powerpopper Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Hello, and I'm pleased to know that there is such a great forum for Gibson Acoustic owners. I have a few Gibson Acoustics that I have acquired over the past year and I am curious as to what the "standard" string gauges are for those models. It has been my experience that manufacturers recommend or ship their guitars with a heavier gauge of strings (Mediums, for instance) and nearly all of the players I have ever known have immediately switched those to Lights. Can you guys tell me what the recommended string gauges are for the following models? J-200 (Pete Townshend, if that makes a difference) Hummingbird (Modern Classic) Southern Jumbo (Modern Classic) I was a little surprised that the Gibson Acoustic site doesn't indicate what string gauges or sets these guitars ship with, but maybe I'm just not looking in the right place. For what it's worth, I prefer Mediums which I'm guessing would be just fine on all these guitars? Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jannusguy Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 you could use mediums on any of those with no problems at all. nice guitars and welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertjohn Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Welcome powerpopper. Great Gibsons. Please can we have some pics, particularly the Pete Townshend. If I ever get an SJ200 it will have to be that model - big fan of his. I suspect he uses a lighter guage on his SJ200 with a light pick. I say this because of that fast triple time strumming technique he uses a fair bit. I could be wrong thought, I frequently am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefleppard Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 welcome to the forum. personally, i use 13's on everything as i am a heavy-handed strummer and i love the added bass and thud from the thicker strings. the heavier gauge also mellows the harshness of the treble strings a bit. pickers seem to prefer light as do those with smaller hands/fingers (not like a carny's hands though, that smell like cabbage as well). gibsons are a sound breed and can handle the added tension no prob. i would think a j200 begs for mediums. you have a beautiful collection! since we all live vicariously through others here, please post pics of your herd so we can all drool in harmony! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 I've found it depends on the guitar and I can't explain it. Sometimes things just feel right or wrong and I just go with the flow. J200 = 25.5" scale = 12-52 strings SJ = 24.75" scale = 13-56 strings But then to make a complete liar out of me I preferred 13-56 on the longer scaled Dove I recently parted with. But generally either 12/52 or 13/56 will cover it. Any trespassing beyond those parameters is acceptable with a note from your mom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayla Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 PP -- I believe Gibson ships their acoustics with lights, not meds, in fact I found that info on this forum, IIRC. FWIW, I just changed from lights to meds on my jumbo; thought I'd give it a shot. Had the heavier strings on for a month or so and gotta say, it's a big, full sound. Great for (hard) strumming. I'm finding it tough on the fingers and a bit tiring on the LH, but will soldier on. Some days I feel like I'll keep meds on this guitar 'cause it sounds so good, other days I'm ready to switch back to lights for an easier play. Gonna start with some alternate tunings (there's a few Skip James and John Fahey things I'm dying to try). We'll see how that goes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosewoody Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 If you do a lot of bends and vibrato, 12's are easier. For heavy strumming (and I read somewhere that PT uses 13's) the heavier strings might be a better choice. It's really a personal choice. The longer scale instruments are a little stiffer, so that is compounded with heavier gauge strings. I think bluegrassers might typically like meds, blues players, lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerpopper Posted December 4, 2008 Author Share Posted December 4, 2008 Thanks fellas, for all the feedback. I will endeavor to take some pics of the Pete Townshend J-200 so you can check her out. She is truly a work of art and a thing of beauty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Welcome to the forum. Gibson ships all of their acoustics with Gibson Masterbuilt lights. Your guitars should all be able to handle mediums without a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidbg63 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 I use D'addario EJ16 .012 / .053 lights Phosphor Bronze on mine. They just seem to have the right tone I look for. Have tried many and just like these. Welcome to the forum, you can start a three or four page thread in this forum mentioning or discussing the type of strings to use a Gibson Acoustic...=P~/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brians356 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Re: comment above about scale lengths, I have found that my J-50 w/ 13-56s feels stiffer than my Martins with 12-53s. I can't explain it, but my shorter scale guitars feels harder to bend, and are more tiring to play, against everything I have read. Of course it is A/B test until I put the same strings on both guitars. But I'm not so sure about the long scale = higher tension = stiffer action theory (all else being equal. Of course physics dictates the tension must be higher.) I also have an ES-225 (same short scale length as the J-50) with 12-53s on it, and it also feels really stiff, whereas my 25.5"-scale Tele does not, both with the same action height and string weight. Fret height and shape makes a difference, and not just in bending, and even the fingerboard composition. Tactile feedback is so complex, and the fingertips are so sensitive, they are man's equivalent of a dog's sense of smell, or a hawk's eyesight. Think about how blind people can learn to read braille with their fingertips, and deftly - it's really incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertjohn Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 If you do a lot of bends and vibrato' date=' 12's are easier. For heavy strumming (and I read somewhere that PT uses 13's) the heavier strings might be a better choice. It's really a personal choice. The longer scale instruments are a little stiffer, so that is compounded with heavier gauge strings. I think bluegrassers might typically like meds, blues players, lights. [/quote'] Rosewoody, on reflection your comment that PT uses 13s actually makes alot of sense with reference to that triple strumming technique. Heavy strings and a light pick perhaps. Powerpopper, I love the SJ200 and I haven't even seen it yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 j200=13 set/mediums. Need the extra tension to drive the top on that wide-body. For the SJ, a 12/light set should be enough to get that one going. Dont have a lot of experience with Birds/Doves, but given the size of the box and that its basically a strum/rhythm instrument, mediums might be the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LesLawrence Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Welcome to the forum. Gibson ships all of their acoustics with Gibson Masterbuilt lights. Your guitars should all be able to handle mediums without a problem. Gibson ships all their acoustics with Masterbuilt lights, except when they don't :-) Mine didn't come with the standard strings. Cheers, Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefleppard Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 j200=13 set/mediums. Need the extra tension to drive the top on that wide-body. good point. i never thought of it that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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