question about string guage and how it effects your sound?

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bmf5150

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i have a pickup that i love has a great beefy bottom to it but i play with 9s strings.my friend has the same pickup but complains that the bottom end is all mushy soundings.he plays with 11 strings.does the larger strings like that give you alot more bottom end?
stan
 
I play with .11s tuned down to Eb and I notice that the thicker strings combined with less tension do add some thickness. In some scenarios, it's been an issue. I've gotten around that by running an EQ pedal before my amps/distortion pedals thus giving me much more control over the tone.

I believe it was Dino Cazares who mentioned in an interview I read years ago that he actually preferred lighter gauge strings on his 7 strings tuned to A because the thicker ones sounded muddy.
 
Keep in mind a lot of times it's the string tension that gets ridiculously bad when changing to different gauges. A lot of heavier strings tension gets totally out of whack more so than lighter gauges which causes them to sound worse. Too many people overlook tension and just pay attention to the gauge.
 
bmf5150":3kts9mlq said:
[...] does the larger strings like that give you alot more bottom end?
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Yes. :yes:

To me, heavier strings sound a bit like the difference between single and humbucker pickups too. Somewhat fuller, more bass and a bit more muddy (as if less presence) if you're not careful. In my opinion, finding the right balance between playability, brightness and heaviness concerning string gauge is as important as the pickups in a particular guitar. There's always a lot of discussion about pickups, but not about different strings and gauges, strangely enough... I guess it's more fun to talk about more expensive parts rather than "cheap" strings, but obviously they have a huge impact on tone.
 
Qweklain":1gaococu said:
Keep in mind a lot of times it's the string tension that gets ridiculously bad when changing to different gauges. A lot of heavier strings tension gets totally out of whack more so than lighter gauges which causes them to sound worse. Too many people overlook tension and just pay attention to the gauge.
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yup!!...this is what i believe to be true as well.....
 
I think a lot of it is perception. When guys who are used to 10's switch to 9's they usually hate it right off the bat. Is it really fair to compare when IMHO you should probably raise your action a slight amount for the 9's and give them a chance to break in. I feel that 9's with medium action can sound as good as 10's with low action.

Sometimes our ears play tricks on us. Can you hear a difference on clips between string gauge? Or let someone else play 2 different guitars, that sound close to begin with, using different string gauge and see if they are really that different.

All i know is EVH used 9's tuned down the Eb on the first VH album and that's the best tone ever. Me personally, i would use 10's on a Les Paul or similiar Gibson, and i now favor 9's with superstrats and FLoyd equiped guitars. For me, it's a feel thing.
 
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