ok so today i'm here to ask you all how could i improve my sound? i've been looking at string gauges to see if i should change my 9's but i feel that they are comfortable to my hands now i don't know how my tone changes if i change to a higher gauge though i always thought i should try diferent pickups but this string gauge thing could be the missing link to my tone... i'll let you guys decide... check this vid out (it's an example of my current tone i'm playing my vm strat on this one my other strat is played in drop d but my settings and strings are all the same) let me know what you think i need

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVIUOkfX9Pw&feature=channel_video_title

Sounds awesome to me.

I'm a novice (< 3 years experience), but I would turn up the reverb and turn down (slightly) the Gain to fill it out a bit.

Again, I'm a novice, and what you played was really cool.

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Electric Guitar #1: Fender American Select Mahogany Stratocaster HSS
Electric Guitar #2: Agile Al-3110 Les Paul
Acoustic: Fender CD200SCE Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Amp: Line 6 Spider III 75 75W 1x12 Combo Amp
Piano: Yamaha M450

After pickups, strings and picks make the most dramatic change in your tone. Going heavier or lighter is very dependant on what type of music you play. Country and certain modern rock might benefit from lighter strings, they have a brighter tone. Blues, classic, hard rock I think sound better with heavier. If its the issue of being harder to bend, you could try hybrid sets, with heavier wound strings and lighter plain. I've been using Eric Johnson nickel rockers. They have strings from a set if 11's for the low E, A Ang G, and strings from a set of 10's for the D, B and high E. I'm going back to 11's though. You may want to string them for heavier, and either tune to Eb until you're used tov them, or set you're electric tuner for a few cents below standard 440/ concert pitch. I use 11's on my Gibsons, and 13's tuned down a half step for the PRS. I find I have more consistent string tension from one guitar to the next.
P picks can also make a big impact. I normally use jazz III's, but made with different plastics. I use Ultex the most, they cab strumdig in when I want, and slide over the strings like Teflon when its needed. The harder plastic gives it more pick attack. When I want a softer attack, I use Eric Johnson jazz 3's (in not getting then because they're E.J's, its just most of his signature stuff is really good, and different). These are like regular jazz 3's, but with a matte finish, so the plastic is softer yielding a softer attack.and I use fender heavy pearloid that I file down for other things. Try it all, try regular nickel plated, pure nickel, hex core, round core, etc till you find what works.

Hi Ralf. I got some good advice on this topic on the thread Can I sound Stevie-like on 010gauge?

Now, I was told that there is no inherent thin tone to the 009 set, as many blues artists with great tone use the 009´s. But to me, a G string at 015 (even 016) is way different than at 017, which is what you get in the 010 gauge set.
Going to the 010 is in my opinion a wise idea. You get used to the tension in a couple of days.
They are still quite bendable and respond better to the different dynamics.
I am guessing the harmonics content varies with different string gauges. To me, the 010 set does sound fuller and feels much more organic to the hands. The 009´s feel wobbly to me.

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FIGHT!

So many things can change your tone. Don't forget you have knobs on the amp and the guitar. They work pretty well.

Thicker strings will give you a different tone. Also the amp your using makes a big difference.

The less distortion you use the more the strings will effect your tone....IMHO
playing clean will give you a good idea on difference between string gauges.

I have bounced back and forth between 9's and 10's thru the years but the last 17 years i havent been playing with over drive or distortion and i find it easier to hear the qualities of the strings and picks and pick ups for that matter.

every pick up manufacturer has pick ups recommended for certain styles .... you can always call Dimarzio or Duncan and ask their tech guys for a recommendation based on your playing style and the tone you want.

Good luck

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1985 Fender Squier Bullet
1987 Kramer Striker
1983 Fender Strat Elite
1995 Fender Strat Plus
2001 Carvin DC127
1999 G&L Legacy
2002 Melancon Classic Artist
2009 Paul Reed Smith SE Singlecut
2010 Fender Deluxe American Strat
2006 Fender MIM Fat Strat

There are some "artist" sets that are 9.5 gauge if
you want to not make a dramatic change in feel.
Also you might try heavier wound strings. I personally don't like the off the shelf Heavy Bottom sets because they tend to be more extreme, but I do like the Gilmour set that is just slightly heavier on the wound strings.
FWIW that's what I'm using but I'm swapping the 10 for a 9.5 and using a wound G.

Also don't underestimate how different picks affect tone.

Hey Ralf,

I think the first step is to try to nail down just what it is about your tone you're not happy with. Does it sound too thin to you? Too muddy? Good clean, but not distorted, or vice-versa? Is there someone else's sound you're aiming for, but not getting there?

Without a clearer idea, all we can do is lob random suggestions at you that may not actually help get you where you want to be. Hope this helps.

true, well what i like about my tone is that it's got this sort of "trebly spikey" sound as my drummer calls it (she's a little overboard) but i kinda feel that it needs more of a lower punch to it kinda like the offsprings guitar tone and what you hear in pennywise's guitar tone which i find to be very well contrasted... i'm trying to go for something that suits pop punk but hardcore punk at the same time

String construction and materials will most likely have a bigger impact on tone than gauge.Nickel plated strings will sound much fuller that plain steel and flatwound strings will sound mellower still.Only a drastic difference in string gauge will give any discernable change in string tone.The EQ controls on your guitar and amp will give you the widest variance in guitar tone.If you really want to chase tone and get a broader range go out and but yourself a multiband EQ board or foot box that will really add diversity to your tone.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I use a lot of pick attack like you, but I am playing cleaner, less driven tones (like blues and classic rock). I use 10's and even go to heavy bass strings with a .50 low E. I am sure you use some sort(s) of overdrive or distortion. You also may use a low action on your guitar. I think you may be just where you want to be with your strings.

I always think that the most important component of tone in electric guitar is the amp. What do you use?

I modded my Stratocaster with a Push/Pull pot (on the middle tone knob) that will turn on my Bridge pickup no matter where the selector switch is set.

I wired that middle tone knob to affect the Neck and Middle pickups, and wired the other tone pot (closest to my pinky) to affect the Bridge pickup.

When I have the N + B setting, there is a great combination of Thick & Bright available...while I rarely play anything that could be described as punk, with a bit of fuzz this tone would work excellent for angry, snotty music. The bridge pup screams while the neck pup bellows, and together they will rip your head off.

Also, with a tone control available for the bridge pup, I can dial back some the brightness while retaining the "in your face" punchiness of the bridge (this is true whether I have the bridge pup selected exclusively or in combo with the other pickups).

A cool mod I have on my Telecaster is a Fender "No-Load" tone potentiometer. It has a "wide open" setting that takes the pot out of the signal path completely...it's really cool with either my (stock) Tele bridge pup or my (non-stock) P-90 neck pup on that guitar. This would work equally well for my Strat, but I haven't installed one on that guitar yet.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Bah..it's all in the fingers. I can't stand the dude's singing, but the guitarist for The Black Keys makes some serious noise with what some would say are unorthodox guitars. Harmony hollowbody, Eastwood "Airline", and he can even get the good stuff from a tele with a bigsby.

If you want to see how much of a tone change you will experience by increasing the string guage using the set you have on right now, try tuning the B string to E and compare it to the high E. If you're using a set of 9's then the B should be an 11.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

Only you can prevent forest fires and only you can improve your tone. Truth be told, you can't improve your tone....you can only change it.

If my guitar sounded like yours, I'd burn it. But you like that tone. So is it good tone or bad tone? Maybe you're thinking, well, everyone will know what I mean by "improving" my tone. Don't count on it.

Just keep on fiddling with it. You'll never be done. Unless you're B.B. King.