kjr Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 H i am wondering if i should go up to 12's from 11's. please tell me the pros and the cons. thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 I'm also a "heavy" string guy, 11's on my solids and thinlines, 14's on my archtops. The other guitar player in my blues band plays 12's on a Strat, and you normally don't think of a Strat tone a having balls, but this one does. The pros: Major increase in tone, sustain, and just balls in general. If you already play 11's, the single step up will be barely noticable to your left hand. You will increase hand strenth and callous in no time. The cons: You will most likely have to adjust your truss rod, saddles for intonation, and string height, a general setup. The worst thing you might need is to have your nut recut to allow smooth passage of the higher guage strings. Gibson's leave the factory setup fo 9's or 10's, and if you did not need a setup for the 11's, you will for the 12's. If you had a setup for the 11's, you might get away with just stringing up the 12's with minor adjustments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGdad Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 My kid just switched from 9's to 10's and you can definetly notice a difference in tone. He likes the 10's way better and says he doesn't notice a difference when he plays (feel wise). I don't mean to hijack the thread, but do you guys think his guitar should be "set up" again? It was just done last month for 9's and I really don't want to pay another $60.00 for something that was just done... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAS44 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I've heard that SRV used 18s at a point in his life. Look what it did for him. Seriously though. More string to send the signal through the pu better sustain thicker tone. course you'd want to highten the action to compensate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwness Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 My kid just switched from 9's to 10's and you can definetly notice a difference in tone. He likes the 10's way better and says he doesn't notice a difference when he plays (feel wise). I don't mean to hijack the thread' date=' but do you guys think his guitar should be "set up" again? It was just done last month for 9's and I really don't want to pay another $60.00 for something that was just done... [/quote'] Every tech I now say's you need to have it set up again. You are adding more or less tension to the neck by adding a different size string. I bought the book that Are9 recomends and it has will tell you how to do a set up and you won't have to take your guitars in all the time to have set up. I only have the tech's do a level and crowning of the frets. This I have done to all my guitars so they will play their best. CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 If he goes up a gauge, which I would not recommend in this case, I would take it in to have the nut's slots widened. I have been playing 11s for years and I think that is a good gauge for sweet tone (especially if you play a lot of cleans or with a little dirt). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Or lube the nut well with some nut sauce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiz Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Man, I'm a wuss compared to you cats. -I just play 10's. Anyway, I think the advantage of heavier strings is you get a slightly(?) thicker tone, and more sustain. I dunno though, I think the Reverend Billy Gibbons plays 8's or 9's and he does alright... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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