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What string guage do you use on your les paul?


MarlleyB

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.011 - .048s.

 

 

The Rev. B. F. Gibbons uses .007 - .038 unless he's playing slide when he goes for those heavyweight .008s....

 

Pip.

 

While this is true, and oft mentioned here, I highly doubt he was using 7's on the early albums... when his tone was good! [biggrin] The story I heard was BB King told him to use lighter strings and just turn up the amp so he wouldn't have to work so hard. Up until 1980 he used 11s. I'd say they sounded pretty good!

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ-Y_WUN7hY

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1500960059[/url]' post='1870897']

10's on all electrics—except for my Tele. I use 11's on her. For some reason, 10s feel too "weak" on the Tele's neck.

 

That's what I thought about my Jag. It just feels loose and at the bridge. But then I don't have any problem bending strings up high other then I have to retune it. Especially after using the vibrato arm a few times. So I leave the 10's on? Whatever it came with when I bought it didn't last the 2nd day. The high E snaped so I put the DR's on and it's been great since.

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While this is true, and oft mentioned here, I highly doubt he was using 7's on the early albums... when his tone was good! [biggrin] The story I heard was BB King told him to use lighter strings and just turn up the amp so he wouldn't have to work so hard. Up until 1980 he used 11s. I'd say they sounded pretty good!

 

A friend did the lights when Top was at one of the big Casinos and I don't remember which, it was on the boardwalk so maybe Taj. She comped a few of us and we got to eat and drink and hang around backstage and say hello to them guys and chat with them and then afterwards they were at a "party" at one of the bars, back when casinos had bars in them.

 

Anyway, I was in my late 30's I guess, a pretty potent guitar player still, and gigging insanely along with a full time career as a computer guy, I was young enough to pull it off. I walked past the rack with the black Esquire custom he had done and a couple other guitars on it including at least three les pauls. No guitar in that rack had less than 10s on it, I looked because I had always heard he used little skinnies. That night he did not.

 

There was also nothing in any of his cabinets but a pilot light, one had a cup of coffee in it, and one had an ashtray but no smokes, he smoked later at the bar though. There was a little rack of some kind of distortion devices all powered and lit but no cables from anything to anything, and I want to say that guy Charlie that was a real as shole but I can't remember his last name he used to fight with everybody on usenet about his pedals. Can't remember.

 

They were meh that night.

 

rct

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  • 2 weeks later...

9-42 on a short scale like a Les Paul will feel too loose I think. If you do that what are you gonna put on a strat?

 

I'd put 9-42 on a strat. but on a les paul, I think it should work just as fine as 10-46's. but i'd rather stick to 10-46's on fixed bridge guitars.

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After 25 years of using strictly d'Addario XL110 (10-46) on my 1992 Standard, I got introduced by my luthier to their 10-46 balanced tension set.

I initially went for a complete pro setup and fret dress on my latest Warmoth Tele build and they had not the regular XL110 I am so used to...

They suggested I give a try to the XL110BT which is:

10, 13.5, 17, 25, 34, 46 instead of 10, 13, 17, 26, 36, 46 and frankly I am now sold on it.

While some of the strings feels a little bit smaller than usual under the fingers, the tension between them is more balanced making it a charm to fret.

I am used on my Tal Farlow to a good balanced set with Thomastik Infeld Swing JS112 so it kind of feel similar.

The only downside is I don't think they are available as pack of 10 which is what I usually buy

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That's what I thought about my Jag. It just feels loose and at the bridge. But then I don't have any problem bending strings up high other then I have to retune it. Especially after using the vibrato arm a few times. So I leave the 10's on? Whatever it came with when I bought it didn't last the 2nd day. The high E snaped so I put the DR's on and it's been great since.

The Jaguar is short scale so strings will feel looser on it compared to longer scale length guitars

 

The tuning issues and string breakage are usually associated with the nut and saddles. If you hear a "ping" sound coming from the nut or bridge when you tune or use the vibrato that means the string is binding there which will cause tuning issues

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