Heaviest string gauge for dot

[passthej45]

Hey guys I just got a Dot, taking a foray into the world of electrics. I usually play acoustic only but wanted to get my feet wet with an Epi Dot. The thing is I surely won't be doing any lead wizardry and I'm really used to heavier strings. I use 56-13 on my J 45 . So my question... what is the heaviest gauge strings y'all put on your Epi dots ?

[Sada Yairi]

My jazz guitar technically isn't a Dot, but the design is very similar. I have 12s on it and they work well with the vintage pickups (SD59 & Van Zandt) without feeling huge to play on. Have you access to some guitars with different gauge strings? Probably better to feel for yourself rather than guess.

[clarkuss]

If you're not going to do any bending then you might want to try 11s but most people go for 10s on a Dot... I have had lots of Casinos/Dots/Sheratons/Rivieras etc and a good set up with 10s is ideal. That being said, I used to have 11s on mine when I was mainly playing rhythm guitar. It was fine but I prefer 10s and I don't do much lead even now.

 

My advice: The guitar comes stock with 10s so if they feel too light for you go for 11. I once had 12s on a a Dot Deluxe and it felt too stiff...

[passthej45]

If you're not going to do any bending then you might want to try 11s but most people go for 10s on a Dot... I have had lots of Casinos/Dots/Sheratons/Rivieras etc and a good set up with 10s is ideal. That being said, I used to have 11s on mine when I was mainly playing rhythm guitar. It was fine but I prefer 10s and I don't do much lead even now.

 

My advice: The guitar comes stock with 10s so if they feel too light for you go for 11. I once had 12s on a a Dot Deluxe and it felt too stiff...

Thanks . Knowing what they ship with was a big help. I'll move up to 11's to start with. Wish me luck.

[KVL]

Good luck!

 

I have 11's on my Casino, and I'm not in love with them. They are noticeably thicker and stiffer than the 10's on my LP.

[Dennis G]

If you're not going to do any bending then you might want to try 11s but most people go for 10s on a Dot... I have had lots of Casinos/Dots/Sheratons/Rivieras etc and a good set up with 10s is ideal. That being said, I used to have 11s on mine when I was mainly playing rhythm guitar. It was fine but I prefer 10s and I don't do much lead even now.

 

My advice: The guitar comes stock with 10s so if they feel too light for you go for 11. I once had 12s on a a Dot Deluxe and it felt too stiff...

+1 to this. I have 10-46 on all of my Epi elec's (Dot, Casino, Wildkat) as well as most of my other (elec) guitars. The one exception is my Gretsch 5122 which has 11's, but it's a "beefier" guitar as well (about 1/4" add'l depth).

 

I use 12-56 on my acoustics, acoustic/elec's. YMMV.

[milod]

Sheesh...

 

I have 9-42 on all but one of my electrics and that has worn 8-38 since I bought it in the '70s.

 

I think there are two variables here rather than looking per se at the dot which likely could wear about anything.

 

First is the actual string itself; too many folks today, unlike "back when" think only of roundwounds and flats of various dimensions feel far different.

 

Second is how you play. What's your technique and what are you doing. Electric guitars are imho very forgiving in terms of tone regardless of strings, but different gauge strings should IMHO be matched to your technique.

 

For what it's worth, my old Guild S100c from the early '70s can fool a lotta folks into thinking I'm playing a big jazz box with fat strings. Nope. It's a board wearing 8-38. But I'm playing fingerstyle rather gently, too. Or... I can switch some settings and sound as if I'm banging on the thing or whatever and, as long as I'm not violent with the strings, get about any sound one might hope for from HBs on any guitar body. Bang on it and you'll break strings and buzz and otherwise sound horrid.

 

m

[capmaster]

With respect to the topic title, a semi-solid should be capable to handle any available string set designed for steel string electrics. They usually range from about .007" - .0036" to .014" - .068". Anyway, the truss rod should be kept appropriately adjusted.

 

The tone of heavy strings is pure and clean. They allow for breathtakingly low string actions without fret buzz problems due to their high tension, even when you pound them very hard. Especially roundwounds provide lots more sustain: Since mass and tension increase with the square but the air friction of the strings only linearly, there results less loss of vibration depending on time.

 

Their very shortcomings are the following to my experience:

 

The wound G3rd provides only a small effect of bending, and bending in general requires more force. However, this is relative since the bigger diameter of the strings can feel more comfortably to the skin than thinner wires.

 

Fretting barre chords on the first fret for a longer period can be pure horror, especially with an improperly set nut. Same is valid for capoing - it just won't work if the nut is grooved insufficiently.

 

I used on my only thinline guitar .012" - .056" flatwounds for fifteen years, and since thirteen years I string it with .012" - .054" roundwounds. I consider to go back to flatwounds since I have lots of other guitars now strung with roundwounds.

 

Finally I have to admit that .012" seems to be my favourite gauge basically, but due to bending or/and vibrato abilities I use .011" - .050" roundwounds with a blank G3rd on my hardtail solidbodies, and .010" - .046" roundwounds on my Floyd Rose guitars. I play .010"s on my Frank Zappa "Roxy" SGs, too, but already consider to change to .011" since their Lyre vibrato is simply useless, even in conjunction with a roller bridge.

[milod]

Okay, Capmaster likes heavier strings; I like much lighter strings.

 

What that shows is that each guitarist will end up with a string choice that fits what he or she wants to do with a given guitar.

 

Frankly I've used pretty much light strings - 10 as a max - for the past 40 years or so. The 10 years prior to that, it was a mixed bag depending on the guitar and what I was being paid to play.

 

OTOH, others swear by heavier sets, most "pop" (rock, country, etc.) tend toward roundwounds nowadays, jazzers tend toward flats although back in the '60s most of the regional rock and country pickers I knew were using flats too - and the gauge depended on the picker.

 

I don't think we're talking "right or wrong" here, but a combination of personal factors for each of us. Were that not the case, we'd not have so many string choices. In fact, some folks like to mix and match strings to fit their personal playing styles and may have relatively heavier bass strings and quite light trebles or the reverse, whatever seems to suit their pickin' style.

 

The Dot, as Cap mentions, can take just about any gauge for electric guitar. It has a center block that aids its stability - not quite as much as some solidbodies, but pretty much so.

 

Bottom line is that string choice is a matter of personal preference. The Dot will handle pretty much whatever you'd want from 8s to 13s. So the rest is up to how you expect to play.

 

m

[L5Larry]

Hey guys I just got a Dot, taking a foray into the world of electrics. I usually play acoustic only but wanted to get my feet wet with an Epi Dot. The thing is I surely won't be doing any lead wizardry and I'm really used to heavier strings. I use 56-13 on my J 45 . So my question... what is the heaviest gauge strings y'all put on your Epi dots ?

 

Since I mostly play archtops with piano wire string gauges (14-67), I also like my solids and semis to be setup with heavier strings (specifically my Gibson ES-345 for this discussion). I finally found a great set of nickel plated roundwound 12's with a plain 3rd:

 

La Bella "EL-BH" (12-52). These are not GC $3 a set guitar strings, and will probably have to be mail-ordered (or e-commerced), but I found them perfect for me and well worth the price ($6).

 

http://www.labella.com/products/el-bh/