J45 strings

[cwheat]

I've been using .12s on my J45. Tried a couple different brands, and ended up with Gibson Masterbuilts. Has anyone tried .13s, and had a positive result?

[Digory]

Yes I have! I recently got a new Aaron Lewis Southern Jumbo - amazing guitar, wonderful tone, looks, neck, etc. It came from the factory with 11s, these were too light (I assume Gibson fits them because thats what AL uses?), so I changed them to 12s. The 12s sounded fantastic, much better, deeper and more responsive as youd expect.

 

Wanted to try a few different brands on the new guitar to see what works best so once I'd wore those out I thought I'd try 13s. These were a step to far for me, action tightened up a bit too much and I started to notice a drop in sustain on some fretted notes on the wound E and A strings, just a bit too heavy for this guitar maybe.

 

Then I noticed at my local store theyd got Martin SP 12.5s, which are: 12.5 16.5 25.5 33.5 43.5 55 and are the perfect inbetween gauge! Just the right tension, no duff notes, nicely responsive and with enough of a 'thump' and punch when played with fingers... love them!

 

Maybe give them a go?

 

[maow]

I agee with Digory that .12 gives fantastic sound, deeper bass. I think .13 can hurt your fingers and can't play that long. Also, neck reset might be required.

[Bookkeeper's Son]

Keep in mind that, intonation-wise, the guitar was made for 12s. A different gauge may not intonate properly, which can be a real PIA when using a capo, especially higher up the neck.

[Digory]

Keep in mind that, intonation-wise, the guitar was made for 12s. A different gauge may not intonate properly, which can be a real PIA when using a capo, especially higher up the neck.

 

Yes, this is so true, especially on cheaper instruments though. My SJ's intonation was spot on with 12s, with the 12.5s it is still just about there but Id shaved a bit off the saddle anyway as the guitar was originally set up for 11s.

 

Would a compensated saddle help at all if one was going up to 13s? Mine just has a straight saddle but I've seen J50's with comp saddles, and some J45s with and without actually

[EuroAussie]

Moving from 12's to 13's on both my CW and SJ made a MASSIVE difference.

 

It was clear these guitars were made for this gage.

 

The difference in tone depth, projection, thmup and just general delivery was oustanding.

 

Id recommend DR Sunbeam 13's as they have a lovelly warm tone, long life and are more flexible than other strings which makes going up to 13's an easy step.

 

Definitely give it a try, you will be surprised at the difference.

[Rockanrolla]

Ive played around with different brands on my J45 and ended up with my original favorites Martin SP+ 12's, I also loved the Masterbilts it came with but the martins give a little more tone I feel, I was impressed with the DR's too but they didn't give me as much as the martins.

[Bookkeeper's Son]

Would a compensated saddle help at all if one was going up to 13s? Mine just has a straight saddle but I've seen J50's with comp saddles, and some J45s with and without actually

I honestly don't know, except that I'd think that a compensated saddle would have offsets for the scale length and standard string gauge for the particular guitar, which in many cases is 25.5" and 12s. BTW, when I finally figured out the cause of the intonation problem, it was with 11s, only one gauge off of standard.

 

I've experimented with different string gauges on my acoustic guitars, and I can honestly say that I've concluded that there's no real benefit in tone and playability of non-standard gauges, the standard 12s are just fine (and intonate properly), and that any good-quality set of phosphor bronze strings will perform quite well. I use a capo a lot, so being in tune in all fret positions is critical.

 

Question: Why would cheaper instruments be more prone to intonation problems, in your opinion?

[Digory]

Yeah, its just my experience really, that the cheaper instruments I've owned have all had intonation problems. I've had Yamaha F series, some Epi's and a Simon&Patrik in the past and they all had a few issues, mainly on the wound strings being too sharp from about the 8th fret. Action had a lot to do with it as I found cheaper guitars are more difficult to setup without getting buzz or choking - so they tend to have a higher action. The one exception to this was a Taylor 110 I had about 5yrs ago, which had perfect intonation, but I guess thats a mid-priced instrument. Lovely guitar but it sounded a bit sterile, and still did after a year of playing so it had to go.

 

Apart from a used Martin 00016GT I had a while back, my new Southern Jumbo I have now is my first high end expensive acoustic, and with 12s or my current 12.5s the action, intonation, sound, everything, is just perfect!