String Gauge

[PsychoCid]

Here's an old favorite.

I was taught to play on 11s which I always thought felt heavy. Then I got to 10s which were nicer. And I've been on 9s for ages now. Only dabbled with 8s once, but do have a slinky set and will probably string those up on the Les Paul or Wolfgang next.

Based on this recording, the only one I'd say is a non-winner is 10s. 11s sound great and boomy, 9s have that clear cut, and 8s have that great 70s sound. From these clips, what do you prefer?

[Flatline]

25.5 in scale I string with 9s.
24.75 in scale I string with 10s.

Never played 8s and its been a long time since I've played on 11s. I try to stick with 10s and 9s Elixir nanowebs and buy the 3 packs on sale around the holidays.

[LightWingStudios]

I've been an 8's and 9's man for years mainly because i have slightly smaller than normal hands and thin fingers. Tone wise they offer a nice mid range clarity but still have "testiclees".

[mikesr1963]

I play 10's on my LP type guitars, but the 11's sounded the best to me.

[uwmcscott]

Almost all 10's for me on electric, i have tried 9's but they feel a little too bendy/squiggly to me.

[Rollin Hand]

I am a 9-46 guy. I woukd go 10s, but I don't play enough to make bends on 10s, and I still hit a little too hard for 9-42.

[voodoorat]

i used 10s for years but recently switched down to 9s (as a result of some of these videos). it does feel a little slinkier and easier to play and doesn't sound any worse to me, but the downside is that i've broken a couple of high e strings bending and i hadn't done that in decades.

i did use 11's on semi-hollows and 10's on everything else, bumping that down to use the 10's on those and 9's on everything else. it's a work in progress though.

[UrenragK]

Played 9's for a long time, just got a couple of packs of 7's to have a go with.

If they're alright for Billy Gibbons . . .

[rrobbone]

After some experimentation, I stick with 9's. There's a slight difference with two of my guitars as opposed to 10's or bigger, but I can compensate for that in production.

[PsychoCid]

i used 10s for years but recently switched down to 9s (as a result of some of these videos). it does feel a little slinkier and easier to play and doesn't sound any worse to me, but the downside is that i've broken a couple of high e strings bending and i hadn't done that in decades.

i did use 11's on semi-hollows and 10's on everything else, bumping that down to use the 10's on those and 9's on everything else. it's a work in progress though.

Yeah last string I remember breaking was an 8 while a friend was asking me to teach him a few things.

I bend the ever loving snot out of 9s though, bend more than anyone I know. However they are Ernie Ball Slinkies and I hand stretch every string at installation. When hand stretching I am generally pulling them completely off and away from the fretboard. No breaks!

[mozz]

25.5 in scale I string with 9s.
24.75 in scale I string with 10s.

QFT

[MattFireblade]

I wanted to try NYXL with a wound 3rd, so my Tempest has 12s on it, but is tuned to Drop C#. I wish they had a 10 set with a wound third in the NYXLs. Might try a String Joy or Kalium set next on the AD.

[ID10t]

25.5 in scale I string with 9s.
24.75 in scale I string with 10s.

Never played 8s and its been a long time since I've played on 11s. I try to stick with 10s and 9s Elixir nanowebs and buy the 3 packs on sale around the holidays.

I'm moving that direction. It is mostly the case now but I have some stragglers. I am experimenting with ways to not suck and I think Ernie Balls are gonna be it. I do have a tele strung with 8's and I like them enough that I just got another 3 sets to keep stocked.
My thinking is like putting a donut on a baseball bat to take practice swings with sorta thing. I am trying to get away from my death grip so I put 8's on to keep me lose. When I play the Liquid with 10 they feel like ropes to me and then when I play my Staet with 9's it feels just right.
I initially switched from 9's to 10's because though the 9's bend easier, the extra thinness of them was mandolin slicing my finger tips.

[golem]

I used to cut my fingertips with 9s on a guitar I had. I've generally preferred 10s since. I'll use thicker string gauges for lower tunings.

[golem]

Another double post. Fun.

[slowhand84]

Here's an old favorite.

I was taught to play on 11s which I always thought felt heavy. Then I got to 10s which were nicer. And I've been on 9s for ages now. Only dabbled with 8s once, but do have a slinky set and will probably string those up on the Les Paul or Wolfgang next.

Based on this recording, the only one I'd say is a non-winner is 10s. 11s sound great and boomy, 9s have that clear cut, and 8s have that great 70s sound. From these clips, what do you prefer?

Clips on Youtube are entirely worthless for determining anything or comparing anything, because there are 100 other factors impacting the tone you're hearing - the player, the amp, the pedals, the guitar, the pickups, the recording setup, the room, the speakers/setup you're using on your end to listen to said clip, etc. There is no guarantee that what you like most in this clip is what you'll like the most on your guitar(s) at home, or even that there'll be any consistency from one guitar to the next.

Most of my guitars have stainless frets and if I use 9s I feel like things are way too slinky. 10s are a perfect balance for me with stainless in standard tuning, and I use 11s with the guitars I keep tuned a step down, drop C, etc.

[glasshand]

I used to play 11s - or was it even 12s? - because I was a big believer in the whole "BIGGER STRINGZ = BIGGER TONEZ" thing. A few years back I was in a serious rut and almost gave up on playing the guitar entirely, but instead I decided to try and change up everything and see if it would shake things up. So I tried 8s, and those were a bit too flimsy, but I ended up being a very happy user of 9s (across the board on scale length, although virtually everything I have is 24.75" anyway). I am now a pretty firm believer that string gauge is an extremely minor contributor to tone.

[PsychoCid]

Here's an old favorite.

I was taught to play on 11s which I always thought felt heavy. Then I got to 10s which were nicer. And I've been on 9s for ages now. Only dabbled with 8s once, but do have a slinky set and will probably string those up on the Les Paul or Wolfgang next.

Based on this recording, the only one I'd say is a non-winner is 10s. 11s sound great and boomy, 9s have that clear cut, and 8s have that great 70s sound. From these clips, what do you prefer?

Clips on Youtube are entirely worthless for determining anything or comparing anything, because there are 100 other factors impacting the tone you're hearing - the player, the amp, the pedals, the guitar, the pickups, the recording setup, the room, the speakers/setup you're using on your end to listen to said clip, etc. There is no guarantee that what you like most in this clip is what you'll like the most on your guitar(s) at home, or even that there'll be any consistency from one guitar to the next.

Most of my guitars have stainless frets and if I use 9s I feel like things are way too slinky. 10s are a perfect balance for me with stainless in standard tuning, and I use 11s with the guitars I keep tuned a step down, drop C, etc.

If one cannot tell from this clip that 8s will cut and 11s will boom, even in your own room, then perhaps an ear nose and throat doctor can help.

Otherwise it's like making a claim that you can't tell a Ferrari apart from a Ford because it's a YouTube video.

If someone is anticipating boom from 8s and cut from 11s, then they may need a psychiatrist rather than an ear guy.

[Partscaster]

10-38 has been my choice.
I need to go down to 8-38 to eleviate some wrist tendonitis that I am pretty much healed from..I hope.
(I really need to warm-up better, stretch more, and use anti-inflamitants more regularly.)

[slowhand84]

Here's an old favorite.

I was taught to play on 11s which I always thought felt heavy. Then I got to 10s which were nicer. And I've been on 9s for ages now. Only dabbled with 8s once, but do have a slinky set and will probably string those up on the Les Paul or Wolfgang next.

Based on this recording, the only one I'd say is a non-winner is 10s. 11s sound great and boomy, 9s have that clear cut, and 8s have that great 70s sound. From these clips, what do you prefer?

Clips on Youtube are entirely worthless for determining anything or comparing anything, because there are 100 other factors impacting the tone you're hearing - the player, the amp, the pedals, the guitar, the pickups, the recording setup, the room, the speakers/setup you're using on your end to listen to said clip, etc. There is no guarantee that what you like most in this clip is what you'll like the most on your guitar(s) at home, or even that there'll be any consistency from one guitar to the next.

Most of my guitars have stainless frets and if I use 9s I feel like things are way too slinky. 10s are a perfect balance for me with stainless in standard tuning, and I use 11s with the guitars I keep tuned a step down, drop C, etc.

If one cannot tell from this clip that 8s will cut and 11s will boom, even in your own room, then perhaps an ear nose and throat doctor can help.

Otherwise it's like making a claim that you can't tell a Ferrari apart from a Ford because it's a YouTube video.

If someone is anticipating boom from 8s and cut from 11s, then they may need a psychiatrist rather than an ear guy.

Reread my post again, it’ll help you understand what I actually said versus what you thought I said .

[zisme]

my priority with strings is feel. 10s are my happy place in standard tuning - for both 25.5 and 24.75

[PsychoCid]

Clips on Youtube are entirely worthless for determining anything or comparing anything, because there are 100 other factors impacting the tone you're hearing - the player, the amp, the pedals, the guitar, the pickups, the recording setup, the room, the speakers/setup you're using on your end to listen to said clip, etc. There is no guarantee that what you like most in this clip is what you'll like the most on your guitar(s) at home, or even that there'll be any consistency from one guitar to the next.

Most of my guitars have stainless frets and if I use 9s I feel like things are way too slinky. 10s are a perfect balance for me with stainless in standard tuning, and I use 11s with the guitars I keep tuned a step down, drop C, etc.

If one cannot tell from this clip that 8s will cut and 11s will boom, even in your own room, then perhaps an ear nose and throat doctor can help.

Otherwise it's like making a claim that you can't tell a Ferrari apart from a Ford because it's a YouTube video.

If someone is anticipating boom from 8s and cut from 11s, then they may need a psychiatrist rather than an ear guy.

Reread my post again, it’ll help you understand what I actually said versus what you thought I said .

"Clips on YouTube are entirely worthless...for comparing anything...because of other factors"

Patently false, my brother. You can tell, crystal clear, which ones create more boom and which create more cut.

[slowhand84]

If one cannot tell from this clip that 8s will cut and 11s will boom, even in your own room, then perhaps an ear nose and throat doctor can help.

Otherwise it's like making a claim that you can't tell a Ferrari apart from a Ford because it's a YouTube video.

If someone is anticipating boom from 8s and cut from 11s, then they may need a psychiatrist rather than an ear guy.

Reread my post again, it’ll help you understand what I actually said versus what you thought I said .

"Clips on YouTube are entirely worthless...for comparing anything...because of other factors"

Patently false, my brother. You can tell, crystal clear, which ones create more boom and which create more cut.

We can agree to disagree man. I just know how many factors are involved in what you're hearing and just how easy it is to manipulate those. My main point which maybe I presented a bit too harshly is that it's really best to test stuff out for yourself on your own rig at home with your own gear and not just take cues from Youtube. I've purchased pedals in the past based on demos that sounded good on YT but they sounded like crap in my rig, and the opposite has been true too..pedals that were meh in demos but sounded amazing at home with my own amp and guitars. My point was never that I couldn't discern any differences in this clip, and I never said that...so no need to commit me to the psych ward just yet . I just feel that trying to narrow down what you're hearing to just going up or down one string gauge is kinda tough given the myriad of other factors at play.

Not to mention that the difference (unless you're comparing say 8s to 12s) is really not that big, and it's very easy to make up any small differences even with something as simple as the way you play, pedals you use, etc. For me string gauge has always really just come down to comfort, I have never given it any thought as far as tone goes or really seen any advantage to making the guitar harder to play with a set of 11s or 12s versus my usual 10s. I use thicker strings on guitars I drop tune just so things don't get floppy, but that's pretty much it.

Either way, just an opinion. We all have 'em

[RockYoWorld]

I use a balanced tension 9 set on my 25.5" scale guitars in standard. I like how 10's sound and use them on my drop D 25.5" scale guitars, but 9's are a lot easier on my hands for 3-hour-long shows.

I use 10's on my 24.75" scale guitars in both standard and drop D. I prefer 25.5" scale guitars for sure.

[PsychoCid]

Reread my post again, it’ll help you understand what I actually said versus what you thought I said .

"Clips on YouTube are entirely worthless...for comparing anything...because of other factors"

Patently false, my brother. You can tell, crystal clear, which ones create more boom and which create more cut.

We can agree to disagree man. I just know how many factors are involved in what you're hearing and just how easy it is to manipulate those. My main point which maybe I presented a bit too harshly is that it's really best to test stuff out for yourself on your own rig at home with your own gear and not just take cues from Youtube. I've purchased pedals in the past based on demos that sounded good on YT but they sounded like crap in my rig, and the opposite has been true too..pedals that were meh in demos but sounded amazing at home with my own amp and guitars. My point was never that I couldn't discern any differences in this clip, and I never said that...so no need to commit me to the psych ward just yet . I just feel that trying to narrow down what you're hearing to just going up or down one string gauge is kinda tough given the myriad of other factors at play.

Not to mention that the difference (unless you're comparing say 8s to 12s) is really not that big, and it's very easy to make up any small differences even with something as simple as the way you play, pedals you use, etc. For me string gauge has always really just come down to comfort, I have never given it any thought as far as tone goes or really seen any advantage to making the guitar harder to play with a set of 11s or 12s versus my usual 10s. I use thicker strings on guitars I drop tune just so things don't get floppy, but that's pretty much it.

Either way, just an opinion. We all have 'em

Right on, and this I agree with. While you cannot tell the final quality from a YouTube video, you can tell differences.