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Post subject: Re: Strings: 9-42 vs 10-46
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:07 pm
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alanssaab wrote:
i've used 10's for more years than i care to remember and about a month ago i went to my local shop for string elixer 10's , they were sold out , bugger it i said gimme a set in 9's then , i put them onto my 85 mij 50's reissue and wow , what have i been missing all these years , and there was no decline of tone or thin sound (hard to get with a jcm800 half stack ) :lol: so i switched the other mij strat onto 9's as well . i'm debating weather to put them onto my uas strat , i use that for hendrix tuned down yummyness and it feels good with the 10's but i might give it a go at the next string change , cheers
Alan

Hey Alan how's life with you? great minds think alike as, if you read my post above, i've been thinking about changing to 9's on my Clapton strat.

I hate guitar playing to feel like a struggle! i want to make it as easy as i can for myself and heavier strings are just too much extra work and effort, for not much extra reward tonal wise at the end of the day. Unless you've got really powerful hands to handle the thicker strings (which i don't have) :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Strings: 9-42 vs 10-46
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:26 pm
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hi gary , things are not bad here , and yes i read your post mate , if i was in your boat i would deffo go for it . As i said before , ive been using 10's for donkeys years and never saw or felt any reason to change , it was just a spur of the moment thing and i'm quite glad i went for it 8) and i'll probably stick 9's on the usa strat as well 8) bugger it

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Post subject: Re: Strings: 9-42 vs 10-46
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:47 pm
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Gorgon wrote:
mattchevy wrote:
I think it's a myth that thicker strings equal better tone. Something I'm unlearning after 16 years of playing, having idolized players such as KWS and SRV whom use(d) 11's and 13's.


It's a total myth that one about bigger strings giving better tone. What they can do is maybe give you a thicker tone to a degree, whether you think that's better is down to the individual, bearing in mind you can adjust any differences from the amps eq.


That's true, Gary. It does give you a thicker tone. And As you said, that doesn't necessary mean better tone. Tone is very subjective to each individual. As of now, I have my Am Std Strat strung with 9s and my Lonestar Strat with 11's. If I want that fat Texas tone, then I swap. :)

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Post subject: Re: Strings: 9-42 vs 10-46
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:50 pm
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Gorgon wrote:
I think with heavy guages most guys are trying to be like SRV with the massive wires he used. Thing is Stevie had enormous hands with incredible power and strength in them, we all don't have hands like that. I find heavy strings too hard to play and i agree that the idea that heavier equals better tone is wrong. I'm using 10-46 on my Clapton and would never go heavier than that because i wouldn't feel comfortable bending and so on. I've often thought of going back to 9-42 as that's what i used to use, it feels easier and i don't notice any decrease in tone.

Billy Gibbons gets incredible tones from his guitars and i couldn't believe how light he strings his instruments when i saw a YT with his tech describing his rig. As mentioned Jimmy Page too used incredibly light strings during Led Zep, an .8 on the high E if i remember correctly although i believe he uses a .9 guage nowadays, and he had a massive tone! 8)

SRV also played Bass guitar before, so he was use to those thicker strings. I think strings are personal and whatever works for you is fine. I use 10`s on my Strats and Teles and I`m ok with that guage.

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Last edited by JPD on Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Strings: 9-42 vs 10-46
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:58 pm
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mattchevy wrote:
That's true, Gary. It does give you a thicker tone. And As you said, that doesn't necessary mean better tone. Tone is very subjective to each individual. As of now, I have my Am Std Strat strung with 9s and my Lonestar Strat with 11's. If I want that fat Texas tone, then I swap. :)

That's the best if you can have the option of switching to a different guitar with the heavier guages for that style. There is no doubt the thicker guage adds that extra meat to the sound, compared to light guages. I think the way i'd describe it is that it gives a different tonal color, not necessarily better, but different. That's the joy of having a few different guitars right there Matt; you can have your cake and eat it too 8)

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Post subject: Re: Strings: 9-42 vs 10-46
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:47 pm
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It's strange nobody has mentioned output yet, or dynamics.

Pickups create an electrical current (the signal) when they are exposed to a changing magnetic field (according to Lenz's Law, Grade 11 Physics). An increase in the mass of the steel which vibrates and thus creates the changing magnetic field should by rights result in a corresponding increase the strength of the current induced. Something for you to think about. There is a very slight hicup in this line of reasoning but its impact on the final result is not very significant. The hicup has to do with a slight increase in neck relief creating an even slighter change in relative pickup height. I say it is even slighter because of the rise/run formula for a $@!&#. Floating trems will also throw a wrench into the equation. Great brain teaser.

Then there are dynamics. A heavier string will exhibit different dynamics because it is thicker and therefore stiffer and stronger. Something else for you to ponder. :wink: When thinking on this aspect consider issues like quack, spank, jangle.


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Post subject: Re: Strings: 9-42 vs 10-46
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 4:41 pm
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BMW-KTM wrote:
It's strange nobody has mentioned output yet, or dynamics.

Pickups create an electrical current (the signal) when they are exposed to a changing magnetic field (according to Lenz's Law, Grade 11 Physics). An increase in the mass of the steel which vibrates and thus creates the changing magnetic field should by rights result in a corresponding increase the strength of the current induced. Something for you to think about. There is a very slight hicup in this line of reasoning but its impact on the final result is not very significant. The hicup has to do with a slight increase in neck relief creating an even slighter change in relative pickup height. I say it is even slighter because of the rise/run formula for a $@!&#. Floating trems will also throw a wrench into the equation. Great brain teaser.

Then there are dynamics. A heavier string will exhibit different dynamics because it is thicker and therefore stiffer and stronger. Something else for you to ponder. :wink: When thinking on this aspect consider issues like quack, spank, jangle.


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yup.

I don't hear the SRV tone emerge unless I've got 10's on, 11's hit the sweet spot.

The lighter strings sound really good when you have massive amps (amperage).

The lighter the string, the more delicate your attack needs to be.

Lighter strings with strong amps offer easier, more pronounced pitch based techniques (more dynamics) whereas heavier strings are just more percussive and require a harder attack which yields a different sound, more percussive sound, the SRV sound v. the ZZ Top sound.

Currently, I use 9-42's for concert pitch on strat like guitars, 9-46's for floyd rose and fixed bridge at concert pitch, 10-46's for detuned guitars, ...I'm curious to try 8's, I tried them a long, long time ago, but...it felt like I was cheating because they were so easy to play! It's gonna be interesting to see how much of a difference 8's make decades later, I should be able shred those things smokin' red hot!


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