Optimal string bending thickness?

[zerobox94]

Im looking to get new, thinner strings. I currently have .12's and will probably get 10's. What strings do you guys use and can bend comfortably with? Oh and please remind me what are the differences between roundwounds and flatwounds?

Thank you in advance! EDIT: I have a regular Epiphone Casino, and I can't bend 12's too well.

[stein]

Well, lighter strings do make a difference on how easy it is to bend, but it has just as much to do with the player. If you can bend with 12's, it will be a lot easier for you to bend with 10's. If you are used to 12's, you may not notice any difference bending with 10's than 9's. It all has do do with your personal finger strength and practice, and what you like to use and where you might want to take compromises.

 

Obviously, you are aware rounds bend easier than flats, and plain strings bend easier than wound (therefore, a plain 3rd). But also, the length of string beyond the bridge has a lot to do with it. If you have a lot of string between the bridge and tailpiece, you have to bend the string a lot more to get the same pitch as you would a string that has only a little length of string extra from the bridge.

[Gordy01]

I use 10's on all my guitars. I've tried 9's but they seem too soft and squishy when I play chords. I find it too easy to pull a couple of strings out of tune in a chord.

I also like to have the same type of feel in my guitars, so I stick with the same strings.

Coming from 12's you may find 10's a bit soft.

 

And stein has it right. The distance and angle behind the bridge makes a huge difference in feel.

[clarkuss]

If I wanted to be able to bend the strings on my guitars I'd select 10s, Maybe 9s on a fender or other solidbody guitar.

 

I currently use 10s on all my electric guitars except my 3/4 325. I wouldn't suggest flats unless you're specifically going for that sound.

[damian]

Yes.........What they said..........

 

I usually use 9s, but just as often 10s ( owning 50 guitars or so I loose track ......)

 

IMHO, Earnie Ball strings bend well....Pure nickel strings bend well......IMHO....

 

Now, a question....A guitar's scale is measured from the nut to the bridge....So, I'm learning that the LENGTH overall

 

of the total string path makes a difference as well....Longer is tighter; different tone, harder to bend......

 

Any thoughts on this ????? Thanks all................Damian.......

[fl00dsm0k3]

i use 10s and they work good for me

[midiman56]

Now, a question....A guitar's scale is measured from the nut to the bridge....So, I'm learning that the LENGTH overall of the total string path makes a difference as well....Longer is tighter; different tone, harder to bend......

 

Any thoughts on this ????? Thanks all................Damian.......

 

100% correct, Damian. Scale length does make a difference on string tension, and therefore what stings you might be more or less comfortable with on any given guitar. That's why Fender ships (and most players stick with) .09's on their 25.5" scale Strats and Teles while Gibson type 24 3/4" guitars usually ship with .10's.

 

Of course there's no right or wrong here. SRV played .13's on his Strat (the guy must have had hands like an ape!) and Billy Gibbons plays .08's on his Peart Gates Les Paul!

 

Ernie Ball makes two sets of strings that I quite like. The "Hybrid" is a .09 set on the E, B and G paired with a .10 set on the D, A and E. The "Heavy Top/Skinny Bottom set is a .10 set matched with an .11 set on the heavier strings, Both allow you to be nice and "bendy" on the bottom three and able to chug away on the top end with much more tuning stability and tone/volume.

 

Jim

[7C]

I use 10's on my LP's and my Dot; my Strat's are strung with 9's - just seems to work for me.

[antwhi2001]

Ernie Ball 10 - 46s cover most bases. I would only use 12s or 13s if I was not going to bend strings (if the guitar was going to be used 100% for rythm or bottleneck).

 

I don't know much about SRV, but from the recordings I've heard, if he was playing 13s he was probably de-tuning by a semi-tone, which would help.

 

Flatwounds are great for smooth jazzy sounds (Joe Pass etc)but difficult to bend. However, most stuff you hear from the 50s (Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly etc) would have been on flatwounds.

[jcwillow777]

Like most others, I use 10s on my electrics too. I have been thinking of going to 11s on my Dot and Sherry, they both have Bigsbys and that really gives the strings a loser feel. Next time I change them that is what I'm gonna try.

 

I think SRV did tune down to Eb.

[Parabar]

midiman56 wrote:

SRV played .13's on his Strat (the guy must have had hands like an ape!)

 

This is a common "urban legend." From what I've read, Stevie made his own string sets, and did use a .013 on top (at least sometimes), but the rest of the strings weren't similar heavy gauge. Plus SRV's guitars were tuned down a half-step, so the tension would be comparable to a .012 in standard tuning.

[bigneil]

I am in the 10s on gibby scale, and 9s on fender scale, and i usually play 11,s on an acoustic, If I had a semi hollow with a bigsby I would be tempted to try a heavier string just for the heck of it, (semi's just seem to suit a heavier gauge in my mind) maybe a set of 11s or 12s.

[Heilly]

Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9's on all of my LP's and SG for me. 11's on my Strats. Not sure why, but the heavier gauge strings don't feel right on my Epis.

 

BTW, Happy 57th Birthday to SRV.... RaveOn!

Some of my fav pics of SRV with Epis and Gibbys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Whitmore Willy]

Optimal string bending thickness?

 

Depends on your fingers?

 

 

(I use .10s)

 

Willy

[bigneil]

 

 

ROFL.....

 

C'mon Stevie....LPs aint that bad!

 

 

does it smell horrid or something.

[Morkolo]

I use 10's, 9's can get a bit too loosey goosey.

[RSDx]

I've almost exclusively used 10s on all my guits all my playing life - and that's a looooong time - (including the acoustic - Fender Lights or whatever they are play well on my Epi AJ). The LP feels just right with 10s, bending is perfect.....my BMG has 9s (with a 24" scale, at that ), 5 springs in the trem, plays like quicksilver - still, requires a somewhat lighter touch than the LP, but ... it's a totally different beast of a guitar, can be used with great subtlety (is that a real word???)....BMGs are absolutely underrated/overlooked instruments, and they're definitely not just for Brian May fanbois . I don't need no stinkin' Strat....heh....although I may try 10s on her some day, one day, just to see....maybe it'll feel even BETTER.

[Fadedepi]

The factory spec. for all Epiphone "Thin line" (hollow or semi) body guitars is .010 - .046.

 

Fadedepi...

[milod]

The way I play, almost everything including the flattops, wear 9-42. That's harder to find in an acoustic string, but I've had decent luck with the Zebras in that set of gauges.

 

But I just plain don't strum or play with a flat pick any more. The way I play, they bend easily if I want 'em to, but with a low action and straight-down fingering, it's no problem for me to pull 'em outa tune if I don't want that.

 

I just got a Masterbilt Epi AJ500ME that will get 10s to see how they feel to go back to some flatpicking. I don't like a wrapped G.

 

Actually I've always worn 8-38 on my ancient Guild S100c since I bought it new in the 1970s. Yeah, you've gotta be very precise on fingering because they can bend more than you want otherwise.

 

m

[Blueman335]

The lighter the string, the easier it is to bend. The thicker the string, the tighter it has to be to reach the same pitch, and that makes bending progressively more difficult. It also depends on what kind of bending you want to do. I bend like the late 1960's Brits, especially Peter Green: deep bends combined with fast vibrato. That's serious bending, but man, it sounds cool. Nothing beats a good Peter Green bend. To do that I have to use 9's, as do most guys that bend like that (most of the Brits did). For other players, all they do is push a string up and may or may not sustain it; if that's all you do, 10's are fine. Bending is tough with 11's.

[bonzoboy]

I do a lot of really agressive and extreme bending in the manner of Hendrix,Buddy Guy and Albert King and since I have smallish hands and a degenerative nerve condition in my hands I use D'Addario 8-38s.I don't experience any loss in tone or neither does it affect my tuning.Despite having the nerve condition I have been using 8 -38s for many years-since about 1970 and they have really grown on me and have helped me refine my bending and even moreso my pulloffs and hammer-ons.I have found that the D'Addarios hold their newness in tone and brightness much longer than most other strings also as well as their tuning.