Strings for my Emperor Swingster Royale

[Javi_Castro]

Hello !

 

I recently purchased a new Epiphone Swingster Royale. I will be taking it to my guitar tech this coming Saturday for a general setup. The guitar comes with .010 string gauge and I recently changed them to .011, .014, .018p, .028, .048 (Ernie Ball Power Slinky Nickel Wound). It sounds ok, but I still want to give it a try with a heavier gauge and a 3rd G wound string set, instead of the current plain 3rd g string that it has. The set that I have in mind to try is a Fender Pure Nickel ball end 150JL .012, .016, .022w, .030, .040, .050 (wound 3rd g). The reason why I chose Fender 150JL set is not really of preference, it is because right now where I live, in San José, Costa Rica, it is pretty much the only .012 set with a wound 3rd g, that I could find, so I hope that this Fender strings are as good as other that I've liked, for example like Ernie Ball, D'Adario, GHS, as a brand. I really don't hear that many people on the internet talking about Fender strings. Now my concern is that, I've noticed different brands of strings and models, have slightly different gauges across the set, so, if I get the Fender 150JL set and my guitar tech puts them on and set the guitar up accordingly for this set and if I don't like the 3rd wound g or the heavier gauge of some of the strings, could I just re string again with the previous set that I currently have (.011, .014, .018p, .028, .048 (Ernie Ball Power Slinky Nickel Wound) or a different .010 or .011, without having to pay my guitar tech for another setup and let's say he had to make the nut slots bigger for heavier gauge and then if I want to go back to lighter gauge, will that required a tech setup? Thanks a lot ! Hope a lot of people can read this thread even though it's kind of long.

 

I play mostly rock/blues, a lot of chorsds/rythim guitar/barre cords, solos too, I like bending too, especially the 3rd g string (I've heard people with wound 3rd and .012 gauge do bending, with no problem) lot of clean channel but also like light to medium gain/distortion. Only use standard E tuning. No jazz or hard metal

 

So quick summary of what I am asking:

- Are Fender 150JL .012-.050 (wound 3rd) good set of strings, or since I understand this is of personal taste, then thoughts on, compared to other brands like D'adario, Ernie Ball and GHS.

- What do you look for or expect, when going to heavier gauge strings on a guitar like mine with a Bigsby and roller bridge tune-o-matic? Because another guy who is also a guitar tech (not the one I am taking my guitar to), told me that .012 gauge is to heavy, that he don't know many people or anybody that uses .012 gauge on electric guitars. So I am not even sure if that string gauge I am planning to put on my guitar is to heavy or not.

- If I don't like the heavier gauge strings after my tech does a $50 general setup with them, can I go back to .011-.048, without needing another pro tech setup

[Bluemans335]

 

I play mostly rock/blues, a lot of chorsds/rythim guitar/barre cords, solos too, I like bending too, especially the 3rd g string (I've heard people with wound 3rd and .012 gauge do bending, with no problem) lot of clean channel but also like light to medium gain/distortion. Only use standard E tuning. No jazz or hard metal

 

So quick summary of what I am asking:

- Are Fender 150JL .012-.050 (wound 3rd) good set of strings, or since I understand this is of personal taste, then thoughts on, compared to other brands like D'adario, Ernie Ball and GHS.

- What do you look for or expect, when going to heavier gauge strings on a guitar like mine with a Bigsby and roller bridge tune-o-matic? Because another guy who is also a guitar tech (not the one I am taking my guitar to), told me that .012 gauge is to heavy, that he don't know many people or anybody that uses .012 gauge on electric guitars. So I am not even sure if that string gauge I am planning to put on my guitar is to heavy or not.

- If I don't like the heavier gauge strings after my tech does a $50 general setup with them, can I go back to .011-.048, without needing another pro tech setup

 

12's are pretty thick for electrics, not many guys use them, 10's are the norm and 9's are common. To get up to pitch, 12's have to be much tighter than lighter gauges, making them harder to press down and play. I can't see how anyone can do much bending with 12's in standard tuning. Everything I've read by guys with wound G strings indicates that bending with them is much more difficult. Unless you have large gorilla-like hands, you'll probably run into the same thing.

 

Why the obsession with thick strings? If you want warmer/fuller tones, you can accomplish that in other ways, like changing pots, magnets, or PU's (which is what I do). I play blues and classic rock and use 9's, and have full control over the strings, especially when bending (ala Peter Green and Jimmy Page). I don't want to give that up. Some famous guitar players known for heavy tones have used 8's. You should pick the gauge that's easiest for you to play, and adjust your tone in other ways. On electrics, string gauge should be about feel and playing style, not tone. The signal path is modified by everything it passes thru: PU's, pots, caps, cord, pedals, amp, tubes, & speaker; adjust those variables. To me, you're going about it backwards and your playing will suffer for it.

[MarioC]

I jave used the D'Addario XL111w I believe is the correct number, They are 11 gage with a wound third string and I was happy with them. I too am trying a different gage currently 10's are on it and I am going to to back to the 11. By the way 11 gage came from the factory on mine.

Hello !

 

I recently purchased a new Epiphone Swingster Royale. I will be taking it to my guitar tech this coming Saturday for a general setup. The guitar comes with .010 string gauge and I recently changed them to .011, .014, .018p, .028, .048 (Ernie Ball Power Slinky Nickel Wound). It sounds ok, but I still want to give it a try with a heavier gauge and a 3rd G wound string set, instead of the current plain 3rd g string that it has. The set that I have in mind to try is a Fender Pure Nickel ball end 150JL .012, .016, .022w, .030, .040, .050 (wound 3rd g). The reason why I chose Fender 150JL set is not really of preference, it is because right now where I live, in San José, Costa Rica, it is pretty much the only .012 set with a wound 3rd g, that I could find, so I hope that this Fender strings are as good as other that I've liked, for example like Ernie Ball, D'Adario, GHS, as a brand. I really don't hear that many people on the internet talking about Fender strings. Now my concern is that, I've noticed different brands of strings and models, have slightly different gauges across the set, so, if I get the Fender 150JL set and my guitar tech puts them on and set the guitar up accordingly for this set and if I don't like the 3rd wound g or the heavier gauge of some of the strings, could I just re string again with the previous set that I currently have (.011, .014, .018p, .028, .048 (Ernie Ball Power Slinky Nickel Wound) or a different .010 or .011, without having to pay my guitar tech for another setup and let's say he had to make the nut slots bigger for heavier gauge and then if I want to go back to lighter gauge, will that required a tech setup? Thanks a lot ! Hope a lot of people can read this thread even though it's kind of long.

 

I play mostly rock/blues, a lot of chorsds/rythim guitar/barre cords, solos too, I like bending too, especially the 3rd g string (I've heard people with wound 3rd and .012 gauge do bending, with no problem) lot of clean channel but also like light to medium gain/distortion. Only use standard E tuning. No jazz or hard metal

 

So quick summary of what I am asking:

- Are Fender 150JL .012-.050 (wound 3rd) good set of strings, or since I understand this is of personal taste, then thoughts on, compared to other brands like D'adario, Ernie Ball and GHS.

- What do you look for or expect, when going to heavier gauge strings on a guitar like mine with a Bigsby and roller bridge tune-o-matic? Because another guy who is also a guitar tech (not the one I am taking my guitar to), told me that .012 gauge is to heavy, that he don't know many people or anybody that uses .012 gauge on electric guitars. So I am not even sure if that string gauge I am planning to put on my guitar is to heavy or not.

- If I don't like the heavier gauge strings after my tech does a $50 general setup with them, can I go back to .011-.048, without needing another pro tech setup

[Cougar]

12's are pretty thick for electrics, not many guys use them, 10's are the norm and 9's are common.

 

Good advice, Blueman. I notice you didn't even mention brands. Is there really that much difference between different brands of electric guitar strings? I know guys have their favorites. I've only recently taken up guitar again, this time of the electric persuasion, so I don't know these things. I get sets of 10s cheap from my tech who says he gets them in bulk. I'm sure there's a whole world of brands and species of strings out there that I am completely unaware of...

[dporto]

I use D'Addarrio XL110's on all my guitars. On the Hollow bodies I use the XL110w's (wound G). The wound G certainly doesn't bend like an unwound string, but it does bend - it's just a different pitch curve (more linear). I have played guitars with heavier strings (12's) but didn't really like it (it's pretty painful on both the fingertips and the joints - especially when bending strings) and figured it would lead to premature arthritis in my left hand...

[Bluemans335]

Good advice, Blueman. I notice you didn't even mention brands. Is there really that much difference between different brands of electric guitar strings? I know guys have their favorites. I've only recently taken up guitar again, this time of the electric persuasion, so I don't know these things. I get sets of 10s cheap from my tech who says he gets them in bulk. I'm sure there's a whole world of brands and species of strings out there that I am completely unaware of...

 

There are differences in strings. I settled with D'Addario 9's and haven't experimented much.

[Bluemans335]

I have played guitars with heavier strings (12's) but didn't really like it (it's pretty painful on both the fingertips and the joints - especially when bending strings) and figured it would lead to premature arthritis in my left hand...

 

This is a very real concern; many players who have used thick strings have to eventually go lighter, as pain and arthritis makes playing difficult. I don't see it being worth it; you can adjust your tone in other ways that don't take a toll on your fingers. If some players can get full, rich tones with 8's and 9's, why go up to 11's or 12's? At some point that'll catch up with you.

 

I use 9's in standard tuning, and get a lot of compliments on my warm, heavy tones. I EQ my amps with a lot of mid and bass, and add just enough treble to get a sharp edge. I put two 250K pots on most of my bridge HB's and P-90's, which shaves off some high-end and makes the mids more prominent. I also put warmer-toned magnets in my bridge PU's. The most common alnico is A5, which is also the brightest and most mid-scooped. By replacing them with an A8, A2, A4, or UOA5, I change the PU's EQ, and fill in the mids. A2's and UOA5's have a lot of dynamics and texture, much more than A5's, and give richer tones, even with thin string gauges. Changing magnets is quick, easy, and cheap; there's online instructional videos. Save your fingers, you'll need them later.

[dporto]

This is a very real concern; many players who have used thick strings have to eventually go lighter, as pain and arthritis makes playing difficult.

 

Absolutely, especially if you bend strings. A lot of the jazz guys who use those heavy strings don't do much bending so maybe it's not as much of a concern, but for me they didn't work at all.

[Bluemans335]

Absolutely, especially if you bend strings. A lot of the jazz guys who use those heavy strings don't do much bending so maybe it's not as much of a concern, but for me they didn't work at all.

 

Right, bending requires a higher action, and that means when playing normally with thick strings (without bending) you have to push down harder and farther. Do that for several hours at a time (like a gig) and you'll feel it.

[Alex Hunter]

I know you don't play jazz, but if this were my guitar I would put a set of TI flatwound 12's on... but I play jazz....

[Sada Yairi]

I have a custom-built short scale semi-hollow (335 type) and I have 12s on it - I bend no problem. Not sure whether having grown up playing classical with fat nylon strongs and being used to bending them is of any relevance, and it is true that the 10s on my Wildkat are easier to bend, but there's not much in it and the 12s really are no hindrance. It's the usual thing - you need to try the different gauges of strings to work out what you like. I'd suggest buying some cheap 10s, 11s and 12s, and then spend a few weeks trying each. It won't cost much, but it'll give you a clear idea of what you like most. And then you'll be set forever more.

 

As well as that, personally I find I can't tell much difference between brands once they get above 'cheap and cheerful' low quality strings. It's the gauge that makes the big difference. The only other thing to think about is that thicker strings can cause an issue with your tuning gear. My 12s don't fit through the Imperial locking tuners I have, which is really annoying.

[Bluemans335]

I have a custom-built short scale semi-hollow (335 type) and I have 12s on it - I bend no problem. Not sure whether having grown up playing classical with fat nylon strongs and being used to bending them is of any relevance, and it is true that the 10s on my Wildkat are easier to bend, but there's not much in it and the 12s really are no hindrance.

 

'Bending' covers a lot of ground. Just pushing the string a little is one thing. Listen to some of the bends that Peter Green and Danny Kirwan did in 1967-1970 Fleetwood Mac; there's a refined art to bending on an electric, especially in blues. These two guys did deep, sustained, fast vibrato bands (which is how I bend); you can't do that on acoustics or electrics with thick strings. or wound G's.

[Spamonkis]

IMHO:

Heavy strings sound good.

Bending a wound "G" is miserable!

 

God bless, Spamonkis

[Bluemans335]

Heavy strings sound good.

 

 

So do thinner strings if you know how to tweak your tone. ;)

[milod]

What I've noticed is that too few folks modify their tone by modifying their technique. Tone can be radically modified by playing near or far from the bridge, and by actual picking technique.

 

The string gauge, IMHO, is a secondary concern to style and appropriate setup. E.g., if you're beating on an electric for a contemporary rock rhythm guitar part, you may indeed want a heavier string set up higher. The way I play, I like my 9-42s and a very low action. That doesn't work for beans strumming with a flatpick, but is fine with gentle fingerpickin'.

 

But with no change in amp or guitar settings, I can run from a pretty sharp treble attack near the bridge with more fingernail attack, or thick jazz sounds played more with finger-pads near the fingerboard pup on a two-pup electric.

 

So as some folks wrote above, I'd say we're talking about looking at strings to do tone rather than fitting strings to your specific technique.

 

Don't get me wrong, there are good reasons to use all sorts of strings, even on the same guitar. But in each case, the string and setup must match technique. The tone will come regardless. Laugh if you will, but I get some pretty thick jazzy tone outa my '70s Guild S100c that's basically an SG clone - that it's worn 8-38 since I got it new. It'd take a pretty expert person to figure what kinda guitar I was playing, or what strings.

 

Again, strings, setup and technique need to match, especially on an electric.

 

m

[Bluemans335]

Laugh if you will, but I get some pretty thick jazzy tone outa my '70s Guild S100c that's basically an SG clone - that it's worn 8-38 since I got it new. It'd take a pretty expert person to figure what kinda guitar I was playing, or what strings.

 

+1. Billy Gibbons, Tony Iommi, and EVH all use(d) 8's. It's amazing what can be done with thin strings. Eddie's quote is: 'Why make it harder than it has to be?'

[Coz52]

'Bending' covers a lot of ground. Just pushing the string a little is one thing. Listen to some of the bends that Peter Green and Danny Kirwan did in 1967-1970 Fleetwood Mac; there's a refined art to bending on an electric, especially in blues. These two guys did deep, sustained, fast vibrato bands (which is how I bend); you can't do that on acoustics or electrics with thick strings. or wound G's.

The REAL Fleetwood Mac. My band does "Tell Me, Oh Well, Rattle Snake Shake and Need Your Love So Bad". Green and Kirwan were just the kill.