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Anybody using 0.11 gauge strings on their LP?


Plus Top Dan

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I've always played 10 gauge strings on my electrics but i'm finding the strings on my new Traditional a bit too light. I have a epi les paul and an epi 339 with 10s on them and they're fine but I find the strings on my gibby too floppy.

 

I want to try 11 gauge strings on it to see the difference but i'm just a little concerned about the nut - given that the nut is cut using the PLEK machine to suit the factory installed 10 gauge precisley, will I need to adjust it?

 

The difference between the two gauges are at most .003 (the low E string) so I can't see it being a problem but am I wrong???

 

Has anybody else changed up to 11 gauge strings painlessly? :-k

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I've always played 10 gauge strings on my electrics but i'm finding the strings on my new Traditional a bit too light. I have a epi les paul and an epi 339 with 10s on them and they're fine but I find the strings on my gibby too floppy.

 

I want to try 11 gauge strings on it to see the difference but i'm just a little concerned about the nut - given that the nut is cut using the PLEK machine to suit the factory installed 10 gauge precisley, will I need to adjust it?

 

The difference between the two gauges are at most .003 (the low E string) so I can't see it being a problem but am I wrong???

 

Has anybody else changed up to 11 gauge strings painlessly? :-k

 

 

Your nut will probably need tweaking to allow for the thicker strings?

Dont worry about it being `pleked` `cos that a waste of time anyway,I know Im a guitar tech that sets guitars up after being pleked!!!

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Yes - have used 0.11 top for many years.

Recently an old band mate whose opinion I highly respect told me I HAD to try DR Handmade Blues, 0.11 to 0.50 and put them on the LP as they play like they are lighter....I was a bit doubtful about using an 0.18 plain 3rd but I strung up and my friend is right on the money - the best strings I have had on that guitar so far, I can highly recommend it. Smooth, easy to bend, no problems at all and great tone and volume.

If you don't want to go that far, get a 0.10 set and just replace the top string with 0.11.

I would have thought there should be no issues at all with the nut. Should take an 0.11 ok.

But - by the way - if you have (for instance) a Fender Strat with the roller nut (e.g. J Beck model), these do not go up to 11, string-wise!!

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I want to try 11 gauge strings on it to see the difference but i'm just a little concerned about the nut - given that the nut is cut using the PLEK machine to suit the factory installed 10 gauge precisley, will I need to adjust it?

 

People have been changing gauges of strings quite routinely for far longer than there has been a "plek" thingy. Don't worry about it, you'll know if the nut needs a light sanding.

 

rct

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10s are fine, the reason they feel light is because your action is butterry low, significantly lower than your epiphone.

10s to 11s you'll feel a significant change in bending and vibrato if used to 10s.

If you want it like the epi, try raising the action a little.

 

If you still want to try 11's you may need a little setup

Or minor tweaking.

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If you want that thick sound Mr. Rhoads had, you've gotta play 11's. The key is to play them like he did -- very light to the touch. [thumbup]

 

and it isn't painless but you get used to it after two or three weeks!

 

Sometimes He even used 12s! That thin, small man with His tiny hands played that brick-heavy Norlin with heavy-gauge strings!!! Medium picks, light touch - double picking technic. He did set His amps to extreme volume levels, tough.

 

I rather use some chorus to thicken up the sound. 1.0mm picks. By the way: Dunlop Ultex!!! Worth trying! The best picks I ever used. The do not "flake" as they get worn, just round out. Very durable ones!

 

Cheers... Bence

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Thanks for the replies everyone. I've ordered a pack of .11s to satisfy my curiosity but while i'm waiting for them to be delivered, last night i changed the strings from the supposed gibson .10 gauge that come as standard on new les paul traditionals to d'addario .10s that I normally use on my other electrics.

 

The d'addario .10s feel so much better!! It almost makes me wonder if my guitar was shipped from gibson with .9 strings instead?!? :-k

 

Either way the guitar feels much better with the d'addarios on there now. At some point though I may still experiment with the .11s..........

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I thought about your "factory" strings. Guitars in general, are shipped with strings that are "slinky" feeling. The first thing I do, after enjoying the initial joy of opening the new guitar box and playing, is put my own preference in strings on the guitar, whether it be a $99 guitar from Rondo (which I highly recommend if you're a player and not a snob)or a $3000 guitar from Gibson. Guitars are typically set up for 9's to 10's but you can sometimes get lucky and throw 11's on there with little to no changes or adjustments. Go bigger, and be prepared to make some changes. You want beef? SRV played with 12's and 13's...that's like clearing your throat after a good cigar! That's all meat, right there. If you don't mind me saying, you should learn what strings you like on a cheaper guitar, make the adjustments yourself until you get it right. Then apply that to your more expensive guitar and roll....no, rock with that. And do your "studies" on a similar instrument. What works for a Les Paul may not give you desirable results on a Strat. You dig? Good luck and know your equipment...study it like it's your...."special place" and you're 15 years old. LOL But seriously.....

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I've always played 10 gauge strings on my electrics but i'm finding the strings on my new Traditional a bit too light. I have a epi les paul and an epi 339 with 10s on them and they're fine but I find the strings on my gibby too floppy.

 

I want to try 11 gauge strings on it to see the difference but i'm just a little concerned about the nut - given that the nut is cut using the PLEK machine to suit the factory installed 10 gauge precisley, will I need to adjust it?

 

The difference between the two gauges are at most .003 (the low E string) so I can't see it being a problem but am I wrong???

 

Has anybody else changed up to 11 gauge strings painlessly? :-k

 

yeah medium guage strings do nicely for me .11 to .48 (Fender Bullets Pure Nickel) on the LP Studio. It was setup at the factory for .10 to .46 but for the sake of me breaking high e strings with a lite set I went to medium guage. And as a matter of clearing up some fret buzz the heavier low e vibrates less, thus, less buzz. I don't mind putting the medium guage on my LP Studio even though the nut has been cut for the light guage sets. The curious thing to ask is: If you switch to heavier strings, will it widen the nut grooves and therefore make it hard to go back to light guage strings? Ya know what I mean? I don't think there would be a problem. But, but ... if you do choose a heavier guage string, definitely have the guitar setup i.e. adjust the intonation and action if needed. Heavier guage strings put more tension on the neck and the truss rod may have to be adjusted to compensate this. The Gibson Les Paul Studio (my guitar) was factory setup with the .10 to .46 string set. Hey, I'd use the lighter guage set if I didn't tend to break the high e string too soon! There are different string guage ranges within the 'medium' guage designation, pay attention. Some 'medium' sets are like .11 to .56 even.

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Considering that the LP is classified as a short scale guitar, I believe at 24.75". Changing string guages from 10s to 11s shouldn't be a problem on the neck itself. The nut may have to be reworked, but chances are the nut will be fine.

 

In regard to SRV using 13s and 14s string guages, he frequently tuned down a half a step and played long scaled Strats exclusively. SRV also had many problems with the calluses on his fretting / fingers. Typically the finger tips on his left hand were a mess and required repeated applications of super glue and sometimes using his own skin from inside his right forearm.

 

SRV had above average finger strength resulting in some outstanding string bending and injured fingertips.

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  • 2 weeks later...

yeah medium guage strings do nicely for me .11 to .48 (Fender Bullets Pure Nickel) on the LP Studio. It was setup at the factory for .10 to .46 but for the sake of me breaking high e strings with a lite set I went to medium guage. And as a matter of clearing up some fret buzz the heavier low e vibrates less, thus, less buzz. I don't mind putting the medium guage on my LP Studio even though the nut has been cut for the light guage sets. The curious thing to ask is: If you switch to heavier strings, will it widen the nut grooves and therefore make it hard to go back to light guage strings? Ya know what I mean? I don't think there would be a problem. But, but ... if you do choose a heavier guage string, definitely have the guitar setup i.e. adjust the intonation and action if needed. Heavier guage strings put more tension on the neck and the truss rod may have to be adjusted to compensate this. The Gibson Les Paul Studio (my guitar) was factory setup with the .10 to .46 string set. Hey, I'd use the lighter guage set if I didn't tend to break the high e string too soon! There are different string guage ranges within the 'medium' guage designation, pay attention. Some 'medium' sets are like .11 to .56 even.

you can use the medium guage strings and try top wrapping them, the mediums feel easier that way. the top wrap is supposed to feel 'slinky' and enhance sustain. i like it.

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I did years ago, and I used 13's for a time, too. Remember the Les Paul was first conceived as a jazz guitar...it takes to what we think of as "heavier" strings quite well, and is a very fast playing guitar no matter what the string gauge...I went to lighter and lighter strings as I got older - no arthritis, but tendon problems with my 65 year old fingers...I play nothing but Ernie Ball strings, mostly 9's, but 11's on my jazz box guitar.

 

 

mark

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  • 1 year later...

i have 2 gibsons lp ( a traditional and a standard 2012 )...the traditional don´t accept the 011 at all ( you have to choose: fret buzz or high action ? )...the standard 2012 accepts perfectly, even 012, without any adjustments...love to have 2 gibby les pauls, one with 010 and the other 011... [thumbup]

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  • 2 months later...

I've always played 10 gauge strings on my electrics but i'm finding the strings on my new Traditional a bit too light. I have a epi les paul and an epi 339 with 10s on them and they're fine but I find the strings on my gibby too floppy.

 

I want to try 11 gauge strings on it to see the difference but i'm just a little concerned about the nut - given that the nut is cut using the PLEK machine to suit the factory installed 10 gauge precisley, will I need to adjust it?

 

The difference between the two gauges are at most .003 (the low E string) so I can't see it being a problem but am I wrong???

 

Has anybody else changed up to 11 gauge strings painlessly? :-k

 

Hey Plus Top Dan

I put Rotosound 12 to 52 on my 2014 Traditional and I love it. I've always used heavy strings. I just love the tone and feel. The wound third really makes a difference. For me, heavy strings really bring out the best qualities of my guitars. I'm actually considering going up to 13. A professional set up really goes a long way as well. Take care. MississippiBlue.

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I've always played 10 gauge strings on my electrics but i'm finding the strings on my new Traditional a bit too light. I have a epi les paul and an epi 339 with 10s on them and they're fine but I find the strings on my gibby too floppy.

 

I want to try 11 gauge strings on it to see the difference but i'm just a little concerned about the nut - given that the nut is cut using the PLEK machine to suit the factory installed 10 gauge precisley, will I need to adjust it?

 

The difference between the two gauges are at most .003 (the low E string) so I can't see it being a problem but am I wrong???

 

Has anybody else changed up to 11 gauge strings painlessly? :-k

 

I would think that once you decide to go medium gauge you should stick to it. I thought that change would wear a slightly larger groove in the nut and regular guage might rattle.

The reason I switched over to medium guage is because I don't break .011's like I do with .010's and don't have to replace singles all the time. A heavier guage set can help to reduce fret buzz along the bass strings if that's a problem, but I'd do a setup after changing from reg. to med. guage strings. Distant thought in my head is to have a luthier recut the nut to adjust permanently to med. guage strings ... then there's no going back to reg. For the right guitar, reg. or lite would be welcome because med's are just sometimes harder to bend and barre chords stress out my arm too, something lighter strings would address.

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No.

 

I'm a 9's guy thru and thru now... I'm also a Gibson hard-tail guy thru and thru now...

 

Which is funny because once upon a time in my youth I was a Fender Strat guy and wanted nothin' else...

 

At one time I was stringing my Torino Red American Standard Strat with 13's and tuning down a whole step...

 

Jimi Mac circa 1989-1990:

 

 

WhiskeyLakeReview.jpg

 

I found chasing Strat tone was even more elusive than chasing Gibson tones! I honestly believe it has to do with the over-saturation of the marketplace with Strats and the mass production numbers that give just too many variables to settle into tone very well...

 

Not to mention I really didn't understand, that tone truly is in the hands, in my youth...

 

I wanted desperately to sound like my heroes; Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, SRV, Ronnie Earl, etc. I later figured-out that Clapton's tone is so uniquely his own and so very unStrat-like, which I've described as; like a little girl going tinkle, and is so vastly different from any other Strat tone, it is his own personal signature on a Strat. And in his youth Buddy Guy was so painfully clean in his tone as his playing is such perfection he can pull it off, and I could not... I never got my Strat to sound like any of 'em...

 

But anyway, I string my Vintage (brand) VS6 (SG style) guitar with 11's to play slide because the neck is so unpredictable and tempestuous adjustment-wise, (that I surmise is from being finished before the batch of wood of the neck on this specific guitar was cured/seasoned completely enough to have settled) that I named it "Johnny-Reb."

 

I just couldn't bring myself to ditch it because the Wilkinson PAF style humbucker in the bridge position that is left un-potted purposely for the added tonal characteristics, is so sublime, I just couldn't give-up on it...

 

Trevor Wilkinson was a personal friend of (and disciple/apprentice of) Seth Lover; the father of the PAF, as was Seymour Duncan back in the day. Wilkinson pickups are pretty damn awesome for the money!

 

That one I play slide on 11's...

 

But I am completely in love with the feel of 9's on a Les Paul and they just fit me and my playing perfectly!

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Considering that the LP is classified as a short scale guitar, I believe at 24.75". Changing string guages from 10s to 11s shouldn't be a problem on the neck itself. The nut may have to be reworked, but chances are the nut will be fine.

 

In regard to SRV using 13s and 14s string guages, he frequently tuned down a half a step and played long scaled Strats exclusively. SRV also had many problems with the calluses on his fretting / fingers. Typically the finger tips on his left hand were a mess and required repeated applications of super glue and sometimes using his own skin from inside his right forearm.

 

SRV had above average finger strength resulting in some outstanding string bending and injured fingertips.

SRV ... flipping through guitar mag ... he also used jumbo bass frets on the guitar too!

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  • 2 years later...

I've always played 10 gauge strings on my electrics but i'm finding the strings on my new Traditional a bit too light. I have a epi les paul and an epi 339 with 10s on them and they're fine but I find the strings on my gibby too floppy.

 

I want to try 11 gauge strings on it to see the difference but i'm just a little concerned about the nut - given that the nut is cut using the PLEK machine to suit the factory installed 10 gauge precisley, will I need to adjust it?

 

The difference between the two gauges are at most .003 (the low E string) so I can't see it being a problem but am I wrong???

 

Has anybody else changed up to 11 gauge strings painlessly? :-k

 

hi I changed to 11s for I wanted a deeper sound on my les paul I found no I found no change In the nut tone when playing hopes this helps

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