What strings have enough tension for hard chugga?

[GJgo]

Hey guys,

Since I've been getting back into playing after a long time off one of the things I wanted to do with my new axe is try out a bunch of different types of strings to see if I had a new favorite. Background I'm basically sitting around the house playing heavy metal riffs on a LTD 25.5" scale guitar with a Kahler tremolo dropped to E♭. What I want is a string I can hard chugga riff on where it has enough tension to play fast- many I've been trying are just too sloppy for this. Their rebound to center isn't fast/tight enough so it's hard to time the chugging when you're picking hard with your whole arm in it.

Back in the day all I remember is that I only used D'addario strings & I didn't like Ernie Balls. When you start looking around for "best strings" everyone just spouts what they use so no real use there. Here are a few I've tried recently with my thoughts on them.

- It came with D'addario 9-42s. They were bright at first but went dead in two days. The gauge was way too light for me, with the jumbo frets I'd pull it out of key just fretting. Honestly how Hanneman & King use(d) 9s just blows my mind. I may still want to try some heavier ones.

- Next I tried some DR Dimebag heavy bottom 10-52s. They sounded dead out of the package and the "A" string was bad- intonation moved like 1/8". The low strings felt OK-decent but the high strings were still to light for me.

- Next I tried some SIT coated heavy bottom 10-52s in stainless. These had more tension & would chugga pretty well, but they were super bright- not a big stainless fan. The low strings felt pretty good & the high strings were better. Makes sense since stainless is harder. Also the coating made it hard to slide fast on the strings.

- Now I'm on a set of Dunlop Heavy Cores in 11-50s. I like the tone, it's a little darker which is good because my amp (Diavlo RD20) is bright. They slide very fast which is good. The high strings are starting to feel better, I think I'll end up with 11s or maybe 12s up top. The low strings however- they are so slinky that it makes it hard for me to fast chugga, which is not good. Right away when I started playing I knew they were too sloppy. These definitely are lacking the tension I need, and I don't know if going to their 12-54s would help. Interestingly on these I've been A-B-C-ing Tortex .73 / .88 / 1.0 picks, and call me crazy but it totally changes the tone of the string. The .73 has sharp note separation & tone, the .88 dulls the tone & muddies it, and the 1.0 has a good deep sound & decent separation with still a decent tone. I can chug harder with the heavier pick but I think the lighter pick sounds better.

- Next I'd like to try a set of GHS strings, I read Ola Englund uses those & that guy can riff. Any feedback on them?

Anything else to try? Basically I'm looking for good snappy tension & not too bright. Thanks for the help.

 

[Steinmetzify]

I dig EBs Skinny Top Heavy Bottom sets in 10-52 for chugs dude. I know you said you don't like em, but anything lower than a 52 on that scale just feels too loose for me. They're only $5 a pack so if they only last a week WGAF.

FWIW I use em on my LPs too, and dig em on 24.75 as well.

As far as picks go, for metal rhythms I dig on V Picks unbuffed Snakes and Gravity Picks with their Master Finish. 4mm. Chunk city.

 

[BeZo]

If you want tension, I would worry about string size more than string type. Fatter strings will have more tension. Find your favorite strings and go up a gauge.

 

[yankeebulldog]

I normally play 10s in standard E tuning, .46 bottom, but for dropped D on my SC58 PRS (25inch scale) I switched to a .52 low E. Seems to be plenty of tension for chugging.

 

[thegame]

with a Kahler tremolo

That may be your problem right there. They are notorious for working well, only when perfectly setup, but even if you're not whammying with it, those moving roller bridges can sometimes play havok with string tension, intonation, tuning stability, you name it.

 

[dwizted]

Another vote for dunlop heavy cores use a 12- 54 for Drop D / standard and a 13-60 for drop B. Perfect tension for me all the way across ppick bounces back qiuck. Used a 10 set for years and always had trouble picking cleanly... Now my picking is so much smoother...

 

[toddmogle]

if you go heavier than a .048 for a low string with a Kahler, you'll need to get a different string holder for that string, and will likely want the heavier springs for the back of the unit.
Sounds like you are using a Hanneman LTD model?? I had one of those for a long time, and used Ernie Ball Power Slinky's with the Dunlop Black Fang 1.14mm picks. I have a VERY heavy right hand, and had no issues going out of tune, and tonally it always sounded heavy.

 

[moronmountain]

13, 18, 24 (plain), 40, 52, 65 FTW!

 

[GJgo]

Thanks, yeah, I'm feeling that I need to go heavier in general.

Yeah, the Hanneman model. Love that thing, but I could take or leave the Kahler. When I go heaver than .48 on the bottom end I just use a pair of pliers to pinch the winding just in front of the ball & then it slots in just fine.

I ditched the Dunlop heavy cores in 11-50 & next tried some GHS boomers in 11-50. So far I like these the best, they're tight & the tone is great. The interesting thing is the string "pull" tension is lower, I can tell because the neck bowed back a touch- but the "picking tension" (which is what I'm talking about here) is definitely tighter & the picking is much more defined. I'm not sure if that makes sense but it is.

 

[Corrundum1]

I use Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy bottoms and I don't have a problem with them going dead too soon.

 

[GJgo]

I've been playing the GHS for a few days now. They feel good, and the tone is good, but I *think* they've lost a percussive low end chunk compared to the others. I'm simply not getting the same huff from my ported cabs. Huh.

 

[C1-ocaster]

Hey guys,

When you start looking around for "best strings" everyone just spouts what they use so no real use there. Here are a few I've tried recently with my thoughts on them.

Well, isn't that to be expected?
Why would someone tell you to use a brand of strings that are better than the ones they are using?
If there are better strings in someone's opinion, then they would be using them.
Did I just repeat myself?

What you're doing and describing in your post is THE best way to find which strings are "best", because when you find the strings that do what you like and sound the way you want them to sound, then those strings are THE BEST strings.
Then, when someone else poses this question in a new thread in the future you can then answer the "Which strings are best?" question by telling them about the strings you use.


As another poster mentioned, maybe just lose the Kahler or any trem.
On my Strat I locked it down and it stayed that way for years because playing heavier would wreck havoc with string rebound and tuning.
Initial attack can go flat easily. I tried heavier springs but then got into the whole balancing act between tuning and spring tension trying to maintain the stability. It was a losing battle and too much effort to try and keep things in balance.

I went with 2 other electrics with no trem and they are much easier to play heavier stuff on, and string rebound/damping is better.
I then returned the Strat back to having a trem and use it to play in a lighter style.
Chugging is done on my Schecter C1 Classic and ESP Eclipse E-II.
On the Schecter tuned down a whole step I'm using 9's, and the string feel is great, at least for the way I play it is.
I also like 10's on it, and even like a hybrid 9's on the top and 10's on the bottom.

 

[GJgo]

Thanks C1. I agree, every rig is almost a rule unto itself on what sounds best. Just have to try & see. For this rig I want HEAVY!!!

Yeah the Kahler has a locking screw on it so if I get tired of it I can lock it down. Honestly though I really haven't had any tuning problems with it.

 

[fretout]

I used to play the EB Skinny Top Heavy Bottom sets, but after about 8 years, I switched to the EB Power Slinkys and I really like the "balance" between the strings. The Power Slinkys may be a little slack with the lower tunings, but the lowest I've gone was C#, and that was on a LP's 24.75" scale.

For low, low tunings, I've tried going using 60 gauge and I even had a 72 gauge for a short time, but they never seemed to have the right "feel" in my experience.

 

[gbsmusic]

I use the Dunlop Zakk Wylde Heavy Core, they work great