Chubtone
Well-known member
Zachman":1flde0qy said:
Exactly. That was the early years of RT and the point I have been trying to convey in countless posts and with too many words. Zach just did it in two sentences.
Exactly. That was the early years of RT and the point I have been trying to convey in countless posts and with too many words. Zach just did it in two sentences.
Chubtone
Well-known member
Zachman":2bsa5x9x said:
Zach,
Congrats on being chosen in the 1st round of the 2013 NBA draft!
Zachman
Well-known member
Chubtone":31o55udn said:Zachman":31o55udn said:
Zach,
Congrats on being chosen in the 1st round of the 2013 NBA draft!
Sports requires too much effort. I prefer napping.
J
JB6464
Member
10-12-16-26-36-46 for me on my strats and teles.
And 11-14-28-38-48 for my LP's .
Just the right amount of tension and beef I need to get the feel I'm after when playing.
And 11-14-28-38-48 for my LP's .
Just the right amount of tension and beef I need to get the feel I'm after when playing.
tjon
New member
Been playing with 12s now. I have a hard time playing sets with a low E smaller than 50ish. Lighter high strings dont bother me as much as light low strings.
petejt
Active member
The general physics behind is that heavier gauge strings are thicker, so there's more metal (ie larger coil) moving in the magnetic field of the pickups. This induces a more powerful electrical current, in effect a stronger signal. Stronger signal = fatter tone.
It works for me, but I don't think it always applies. Using thicker strings would make it harder to get a super clean sound while playing lightly, if the amp is cranked up quite high. You'd have to be REALLY light with your touch, or roll the guitar's volume to almost nil so the amp doesn't clip.
Billy Gibbons was mentioned above- it's been said that on some albums, that he'd crank the gain right up, set the tone controls quite low, and then play really lightly on the light gauge strings. I guess for him this produced his famed gritty "dirty clean" sound that gets a lot of raunch when he hits the strings a bit harder. I personally love his old sounds like on La Grange, as well as the processed sounds on Eliminator.
I'm guessing that Stevie Ray went the other way- he'd set his amps quite clean (did he? As I said I'm only guessing! But he did have some Fender amps in there that didn't have much gain), and then use thicker gauge strings. The thicker strings would produce a fatter sound that would overdrive the amp if he really dug into them, but his signal stayed quite clean if he played softer, as well as the amps not being set for much dirt.
Anyway both musicians had a lot of expression in their dynamics which I appreciate more than any of the shredders out there.
It works for me, but I don't think it always applies. Using thicker strings would make it harder to get a super clean sound while playing lightly, if the amp is cranked up quite high. You'd have to be REALLY light with your touch, or roll the guitar's volume to almost nil so the amp doesn't clip.
Billy Gibbons was mentioned above- it's been said that on some albums, that he'd crank the gain right up, set the tone controls quite low, and then play really lightly on the light gauge strings. I guess for him this produced his famed gritty "dirty clean" sound that gets a lot of raunch when he hits the strings a bit harder. I personally love his old sounds like on La Grange, as well as the processed sounds on Eliminator.
I'm guessing that Stevie Ray went the other way- he'd set his amps quite clean (did he? As I said I'm only guessing! But he did have some Fender amps in there that didn't have much gain), and then use thicker gauge strings. The thicker strings would produce a fatter sound that would overdrive the amp if he really dug into them, but his signal stayed quite clean if he played softer, as well as the amps not being set for much dirt.
Anyway both musicians had a lot of expression in their dynamics which I appreciate more than any of the shredders out there.
J
JB6464
Member
There is also other general physics that apply with light or heavier strings , tuning .
Someone may be tuning extremely low and using 12's or thicker to compensate for the string slop , and that will effect the guitars tone as well .
I use custom light 10's on 25.5 scale guitars but I tune at standard 440 or sometimes at a half step down , there's a big difference just in tone and feel depending on how a person tunes their guitar.
Someone may be tuning extremely low and using 12's or thicker to compensate for the string slop , and that will effect the guitars tone as well .
I use custom light 10's on 25.5 scale guitars but I tune at standard 440 or sometimes at a half step down , there's a big difference just in tone and feel depending on how a person tunes their guitar.
stephen sawall
SEMI ERECT MEMBER
I use piano strings to get the sound & feel I want ....
Mr. Willy
Well-known member
Stevie Ray was famous for doing the "roll" at some point in practically every gig he played, according to his tech. Whenever he was feelin it, he walk over to his his amp/s and roll all the knobs all the way up in one quick motion.
Mr. Willy
Well-known member
I might think that using lighter gauge strings would produce a thinner tone but there are a few guitarists who prove that notion otherwise.
Eddie Van Halen
Brian May
Billy Gibbons
Eddie Van Halen
Brian May
Billy Gibbons
H
Heritage Softail
New member
All true metal players use barbed wire, 11ga.
M
mdog114
New member
I use 11-52 sets on my guitars because that's the gauge I prefer. I don't really bother with what anyone else uses, that's their business. I learned on a 1936 Epiphone with 1/4" action and a wound G and although I used thin sets when I got my first solid body, I settled on this gauge-set about 30 years ago.
I've got big, strong hands and I find that the bigger strings hold-up under my hands better. Lighter gauges go sharp too easily. The bigger sticks also seem to ring louder and longer than the skinny ones.
I do keep one of my Teles strung light to get that "snap" though, you just don't get it with the thicker strings.
I've got big, strong hands and I find that the bigger strings hold-up under my hands better. Lighter gauges go sharp too easily. The bigger sticks also seem to ring louder and longer than the skinny ones.
I do keep one of my Teles strung light to get that "snap" though, you just don't get it with the thicker strings.
Zachman
Well-known member
stephen sawall":djyr407m said:
Hemi113
New member
13-56 for standard. They're a necessary evil for me, I once snapped a 3 day old .52.
Stays in tune though!
Stays in tune though!