The Watering Hole

Been using 11, 12 and 13 gauge strings on all my guitars. I do love the feel and the tone most of the time, but occasionally the tone is a little less focused than I would like and the Floyd on the Dime guitar does not like the .11s. I put 10s on most of my guitars today and am keeping 12's on the drop C instrument. The 10s feel like rubber bands, the slinky thin type of rubber bands that break easily. But man the Dime guitar loves the DR 10s. No only did I step down a gauge, but the lower strings are very much smaller, going from 11-56 to 10-46 completely changes the character of the instrument. Same with my C1 Classic. I will miss the way the heavy strings react to my picking, but I guess I need to not play so heavy handedly.

It is funny because in the studio or at a jazz gig where I am sitting I play very lightly and with a lo of care to dynamics. In the Planet Radio cover band I just rock the fuck out, and the ehavy strings have served me well for that.

The 10s do feel nice on the left hand though, I can bend them practically off the fretboard.

I use DAddario XL 110's for many years on all of my instruments, I like them. I like the sound and feel.

You should try EB Skinny Top Heavy Bottom Nickel Wound .010 - .052 strings. Get that low end feel baby!!

+1 Johnny, that's what I use...

Doing so would completely defeat the purpose of the switch, I was looking for lighter E and A strings. I like the heavier treble strigns. DR .10s have suited me well for years, it has only been the past couple of years that I strayed to the heavier gauges. So I guess for now the 10s ar it.

Johnny — Nov 03, 2008You should try EB Skinny Top Heavy Bottom Nickel Wound .010 - .052 strings. Get that low end feel baby!!

I use the 9's set of these on my Satriani, and the 10s set on my Wolfgang.  I'm normally not a fan of heavy bottoms, but in this particular context, I like it.   :)

I have a standard set of EB 10s on my strat, but think I'm going back to 9s.  Just not diggin the unwound strings with a standard 10 set.  Actually, what I'll probably try next (there were out last week at GC or they'd already be on there) is a set of 9s in EB Pure Nickel.   Just for the strat.  

I just dont know if I could ever play .9s. Hats off to you guys who can, but every time I havepicked up a guitar with .9s on it my playing really suffered. I rely on the tension/resistance of the strings and .9s just don't have it.

10's on all my axes except the PRS.  It's gets GHS Santana 10.5-48's.  Work's better with the scale and are pretty nice strings.  

I rely on being able to play the stings without fighting them.  I can play the heavier strings, but I don't like it.  

I like to fight the strings thing I guess,
Electric guitar strings feel like flimsy rubber bands to me anyway compared to acoustic.

But I have always played hi action  shitty acoustics  the kind that dents my callouses.

As some of you guys may remember, I switched to .10s on both my 'working' electrics about 18 months ago while my old 80's Aria Pro 'Thing' guitar still has a set of .9s. that I put on about 5-6 years ago! I finally received the S.O.B. 9.5-46 about 6 weeks ago and so far have only put them on the Levinson so I have a good set of comparisons at the momment.

And, in true Brit style, later today will see the other sets of SOB's go on the Fender and the Aria.

I bought the SOB's for 'that vintage tone' they promised. Don't know that the tone is any different but, the feel from the 9.5s I am really liking.

I just hope that my next order will take less than 2 months to arrive.

But I have always played hi action  shitty acoustics  the kind that dents my callouses.

EWE!!!!   :o  

LOL  

AD, yeah, that's one of the knocks on those strings.  It does take a while. Some guys just love them though.  

I must get a really good acoustic, but the action has to be high as the tone is better.

AD, yeah, that's one of the knocks on those strings.  It does take a while. Some guys just love them though.  

Tis' true that I'm loving them. But, like I said, far more for the feel than any tonal advantage. I'll be ordering some more in the next week or so just to see if the Fender and the Aria take to them as the Levinson has done.

I'll let y'all know.

fingers — Nov 08, 2008I must get a really good acoustic, but the action has to be high as the tone is better.

Don't buy a Taylor then!  (unless you want to have a setup done and have it raised).  

U sed to be a .10s snob.  Even went up to .11 for some time.  I don't know why but I keep .09 on the Ibanez and .10 on the Strat.  To me they both feel really good with those particular strings.

There is too much fight in the Ibanez with .10's  and the strat just has to be in .10 or it doesn't feel right.