [crying]

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Big difference.

 

Look at the wound strings on your guitar. See how the 'wrapping' is made of round wire? Now picture if that wire were a flat ribbon, wound so close and so tight you could hardly see the seam. That's a flat wound.

 

They do make flat wound bronze for acoustics, or at least they used to. Never tried them. I have flat wounds on a couple of my jazz boxes. Electric jazz guitars typically are played with the highs rolled off anyway, so they work well in that usage. Plus there's no appreciable string noise.

 

There's a hybrid or two out there, more typically associated with electric bass. They wrap the strings with oversized round wire, then grind it down smooth like a flat wound. They're nicknamed ground round wounds. The idea is to give some of the brightness of a roundwound with the smooth feel of a flatwound. Different companies grind them to varying degrees. I've never found one I like.

 

An even odder variation was one they had in the 80s for bass; no idea if they still are around. They'd grind the string flat and smooth over the board area but leave them round over the pickup area, the idea being to give the flatwound feel but a roundwound punch over the pickups.

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On round wounds, the metal windings are round. On flat wounds, they're flattened. Flat wounds can be good for slide playing, because they make less noise. Old jazzers could use them for their archtops too...less finger noise.

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For me it's Ernie Ball Earthwood Bronze Medium Light (12's). Everybody has their own favourite strings. D'Addarios are great too. I personally don't like coated strings at all and avoid them. My fingers prefer lighter gauge than 12's, but I feel that tone starts to suffer if you go any lighter. Try a few different string types out and see what you find best for you. Enjoy your J-200!

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I have a J-150 that loves 13s - any brand. Sounds much better than with .12-.53

Gibsons guitars are my favorite, but lightly built they ain't. I have mediums on almost all of my dreads and jumbos. I've never had even the slightest issue. I've played a couple that were built so heavily that even bass guitar strings couldn't make the top move.

For comfort reasons I always try a set with .54 E before going to a set with a .56 E. But a .56 is often the only string that will give me the thump and volume I crave.

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  • 7 years later...

Its best to just use what ever feels best for you .i have experiment myself with different gauges on my Ej200 ive went as thin as extra lights 10s to 47s right up to 13s and to be honest i do feel that the heavier gauge does make a difference .in sound obviously with more bass. I personaly think its a choice between 12-53 and 13-56 .but i think me personaly i.ll go with 12-53s ive got 10s on now but im thinking of jumping up to 12 elixirs next time i change 😀 cheers Richard

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