Does string gauge make a difference?

[walrus]

Well, we know it does - just ask Woody!

But this is a pretty cool video that Rick Beato just posted. His YouTube channel is great, IMO. There is a similar video about electric strings that he posted a few weeks ago.

Weirdly, last week I was thinking about going back and trying .10 -.50 (Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze) strings which I tried for a while before switching back to .11 - .52's, the gauge I used throughout my younger days. Then this video shows up! Made me want to try the .10's even more.

The playability of the .10's was definitely easier for me, and I really don't think I gained any noticeable volume from the .11's. But I couldn't remember that well, so I'd have to try it again. Right now, I'm playing for myself anyway. Just as an example, I've been working on Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well, Part 1" which has some very quick (and difficult!) hammer on's. I'm thinking the .10's would improve my ability to play it (maybe).

Also, I use .10 - .50's on my electrics (Ernie Ball Custom Nickel Wound, with a wound G string) so both of my guitars would have the same gauge strings.

As I get older and my hands age with me, I'd rather make the guitar easier to play if I can.



walrus

 

[Westerly Wood]

I hear it’s tension more than gauge now.
my my short scale guild, I know mediums are more resonant than lights.

As always you can’t take my OCD for science.

 

[walrus]

I hear it’s tension more than gauge now.

I agree with that. I absolutely remember liking the lower tension, but I found the Extra Light D'Addario (EJ10 I think, .10 - .47) with a .47 low E string to be too thin of a gauge. The .10 - .50's were better, and I also like EB strings more anyway.

Funny how you have been posting about going thicker in gauge, and I'm posting about going back to thinner. But I am almost exclusively a flat picker.

We each manifest our OCD in different ways...

walrus

 

[Br1ck]

I have friends who play light gauge strings out of preference or necessity, and I think their guitars sound thin, and the feel both in fingering and how the pick feels coming off the string is not for me. I play .013s on my Martin dread, the strings the guitar is designed to use.

 

[Westerly Wood]

I have friends who play light gauge strings out of preference or necessity, and I think their guitars sound thin, and the feel both in fingering and how the pick feels coming off the string is not for me. I play .013s on my Martin dread, the strings the guitar is designed to use.

My F30R loses something with lights. .12-.53. It’s short scale, and I believe that keeps the medium gauge tension a tad lower than standard scale length. I do like the .13-.56. Standard tuning or dropped. I would not say I wouldn’t one day go back to light gauge just to be able to keep playing. But shouldn’t have to for a while.

That being said, I have played /owned real light build dreads, and mediums were too stiff on the tone. Lights helped the resonance. We have discussed this phenomenon before on LTG. My Santa Cruz dread was a good example of that. It just sounded better with standard light gauge.

 

[adorshki]

My F30R loses something with lights. .12-.53. It’s short scale, and I believe that keeps the medium gauge tension a tad lower than standard scale length. I do like the .13-.56.

"Yes". With a shorter scale it takes less tension to bring a string to pitch.

 

[Tom O]

My DD-6mc (short scale) came with 10s from previous owner. Sounds louder and better with GHS DD S325 .011 1/2-.054. (Doyle's strings on Doyle's guitar). Use Medium DRs on my GAD-50 to prevent 5th string buzz.

 

[dreadnut]

I've gone to D'Addario Bluegrass EJ19's - medium wound strings, lighter top two strings. Perfect combo for me, and leads are easier to play with those lighter top two strings.

 

[walrus]

Well, the Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze 10 - 50's were a fail. Not enough tension , intonation off, etc. Not a good fit for the F-30 anyway. Put the EB 11 - 52's back on and guitar is happy again.

A worthy experiment, I guess.

walrus

 

[GuildInAtlanta]

I'll throw another option into mix.

I have a NH F30R and landed on Elixir HD Lights after going through my own string odyssey. They’re 13-53, so the high strings are from a traditional medium set. Supposedly this combination creates more tension on the top while retaining a somewhat closer playability to a traditional light set, and can possibly produce more bass although the lower strings are still light gauge.

Well, to my ears…it works!?

Although I enjoy the feel of a light set of strings this combo does increase volume and it seems to give the guitar an even fuller sound.

Every now and then I still put a normal light set on the guitar to enjoy the feel. But, within a week or so I’m always switching back to HD lights just for the tone.

YMMV, but I it may be worth an experiment for you.

Robert

 

[Russell Letson]

The sound of a given gauge depends on the guitar--scale length, bracing, and general build. I have guitars that sound just fine with very light sets--a 1920 Martin, a Michael Dunn Daphne. But any of my archtops, including a modern, X-braced handbuilt, need pretty traditional medium-and-up sets to drive them. (Current favorite for playing amplified: the Thomastik BeBop 13-55 set.)

I have two guitars built specifically for silk & steel/silk & bronze lights (hybrid X/fan bracing) that sound just fine with them, though I've been know to bump the E strings up one notch, from .011 to .012. My D40 and Goodall Standard are pretty tolerant of anything from GHS silk & bronze (11-49) through regular lights, but those guitars also benefit from a bump-up of the B and E.

And so on. As for playability with aging hands, I've found that setup and neck profile matter at least as much as string gauge--I find my Eastman 805 with BeBops, the hybrid with silk & bronze, or the D-40 or Goodall with 12-54 lights equally playable because the neck geometry and setup cooperate.

 

[Tom O]

Check out this video for the impacts on a Gibson.
Alot depends on your playing style.

 

[walrus]

Tom, see the first post of the thread!

walrus