merciful-evans Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 I had watched this before. Another of the 4 players made a follow up vid about his decision to change from 10s to 9s on several guitars and continue testing. I will do something similar. For all those that didn't watch the vid: It concentrates on differences in tone and definition. That is the point of it. I'm not going to try to convince you to watch it, but some comments here clearly show that they have misunderstood what the content is. I have been using 10-46 for 20+ years (previously used custom sizes). The last guitar I bought (the Ric 650 Dakota) came fitted with 9's. I am still using it with those. There is a tonal difference between that and my other 650. Watching the vid has made me decide to try 9's on both of them. That should allow me to check how much of the difference is down to the variations in guitars or in the strings. I'll change both at the same time so both sets will be fresh on. I prefer the tension of 10's but could be persuaded to continue testing if there is a clear improvement in definition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 On 1/26/2020 at 6:50 PM, rct said: I didn't even watch the videos and I know I'm not using the wrong gauge. rct funny you say that rct, cuz that's what I was thinkin... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 2 hours ago, kidblast said: funny you say that rct, cuz that's what I was thinkin... We use what we like. Strings are not expensive and I am sure we have all done the dance and tried several brands and gauges and have come to find what we like. The video will sell a few more packs of EB's. Great, Yeah Capitalism. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 I recently heard a video with Steve Cropper saying that he liked Teles because they record cleaner. I think there is a lot of truth to this. Different gauges may sound better on certain scale lengths, but I also think that picks/attack, pickups (including height), amplification, and settings (including mic placement) have enough of an impact to negate string gauge effects. I've been playing a long time and experimented with lots of variables. I'm happy with what I'm using, and I have gravitated to medium-light gauged flatwounds and a fatter pick for a variety of reasons. These types of videos are gear head fodder and a waste of time, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 5 minutes ago, zigzag said: I recently heard a video with Steve Cropper saying that he liked Teles because they record cleaner. I think there is a lot of truth to this. Different gauges may sound better on certain scale lengths, but I also think that picks/attack, pickups (including height), amplification, and settings (including mic placement) have enough of an impact to negate string gauge effects. I've been playing a long time and experimented with lots of variables. I'm happy with what I'm using, and I have gravitated to medium-light gauged flatwounds and a fatter pick for a variety of reasons. These types of videos are gear head fodder and a waste of time, IMO. Aren't we all gear heads? If you got a guitar you gotta have gear to go along with it . Unless you just have an acoustic and a pick and play in your bedroom. Then you still have gear, a guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 33 minutes ago, Sgt. Pepper said: We use what we like. Strings are not expensive and I am sure we have all done the dance and tried several brands and gauges and have come to find what we like. The video will sell a few more packs of EB's. Great, Yeah Capitalism. True Dat! I do experiment tho I usually go back to what worked for a long time... until they discontinue them, then I'm screwed... I hate when that happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) 4 minutes ago, kidblast said: True Dat! I do experiment tho I usually go back to what worked for a long time... until they discontinue them, then I'm screwed... I hate when that happens I used 10 forever on my electrics. Now I have none. My acoustics have Custom Lights on them except the 12 which has extra lights. I'm not going bigger on either. I tried medium and lights and do not enjoy pushing piano wire down to the frets, it hurts my girly fingers. Edited January 28, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 2 minutes ago, Sgt. Pepper said: I used 10 forever on my electrics. Now I have none. My acoustics have Custom Lights on them except the 12 which has extra lights. I'm not going bigger on either. I tried medium and lights and do not enjoy pushing piano wire down to the frets, it hurts my girly fingers. 12s for 6 string acoustic here too. I like PBs, mostly Elixir Nano, but also as long as I can still get em, Gibbie masterbuilt PBs are nice too. 10s for solid bodies and most of my electrics. XL110s usually.. I dabble with Elixir electrics. I use flat wound 11s on my Regent, but 11s as a rule are just a bit too much string for my hands and playing touch. I'm tempted to order a set from String Joy to see what all the fuss is about. I see the ads often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FemmeParallell Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 I use 9s on fenders, and 9s and 10s on Gibsons. Once i made the mistake of using 8s on a strat and it buzzed a lot and it felt like playing noodles i would have liked to ear this experiment on clean sounds too, not just dirty, but anyways i will keep on using what i like already Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Sgt. Pepper said: Aren't we all gear heads? If you got a guitar you gotta have gear to go along with it . Unless you just have an acoustic and a pick and play in your bedroom. Then you still have gear, a guitar. Semantics. To me, a gear head is someone who obsesses over gear... who places more importance on their gear (their "sound") than their playing. So, no, I'm not a gear head. It's all about emphasis. Edited January 28, 2020 by zigzag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, kidblast said: 12s for 6 string acoustic here too. I like PBs, mostly Elixir Nano, but also as long as I can still get em, Gibbie masterbuilt PBs are nice too. 10s for solid bodies and most of my electrics. XL110s usually.. I dabble with Elixir electrics. I use flat wound 11s on my Regent, but 11s as a rule are just a bit too much string for my hands and playing touch. I'm tempted to order a set from String Joy to see what all the fuss is about. I see the ads often. Just looked at their site. The gauge I use in 80/20 or PB are higher in tension than Martin by 6 or 8 lbs depending on set. You can customize a set at no extra cost. $15 a pack for one set. And if you go to plain wound on the G it increased the tension a few more lbs. So the TR may need a slight tweek. I'm gonna try a set when I run through what I got sitting around. Edited January 28, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 I would like to try 12's on my 335 but I know I'll more than likely think "what were you thinking ?". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 41 minutes ago, Karloff said: I would like to try 12's on my 335 but I know I'll more than likely think "what were you thinking ?". well you are kind of a manly mans man you know.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 11 minutes ago, kidblast said: well you are kind of a manly mans man you know.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 45 minutes ago, Karloff said: LOL! Priceless... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 7 hours ago, merciful-evans said: I had watched this before. Another of the 4 players made a follow up vid about his decision to change from 10s to 9s on several guitars and continue testing. I will do something similar. For all those that didn't watch the vid: It concentrates on differences in tone and definition. That is the point of it. I'm not going to try to convince you to watch it, but some comments here clearly show that they have misunderstood what the content is. I think Rick uses some hyperbole in his titles. It's more eye-catching. I sometimes do similar stuff here when I create a new Thread. Rather than matter of factly stating what the topic is, make some cute little phrase. Doesn't seem as boring. That might turn some people off and they never even look at the content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Very Marshally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 6 hours ago, zigzag said: I recently heard a video with Steve Cropper saying that he liked Teles because they record cleaner. I think there is a lot of truth to this. Different gauges may sound better on certain scale lengths, but I also think that picks/attack, pickups (including height), amplification, and settings (including mic placement) have enough of an impact to negate string gauge effects. I've been playing a long time and experimented with lots of variables. I'm happy with what I'm using, and I have gravitated to medium-light gauged flatwounds and a fatter pick for a variety of reasons. These types of videos are gear head fodder and a waste of time, IMO. All true. The thing left out of videos like this, and I'm not saying it is bad, is it really matters a lot what you are doing with your guitars. If you can listen to my band and me back there smashing cymbals and doing forward rolls through flaming hoops while I shred the light fantastic and pick out all the the things wrong with my strings you. are. nutz. If you want to sit a quarter inch from the amp and the frequency analyzer and try out strings and note the differences, sure, I can see that being a thing. If you want to record precisely exact settings and environments and only change the strings then yes, you got it. I'll take my guitars out on Friday with my strings and the same two out on Saturday with your strings and I'll bet you a dollar you personally won't hear anything different and neither will the Recorder Deluxe 9000 2.0. At some point it all becomes academic, it all becomes chasing results you are sure you are going to get. If I'm happy and the band is happy and the crowd is happy, there are no other results, because nobody gets happier because I changed strings, it just doesn't happen. There, I said it. rct 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 The hybrid 9-46 set has its merits, but I find the gap between the gauges affect the tone a little too much, so... 10s. Could I A/B them and tell just from listening? Probably not. But it looks like I know what the hell I'm talking about when I post it on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Pinch, if you are using strings that you like, sound good to you, feel good to you, and above all you enjoy the time you spend with them, you know what the hell you are talking about. rct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) 13 minutes ago, rct said: Pinch, if you are using strings that you like, sound good to you, feel good to you, and above all you enjoy the time you spend with them, you know what the hell you are talking about. rct This is the thing.. I am like you guys in that way... Always played with the same strings as I was happy with them.. For many years I only had one guitar and one amp.. It was only coming on here that opened the flood gates to me 🙂 But even after being on here for many years my tastes didn't really change but I guess I started to understand why I like what I like. And find out why other people like what they like. Always been a Gibson/Marshall guy too.. Played many many different types of guitars but I never veered away from what I know l liked.. Don't have any pedals (but a wah and looper).. So my playing tastes are very plain (and even without all of that distraction am still crap ). But I still don't mind watching the odd vid like this and talking about it with you guys.. Isnt that the whole point of a forum like this? To share our experience. And actually I would say this whole string thing is not about how it sounds as much as how they feel to play.. I did a setup for a guy a short while ago (an Epi LP). He was a 10s user.. I explained the hybrid slinkys to him and he let me put them on the guitar... When I took it too his house he was a bit surprised at how the high strings felt but went with it (not a young guy).. Later that night I happened to be going to a bar who were doing a blues night where he was playing.... Let me tell you, the look on his face when it came to his turn to solo and he was pulling these huge bends was priceless.. After he had finished playing a bunch of people were talking to him and he turned around and pointed me out to them smiling at me 🙂 So I would say.. It can make a difference to some people. Edited January 28, 2020 by Rabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 I know I am using the wrong gauge, but I buy my own damn stings all by myself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 21 hours ago, Karloff said: I would like to try 12's on my 335 but I know I'll more than likely think "what were you thinking ?". 20 hours ago, kidblast said: well you are kind of a manly mans man you know.... after last nights practice, never mind on the 12's. I think I'm good with the 11's. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 3 hours ago, Karloff said: after last nights practice, never mind on the 12's. I think I'm good with the 11's. lol brutha, if it aint broke, don't fix it... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelT Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 I took the time to watch the video on my laptop. I personally couldn't tell the difference in sound at all. So, I thought, "Hey, maybe it's just your crappy laptop speakers." So, I took it home and watched it on the TV. I still couldn't tell the difference but the TV doesn't have an awesome sound system. So, I listened to it on my PC at home with the nice speakers and subwoofer and all that. I still couldn't tell a difference on the video. Perhaps it's because I'm 54 and stood in front of stacks of amps and drums on stage for too many years. I use 9's, usually Ernie Ball Super Slinky. It's what works for me and has for a long time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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