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Any of you guys kind of always felt that .012's, and acoustic guitars in general,tuned to pitch too stiff & hampers your playing?


merseybeat1963

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By the looks of things I'm the only volume whore in the place and I'm not even a lead player! Lol! I hear all about you guys using .010's , .011's and .012's but nobody using .013's which is what I use on my J-200. You think the J-200 can handle this guage or am I looking at neck issues down the road? I think when it comes right down to it I bought the guitar to play so I'm gonna use the strings I like as long as it isn't considered cruel and unusual punishment.I don't find it hampers my playing whatsoever other than being more difficult to bend strings. Other players that try my guitar notice the difference though.

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Thanks for all of the input. I have long been a believer in medium gauge strings. Because of this thread, however, I have experimented and switched out my 12 gauge strings for 11's and am enjoying a new level of comfort.

 

My resistance to lighter gauge strings has always been based upon the fact that I prefer the sound delivered by a medium gauge. This is especially true for a particular D-28 that I have that is so mellow it borders on boring. The switch to 11's didn't help matters either. For grins I started experimenting with different picks and found that a .60mm Dunlop nylon combined with the 11's gives the guitar the sound that I've been looking for - kind of like a Martin with an attitude, if that makes sense.

 

There have been many nuggets of wisdom that I have gleaned from this forum and for these gems I am sincerely grateful to all.

 

MJ

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Thanks for all of the input. I have long been a believer in medium gauge strings. Because of this thread, however, I have experimented and switched out my 12 gauge strings for 11's and am enjoying a new level of comfort. My resistance to lighter gauge strings has always been based upon the fact that I prefer the sound delivered by a medium gauge. This is especially true for a particular D-28 that I have that is so mellow it borders on boring. The switch to 11's didn't help matters either. For grins I started experimenting with different picks and found that a .60mm Dunlop nylon combined with the 11's gives the guitar the sound that I've been looking for - kind of like a Martin with an attitude, if that makes sense. There have been many nuggets of wisdom that I have gleaned from this forum and for these gems I am sincerely grateful to all. MJ

 

all Martins are boring, even Johnny Cash hated them.

 

 

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Mersey,

 

Have you checked the neck relief with a good flat straightedge? I was finding the same problems often and when I'd check (always around a season change) my necks had way too much relief. Then it would go the other way and I'd have a neck buzzing like a hive of bees. A quick touch-up of the truss rod and I'm good to go. The only git's I have that don't grieve me like this are both RIC's. I can't seem to play .12's anymore myself. Weak thumb joints & fingers from working too many years with tools & injuries make me a .11's guy on the acoustic and lighter on the electrics.

 

Aster

 

My necks are all straight.My Lowden which is newish(2009) started feeling crappy & buzzing near headstock.So I loosed the rod but I noticed on that thing it takes days for adjustment to regester to neck.

The amounts the older settled guitars move are hardly nothing but I notice.

When you went to 11's did you feel it wasa lot easier to play?

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are you 66 years old? then I know how your hands must feel; personally I believe the medications are causing the inflammation, sometimes the cure is worse than the symptom. You need to "refresh" the joints and muscles with fresh blood by exercising the fingers and joints, like the Cowling Institute philosophy says, not with man-made chemicals. I'll start to look for these lessons today, and if they can help you, I'll be satisfied.

 

 

I refurbish old cars as a hobby, and I work with heavy tools and hardware, steel does a lot of damage to guitarists' hands. Just like lifting weights makes your wrists stiff, the opposite of what a guitarist needs to have. I've learned to protect my hands such as wearing gloves and wrist braces. We only have two hands and 8 usable fingers! Remember Django? By the way, I think his Macaferri guitar had a zero fret. (I could be wrong).

 

I like very low frets on the guitars I have which have them.

The exercises would be good to see & do.

My left hand is so healthy..even when I cut it it heals faster than anything.

But my right hand which I pick with has some injuries. At 15 years old horsing around boxing with a friend I took a full swing and my fist landed on to his hip bone, mostly on my first knuckle ,and that whole first finger knuckle"assembly" jammed into my hand.

Since then my first finger is nearly 1/2" shorter than it should be. When I learned to play I flat picked using second finger in..cause the first always felt sore. Eventually it got ok & now I pick with it.

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By the looks of things I'm the only volume whore in the place and I'm not even a lead player! Lol! I hear all about you guys using .010's , .011's and .012's but nobody using .013's which is what I use on my J-200. You think the J-200 can handle this guage or am I looking at neck issues down the road? I think when it comes right down to it I bought the guitar to play so I'm gonna use the strings I like as long as it isn't considered cruel and unusual punishment.I don't find it hampers my playing whatsoever other than being more difficult to bend strings. Other players that try my guitar notice the difference though.

 

In my day new Martins came with Medium Strings as standard from the factory.

The Gibson J200 Prototype I bought new in March/April 1989 came with Mediums too (.013)

It is only since Martin began scalloping braces & building lighter guitars(as they used to in legendary days) that they came standard with .012's & note inside "Please use light strings"(to protect threy're warrenty obligations).

Now everyone puts .012's as standard.

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Mersey....I really like that I can "bend" chords and strings with the 11's. I'm playing more blues these days and really appreciate that. For amped and pickup situations, what difference does it make??? I'm playing lighter these days anyway, even at my cafe gig, and after 1 1/2 hours of playing, it really makes a difference. On SOME guitars the 11's sound a little thin, so I use 12's and downtune 1/2 or one step. I use 10's on my '23 L-2 which has a 24" scale length, and that is fun.....I guess I'm not going to any "jams" any more, so don't need the heavy strings to be heard over 4 Dreads and a couple of banjos.....I just don't play as hard anymore......like the subtleties of the guitar more now.....but that being said, I don't even use picks anymore, so it may just be my "style" of playing....

 

I think one of these is the way to go eventually.

Jimi Hendrix tuned down 1/2 step & I always liked that feel best as well, on a long scale electric.. but asking people to tune down is a drag...and changes singers notes.

Ive been through quite a few Strats over the years & kept the few that felt ok tuned up to 440 as many don't especially with that 7 1/2 radius.

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Nick..I use the Elixer which I think are round core and feel much better than D'Addarrio I used to use.

 

Not sure about that. Elixir never refers to the core shape on their website, and most companies using a round core tout that as a plus. I couldn't find anything one way or another on it, but hex core is the default way of making strings today.

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all Martins are boring, even Johnny Cash hated them.

My last name is on a handfull of guitars at the Martin factory..you have a reasonable point.

I no longer believe in Martin.

 

Ive likened the feeling of walking into a room full of Martin guitars to walking into a gay bar..

I mean really, all those plain..unimaginative, dreadnaughts hanging there wall to wall. Square headstocks..no ornament..all looking the same..theres not a pretty thing amoungst em.

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Not sure about that. Elixir never refers to the core shape on their website, and most companies using a round core tout that as a plus. I couldn't find anything one way or another on it, but hex core is the default way of making strings today.

 

I have just looked..I dont know where I got the idea that cores were round ..? Elixer cores are Hex.

I know you mentioned DR's but I think I also have to either slack tension 1/2 step or try .011's..but am gonna look for low tension strings as well to try.Thanks

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I know you mentioned DR's but I think I also have to either slack tension 1/2 step or try .011's..but am gonna look for low tension strings as well to try.Thanks

 

I have not used them, but the Newtone Heritage equal-tension round-core strings look interesting. It mentions that they are especially good for people with arthritis and other hand problems.

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My last name is on a handfull of guitars at the Martin factory..you have a reasonable point.

I no longer believe in Martin.

 

Ive likened the feeling of walking into a room full of Martin guitars to walking into a gay bar..

I mean really, all those plain..unimaginative, dreadnaughts hanging there wall to wall. Square headstocks..no ornament..all looking the same..theres not a pretty thing amoungst em.

 

that is THE weirdest thing i've read on this forum

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that is THE weirdest thing i've read on this forum

 

Be tolerant BB.. : )

 

I used to serve this semi homeless semi drunk black guy (Paulie) at the store for years..one day he looks at me different and says, I figured out what it is man...

You see every one like they are a cartoon. And I realized he was kind of right.

He always looked at me in that same strange way from then on.

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Be tolerant BB.. : )

 

I used to serve this semi homeless semi drunk black guy (Paulie) at the store for years..one day he looks at me different and says, I figured out what it is man...

You see every one like they are a cartoon. And I realized he was kind of right.

He always looked at me in that same strange way from then on.

 

be careful with assumptions. who knows if he is a fantastic guitar player ? di you ever ask him if he plays ? Blacks are attracted to music like bees to honey.

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Ive likened the feeling of walking into a room full of Martin guitars to walking into a gay bar..

I mean really, all those plain..unimaginative, dreadnaughts hanging there wall to wall. Square headstocks..no ornament..all looking the same..theres not a pretty thing amoungst em.

 

WHAT THE ...?

 

that is THE weirdest thing i've read on this forum

 

Yes, me too... by a mile. It makes literally no sense at all.

 

You see every one like they are a cartoon. And I realized he was kind of right.

 

It gets worse....

 

Blacks are attracted to music like bees to honey.

 

Jesus wept... This thread has gone awfully wrong...

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'someone says you're in the wrong place my friend , itstime for you to leave '

 

lol , anyone interested in a hitler signature model ?

 

is "hitler" inlaid in mother of pearl? or is it just a decal? if it's a 'hitler" decal it could be a fake.

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It gets worse....

 

Jesus wept... This thread has gone awfully wrong...

 

 

"There must be some way out of here",

Said the Joker to the Thief;

"There's too much confusion,

I can't get no relief."

 

...............

 

"No reason to get excited",

The Thief he kindly spoke;

"There are many here among us

Who feel that life is but a joke."

 

"But you and I, we've been through that,

And this is not our fate.

So let us not talk falsely now,

The hour is getting late."

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"There must be some way out of here",

Said the Joker to the Thief;

"There's too much confusion,

I can't get no relief."

 

...............

 

"No reason to get excited",

The Thief he kindly spoke;

"There are many here among us

Who feel that life is but a joke."

 

"But you and I, we've been through that,

And this is not our fate.

So let us not talk falsely now,

The hour is getting late."

 

Given the amount of it, there's two or there points in there, Nick. Which one am I supposed to take on board?

 

i just thought it would be a model gibson could think about ? seems like a few here would put their names down for one

 

Haw haw haw, best line in this thread so far! A tip of the cap to you, Sir. We urgently need a standing ovation smilie....

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Given the amount of it, there's two or there points in there, Nick. Which one am I supposed to take on board?

 

 

Take whichever ones suit you.

 

 

Sometimes, the only response to absurdity is to up the ante......

Sometimes, the best response is to claw your way back to reality.

Distinguishing between the two can be the razor edge of artistic success.

 

It's alright Ma, I'm only bleedin'.....

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Take whichever ones suit you.

 

Ok, how dos this grab ye?

 

There must be some way out of here Said the Joke r to the Thief There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief.

 

You need to see a doctor, or a professional, depending on which meaning you were going for.... maybe drifting a touch into overshare territory though.

 

"No reason to get excited The Thief he kindly spoke There are many here among us Who feel that life is but a joke.

 

They do say laughter is the best medicine.

 

But you and I, we've been through that, And this is not our fate. So let us not talk falsely now, The hour is getting late.

 

...and just like Elton John, we're still standing. Ooooer Mrs.

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i just thought it would be a model gibson could think about ? seems like a few here would put their names down for one

 

you might suggest to them that they shape the mahogany body like a swastika. Maybe "Kiss" and "Metallica" would custom order them in both 6 string and Bass versions.

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you might suggest to them that they shape the mahogany body like a swastika. Maybe "Kiss" and "Metallica" would custom order them in both 6 string and Bass versions.

 

i'm not either band's biggest fan , but i dont think either if them are racist .... anti gay .... or anything , i could be wrong , if they are they at least have the sense to keep it to themselves

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