Riptide Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 I'm thinking about putting some heavier gauge strings on my LPJ. I've always just had 10s on it because it was my only guitar and that seemed like the best option for me to be able to do a little bit of everything. I play rhythm 75% of the time at my church and never really do any bends, however when I'm jamming at home I'll do crazy lead work sometimes with bends and other stuff. And I need 10s or lighter for me to do full step bends (I know I'm weak) Now on my new guitar I'm going to use 10-52s tuned to Eb Standard (love the feel of that) and so I'll mainly be using that at home so all I'll really need my LP for is Church. So, what do you think about bumping the strings up a notch? Heavier gauges sound a little better to me and I play very hard sometimes so I was thinking they might fit me better. Thoughts? Anyone else use 11s or 12s on their LPs? Thanks! Edit: I'm thinking of starting with 11-48s or 11-54s and then if I like it moving on up from there. Also, would there be any issue using those gauges in standard tuning? (I know that's a lot more tension) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 I'm thinking about putting some heavier gauge strings on my LPJ. I've always just had 10s on it because it was my only guitar and that seemed like the best option for me to be able to do a little bit of everything. I play rhythm 75% of the time at my church and never really do any bends, however when I'm jamming at home I'll do crazy lead work sometimes with bends and other stuff. And I need 10s or lighter for me to do full step bends (I know I'm weak) Now on my new guitar I'm going to use 10-52s tuned to Eb Standard (love the feel of that) and so I'll mainly be using that at home so all I'll really need my LP for is Church. So, what do you think about bumping the strings up a notch? Heavier gauges sound a little better to me and I play very hard sometimes so I was thinking they might fit me better. Thoughts? Anyone else use 11s or 12s on their LPs? Thanks! Just recently changed to pure nickel 11s. I can still easily manage the tone and a half bends in Green, Moore and Plant's various masterpieces. I much preferred the 11s right off the bat. I say go for it, what's the worst that can happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted June 14, 2013 Author Share Posted June 14, 2013 Just recently changed to pure nickel 11s. I can still easily manage the tone and a half bends in Green, Moore and Plant's various masterpieces. I much preferred the 11s right off the bat. I say go for it, what's the worst that can happen? Cool! True that. I've been thinking about trying pure nickles... what do you think of them? Did you put on 11-48s or something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Can't remember the gauge of the bottom end, I'll check when I get in. The reason I went for nickel was learning that they minimize fret wear. The difference in sound is very subtle. Slightly warmer but nothing a touch on your EQ wouldn't counteract if you didn't like it. The nickel feels more springy and they slide over the frets more smoothly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted June 14, 2013 Author Share Posted June 14, 2013 Can't remember the gauge of the bottom end, I'll check when I get in. The reason I went for nickel was learning that they minimize fret wear. The difference in sound is very subtle. Slightly warmer but nothing a touch on your EQ wouldn't counteract if you didn't like it. The nickel feels more springy and they slide over the frets more smoothly. That sounds perfect for me. My LP is starting to show signs of fret wear after only a year and I would be happy to have a slightly warmer sound :) Edit: What do you think of stainless steel frets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 No problem with stainless steel frets whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aymara Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 Fret wear after only one year? Which strings did you use so far? I guess you just need a different string brand instead of heavier gauge. The Gibson Brite Wires I use have enough bite even for Metal in .10 ... I myself would never use heavier gauges. I don't need "finger slicers" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted June 15, 2013 Author Share Posted June 15, 2013 Fret wear after only one year? Which strings did you use so far? I guess you just need a different string brand instead of heavier gauge. The Gibson Brite Wires I use have enough bite even for Metal in .10 ... I myself would never use heavier gauges. I don't need "finger slicers" Yup. Mainly the normal Ernie Balls but I've tried all kinds of stuff... I probably play it for at least an hour a day on average. :) Like old acoustic strings! Those suck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 Knocking the crown off nickel silver frets in 1 year is perfectly normal if you play even a moderate amount. As above, pure nickel strings will help minimise wear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aymara Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 Ever tried Brite Wires? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted June 15, 2013 Author Share Posted June 15, 2013 Ever tried Brite Wires? I haven't... I don't really want a brighter sound though. Unless their name is misleading lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 Knocking the crown off nickel silver frets in 1 year is perfectly normal if you play even a moderate amount. As above, pure nickel strings will help minimise wear. My experiences say the same in both points. Sadly I prefer chrome strings for their bright and shining tone, I only live once, and I love that sound. However, I also experienced that excessive fret buzz (on the guitars of a pal), slapping attacks which let the strings smash on the frets (like I do sometimes) and pitch bending during pressing the string on the fret pulsatingly to create an additional vibrato (as we both do) wear down the frets heavily. You could even see which notes we bend most often... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aymara Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 Unless their name is misleading lol GHS nickels are bright, the Brite Wires produce the sound LPs are famous for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted June 16, 2013 Author Share Posted June 16, 2013 GHS nickels are bright, the Brite Wires produce the sound LPs are famous for Good to know! Is that what comes on LPs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aymara Posted June 16, 2013 Share Posted June 16, 2013 Is that what comes on LPs? My dealer told me, most LPs are shipped strung with Brite Wires, yes. PS: Before I switched to BW, I used D'Addarrio XL (also nickel), which sound similar. But the BW sound a bit better and have a much better feel ... not so stump/blunt. BW feel smoother, the fingers slide easier over the strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 My dealer told me, most LPs are shipped strung with Brite Wires, yes. PS: Before I switched to BW, I used D'Addarrio XL (also nickel), which sound similar. But the BW sound a bit better and have a much better feel ... not so stump/blunt. BW feel smoother, the fingers slide easier over the strings. Okay, if I remember correctly I liked the strings they shipped my guitar with just fine. I'll try out Gibson BW and EB Pure Nickle and see what I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aymara Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 I'll try out Gibson BW and EB Pure Nickle and see what I think. Don't forget to report back. I didn't try EB PN so far. A further interesting point besides tone and feel is, how long do the strings last, until they loose tone or playability. In this regard D'Addario was great, but as I already said, I didn't like the feel that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 Don't forget to report back. I didn't try EB PN so far. A further interesting point besides tone and feel is, how long do the strings last, until they loose tone or playability. In this regard D'Addario was great, but as I already said, I didn't like the feel that much. Will do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 Just placed an order for those strings :) I'm excited to test this out! I went ahead and got 11s in both. If I remember correctly the strings that came on my Gibson were good, maybe a little better and a little brighter then EBs and they lasted 3-4 weeks on my playing. (EBs last about 3 weeks usually for me) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aymara Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I had 11s on my Gretsch Panther ... too thick for my taste. If you like the Brite Wires' sound, try them in .10 next time ... faster playing and better bending. But I had to adjust the bridge height after switching to the thinner strings, because the action got too low due to the lower string tension, which caused buzzing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted October 18, 2013 Author Share Posted October 18, 2013 Update: A couple months ago I put some Gibson Brite Wire 11-50s on my guitar. They are pretty bright and have a lot of clarity and punch... if i remember correctly they wore in very quickly (an hour or of play maybe) They have a bit of a "glassy" sound to me which isn't always desirable. They thing that was really awesome about these strings though was how long they lasted they didn't start to "darken" until a week and a half or so and didn't die until at least a month after that. So over all they lasted for 1 month and half at least. So for how long they last the price makes them worth it plus I liked their sound on a whole. I just put on some EB Pure Nickle stings now (11-48) I don't really like them at all... the wound strings are so mellow that on a Junior they just kinda get "mushy" and blend together... plus when I play open chords you kinda lose all the bass and just hear the top three strings. I will give them that they feel nice and smooth. But on a Junior they are just too mellow. I think they would be great on a guitar that had a tighter more defined bass that you are trying to loosen up. Any way just my 2 cents. I'll get bake to you on how long they last... but I expect the normal EB 3-4 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Perhaps you also may try these ones: http://store.rotosound.com/c/electric-guitar-strings_rotos?pkey=1903d3d430b833ef5d2fbce9b4938cb2&ckey=89133.90187.0.0.0 They are a little brighter than typical nickel wounds but shouldn't wear frets that much as stainless steel or chrome wound strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted October 18, 2013 Author Share Posted October 18, 2013 Perhaps you also may try these ones: http://store.rotosound.com/c/electric-guitar-strings_rotos?pkey=1903d3d430b833ef5d2fbce9b4938cb2&ckey=89133.90187.0.0.0 They are a little brighter than typical nickel wounds but shouldn't wear frets that much as stainless steel or chrome wound strings. I'll try those next! If anyone else has suggestions for me to try just let me know! I'm up for anything :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Sutherland Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Perhaps you also may try these ones: http://store.rotosound.com/c/electric-guitar-strings_rotos?pkey=1903d3d430b833ef5d2fbce9b4938cb2&ckey=89133.90187.0.0.0 They are a little brighter than typical nickel wounds but shouldn't wear frets that much as stainless steel or chrome wound strings. Just received a couple sets of these, will try them next time I change strings. I currently use GHS Nickel Rocker .011's on all of my LP's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHTom Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 I'm embarrassed say, but I play GHS Boomers in Custom Light gauge.....9-46 Been using these for over 20 years...I must be a major WIMP lol NHTom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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