Months old, I know I know. But what does your pick-ups magnetic field do to string gauge ?🤔 I have my old pal 1965 Vox Lynx that I installed 1971 Mighty-Mites into and it is unplayable with light strings (9's or less). I'm not talking about the zero fret, I'm talking magnetic field power, 9's on this guitar will stick to the pick-up if i get too froggy. My rule of thumb when choosing strings is to install the thinnest possible that don't cause any mechanical issues and feel good to the hand. Its inconvenient as all get out to keep all those different sizes on hand but if it allows the guitar to sound "better", or just feel better, why not ? 👍
after watching your video with rick and now yours i went ahead and changed my strings to 9's. I have the same tremelo with a string through body on my schecter omen 6. With the 9's i feel the GBE are just too slinky. it also interferes with my fingers when im playing chords. I prefer the 10's because it forces me to focus harder on my vibrato and bends. Also i find my guitar hates the 9's....it goes way out of tune very easily. i don't have locking tuners so its just too much. honestly the 10's just feel better for me but in Ricks video i definitely heard a huge difference in tone with the 9's...they sounded way better.
I have always been a believer in heavier gauge strings. Recently, however, I had occasion to switch from .011s to .0095s on my Tele due to an ordering error. Thankfully I tried out the .0095s before sending them back. There was a profound tonal difference and now I’m a believer.
I dropped my string gauge from .010 to .009 a few years ago and every single benefit you mentioned is the exact same benefit I noticed. I even tried to go to .008 to see if I could improve it that much more, but it was way too light for my touch. I also dig in and play pretty heavy-handed. My vibratos are much more controlled with 9s and I'm hitting 2-step bends with very little effort.
in my 30 years of experience: don't go for the sound, go for the feeling! Go for the ones that make you play better, that let you feel comfortable, that make your bends more accurate... you can always change the sound with pickup balance, or even an Eq in front of signal chain (which also works to match guitar sounds)!
Aaahhhh finally someone with same opinion. I use 11 because i frequently overbend with thinner string, and you know how horrible a solo with overbend. But speaking about comfortable no doubt 9 or even 8 is the best.
thats a great point but i see it differently - go for the sound because you will get used to anything. if you learn to be staying in your comfort zone - especially as a guitarist, that will be fatal for your progress. and most importantly, if you play live a lot, you will get the reward of the best sound possible that could come out of your gear!
@@thatez i disagree with you. The difference of the sound is just a little, doesn't worth to sacrifice the playability IMO. But SRV do use a very tight string. So i think you win this time.
Couldn’t agree more my man. Feel is absolute paramount over sound. Feel gets you the best sound. Perfect example for me, I will always feel at home on a rosewood neck as compared to maple. Doesn’t matter how good an amp or pick ups are on the maple neck, I’ll 99 out of 100 go to rosewood
For most of my playing life I used 10s with varying degrees of success. For the last 7 years I’ve been using 11-52 on my electrics (tele, strat, SG, Lp). Being very heavy handed I found it kept me from pulling notes out of tune. I got a new Lp studio recently that came with 10s. I kept them in awhile and played them. It felt so good I’m switching almost all my guitars to 10s. ps- we have matching Timmys, same color, bought from the same place at roughly the same time!
I’ve been using light tops and heavy bottoms, for years, which suited my heavy play style at the time. But now I’m looking for a solid set of 9s that can allow me to hold chords better. This video gave me that reassurance
I use light gauge on all my guitars except one that I have for doom and sludge. Light top, heavy bottom but I tune it in C standard, so it still easy to play.
My set I use a 7 string super slinky set on my 6 string so it’s 52,42,32,16,11,9 I play thrash so I like the low strings thick to chug and the high light for harmony sections
Billy Gibbons also believed in heavy gauge strings. He shared his story from many years ago that he and BB King played each other’s guitar. Billy was surprised Lucille had light gauge. He asked BB about it and BB asked him, “Why are you working so hard?” Billy has played light gauge since.
Exact same here. I've been using 9's since the '70's when I always played Fenders. Now that they have come out with 9.5's I use them on my Gibsons and short scale guitars for a slight normalization between the two.
9s are my sweet spot since the 70s too. Sometimes heavy bottom, and I like 10s for metal because huge hands 🙌🏼 But yeah, always come back to 9s. Tried 8s, too much effort being careful not to squeeze. I don't like any distractions from the groove 😎
Went out after Rick’s video yesterday and got a set of 9s. Yup. It feels like a different world. Thank you, this video confirms it’s not just in my head! I’ve been playing 10s, or even heavier, for over 25 years, and the 9s feel and sound “new”, and actually exciting. One thing that struck me, though, is my muscle memory still wants to push down on the frets harder, which actually raises the notes slight out of tune. Anyone else finding that after switching from a heavier gauge? Just got to get used to pressing lighter! EDIT!! Ha, I thought the video was over after the first guitar. You spoke exactly about pushing too hard like you’re still playing heavier gauge strings! Too funny. So it’s not just me. 😀
Unrelated to the topic of strings, I love it when people say they've been wrong about something and changed their minds. Because it's a true show of character and strength, and represents a small betterment of the world as a whole. We, collectively speaking, are not doing enough of that by far. Thanks, Rhett!
I've watched the Rick's video a few days ago and now I've watched this. It's so nice to be able to hear the difference brtween different gauge strings. I've been playing electric guitar for over 30 years and for me it's totally backwards. I started playing 0.09, then 0.08, then 0.09 again, then 0.10, then 0.11 and every change to a thicker gauge has been a massive improvement on my sound and how I feel playing, it also helped me to improve both hands technique and gain lots of speed and cleansiness (for what I always heard before... at first I thought that I would always play a little slower vs using thinner strings, but in fact it was the opposite way... so don't always listen to others to take your own choices). I play mainly jazz and metal, and I like every style between those, and for my specific needs 0.11 gauge strings are far better than thinner strings. For jazz they are absolutely perfect, and for metal it couldn't sound more brutal, the riffs sounds amazing and the solos couldn't sound more clear and clean... although you may have a fuller bottom end sound but there's a magic weapon called EQ that can solve that in a second.... if there's a problem there, but if you record and mix you have to EQ your guitar anyway. I've used thinner strings some times but I just can't get use to them. Although I'm thinking on getting a stratocaster, and I think I will use 0.10 or 0.09 on that guitar, because the sound I'm looking for I think would be easier to get with thinner strings on that specific guitar. Be aware that every string gauge has pros and cons so there's no such thing as "better string gauge than other"... and the best way to find out what's better for you is if you try it by yourself.... what's the best combination for some people, may be the worst for some other people.. so give it a try to see what's better for your particular needs. Have in mind if you change string gauge maybe is a good idea to try different picks shape/size/thickness too, to match better the combination with the new strings. Cheers!!!
I found this and Rick’s video both really useful, and had switched to 9 gauge strings on all of my guitars of all scale lengths. The only guitar this didn’t work for is my EVH Wolfgang which is in Eb, once you drop tension I think 10s are required otherwise notes go out of tune too easy. Thanks Rhett for a very educational vid!
I've found that picks change tone more than strings, but no one seems to care. But seriously, grab a bunch of different styles of picks, swap through them quickly and listen objectively - you'll notice that picks make FAR more of a difference in tone than strings.
Decades ago I was a bassist with a clamp of a fretting hand. When I took up electric guitar I ran 9’s on purpose to force myself to lighten my fretting and picking. Worked. I’m much more relaxed. Funny thing about guitarists figuring out the mid and low end response regarding gauge. Bassists have known this for decades. :)
I had nearly always use 9-42s on my electric guitars. My touch is a little heavy since I go back and forth between acoustic and electric. I thought I would try 10-46. I had less trouble pulling them out of tune but found them much harder to bend. I went back to 9s but I use custom light 9-46 now and pay more attention to keep my touch a little lighter.
I know this is 4 years later, but this and Rick Beato's videos were such an eye opener! I was seriously just this week planning to change one of my 5 guitars from 9's to 10's. I was also of the impression I needed to replace the nut to do that. This saved me a lot of unnecessary work. Now I am instead going to switch my four 10's to 9's (I read very little adjustment needed). My one guitar with the 9's does feel better to play. Thanks you guys!
I agree with you, and there's other ways to brighten up the sound of heavy strings, like using pure nickel wounded strings and/or higher value tone and volume pots.
I'm kinda landing here myself. Tension. I literally just got a Novo. And those stock 10s were killing me!! So. Much. Flop. Gonna have to do an honest job of testing this myself. But two days of playing 10s on this Serus and I was begging for a little more tension. 11s on last night. We'll see how it goes.
Who said you need to "fight" strings? Why?? Tell that to most of the guitar heroes of the 60's, 70's & 80's, who used .009s, .008s, and even .007s! Much of it is in how you play. If you're a ham-fisted slammer, sure, the .008s are going to sound weird (and maybe even out of tune) but they will help your touch to play and get used to them. I've been using .008s and .009s for years. Go tell Billy Gibbons, EVH, Clapton, Beck, Gilmour, Zappa, or Frampton that their tone sucks because they're using light strings.
tha hacksaw sounds like what happened to me when I got my Jazzmaster. I had to get 11s so the tension felt right. From the vibrato tailpiece to the tuners the overall string length is much longer than say a Tele/Strat. So I needed a thicker string gauge to yield a similar tension. Let me know what you discover when you get the new set of strings.
I watched the video when you were at Rick's, I wanted to cc my comments here too. Great work guys !! I totally agree !! I'm 53 and have been playing guitar since I was 11. I only started to play electric about 10 years ago. I chose to put 11's on my tele and 12's on my 355 because I found I had a strong finger pressure having played acoustic all my life, usually with 11's on my acoustics, and I had a tendancy of sharpening some notes on my electric if the string gauge was too light. I recently dropped my tele down to 10's, my 355 down to 11's and my acoustics to 10's and I am very happy with that. I especially found my acoustics sounded louder and had a fuller sound with the 10's. Having dropped gauges on both my acoustics and electrics, my finger pressure has adapted.
Good video Rhett, your point is there are so many variables...but feel is everything. I use that same set of strings myself, but shy away from light gage, I break em to often.
I have been playing since i was 14. I have had arthritis since I was 15. I switched from 11s to hybrid slinky 9-46 on my electric and from 13s to Earthwood extra light 10-50s on my acoustic. I had gotten to the point that I could barely play and now, after years of relearning and making adjustments to accommodate my joints, I can play because of lighter strings. I barely even touch the guitar, fretting is light, strumming is lighter. I wish i had learned a decade ago to stop beating on the guitar so much and stop trying to manhandle heavy strings into submission, I wouldn't have had to quit playing.
When I was in my teens (early 70’s) there were two phenomenal guitarists at my school. The one thing both had in common was their light touch. They just seemed to float over the fretboard and barely touched the strings when fretting. I tried, but was unable to duplicate their style.
@@iainmcguire7190 from 15 till nearly 30 years old. My hands are worse now at 35, but my playing, though still not fast, is better and while you may think that's practice and I'm some ways you're right it is also due to the change in strings, it doesn't hurt like it used to.
Just came across your channel, love it. As for this video I've gone back and forth mostly using 10's. I always think 9's are going to work for me, because it is easier to play with less effort. Then I go back to my 10's because on my strat I'm just to aggressive on the neck, and it's easier for me to not over compensate bends or just strangling the neck to hard. I'm a dad rock blues man, so 10 just suit me. Not to mention I feel my guitars tune up better with 10's, idk that could just be my mind playing tricks though lol. Beautiful les paul you have ❤
Thank you. This follow up was really helpful. I play down-tuned (usually open D) but this does make me think a lot about my preference for heavier strings. (I sometimes even add a couple proper bass strings into my equation) Kudos
I switched up from real string to metal strings and I've never looked back. The sound isn't so woolly anymore and sound comes through the amp now. Thank you.
I decided to not only try 9 s, but to tune down half a step also. Im in love with it I should have done this 10 years ago my wrist and fingers are eternally grateful, and my tone.
I recently started using 8's and I love them. I feel like I play better because my guitars are easier to play. To me they sound just as good as the heavier guage strings I was using.
I watched Rick's video and then this one and found the experiment pretty interesting. I don't think I've ever played 8's but did play 9's for a time before switching to 10's which I've stuck with for many years. My band played a mini tour in Italy where all the instruments were provided by other bands (never again!) I'll never forget being handed a Strat fitted with ultra light strings and breaking 3 of them in short order. I don't have a particularly heavy hand but I think they'd take a lot of getting used to for me.
Yep less finger probs . Like most say start on a acoustic guitar that's well set up .your get the feel of the tones and will be harder but going to electric it will be easier .
@@David-uq2uk start on an instrument that is more difficult to play because it's more difficult to play? That's an awful suggestion. Start on the kind of guitar you want to play.
@@morganghetti Personally I like practicing picking exercises on the acoustic because it forces me to put more effort to make it sound correctly, then when I come back to the electric, everything feels easier
@@morganghetti i started on a squire strat 17 years ago, so i have no say in this.. however, I've been told by multiple people that they think its best to start on an acoustic.. the idea is, if you can master the acoustic, you can master the electric. in theory its a good idea. However, in practice, the player must be very committed for it to work
I've always gravitated back to 9's mostly for the feel, but I like how you guys are also approaching it from a tone perspective. Would love to hear your thoughts on it from the perspective of different musical genres as well.
@@stefangranberg9319the only issues I’ve had with 9s is when you need to tone down for metal you can only go so far but from my experience I like 9s on electric and 11 on acoustic
I play that combination for years. 9 are too soft for top 3 three string. 10 are not comfy enough for low 3. 46-9 ernie ball hybrid stainless for the win.
I've experimented with this a LOT myself. Generally speaking, there is little tone difference, almost none when using heavy gain. Where I see the big differences are in four areas: 1. The lighter the lower strings, the more sharp they go when I hit them hard. So really picking the low E on a set of .009s makes that string go way sharp for a short moment. 2. Bending, micro-bending, with lighter strings definitely does not gives the same degree of body. Picking a .013 versus an .011 not such a difference. Playing quite clean doing a lot of sustained bends, it's a world of difference. 3. Fretting chords with lighter strings tends to make them go sharp. not all chords are as practical for using a feather touch for chording. 4. I can speed pick way easier on heavier strings. To me it seems that I can feel them better. With the really light ones it's as if there is no solidity there to give my brain the feedback that the string has been picked.
Agree on all points. In both Beato's video and this one, everything has a ton of gain/distortion. If you primarily play clean and don't bend a lot (like a jazz player), heavier strings sound better and play better too.
@DurdyClaude when I was 14 I used the Zakk Wylde signature GHS Boomers in 11-70. Then I grew up and became a real man so now I play bass. I'm 42% kidding, so don't be mad.
My impression exactly. The 9th just seem to lack "structure" that the 10s have. And I always have to pay attention in order not to press too hard with the 9s, which may get annoying at times.
Well said. I would add that note attack and decay is completely different on 11s vs 9s. People saying you can just EQ the sound are missing a lot of the nuance.
I think I always used 11's when I played. I finally got back into guitar after a 5 year hiatus and I'm gonna go with 9's! I really liked the way the 9's sounded in the video you did with the other guys!
I know this is a two year old video, but I'm glad I found it. I'm getting back into electric after a 20 year hiatus. I always played 9's as a teenager/twentysomething because I found them easier to bend and play with. I kind of thought that now that I'm an adult, I should switch to a more "serious" gauge of string - figuring they'd sound better. I no longer feel like I have to do that. Which is good, because these days my wrists, tendons and fingers are not as strong as they once were. Nice channel.
It’s more or less the tension for me not so much the tone, tend to go over bend and play out of tune on 8s or 9s on a les Paul scale. 10s have that sweet spot for me
Zyn Tear - Agree on the tension thing. I over bend too. I think of it as using a Bigsby versus a Floyd Rose, if that makes sense. I fell more in control with the heavier strings.
Zyn Tear yup I had 9's on the junior I had to change to 10's as I play acoustic predominantly and I was out of tune with chords all the time on the junior with 9's
I'm a relative guitar newbie. I had been using 9s on my strat, just because that's what it came with, so I kept replacing like-for-like. (I had just re-strung the day before seeing Rick's electric guitar string gauge video). I watched the acoustic string video last night and I've been down to get some 10s today. I'll get that re-strung tonight, down from the 12s that I'd been using until now. Checked with my guitar tutor, who said we'll just need to check/adjust the truss rod afterwards. Thank you for arming me with a bit more knowledge!
I dropped to 9's on my tele a couple years back to help compensate for a warped in over-bow, hoping the reduced string tension would encourage the neck to return to true over time. I'm just a little guy and though I do notice a small improvement in clarity, I find I tire a lot less quickly and my pick accuracy has improved immensely. Now, if I could find 9-42 in an acoustic string and an 8-38 would be interesting as well. Thank you for an awesome channel, Rhett. I too found you through a few of the video's on Rick Beato's channel and I like that you're not afraid to write a song that includes a solo, they really need to come back into fashion again soon.
I had a fella (who's an exceptionally good player on acoustic and electric) tell me once that he let's the guitar tell him what gauge strings it wants. That sort of makes sense to me and I find that I've kinda always done that without really considering it very much. Heavier strings _do_ make more "voice", but it seems to me that it's sort of a balancing act: how much tension (for the level of accurate-to-your-playing-style and facility-of-hand) vs. what size strings give the particular guitar you're playing the right midrange voice you need/want to hear, without too much lower midrange rucking up the low end and making it muddy. For instance, I string my strats with .009, .012, .015, .024, .032, .042, and I string LP scale guitars with .009.5, .013, .016, .024, .034, .044. For me, with some nerve damage in my neck and left arm & with not-so-large mitts (curse you Rhett, lol!), I still get plenty of not-muddy low-end 'kong' and my high strings don't sound 'twinkly' & are still very bendable for the amount of strength I have. My opinion is: let your guitar, your ears, your style, and your own level of strength and facility tell you which strings to use on any particular instrument that you're going to play regularly. Great video Rhett, and thanks!
Same here - I have a Strat Junior that seems to be happy with some 10's, a Hamer V that SCREAMS at me to use 8's, and an original Jackson RR Pro with EMG's that wants 12's. (but it hurts me too much and I can't get the spring tension low enough and do 11's)
tommy emmanuel once said: "the best strings are the ones that your guitar likes". i also went up and down. 8s to 11s and back, but recently i discovered that my tele and my 335 felt the best when strung with 10s. this depends so much on your picking hand, the pick you use, but also on the volume you're playing. it's all higly subjective
That’s exactly right. My SG prefers 11’s but my ESP prefers 10’s. My Universe prefers a 54 on the bottom. It’s all in math and measurements on the build.
Aren't all guitars basically set up from the factory for a specific string gauge? I know it's true for acoustic guitars. Correct me here if I'm wrong, but that does mean that a guitar set up for 10s will never play as good with 9s without an additional setup, doesn't it? There is a different force exerted on the neck, which translates to a different ( and, in case of a good setup before, a worse ) action, fret buzzing or too much space between the strings and the pickup in case of electric guitars, depending on which gauge you chose. So at least give your truss rods a whirl if you change string thickness - and even better, check the intonation when trying out new string gauges - otherwise your guitar will always play best with the string gauge it had on when it was last set up, assuming you had a competent setup done. In the same vein, a full setup will get a good guitar to play well with any string gauge. I firmly believe there is no such thing as the 'optimal' string gauge for a guitar, there are just two possibilities: the gauge your guitar is set up for and all the other gauges ( and tunings, for that matter ).
@@TheGrandmaMoses They put strings on them, but they don't give them a real setup. If you have a good distributor with luthiers knowledge and skills, HE does that job. Then the cheap OEM strings are often replaced by an A brand.
This is where I have done some research for a long time. The first set of dimebag Darrell signature strings I bought opened my eyes. To many people stick with the old 9s,10s,11s get you a hybrid set 10s on the top the larger strings and is on the bottom the smaller strings. Even the. Though I always break my high E strong when I get into it every time! So I have dove into the hybrid string theory
good comments... I have long believed in the lighter gauge v tone...both your videos confirmed what I have always thought to be the case... thank you for your efforts
The whole focus on this experiment is tone and feel. But I think you're missing another important factor that string gauge affects. Sustain. I have experimented myself with gauges for years and have definitely noticed that lighter strings don't vibrate as long as a heavier gauge and therefore have less natural sustain. This may not be as important if you"re main source of sustain is electronic, such as compression or distortion, but I prefer the sound of a my Gibson 335s natural sustain and there is noticeably more with heavier stings. Also if your pickups are set close to the strings, the magnetic poles will stop a lighter string from vibrating faster than a heavy one. I have tried 9s and even 8s but have always gone back to 10s and it wasn't for tone. It was for the sustain. Just my opinion.
This. The other part of this that's not mentioned, is yes the heavier gauge strings lack clarity in the lower end that the lighter gauge strings provides. However, this is because there's more going on in the low end. There's more resonance.There's more of the low end frequencies present. Get a 10-band eq - you can easily take some of that low end out precisely where you want and tame the low end yourself even better than the lighter gauge can on their own. Also, you can cut those frequencies out of the heavier gauge strings much better and much more easily than you could add in any frequencies that might be missing entirely in the tone on the lighter gauge strings.
Thanks for posting this. God only know why, but I've used 11s forever. On the strength of this and Rick Beato's video about string gauge, I switched over the weekend to 9s and I love 'em. Your comment about lighter strings forcing you to lighten your touch is absolutely true. I'll never go back to 11s.
Ive been playing guitar 35+years, started out on 9's, and on my quest for tone and feel ive experimented with 10's,11's even 12's but i always go back to 9's. I love them.
We can start the 9 club lol, NEVER ever have liked anything else, 8's are ok, but too light, and I hate 10's, or god forbid even heavier. For me, it about what I like, not anything else.
Wait till you try the 1vs string set, turned my strat unit a crystal clear base... LOL Good timing on yours and Rick's video. Both are eye opening and well done. You both erased 30 years of guitar and musician snake oil myths, legends, SRV isms, and bullcrap. Thank you for making the guitar world a better place. Good timing in your video. My e string just broke. Had 9s on, only had some 10s in my stash, put those on kep adjusting my pups to increase clarity, now I know why. Ordering some 9s and eights now.
I played standard 9s for pretty long but the past 2 years I've been playing 10-52 sets and I absolutely love the tension in the lower strings and soloing is great, as 10s aren't too tense for 24.75 inch scale length. I've been thinking about trying a 9 hybrid set maybe, but I've such a good setup on my guitar, that I really don't want to touch it and potentially ruin the setup.
@@davisdeen-ty4so Not exactly true. He came back to 10-46 at the end of his carrer and he stated that 13s were very hard to play with, that's not because they sounded better. That's because he wanted tunning and intonation stability...
I've always played 11s on electric and 12s on acoustic, as I was also told in the early days that thicker strings had more tone. This has been an eye opener, but the problem I have is, it's not actually so much about the sound, I actually dislike the lack of tension on light strings, that would be the biggest issue for me. I hate strings that I feel are flopping around under my fingers! So this would be an interesting experiment to try for myself, but I would need to learn to enjoy playing with the light tension, which would take some work...
You get used to it really quickly in practice. I always felt that higher tension helped me play fast because the strings felt like they reset position faster. But after hearing Paul Gilbert make the admission that sometimes for difficult parts he'd switch to lighter strings, 10s to 9s or 9s to 8s depending because they're easier to play fast I retried, committed a bit and unsurprisingly the shred god was correct. There's a limit obviously, and I'm not sure 7s for instance are ideal for shred, but 8s and 9s are incredibly playable, and as soon as you're used to it it's amazing how dynamic your playing feels. Now my absolute favourites are 8.5s (Ernie Ball Mighty Slinky), which is the ideal gauge for me.
That's my view on light gauges too. I've used Ernie Ball 10s for years and also tried 9s anda while back I tried some Billy Gibbons Mexican Lottery 7s out of curiosity. They sound OK, stay in tune and of course allow for huge bends, but I hated that 'soft' feel and lack of resistance. I like to feel I'm having to work a bit when I play!
Switching gauges means more than changing strings. You have to set the guitar up for that gauge i.e. Neck relief, action, intonation. Also the nut slots may be too wide/deep if going from heavier to lighter.
A guy once told me that he based the guage of strings he needs on how they perform while gigging, so if he finds that he's breaking strings really often he would have went up a set and that's how he found the set that suited him, but I think this concept is super important for recording especially because you want the best tone possible. Awesome video, really appreciate it man thanks
Funny thing: I used to break 2-6 strings each night when I played 11-58 on my Strat Plus using a 1 mm Tortex pick. Swapped to 10-46 and broke 1-2 each night with the same pick. For the last 8-9 years I've played 09-42 with V-Picks Nexus 5.8 mm and haven't broken a single string live since the swap. They last 4 full gigs without any issues, and I swap them when the bass strings get too dull sounding.
From what I can gather: Overall, going lighter than the "current trend" seems to be the ideal way to go for a couple of reasons: lighter strings are literally easier for you to manipulate on the fretboard, they're "healthier" for your hands in the long run (I can imagine carpal tunnel becoming a problem using heavier strings), they can potentially become more responsive to the player's technique relative to heavier strings via opening up possibilities in the subtle right hand movements category, they apparently have a "more desirable EQ range" (I am not saying that right, but I think you get what I am trying to say). SRV had enormously muscular hands (genetics?! IDFK) and rather than dismissing his intelligence, I think this is more of an example of adjusting to YOUR OWN needs. If you have hands like him and play 10s, it is probably just like most of the guitar world shifting toward 9s and you were just ahead of the curve, lol. I have always been a player that prefers utility and practicality over equipment that "nails xyz tone" or is more showy or popular. For instance, by adding a buffer to my chain and, I guess unfortunately (?), avoiding fuzz/distortion pedals that allow that special "roll off the volume on the guitar" trick, I can use a coil-ly cable as my guitar to rig cable. I no longer need to remember to walk around the opposite direction on even numbered days, lol. I also try to limit the number of my guitars to whether or not I need a different tuning or not and try to give myself onboard EQ options (passive treble bass circuits, parametric EQ circuits, extra pickup options, or extra pickups). I, therefore, only need a different guitar if I am in a different tuning, in order to hold tensions uniform and not fuck up the intonation by re-tuning a string or two. I have basically ALL of the guitar/pickup character options in one machine. It SEEMS guitar culture is definitely headed this more utilitarian direction and away from the legend worship or "this is what is popular" culture. Which makes sense, and this realization about string gauges is an example of that. I think even manufacturers are catching on and giving players MORE options (Fender's offset and alternate reality whatever stuff or Boss's multilevel scheme for pedal choice (Does a DD-7 take care of my delay needs or do I need a DD-200 or even DD-500?!)) It is an exciting time for electric guitar, still THE MOST dynamic to play live instrument in existence today.
Always used 9's on everything but i tried a pack of the lottery 7's on a strat i have and the effort of playing is amazingly easy and the strings are very resilient and now that i'm leaving the WH i have more time to practice. lol
That was to Billy Gibbons. Billy has followed his advice ever since. I have been using 11's on my longer scale single coils, Fenders, and 10's on my shorter scale Les Pauls since the Eighties after seeing SRV live 10 times. Rick's video and my 61 year old hands got me thinking maybe I should experiment a little. I use 13's on my Martin D28.
Am I that weird? I do not believ in changing strings! (EX: My fretless Rickenbacker bass has had its strings for over a decade! STILL sound skiller!) I play guitars that have had thei strings on for decades!!(I don't break strings.)
I’ve been playing 8’s since my early days of learning guitar and have always primarily played Lea Paul’s, and much like you said, I feel that the lighter strings feel a lot easier to get down on. I’ve tried various sizes but always end up back on light strings. Glad I’m not the only one who feels the same way lol
I was captured by the idea (myth?) that anything lighter than 10s wouldn't deliver enough tone. As a result of this video, I'm experimenting with lighter gauges and finding I do play better and with more confidence.
I've been using 9.5's for 20 years on my PRS Custom 24 and various Gibsons (Les Paul, Explorer, Flying V). They are fantastic! I still like playing 9's on my Strats, with the longer scale length being the difference. If you're unsure about going with 9's or 10's, do yourself a favor and give the 9.5's a try. I strongly recommend D'Addario. I think you'll love them!
I think that’s the ticket for me as well. It’s taken me several years to learn how to be light handed on guitar after playing bass for so long. 9.5 hmmm 🤔 I wonder if I can use this tuned low instead of 10’s ??? Great idea!
I use 9's on all my Strats, 10's on my Les Paul and 10s on my 24" Scale Jaguar and 10's on my 24.75" scale 335 style semi-hollow body. It's a scale length thing to me, lighter gauge on 25.5" Scale Guitars, a heavier 10ga on 24.75" scale length guitars & ditto for the 'extra' short scale Jag. There is mathematical reasoning behind this 'madness' it relates to string tension in foot-pounds / scale length inches. There are UA-cam videos on this 'somewhere' ;-) (ps: Dump the Slinky's, use real strings, D'Addario (kidding)
Cuthbert J. Twillie I agree with you. Use one gauge heavier on a shorter scale. It evens out the feel. So if you are going to go lighter then go lighter but keep the size bump the same.
I watched Rick's video and also another video from Musiciswin(thanks to the makers of those videos), to me the difference from thicker to thinner strings is comparable to hearing the sound through the wall from the next room to hearing the sound from the doorway. So depending on what kind of sound you want out of it should determine the size you need. I've only just begun playing and these videos gave me an insight I'd probably never have on my own, so thanks again to all involved! Cheers!!!
I went through this same "ah ha" moment not too long ago - I ended up switching all my Telecasters to 8's... I just make sure that I always carry at least 2 guitars to every single gig, breaking a string in the middle of a set sucks, having another ax you can just grab has saved me more than once. Great video!
I've wanted to do a similar test for my Jazz and Country playing. You saved me time and money! Thank you. With Country guitar, in particular, it's similar to funk and blues, with lots of clean voices, strange bends, etc. I was using 11s, and a guy at the shop was like try nine's - you're killing your fingers. He was right, and now this video seems to back it up.
To me, it seems as though the missing piece has always been stating the explicit context where something is 'better'. Yes, you hear more experienced producers saying something is 'better' but that implies it's ability to cut thru a mix (or something more than that), and that is probably not understood by most players, especially younger players who've never dealt with music at that level. When I just want to jam, or write, or play along to my heroes, I couldn't give two craps about the mix. I just want to enjoy a great tone in isolation. The takeaway is that there are different and very important contexts to consider in music where we can have two or more 'rights'.
Interesting, and what also can be happening is experienced ears are binding not mix friendly sounds to an emotional and deeper subconsious (and consious) level, so its an aquired taste to dont like what other people would like or accept in isolation, probably dont sound as right to someone experienced.
Fantastic comment! Something I've often thought when I listen to a video about right ways or right components, answers (opinions) are often biased to that persons circumstances, and or playing style. What is "right" for one doesn't have to be "right" for all. "Right" is right for you, and how and where you're playing.
@Christopher Velasquez And the next time Rick will do a video with a clean tone test and the thicker gauges will sound better. Damn, we're using the wrong strings again, lets get 11s! :D
Interesting and thoughtful take on the subject, thank you. I recently started rolling strings/gauges and find that I play differently depending on gauge. I'm settling on 9's on my Fenders, 8.5's may stay on some others. 8's are interesting, quite a big step away from 10's, but I may keep one axe strung w/ 8's just for days when finger fatigue/arthritis kicks in. Going all Slinky's as well.
Cool video. I'm a newer player. Not very good as i am still learning but i def picked up in the tone difference. The 9's hit the mid range sound i've been looking seeking. Thanks for posting and sharing.
I to have learned this many years ago. Nines are most suitable for my playing style as well as the guitars they are mounted to. I thought this was a very informative video and appreciate that the upcoming Guitarists can benefit from.
Back in the 60's ( yes, I know I'm an old man) I was blown away by light guage Slinkys. Before Slinkys I was playing Black Diamonds which were one of the only electric guitar strings available in Austin, TX until J.R. Reed Music started carrying Ernie Balls. I was playing in a band 3 nights a week, 4 hour gigs. I started out on 9s but went down to 8's I could set up my guitar with low action and easy on the hands playability. I didn't think about tone back then since you just turned everything to 11 and adjusted the volume on the guitar. Over the years I've bent to peer pressure to go up to 10's. But I long to go back to lighter strings. I picked up a buddies guitar that had 9 flatwounds. Wow! They really didn't feel any different than round wounds but none of the string noise, Interesting. Thanks Rhett.
C met small world though I bought mine at... was it Allen’s music in La Mesa? It would have been around ‘72 and on... you could run cable cars on them things 😆
@@hillmillenia Damn, it is a small world. purchased my first "quality" set-up there in '72, Gibson gold top Les Paul and a Fender super six reverb. Graduated Grossmont High in '71. Did a quick search and Allens is still going strong.
Oh man I also got a guitar there (got mine in ‘92 or ‘93)-my first electric. I was eleven years old and convinced my parents to buy me a Stratocaster (Squire) after I had developed some chops on a beat-up old 12 string acoustic I inherited from my uncle.
I recently switched from 10s to 9s on my Strat, and I realized everything you and Rick said is true about tighter low end and more pronounced midrange. Plus I can do rapid legato runs much more effortlessly. Makes me wonder, why was I making it harder on myself?
same here, a couple of hours ago I recived my strato with a 09 set strings, I always play with 10-46, use 09-42 just blow my mind, so light and beauty...
@@mr.buzz-e7223I feel like this only works cause you’re so used to bending with 10s. 9s feel like your gliding on heaven. Making you feel like the guitar is singing. I feel like going from 11 to 10 would result into the same effect.
Been a Skinny Top Heavy Bottom user since like '03 and it's cuz I tuned down but only a semi-tone and I also thought it sounded heavier. I'm also a heavy-handed player, then arthritis kicked in... I did a 67 day tour recently and even with stretching beforehand my hands would go numb mid set, it was rough. Now I started focusing on practicing & playing with a lighter touch, honestly just taking my playing more seriously instead of going through the motions and now I'm looking into lighter strings as well. I work at GC so I get to try all kinds of gear out and lighter stuff does feel great from time to time. The other stuff will be addressed in time but this was a great moment to stumble upon these two videos. Thanks 😊
I just decided to try 8's, learned on 10's because my father insisted that 10's would be good for building hand strength, then I switched to 9's. My friend always insisted tuning half-step down like Jimi, I think he did it to make the strings feel lighter and easier to play. I'd rather be in standard tune like most music is and a lot easier to jam with someone when not asking them to re tune their instrument. The 8's are nice and silky on my SG, going to see how they feel on the strat, tele, and lp later. Kind of a perspective change in a positive way that is refreshing and invigorating. Thanks for making this video and participating in the one Rick made, I watched both of them, Rick's first and this helped me see and hear things in a new way. I think I'm going to be an 8's kind of guy from here on out.
Interesting point, on my electric guitars, I’ve always used rotosound 10’s, I like them because they feel very light,I had 9’s on my tele, again I switched to the rotosound 10,s,& I like that feel, but at some point soon,I’ll definitely try the 9’s
Yeah, but problem with rotosounds is that they stretch very differently from say EB's. I tested and they bend easier, but you have to bend MORE to achieve the same pitch change, which is weird and quite surprising. I didn't like having to bend my E string so far into my B.
Nearly every guitar tech I speak to say 10's are the right gauge for a Tele. I can bend two whole steps on mine on the 3rd string with 10's, they sound pretty snappy too.
I like the slinky too heavy bottoms not for tone, but for feel. I play fast punk and hardcore and I need a bit more tension when I’m slamming quick chug patterns, but I also want to easily bend the higher strings. 9s do feel great to pluck around with though
You should try the orange package hybrid slinky set. It's 9,11,16,26,36,46 so it's 10s on the heavy side and 9s on the light. Best of both, I play a lot of country and like a fat bottom end but easy bends and these I think would work great for your application.
I usually use 12s or 13s on my acoustic. I’ve tried lighter ones plenty of times. I think I have 7s on my electric right now. But I really prefer the heavier gauge, they feel better to me. Definitely works your hands harder though. When I switch to lights I find I’m less stable on the strings because I’m used to the heavier ones at this point lol
The Beato vid made me switch, too: All my electrics went from 10's to 9's indeed, and for that low end clarity. Most beginners think lots of low end is good for bedroom stuff when you don't have a bassist playing with you, but those tones don't sit well in mixes with a full band at all.
Thanks for the video, Rhett. I also watched the one you did with Rick and the boys., and together, they were quite helpful. I have an old Strat and an even older Silvertone hollow body, ( a Gibson 335 copy), and for decades, I've assembled myown hybrid string sets for each with 56's on the bottom. To make life simple, I eventually settled on the Power Slinkys. But after watching your videos I'm gonna give myself a break and switch them both out try out the 9's. What the hell. Now if I can only figure out what to do about my beloved Blueridge acoustic guitar I can die happy. Open to suggestions.
Having played live for too many years to admit to: 8s are great for bends etc however I found that the breakage rate during live gigs made me settle on 9s or 10s for chords!
I've used the Super Slinky 9-42s for years, and have always been delighted with them. I had some work done on my Les Paul a few years ago, and it came back strung with 10s, because the tech said something along the lines of 'Les Pauls should always be strung with 10s'. I didn't like them at ALL, and changed back to 9s within a few days, at which time I felt the guitar I knew and loved was returned! I have small hands, and the thing just felt so much nicer to play, not to mention the apparently brighter sound that you discuss in the video 🙂
Wow your rig sounds phenomenal... The 10’s on the Les Paul sounded like they had more body and character in the tone. I’d a gone straight into that vintage Fender amp. 😃
I agree with this! Like you I started with 11s on an SG believing that the tone was better. I dropped to 10s a few years later and then when I ran out of strings got a pack of 9s (the shop was out of 10 sets that I use) Recording extensively with the the 9s I really noticed the difference in playability and how the guitar was cutting through in the mix
Been there, I played 10's for decades, switched to 9's(for standard tuning) and will never go back. I also noticed that the temperature difference effects less on neck with ligher gauge strings.
The same is true for my acoustic Martin D-18. I bought it new in 1966 and started with medium gauge, 13-56. The action was high, so I first had the bridge shaved down. Then I switched to light gauge, 12-53, then to 11-52. The result was more playable with a much less low-end boom. This difference is true for finger picking as well as with a pick.
Makes a huge difference, longer scale guitars like a strat I prefer 09, .011, .016, .026, .032, .038, a slight variation on Hendrix gauge, and on Les Pauls' 009, .011, .015, .024, .032, .042, with an added old string end and top wrap for the wound strings to lengthen them. String height and truss rod tension also have a huge bearing on tone along with pup height and screw pole adjustment for humbuckers. Every little tweak can make a significant difference imo. Capacitor material and values are another very significant factor for me. Thanks for the post, I thought it was intriguing to revisit the subject. Cheers. Almost forgot, string material. I always use pure nickel as opposed to steel or a cobolt composite, much warmer tone.
I spent 20+ minutes trying to find where did that lick at 4:52 came from it was Cissy Strut by The Meters and I've had that song on my spotify playlist since 2018
Yeah I went to 9s recently and I too was amazed and won’t turn back. I do the unthinkable and put nines on my Gretsch and love the sound and playability I get from that ax
Thanks for your input! I'm an older player, and l play mostly rhythm anymore! I play with a group, and with age, I have some arthritis in my fingers, and I'm using tens, but been contemplating going to eights, so it might help by easing the pressure on my fingers making chords. I love the sustain I get with the tens, I don't want to lose that! I play a Les Paul mostly and love it!
years back before my table saw injury i used 13-56. i then after healing 3 years later i started back on 9's and have used them since the accident in 1999. The store 2 weeks ago was out of stock on 9's so i strung all my guitars in 10's. I found my speed was hampered by the tens they just had less give. 9"s also vibrate better in the magnetic field of the pole pieces. I also found that the 10- 52 the bass sounded very flat even on untouched strings and it showed up on recording. I will be a 9-42 forever. go to Dylan talk tone youtube page he builds hand made pickups but also explains everything about the sonic connection of pickups and strings.
![[실시간] 전철에서 찍힌 기생생물 감염 장면 | 기생수: 더 그레이](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4nkFvwxGAfA/mqdefault.jpg)
My first video course, The Tone Course, is available now. Check it out below!
flatfiv.co/collections/rhett-shull/products/the-tone-course
Where's the hyperlink to the guitar website?
Did you have to make any bridge or neck adjustments.?
Months old, I know I know. But what does your pick-ups magnetic field do to string gauge ?🤔 I have my old pal 1965 Vox Lynx that I installed 1971 Mighty-Mites into and it is unplayable with light strings (9's or less). I'm not talking about the zero fret, I'm talking magnetic field power, 9's on this guitar will stick to the pick-up if i get too froggy. My rule of thumb when choosing strings is to install the thinnest possible that don't cause any mechanical issues and feel good to the hand. Its inconvenient as all get out to keep all those different sizes on hand but if it allows the guitar to sound "better", or just feel better, why not ? 👍
after watching your video with rick and now yours i went ahead and changed my strings to 9's. I have the same tremelo with a string through body on my schecter omen 6. With the 9's i feel the GBE are just too slinky. it also interferes with my fingers when im playing chords. I prefer the 10's because it forces me to focus harder on my vibrato and bends. Also i find my guitar hates the 9's....it goes way out of tune very easily. i don't have locking tuners so its just too much. honestly the 10's just feel better for me but in Ricks video i definitely heard a huge difference in tone with the 9's...they sounded way better.
@@harshtruth9148 you need a good set up if you change to 9's.
I'm using the wrong hands.
Naw. You definitely just need to buy at least 3 more guitars.
NARC perhaps 5 new pedals too??
andddd 16 more amps
Me too, maybe you have mine. Sorry but I scarred the left one up a bit.
Haha there is no laughing emoji only like..hahaha
Play nines, date tens and use amps that go to 11.
Make that T-shirt!
@@srogers500 excellent thought!
Ayyyyy~! Sounds like something Russ Parrish would say if Satchel weren't as reliably dumb
I like how you didn't use the same word more than once.
👍🤘😎
I have always been a believer in heavier gauge strings. Recently, however, I had occasion to switch from .011s to .0095s on my Tele due to an ordering error. Thankfully I tried out the .0095s before sending them back. There was a profound tonal difference and now I’m a believer.
I dropped my string gauge from .010 to .009 a few years ago and every single benefit you mentioned is the exact same benefit I noticed. I even tried to go to .008 to see if I could improve it that much more, but it was way too light for my touch. I also dig in and play pretty heavy-handed. My vibratos are much more controlled with 9s and I'm hitting 2-step bends with very little effort.
I like 9’s. I think my guitars are using the wrong person. 😂
I was gonna write the same thing about my guitars. You beat me to it.
Yep ... mine too.
Same here
You need new guitar
I keep fighting the urge to give up. I practice and am improving, but I do s...
in my 30 years of experience: don't go for the sound, go for the feeling! Go for the ones that make you play better, that let you feel comfortable, that make your bends more accurate... you can always change the sound with pickup balance, or even an Eq in front of signal chain (which also works to match guitar sounds)!
exactly just use a compressor
Aaahhhh finally someone with same opinion. I use 11 because i frequently overbend with thinner string, and you know how horrible a solo with overbend. But speaking about comfortable no doubt 9 or even 8 is the best.
thats a great point but i see it differently - go for the sound because you will get used to anything. if you learn to be staying in your comfort zone - especially as a guitarist, that will be fatal for your progress. and most importantly, if you play live a lot, you will get the reward of the best sound possible that could come out of your gear!
@@thatez i disagree with you. The difference of the sound is just a little, doesn't worth to sacrifice the playability IMO.
But SRV do use a very tight string. So i think you win this time.
Couldn’t agree more my man. Feel is absolute paramount over sound. Feel gets you the best sound. Perfect example for me, I will always feel at home on a rosewood neck as compared to maple. Doesn’t matter how good an amp or pick ups are on the maple neck, I’ll 99 out of 100 go to rosewood
For most of my playing life I used 10s with varying degrees of success. For the last 7 years I’ve been using 11-52 on my electrics (tele, strat, SG, Lp). Being very heavy handed I found it kept me from pulling notes out of tune. I got a new Lp studio recently that came with 10s. I kept them in awhile and played them. It felt so good I’m switching almost all my guitars to 10s.
ps- we have matching Timmys, same color, bought from the same place at roughly the same time!
I’ve been using light tops and heavy bottoms, for years, which suited my heavy play style at the time. But now I’m looking for a solid set of 9s that can allow me to hold chords better. This video gave me that reassurance
I use light gauge on all my guitars except one that I have for doom and sludge. Light top, heavy bottom but I tune it in C standard, so it still easy to play.
My set I use a 7 string super slinky set on my 6 string so it’s 52,42,32,16,11,9 I play thrash so I like the low strings thick to chug and the high light for harmony sections
Same, I’ve been a Skinny Top Heavy Bottom guy, but now I want to try something tighter and lighter, so I’m thinking about using some 9s
Billy Gibbons also believed in heavy gauge strings. He shared his story from many years ago that he and BB King played each other’s guitar. Billy was surprised Lucille had light gauge. He asked BB about it and BB asked him, “Why are you working so hard?” Billy has played light gauge since.
Read the same story. Billy has been using 8's ever since. He produces some killer tone with the skinny little things too.
How come you can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish?
Billy promotes some .07 gauge strings. Hella light.
@@jdfolbre Damn 7's? He was a top wrapper when he was playing his Les Paul. Crazy sick tone. Love Billy's playing!
Light gauge? I think Ernie ball created .07’s specifically for Rev Gibbons
Been playing 9’s since the mid 70’s.
I like heavy metal, but not in my strings.
I totally agree to that.
Exact same here. I've been using 9's since the '70's when I always played Fenders. Now that they have come out with 9.5's I use them on my Gibsons and short scale guitars for a slight normalization between the two.
Heavy Metal
You silly
9s are my sweet spot since the 70s too. Sometimes heavy bottom, and I like 10s for metal because huge hands 🙌🏼
But yeah, always come back to 9s. Tried 8s, too much effort being careful not to squeeze. I don't like any distractions from the groove 😎
Very interesting. I was just considering switching to 9s and had this same question. Thank you for the insight!!
Went out after Rick’s video yesterday and got a set of 9s. Yup. It feels like a different world. Thank you, this video confirms it’s not just in my head! I’ve been playing 10s, or even heavier, for over 25 years, and the 9s feel and sound “new”, and actually exciting. One thing that struck me, though, is my muscle memory still wants to push down on the frets harder, which actually raises the notes slight out of tune. Anyone else finding that after switching from a heavier gauge? Just got to get used to pressing lighter! EDIT!! Ha, I thought the video was over after the first guitar. You spoke exactly about pushing too hard like you’re still playing heavier gauge strings! Too funny. So it’s not just me. 😀
Unrelated to the topic of strings, I love it when people say they've been wrong about something and changed their minds. Because it's a true show of character and strength, and represents a small betterment of the world as a whole. We, collectively speaking, are not doing enough of that by far. Thanks, Rhett!
Very good point!
Society and definitions evolve with wholesome conversation/debate. The spice of the Human race, great point.
Im glad you did a clean/cleanish test here. That was one of the things i felt was missing in the Beato video
yeah that and no leads
@@stk7778 Imagine doing a video comparing string gauges, using the high string as the reference, (11, 10, 9, 8) AND NEVER PLAYING THAT STRING
I've watched the Rick's video a few days ago and now I've watched this. It's so nice to be able to hear the difference brtween different gauge strings.
I've been playing electric guitar for over 30 years and for me it's totally backwards. I started playing 0.09, then 0.08, then 0.09 again, then 0.10, then 0.11 and every change to a thicker gauge has been a massive improvement on my sound and how I feel playing, it also helped me to improve both hands technique and gain lots of speed and cleansiness (for what I always heard before... at first I thought that I would always play a little slower vs using thinner strings, but in fact it was the opposite way... so don't always listen to others to take your own choices).
I play mainly jazz and metal, and I like every style between those, and for my specific needs 0.11 gauge strings are far better than thinner strings. For jazz they are absolutely perfect, and for metal it couldn't sound more brutal, the riffs sounds amazing and the solos couldn't sound more clear and clean... although you may have a fuller bottom end sound but there's a magic weapon called EQ that can solve that in a second.... if there's a problem there, but if you record and mix you have to EQ your guitar anyway.
I've used thinner strings some times but I just can't get use to them. Although I'm thinking on getting a stratocaster, and I think I will use 0.10 or 0.09 on that guitar, because the sound I'm looking for I think would be easier to get with thinner strings on that specific guitar.
Be aware that every string gauge has pros and cons so there's no such thing as "better string gauge than other"... and the best way to find out what's better for you is if you try it by yourself.... what's the best combination for some people, may be the worst for some other people.. so give it a try to see what's better for your particular needs.
Have in mind if you change string gauge maybe is a good idea to try different picks shape/size/thickness too, to match better the combination with the new strings.
Cheers!!!
I found this and Rick’s video both really useful, and had switched to 9 gauge strings on all of my guitars of all scale lengths.
The only guitar this didn’t work for is my EVH Wolfgang which is in Eb, once you drop tension I think 10s are required otherwise notes go out of tune too easy. Thanks Rhett for a very educational vid!
I've found that picks change tone more than strings, but no one seems to care. But seriously, grab a bunch of different styles of picks, swap through them quickly and listen objectively - you'll notice that picks make FAR more of a difference in tone than strings.
I like playing with change quarters dimes pennys
I play with my fingernails. Sounds the best to me
@@shumailkhan7205 beer tabs
Yes, Picks are a big factor for sure. I have a pile of different styles and materials. My favorite material is tortex and shape is the jazz 3.
Pick angle also has a huge effect on tone
Decades ago I was a bassist with a clamp of a fretting hand. When I took up electric guitar I ran 9’s on purpose to force myself to lighten my fretting and picking. Worked. I’m much more relaxed.
Funny thing about guitarists figuring out the mid and low end response regarding gauge. Bassists have known this for decades. :)
David Henson
Hahaha 👍🏽
We're proud of you for knowing something ;)
This hits right home with me; I'm figuring out gauges for a 7 string baritone guitar I'm planning on setting up.
"Bassists have known this for decades. :)" Yeah, but we get all the girls ;)
Guitarists also knew about it, there's just a big rock'n'roll scene where things aren't known I guess.
I had nearly always use 9-42s on my electric guitars. My touch is a little heavy since I go back and forth between acoustic and electric. I thought I would try 10-46. I had less trouble pulling them out of tune but found them much harder to bend. I went back to 9s but I use custom light 9-46 now and pay more attention to keep my touch a little lighter.
I know this is 4 years later, but this and Rick Beato's videos were such an eye opener! I was seriously just this week planning to change one of my 5 guitars from 9's to 10's. I was also of the impression I needed to replace the nut to do that. This saved me a lot of unnecessary work. Now I am instead going to switch my four 10's to 9's (I read very little adjustment needed). My one guitar with the 9's does feel better to play. Thanks you guys!
There’s always a way to sculpt your sound, for me it’s all about feel.
I need the right tension for a solid picking feel. Flop is out.
Exactly!
I agree with you, and there's other ways to brighten up the sound of heavy strings, like using pure nickel wounded strings and/or higher value tone and volume pots.
I'm kinda landing here myself. Tension. I literally just got a Novo. And those stock 10s were killing me!! So. Much. Flop. Gonna have to do an honest job of testing this myself. But two days of playing 10s on this Serus and I was begging for a little more tension. 11s on last night. We'll see how it goes.
Who said you need to "fight" strings? Why?? Tell that to most of the guitar heroes of the 60's, 70's & 80's, who used .009s, .008s, and even .007s! Much of it is in how you play. If you're a ham-fisted slammer, sure, the .008s are going to sound weird (and maybe even out of tune) but they will help your touch to play and get used to them. I've been using .008s and .009s for years. Go tell Billy Gibbons, EVH, Clapton, Beck, Gilmour, Zappa, or Frampton that their tone sucks because they're using light strings.
tha hacksaw sounds like what happened to me when I got my Jazzmaster. I had to get 11s so the tension felt right. From the vibrato tailpiece to the tuners the overall string length is much longer than say a Tele/Strat. So I needed a thicker string gauge to yield a similar tension. Let me know what you discover when you get the new set of strings.
My girlfriend asked 'is he holding instant noodle packets?'
Of course! Put 'em on and you can start noodling instantly...
Ha! Ramen noodles baby! Now I’m hungry...
Lol
@@godfreydaniel6278 lol youre right
Your eating the wrong gauge noodles.
I watched the video when you were at Rick's, I wanted to cc my comments here too.
Great work guys !!
I totally agree !!
I'm 53 and have been playing guitar since I was 11.
I only started to play electric about 10 years ago.
I chose to put 11's on my tele and 12's on my 355 because I found I had a strong finger pressure having played acoustic all my life, usually with 11's on my acoustics, and I had a tendancy of sharpening some notes on my electric if the string gauge was too light.
I recently dropped my tele down to 10's, my 355 down to 11's and my acoustics to 10's and I am very happy with that.
I especially found my acoustics sounded louder and had a fuller sound with the 10's.
Having dropped gauges on both my acoustics and electrics, my finger pressure has adapted.
Good video Rhett, your point is there are so many variables...but feel is everything. I use that same set of strings myself, but shy away from light gage, I break em to often.
I have been playing since i was 14. I have had arthritis since I was 15.
I switched from 11s to hybrid slinky 9-46 on my electric and from 13s to Earthwood extra light 10-50s on my acoustic. I had gotten to the point that I could barely play and now, after years of relearning and making adjustments to accommodate my joints, I can play because of lighter strings. I barely even touch the guitar, fretting is light, strumming is lighter. I wish i had learned a decade ago to stop beating on the guitar so much and stop trying to manhandle heavy strings into submission, I wouldn't have had to quit playing.
When I was in my teens (early 70’s) there were two phenomenal guitarists at my school. The one thing both had in common was their light touch. They just seemed to float over the fretboard and barely touched the strings when fretting. I tried, but was unable to duplicate their style.
@@MrPhotonjockey duplicating someone's style is a really hard thing to do because naturally you will always lean more into your own style.
Glad you could pick it back up.
You've been playing 11s with arthritis since you were 15? damn ...
@@iainmcguire7190 from 15 till nearly 30 years old. My hands are worse now at 35, but my playing, though still not fast, is better and while you may think that's practice and I'm some ways you're right it is also due to the change in strings, it doesn't hurt like it used to.
You’re missing a trick. Ernie Ball make a Hybrid Slinky string. The top 3 strings 9’s and the low 3 are 10’s. Perfect.
100% agree that that's about as perfect of a set that I personally like for my playing. Great point man.
i like 10-52 personally.
Custom light I use 9-46
9-46 for life
I use 11-52 (EB's new BURLY SLINKY, used daddario equivalent before (and still will if EBs arent available))
Just came across your channel, love it. As for this video I've gone back and forth mostly using 10's. I always think 9's are going to work for me, because it is easier to play with less effort. Then I go back to my 10's because on my strat I'm just to aggressive on the neck, and it's easier for me to not over compensate bends or just strangling the neck to hard. I'm a dad rock blues man, so 10 just suit me. Not to mention I feel my guitars tune up better with 10's, idk that could just be my mind playing tricks though lol. Beautiful les paul you have ❤
Thank you. This follow up was really helpful. I play down-tuned (usually open D) but this does make me think a lot about my preference for heavier strings. (I sometimes even add a couple proper bass strings into my equation)
Kudos
I switched up from real string to metal strings and I've never looked back.
The sound isn't so woolly anymore and sound comes through the amp now. Thank you.
You definitely got a laugh XD
As a connoisseur of tone, I prefer real strings
My real strings come through the amp but all I hear is sheep’s bleating
Awesome job!! Now I want to try this myself!!
omg tomo’s here
@@electropicks My boy Tomo really needs to get verified man.
How did that go Tomo ? Whats your preference ?
I decided to not only try 9 s, but to tune down half a step also. Im in love with it I should have done this 10 years ago my wrist and fingers are eternally grateful, and my tone.
I recently started using 8's and I love them. I feel like I play better because my guitars are easier to play. To me they sound just as good as the heavier guage strings I was using.
Rick's video was awesome and this is a perfect follow-up!
I watched Rick's video and then this one and found the experiment pretty interesting. I don't think I've ever played 8's but did play 9's for a time before switching to 10's which I've stuck with for many years. My band played a mini tour in Italy where all the instruments were provided by other bands (never again!) I'll never forget being handed a Strat fitted with ultra light strings and breaking 3 of them in short order. I don't have a particularly heavy hand but I think they'd take a lot of getting used to for me.
I have always thought about strings: You can't EQ the feel of them, but you can certainly EQ the sound
AttakaiMusic True and lighter gauge strings just feel bad for me
I'd rather stick with a gauge that feels good and turn my treble/tone control from 7 ...to 8....;)
i always just thought about string gauge in relation to tension and stability depending on the tuning i was using for particular guitar
Amen
AttakaiMusic This 100%
Jimmy Page was asked years ago what is the best way to improve guitar playing. He said, "Use lighter strings."
Yep less finger probs . Like most say start on a acoustic guitar that's well set up .your get the feel of the tones and will be harder but going to electric it will be easier .
Page....not us...
@@David-uq2uk start on an instrument that is more difficult to play because it's more difficult to play? That's an awful suggestion. Start on the kind of guitar you want to play.
@@morganghetti Personally I like practicing picking exercises on the acoustic because it forces me to put more effort to make it sound correctly, then when I come back to the electric, everything feels easier
@@morganghetti i started on a squire strat 17 years ago, so i have no say in this.. however, I've been told by multiple people that they think its best to start on an acoustic.. the idea is, if you can master the acoustic, you can master the electric. in theory its a good idea. However, in practice, the player must be very committed for it to work
I always used 9 -42 strings. I've tried 10's and 8's but always went back to 9's. Love the D'Addaro nyxl Love your guitar sound btw ❤
I've always gravitated back to 9's mostly for the feel, but I like how you guys are also approaching it from a tone perspective. Would love to hear your thoughts on it from the perspective of different musical genres as well.
9's for me too, and I play ambient, jazz, blues rock and heavy rock
@@stefangranberg9319the only issues I’ve had with 9s is when you need to tone down for metal you can only go so far but from my experience I like 9s on electric and 11 on acoustic
Same. I learnt from a shredder so it was 9s but Beato made me want to try 8s.
Went between 9’s and 10’s for years....
then I found the ‘hybrid’ slinkys... 9- 46.
Never been happier.
I play that combination for years. 9 are too soft for top 3 three string. 10 are not comfy enough for low 3. 46-9 ernie ball hybrid stainless for the win.
PaulPauliePabloPaolo i think eb and daddario make a 9.5 set if that’s something you wanna try.
Same here 👍🏻
I messed up and got used to the D'addario 9.5s. Now my string choices are significantly limited. Great strings though!
Upvote this man.
I've experimented with this a LOT myself. Generally speaking, there is little tone difference, almost none when using heavy gain. Where I see the big differences are in four areas: 1. The lighter the lower strings, the more sharp they go when I hit them hard. So really picking the low E on a set of .009s makes that string go way sharp for a short moment. 2. Bending, micro-bending, with lighter strings definitely does not gives the same degree of body. Picking a .013 versus an .011 not such a difference. Playing quite clean doing a lot of sustained bends, it's a world of difference. 3. Fretting chords with lighter strings tends to make them go sharp. not all chords are as practical for using a feather touch for chording. 4. I can speed pick way easier on heavier strings. To me it seems that I can feel them better. With the really light ones it's as if there is no solidity there to give my brain the feedback that the string has been picked.
Agree on all points. In both Beato's video and this one, everything has a ton of gain/distortion. If you primarily play clean and don't bend a lot (like a jazz player), heavier strings sound better and play better too.
@DurdyClaude when I was 14 I used the Zakk Wylde signature GHS Boomers in 11-70. Then I grew up and became a real man so now I play bass. I'm 42% kidding, so don't be mad.
My impression exactly. The 9th just seem to lack "structure" that the 10s have. And I always have to pay attention in order not to press too hard with the 9s, which may get annoying at times.
Well said. I would add that note attack and decay is completely different on 11s vs 9s.
People saying you can just EQ the sound are missing a lot of the nuance.
I think I always used 11's when I played. I finally got back into guitar after a 5 year hiatus and I'm gonna go with 9's! I really liked the way the 9's sounded in the video you did with the other guys!
I know this is a two year old video, but I'm glad I found it. I'm getting back into electric after a 20 year hiatus. I always played 9's as a teenager/twentysomething because I found them easier to bend and play with. I kind of thought that now that I'm an adult, I should switch to a more "serious" gauge of string - figuring they'd sound better. I no longer feel like I have to do that. Which is good, because these days my wrists, tendons and fingers are not as strong as they once were.
Nice channel.
I’m in the same boat, 20 years away from music, no getting back into it. Kicking myself that I ever left.
I'm 49 and returning. So... I'm curious.... did you stick with it? how is it going?
@@damightyshabba439 yep, sticking with it, as soon as time allows, thinking of lessons. Biggest problem is time, but really enjoying when I can play.
It’s more or less the tension for me not so much the tone, tend to go over bend and play out of tune on 8s or 9s on a les Paul scale. 10s have that sweet spot for me
Zyn Tear - Agree on the tension thing. I over bend too. I think of it as using a Bigsby versus a Floyd Rose, if that makes sense. I fell more in control with the heavier strings.
yeah, stability is the main reason i play 10s/11s. anything lighter i have to tune every 2 minutes
I really can’t even fathom putting 9’s on a Gibson scale length, even on some of my 25.5” scale guitars they can be too slinky at times.
would like to hear your thoughts 22 frets vs 24 frets.. what string gauge would be you be using?..
Zyn Tear yup I had 9's on the junior I had to change to 10's as I play acoustic predominantly and I was out of tune with chords all the time on the junior with 9's
I'm a relative guitar newbie. I had been using 9s on my strat, just because that's what it came with, so I kept replacing like-for-like. (I had just re-strung the day before seeing Rick's electric guitar string gauge video). I watched the acoustic string video last night and I've been down to get some 10s today. I'll get that re-strung tonight, down from the 12s that I'd been using until now. Checked with my guitar tutor, who said we'll just need to check/adjust the truss rod afterwards. Thank you for arming me with a bit more knowledge!
Excellent vid Rhett. Watched Rick Beato's vid as well. TY
I dropped to 9's on my tele a couple years back to help compensate for a warped in over-bow, hoping the reduced string tension would encourage the neck to return to true over time.
I'm just a little guy and though I do notice a small improvement in clarity, I find I tire a lot less quickly and my pick accuracy has improved immensely.
Now, if I could find 9-42 in an acoustic string and an 8-38 would be interesting as well.
Thank you for an awesome channel, Rhett.
I too found you through a few of the video's on Rick Beato's channel and I like that you're not afraid to write a song that includes a solo, they really need to come back into fashion again soon.
I had a fella (who's an exceptionally good player on acoustic and electric) tell me once that he let's the guitar tell him what gauge strings it wants. That sort of makes sense to me and I find that I've kinda always done that without really considering it very much. Heavier strings _do_ make more "voice", but it seems to me that it's sort of a balancing act: how much tension (for the level of accurate-to-your-playing-style and facility-of-hand) vs. what size strings give the particular guitar you're playing the right midrange voice you need/want to hear, without too much lower midrange rucking up the low end and making it muddy. For instance, I string my strats with .009, .012, .015, .024, .032, .042, and I string LP scale guitars with .009.5, .013, .016, .024, .034, .044. For me, with some nerve damage in my neck and left arm & with not-so-large mitts (curse you Rhett, lol!), I still get plenty of not-muddy low-end 'kong' and my high strings don't sound 'twinkly' & are still very bendable for the amount of strength I have. My opinion is: let your guitar, your ears, your style, and your own level of strength and facility tell you which strings to use on any particular instrument that you're going to play regularly. Great video Rhett, and thanks!
I literally just commented something about this. It has to do with proportionality of the strings to guitar characteristics
I don't give shit what guitar wants :), smaller strings are easier to play for me, so I win. I paid for her, not the other way around :).
Same here - I have a Strat Junior that seems to be happy with some 10's, a Hamer V that SCREAMS at me to use 8's, and an original Jackson RR Pro with EMG's that wants 12's. (but it hurts me too much and I can't get the spring tension low enough and do 11's)
tommy emmanuel once said: "the best strings are the ones that your guitar likes". i also went up and down. 8s to 11s and back, but recently i discovered that my tele and my 335 felt the best when strung with 10s. this depends so much on your picking hand, the pick you use, but also on the volume you're playing. it's all higly subjective
That’s exactly right. My SG prefers 11’s but my ESP prefers 10’s. My Universe prefers a 54 on the bottom. It’s all in math and measurements on the build.
Tommy's right. LISTEN to what your guitar likes.
Aren't all guitars basically set up from the factory for a specific string gauge? I know it's true for acoustic guitars.
Correct me here if I'm wrong, but that does mean that a guitar set up for 10s will never play as good with 9s without an additional setup, doesn't it? There is a different force exerted on the neck, which translates to a different ( and, in case of a good setup before, a worse ) action, fret buzzing or too much space between the strings and the pickup in case of electric guitars, depending on which gauge you chose.
So at least give your truss rods a whirl if you change string thickness - and even better, check the intonation when trying out new string gauges - otherwise your guitar will always play best with the string gauge it had on when it was last set up, assuming you had a competent setup done.
In the same vein, a full setup will get a good guitar to play well with any string gauge. I firmly believe there is no such thing as the 'optimal' string gauge for a guitar, there are just two possibilities: the gauge your guitar is set up for and all the other gauges ( and tunings, for that matter ).
@@TheGrandmaMoses They put strings on them, but they don't give them a real setup. If you have a good distributor with luthiers knowledge and skills, HE does that job. Then the cheap OEM strings are often replaced by an A brand.
Came to write the exact same comment. It’s dependent on your guitar for the most part.
This is where I have done some research for a long time. The first set of dimebag Darrell signature strings I bought opened my eyes. To many people stick with the old 9s,10s,11s get you a hybrid set 10s on the top the larger strings and is on the bottom the smaller strings. Even the. Though I always break my high E strong when I get into it every time! So I have dove into the hybrid string theory
good comments... I have long believed in the lighter gauge v tone...both your videos confirmed what I have always thought to be the case... thank you for your efforts
One thing I've learned from the comment section... most people don't know how to properly use an apostrophe.
DickBurns this would include Apple Corp. whose autocorrect feature keeps putting them where they don’t belong.
And I only ever put one E string on my guitar, not multiples of them. All these ppl seem to have 6 x 9 gauge strings. That's one floppy low E.
sh'ut u'p what'do you kno'w
Frank Zappa did.
And they just close the " ' " society in England.
The whole focus on this experiment is tone and feel. But I think you're missing another important factor that string gauge affects. Sustain. I have experimented myself with gauges for years and have definitely noticed that lighter strings don't vibrate as long as a heavier gauge and therefore have less natural sustain. This may not be as important if you"re main source of sustain is electronic, such as compression or distortion, but I prefer the sound of a my Gibson 335s natural sustain and there is noticeably more with heavier stings. Also if your pickups are set close to the strings, the magnetic poles will stop a lighter string from vibrating faster than a heavy one. I have tried 9s and even 8s but have always gone back to 10s and it wasn't for tone. It was for the sustain. Just my opinion.
This. The other part of this that's not mentioned, is yes the heavier gauge strings lack clarity in the lower end that the lighter gauge strings provides. However, this is because there's more going on in the low end. There's more resonance.There's more of the low end frequencies present. Get a 10-band eq - you can easily take some of that low end out precisely where you want and tame the low end yourself even better than the lighter gauge can on their own. Also, you can cut those frequencies out of the heavier gauge strings much better and much more easily than you could add in any frequencies that might be missing entirely in the tone on the lighter gauge strings.
BB had sustain for days and played 8s
@@iuchilton you manifestly missed the point.
Yeah clearly this video thinks that everybody wants a brighter tone. Completely rules out jazz which goes the opposite way, 12s 13s flat wounds etc.
Thanks for posting this. God only know why, but I've used 11s forever. On the strength of this and Rick Beato's video about string gauge, I switched over the weekend to 9s and I love 'em. Your comment about lighter strings forcing you to lighten your touch is absolutely true. I'll never go back to 11s.
I agree, the most important conclusion is keeping an open mind (or getting it back).
Ive been playing guitar 35+years, started out on 9's, and on my quest for tone and feel ive experimented with 10's,11's even 12's but i always go back to 9's. I love them.
David Carter same for me, although I use 9s on a strat/tele and 10s on a shorter scale.
45 years for me its always been 9's for me...
We can start the 9 club lol, NEVER ever have liked anything else, 8's are ok, but too light, and I hate 10's, or god forbid even heavier. For me, it about what I like, not anything else.
Wait till you try the 1vs string set, turned my strat unit a crystal clear base... LOL
Good timing on yours and Rick's video. Both are eye opening and well done. You both erased 30 years of guitar and musician snake oil myths, legends, SRV isms, and bullcrap. Thank you for making the guitar world a better place.
Good timing in your video. My e string just broke. Had 9s on, only had some 10s in my stash, put those on kep adjusting my pups to increase clarity, now I know why. Ordering some 9s and eights now.
I played standard 9s for pretty long but the past 2 years I've been playing 10-52 sets and I absolutely love the tension in the lower strings and soloing is great, as 10s aren't too tense for 24.75 inch scale length. I've been thinking about trying a 9 hybrid set maybe, but I've such a good setup on my guitar, that I really don't want to touch it and potentially ruin the setup.
SRV used 13s because they sound better ! Stevie Had No SKIN ON HIS FINGERS ! NOT KIDDING 😮
@@davisdeen-ty4so Not exactly true. He came back to 10-46 at the end of his carrer and he stated that 13s were very hard to play with, that's not because they sounded better. That's because he wanted tunning and intonation stability...
I've always played 11s on electric and 12s on acoustic, as I was also told in the early days that thicker strings had more tone.
This has been an eye opener, but the problem I have is, it's not actually so much about the sound, I actually dislike the lack of tension on light strings, that would be the biggest issue for me. I hate strings that I feel are flopping around under my fingers!
So this would be an interesting experiment to try for myself, but I would need to learn to enjoy playing with the light tension, which would take some work...
You get used to it really quickly in practice. I always felt that higher tension helped me play fast because the strings felt like they reset position faster. But after hearing Paul Gilbert make the admission that sometimes for difficult parts he'd switch to lighter strings, 10s to 9s or 9s to 8s depending because they're easier to play fast I retried, committed a bit and unsurprisingly the shred god was correct. There's a limit obviously, and I'm not sure 7s for instance are ideal for shred, but 8s and 9s are incredibly playable, and as soon as you're used to it it's amazing how dynamic your playing feels.
Now my absolute favourites are 8.5s (Ernie Ball Mighty Slinky), which is the ideal gauge for me.
That's my view on light gauges too. I've used Ernie Ball 10s for years and also tried 9s anda while back I tried some Billy Gibbons Mexican Lottery 7s out of curiosity. They sound OK, stay in tune and of course allow for huge bends, but I hated that 'soft' feel and lack of resistance. I like to feel I'm having to work a bit when I play!
Thanks Rhett, I haven’t had “nines” on a guitar in almost 50 years. I tried it on my fenders and your right!
Switching gauges means more than changing strings. You have to set the guitar up for that gauge i.e. Neck relief, action, intonation. Also the nut slots may be too wide/deep if going from heavier to lighter.
Underrated comment right there.
@@StockportJambo So true, it's absolutely critical!
A guy once told me that he based the guage of strings he needs on how they perform while gigging, so if he finds that he's breaking strings really often he would have went up a set and that's how he found the set that suited him, but I think this concept is super important for recording especially because you want the best tone possible. Awesome video, really appreciate it man thanks
Funny thing: I used to break 2-6 strings each night when I played 11-58 on my Strat Plus using a 1 mm Tortex pick. Swapped to 10-46 and broke 1-2 each night with the same pick. For the last 8-9 years I've played 09-42 with V-Picks Nexus 5.8 mm and haven't broken a single string live since the swap. They last 4 full gigs without any issues, and I swap them when the bass strings get too dull sounding.
So you're saying Eddie Van Halen, Brian May, Jimmy Page, Angus Young, Hendrix, and Billy Gibbons might be on to something?
And SRV was an idiot. Smh. Think about the abuses that SRV put on strings. They probably would break if they were thinner than 11's.
Don't forget Frank Zappa
wait whater u saying about SRV and FZ? just started the vid
Taco - SRV was famous for very heavy strings. Zappa for light strings.
From what I can gather:
Overall, going lighter than the "current trend" seems to be the ideal way to go for a couple of reasons: lighter strings are literally easier for you to manipulate on the fretboard, they're "healthier" for your hands in the long run (I can imagine carpal tunnel becoming a problem using heavier strings), they can potentially become more responsive to the player's technique relative to heavier strings via opening up possibilities in the subtle right hand movements category, they apparently have a "more desirable EQ range" (I am not saying that right, but I think you get what I am trying to say). SRV had enormously muscular hands (genetics?! IDFK) and rather than dismissing his intelligence, I think this is more of an example of adjusting to YOUR OWN needs. If you have hands like him and play 10s, it is probably just like most of the guitar world shifting toward 9s and you were just ahead of the curve, lol.
I have always been a player that prefers utility and practicality over equipment that "nails xyz tone" or is more showy or popular. For instance, by adding a buffer to my chain and, I guess unfortunately (?), avoiding fuzz/distortion pedals that allow that special "roll off the volume on the guitar" trick, I can use a coil-ly cable as my guitar to rig cable. I no longer need to remember to walk around the opposite direction on even numbered days, lol. I also try to limit the number of my guitars to whether or not I need a different tuning or not and try to give myself onboard EQ options (passive treble bass circuits, parametric EQ circuits, extra pickup options, or extra pickups). I, therefore, only need a different guitar if I am in a different tuning, in order to hold tensions uniform and not fuck up the intonation by re-tuning a string or two. I have basically ALL of the guitar/pickup character options in one machine.
It SEEMS guitar culture is definitely headed this more utilitarian direction and away from the legend worship or "this is what is popular" culture. Which makes sense, and this realization about string gauges is an example of that. I think even manufacturers are catching on and giving players MORE options (Fender's offset and alternate reality whatever stuff or Boss's multilevel scheme for pedal choice (Does a DD-7 take care of my delay needs or do I need a DD-200 or even DD-500?!))
It is an exciting time for electric guitar, still THE MOST dynamic to play live instrument in existence today.
Billy Gibbons talked about this on 'Live from Daryl's House'. He actually plays with 7's. He learned it from B.B. King, who played with 8's.
Always used 9's on everything but i tried a pack of the lottery 7's on a strat i have and the effort of playing is amazingly easy and the strings are very resilient and now that i'm leaving the WH i have more time to practice. lol
I believe Billy said B.B. asked him, "Why you working so hard?"
Yeah, he used 7s by Rev. Willy's Mexican Lottery Brand made by Dunlop; they're pretty nice strings, I tried some 10s.
Billy used to use 11-50s from the 60s to the 90s.
B.B. King Signature gauges: 10-13-17p-32w-45w-54w.
Marty here, good work everyone size always matters with strings and old arthritic hands.!
B B King said (to somebody--I don't remember who), "You're playing those heavy-gauge strings? You're working too hard."
That was to Billy Gibbons. Billy has followed his advice ever since. I have been using 11's on my longer scale single coils, Fenders, and 10's on my shorter scale Les Pauls since the Eighties after seeing SRV live 10 times. Rick's video and my 61 year old hands got me thinking maybe I should experiment a little. I use 13's on my Martin D28.
Billy Gibbons heard that, and years later he developed his signature .007 string gauge with Dunlop. That's what he uses today.
Rodrigo that sounds terrible
CuReD_bacon they do I tried them when I first started thing it would be easier but it sounded like crap
Am I that weird? I do not believ in changing strings! (EX: My fretless Rickenbacker bass has had its strings for over a decade! STILL sound skiller!) I play guitars that have had thei strings on for decades!!(I don't break strings.)
I’ve been playing 8’s since my early days of learning guitar and have always primarily played Lea Paul’s, and much like you said, I feel that the lighter strings feel a lot easier to get down on. I’ve tried various sizes but always end up back on light strings. Glad I’m not the only one who feels the same way lol
I started with 8s but found that my playing style was a little too rough on them. Been playing 9s forever.
I was captured by the idea (myth?) that anything lighter than 10s wouldn't deliver enough tone. As a result of this video, I'm experimenting with lighter gauges and finding I do play better and with more confidence.
I've been using 9.5's for 20 years on my PRS Custom 24 and various Gibsons (Les Paul, Explorer, Flying V). They are fantastic! I still like playing 9's on my Strats, with the longer scale length being the difference. If you're unsure about going with 9's or 10's, do yourself a favor and give the 9.5's a try. I strongly recommend D'Addario. I think you'll love them!
I think that’s the ticket for me as well. It’s taken me several years to learn how to be light handed on guitar after playing bass for so long. 9.5 hmmm 🤔 I wonder if I can use this tuned low instead of 10’s ??? Great idea!
Good info, Rhett. Thanks for sharing!
I use 9's on all my Strats, 10's on my Les Paul and 10s on my 24" Scale Jaguar and 10's on my 24.75" scale 335 style semi-hollow body. It's a scale length thing to me, lighter gauge on 25.5" Scale Guitars, a heavier 10ga on 24.75" scale length guitars & ditto for the 'extra' short scale Jag. There is mathematical reasoning behind this 'madness' it relates to string tension in foot-pounds / scale length inches. There are UA-cam videos on this 'somewhere' ;-)
(ps: Dump the Slinky's, use real strings, D'Addario (kidding)
Cuthbert J. Twillie I agree with you. Use one gauge heavier on a shorter scale. It evens out the feel. So if you are going to go lighter then go lighter but keep the size bump the same.
Same
ditto...same gauges same guitars
I watched Rick's video and also another video from Musiciswin(thanks to the makers of those videos), to me the difference from thicker to thinner strings is comparable to hearing the sound through the wall from the next room to hearing the sound from the doorway. So depending on what kind of sound you want out of it should determine the size you need. I've only just begun playing and these videos gave me an insight I'd probably never have on my own, so thanks again to all involved! Cheers!!!
I went through this same "ah ha" moment not too long ago - I ended up switching all my Telecasters to 8's... I just make sure that I always carry at least 2 guitars to every single gig, breaking a string in the middle of a set sucks, having another ax you can just grab has saved me more than once. Great video!
I've wanted to do a similar test for my Jazz and Country playing. You saved me time and money! Thank you. With Country guitar, in particular, it's similar to funk and blues, with lots of clean voices, strange bends, etc. I was using 11s, and a guy at the shop was like try nine's - you're killing your fingers. He was right, and now this video seems to back it up.
To me, it seems as though the missing piece has always been stating the explicit context where something is 'better'. Yes, you hear more experienced producers saying something is 'better' but that implies it's ability to cut thru a mix (or something more than that), and that is probably not understood by most players, especially younger players who've never dealt with music at that level. When I just want to jam, or write, or play along to my heroes, I couldn't give two craps about the mix. I just want to enjoy a great tone in isolation. The takeaway is that there are different and very important contexts to consider in music where we can have two or more 'rights'.
Interesting, and what also can be happening is experienced ears are binding not mix friendly sounds to an emotional and deeper subconsious (and consious) level, so its an aquired taste to dont like what other people would like or accept in isolation, probably dont sound as right to someone experienced.
Fantastic comment! Something I've often thought when I listen to a video about right ways or right components, answers (opinions) are often biased to that persons circumstances, and or playing style. What is "right" for one doesn't have to be "right" for all. "Right" is right for you, and how and where you're playing.
This is why people have live guitars and studio guitars. I swear guitar mags used to be more informative when I was learning.
The Ernie Ball company must be smiling about now.
I work at Guitar Center, You don't know how many people were talking about this video and bought that 9 gauge pack lol.
@@Ilovecomedy818 including me
@Christopher Velasquez And the next time Rick will do a video with a clean tone test and the thicker gauges will sound better. Damn, we're using the wrong strings again, lets get 11s! :D
RIGHT! 150k+ views and growing. Rhett is the man.
🙂🙂🙂
Interesting and thoughtful take on the subject, thank you. I recently started rolling strings/gauges and find that I play differently depending on gauge. I'm settling on 9's on my Fenders, 8.5's may stay on some others. 8's are interesting, quite a big step away from 10's, but I may keep one axe strung w/ 8's just for days when finger fatigue/arthritis kicks in. Going all Slinky's as well.
Cool video. I'm a newer player. Not very good as i am still learning but i def picked up in the tone difference. The 9's hit the mid range sound i've been looking seeking. Thanks for posting and sharing.
I to have learned this many years ago. Nines are most suitable for my playing style as well as the guitars they are mounted to. I thought this was a very informative video and appreciate that the upcoming Guitarists can benefit from.
Back in the 60's ( yes, I know I'm an old man) I was blown away by light guage Slinkys. Before Slinkys I was playing Black Diamonds which were one of the only electric guitar strings available in Austin, TX until J.R. Reed Music started carrying Ernie Balls. I was playing in a band 3 nights a week, 4 hour gigs. I started out on 9s but went down to 8's I could set up my guitar with low action and easy on the hands playability. I didn't think about tone back then since you just turned everything to 11 and adjusted the volume on the guitar. Over the years I've bent to peer pressure to go up to 10's. But I long to go back to lighter strings. I picked up a buddies guitar that had 9 flatwounds. Wow! They really didn't feel any different than round wounds but none of the string noise, Interesting. Thanks Rhett.
Did you notice buzz on the 8's when you really dig in though? Light strings tend to bounce around more.
Ah, yes Black Diamond strings dipped in diamond dust. purchased mine at a HiFi repair shop in La Mesa Ca. in the mid 60's ( I'm an old man too)
C met small world though I bought mine at... was it Allen’s music in La Mesa? It would have been around ‘72 and on... you could run cable cars on them things 😆
@@hillmillenia Damn, it is a small world. purchased my first "quality" set-up there in '72, Gibson gold top Les Paul and a Fender super six reverb. Graduated Grossmont High in '71. Did a quick search and Allens is still going strong.
Oh man I also got a guitar there (got mine in ‘92 or ‘93)-my first electric. I was eleven years old and convinced my parents to buy me a Stratocaster (Squire) after I had developed some chops on a beat-up old 12 string acoustic I inherited from my uncle.
I recently switched from 10s to 9s on my Strat, and I realized everything you and Rick said is true about tighter low end and more pronounced midrange. Plus I can do rapid legato runs much more effortlessly. Makes me wonder, why was I making it harder on myself?
same here, a couple of hours ago I recived my strato with a 09 set strings, I always play with 10-46, use 09-42 just blow my mind, so light and beauty...
since im a bass player and i have to take some songs on guitar i prefer to play 10's or 11's just to not feel my guitar so loose and bending too sharp
@@mr.buzz-e7223I feel like this only works cause you’re so used to bending with 10s. 9s feel like your gliding on heaven. Making you feel like the guitar is singing. I feel like going from 11 to 10 would result into the same effect.
@@poopyfinger8748 yes, Could be!
Been a Skinny Top Heavy Bottom user since like '03 and it's cuz I tuned down but only a semi-tone and I also thought it sounded heavier. I'm also a heavy-handed player, then arthritis kicked in... I did a 67 day tour recently and even with stretching beforehand my hands would go numb mid set, it was rough. Now I started focusing on practicing & playing with a lighter touch, honestly just taking my playing more seriously instead of going through the motions and now I'm looking into lighter strings as well. I work at GC so I get to try all kinds of gear out and lighter stuff does feel great from time to time. The other stuff will be addressed in time but this was a great moment to stumble upon these two videos. Thanks 😊
I just decided to try 8's, learned on 10's because my father insisted that 10's would be good for building hand strength, then I switched to 9's. My friend always insisted tuning half-step down like Jimi, I think he did it to make the strings feel lighter and easier to play. I'd rather be in standard tune like most music is and a lot easier to jam with someone when not asking them to re tune their instrument. The 8's are nice and silky on my SG, going to see how they feel on the strat, tele, and lp later. Kind of a perspective change in a positive way that is refreshing and invigorating. Thanks for making this video and participating in the one Rick made, I watched both of them, Rick's first and this helped me see and hear things in a new way. I think I'm going to be an 8's kind of guy from here on out.
Interesting point, on my electric guitars, I’ve always used rotosound 10’s, I like them because they feel very light,I had 9’s on my tele, again I switched to the rotosound 10,s,& I like that feel, but at some point soon,I’ll definitely try the 9’s
Yeah, but problem with rotosounds is that they stretch very differently from say EB's. I tested and they bend easier, but you have to bend MORE to achieve the same pitch change, which is weird and quite surprising. I didn't like having to bend my E string so far into my B.
Nearly every guitar tech I speak to say 10's are the right gauge for a Tele. I can bend two whole steps on mine on the 3rd string with 10's, they sound pretty snappy too.
I like the slinky too heavy bottoms not for tone, but for feel. I play fast punk and hardcore and I need a bit more tension when I’m slamming quick chug patterns, but I also want to easily bend the higher strings. 9s do feel great to pluck around with though
You should try the orange package hybrid slinky set. It's 9,11,16,26,36,46 so it's 10s on the heavy side and 9s on the light. Best of both, I play a lot of country and like a fat bottom end but easy bends and these I think would work great for your application.
@@u7763I’m going to give these a try. Sounds like a great compromise.
I usually use 12s or 13s on my acoustic. I’ve tried lighter ones plenty of times. I think I have 7s on my electric right now. But I really prefer the heavier gauge, they feel better to me. Definitely works your hands harder though. When I switch to lights I find I’m less stable on the strings because I’m used to the heavier ones at this point lol
The Beato vid made me switch, too: All my electrics went from 10's to 9's indeed, and for that low end clarity. Most beginners think lots of low end is good for bedroom stuff when you don't have a bassist playing with you, but those tones don't sit well in mixes with a full band at all.
I have used #11's for a couple decades and also switched to 9's lately. I'm loving them.
there's definitely a difference to me in the chunking guitar at 8:00 . still sounds great . Thanks Rhett
Thanks for the video, Rhett. I also watched the one you did with Rick and the boys., and together, they were quite helpful. I have an old Strat and an even older Silvertone hollow body, ( a Gibson 335 copy), and for decades, I've assembled myown hybrid string sets for each with 56's on the bottom. To make life simple, I eventually settled on the Power Slinkys. But after watching your videos I'm gonna give myself a break and switch them both out try out the 9's. What the hell. Now if I can only figure out what to do about my beloved Blueridge acoustic guitar I can die happy. Open to suggestions.
Having played live for too many years to admit to: 8s are great for bends etc however I found that the breakage rate during live gigs made me settle on 9s or 10s for chords!
Try 8s with a 9 high E
Same. 10s & 11s for me.
I've used the Super Slinky 9-42s for years, and have always been delighted with them. I had some work done on my Les Paul a few years ago, and it came back strung with 10s, because the tech said something along the lines of 'Les Pauls should always be strung with 10s'. I didn't like them at ALL, and changed back to 9s within a few days, at which time I felt the guitar I knew and loved was returned! I have small hands, and the thing just felt so much nicer to play, not to mention the apparently brighter sound that you discuss in the video 🙂
That whole “all Les Paul's like 10s“ is such elitist bullshit lol
a guitar tech that says that bs, isnt a real guitar tech
Wow your rig sounds phenomenal... The 10’s on the Les Paul sounded like they had more body and character in the tone. I’d a gone straight into that vintage Fender amp. 😃
Great video. I've been playing acoustic 09 strings for a couple of years and I'm very satisfied
I agree with this! Like you I started with 11s on an SG believing that the tone was better. I dropped to 10s a few years later and then when I ran out of strings got a pack of 9s (the shop was out of 10 sets that I use) Recording extensively with the the 9s I really noticed the difference in playability and how the guitar was cutting through in the mix
Been there, I played 10's for decades, switched to 9's(for standard tuning) and will never go back. I also noticed that the temperature difference effects less on neck with ligher gauge strings.
The same is true for my acoustic Martin D-18. I bought it new in 1966 and started with medium gauge, 13-56. The action was high, so I first had the bridge shaved down. Then I switched to light gauge, 12-53, then to 11-52. The result was more playable with a much less low-end boom. This difference is true for finger picking as well as with a pick.
all comes down to what feels right for the player. both sound great.
Makes a huge difference, longer scale guitars like a strat I prefer 09, .011, .016, .026, .032, .038, a slight variation on Hendrix gauge, and on Les Pauls' 009, .011, .015, .024, .032, .042, with an added old string end and top wrap for the wound strings to lengthen them. String height and truss rod tension also have a huge bearing on tone along with pup height and screw pole adjustment for humbuckers. Every little tweak can make a significant difference imo. Capacitor material and values are another very significant factor for me. Thanks for the post, I thought it was intriguing to revisit the subject. Cheers. Almost forgot, string material. I always use pure nickel as opposed to steel or a cobolt composite, much warmer tone.
I spent 20+ minutes trying to find where did that lick at 4:52 came from
it was Cissy Strut by The Meters and I've had that song on my spotify playlist since 2018
Martín F. Molina do u know where the first riff he was playing is from??
I love you ! THX !!
Yeah I went to 9s recently and I too was amazed and won’t turn back. I do the unthinkable and put nines on my Gretsch and love the sound and playability I get from that ax
Thanks for your input! I'm an older player, and l play mostly rhythm anymore! I play with a group, and with age, I have some arthritis in my fingers, and I'm using tens, but been contemplating going to eights, so it might help by easing the pressure on my fingers making chords. I love the sustain I get with the tens, I don't want to lose that! I play a Les Paul mostly and love it!
years back before my table saw injury i used 13-56. i then after healing 3 years later i started back on 9's and have used them since the accident in 1999. The store 2 weeks ago was out of stock on 9's so i strung all my guitars in 10's. I found my speed was hampered by the tens they just had less give. 9"s also vibrate better in the magnetic field of the pole pieces. I also found that the 10- 52 the bass sounded very flat even on untouched strings and it showed up on recording. I will be a 9-42 forever. go to Dylan talk tone youtube page he builds hand made pickups but also explains everything about the sonic connection of pickups and strings.
Hint, try 9.5 set :)
My dad always told me to never trust a man who cuts his finger with power tools
David Willey
And I don't trust unfounded statements made by random people on the internet :)