Let's talk strings gauges

[Matt_B]

Thats basically the set I use with a .0005'' thicker b-string.

A .014 is going in the right direction and Lord knows .0135 aren't easy to come by. D'addario has cornered the market on those.

I just ordered a set of D'addario 9.5s and a set of 10.5s. I'm going to find out how the 10.5 feel on the LP and I'll put the 9.5s on one of my other guitars to see if I can go just a little lighter overall.

[max]

This would be a fairly even set of 009s:

len 25.5"

E .009" PL == 13.13#
B, .0125" PL == 14.24# (B, .012" PL == 13.11#)
G, .016" PL == 14.68#
D, .024" N == 15.77#
A,, .034" N == 17.6#
E,, .047" N == 18.21#
total == 93.64#

Following this logic simply changing the standard 011 b-string for a 012 should already be an improvement. I doubt this will be the case though.

[max]

A .014 is going in the right direction and Lord knows .0135 aren't easy to come by. D'addario has cornered the market on those.

I just ordered a set of D'addario 9.5s and a set of 10.5s. I'm going to find out how the 10.5 feel on the LP and I'll put the 9.5s on one of my other guitars to see if I can go just a little lighter overall.

Boomers has a set "Light+" that starts with 0105 and 0135 for e and b.

I have the DAddario 0095 set here. Besides the odd e-string it has the very rare 0115 for the b-string as well as 034 as A-string.

[Matt_B]

E,, .047" N == 18.21#

See, that there is D'addario doesn't make a .047 nickel wound string. They only offer that gauge in pure nickel wound which, from what I have read, is not as bright as the regular nickel wound. The .047 might work, as far as overall tone goes but I'm not sure.

[max]

A more balanced set of 9s (on a 25.5" scale length) would be
- .009 (13.13 lbs)
- .012 (13.11 lbs)
- .016 (14.68 lbs) or you could try a .015 w/12.9 lbs.
- .024 (15.77 lbs)
- .032 (15.77 lbs)
- .044 (16.1 lbs)

I've got a spreadsheet at home to track the average tension of each string then the deviance of each string for that average.

I just put this set on a Fender strat. The 012 b-string feels correct and might actually be an improvement. I'm not quite sure about the 044 E-string though, feels a bit odd. I'll try the 012 b-string on a guitar with a locking nut and see what this does.

[Matt_B]

I just put this set on a Fender strat. The 012 b-string feels correct and might actually be an improvement. I'm not quite sure about the 044 E-string though, feels a bit odd. I'll try the 012 b-string on a guitar with a locking nut and see what this does.

That's good to hear. I can understand how the .044 might feel a bit odd but it's just a matter of getting used to it. A set of standard custom lights is 9-46.

[Chad]

I went through all of that around the year 2000 when I was into playing both 7 string guitars and Fender Jazzmasters.

I will add that there are many factors that affect the way strings feel aside from just string gauge and tuning. To name a few:

1. How thick the core wire is on the wound strings. This is a big factor that makes some brands feel "looser" or "tighter" than others. I tried to research this back then and found the information isn't exactly easy to find. But I did find it interesting to unwind wound strings from manufacturers and measure the core wires with dial calipers. Unfortunately, that was long ago and I didn't document the data. What I do know is that I found I most prefer the feel of D'Addario XLs. I should add that overall string construction in general largely affects the feel of strings. For example, flatwounds have a very tight feel compared to regular wound strings.

2. The amount of string length beyond the nut and bridge. The more string length, the looser the strings will feel and vice versa. This is very apparent with a guitar like a Jazzmaster that has a lot of string length beyond the bridge. I used heavier strings that normal with my Jazzmaster because of this. I will break this down into some subpoints:

a) for guitars without a locking nut, when comparing a 6-in-a-row regular headstock with a reverse headstock on a guitar with all other things constant, the regular headstock will have a tighter feel on the low strings and a looser feel on the high strings and vice versa. Headstocks aren't just about looks! I DO NOT like reverse headstocks on standard scale 7 string guitars because of this.

b) for guitars with a locking nut, whether there is a regular or reverse headstock is largely irrelevant once the nut is locked. This is because the nut stops movement of the strings in the nut which effectively makes the strings feel shorter...but it also makes them feel more even because they are all clamped at the same place on the string length. The trem bridge will "give" some which can contribute to a looser feel, but I still feel that a guitar with a locking nut has a tighter feel.

Discussing all of this looser/tighter feel stuff I feel that I should clarify something. When there is more string length, the resulting feel is indeed looser, but when bending vertically on the fretboard to a given pitch you have to travel further to reach the pitch. With lesser string length beyond the scale length you have to exert more pressure, but don't have to travel as far vertically on the fretboard to reach the given pitch. I don't know the physics terminology but in my mind I think of it as you are exerting the same amount of energy just in different ways.

3) The angle of the strings beyond the nut and bridge. The more downward angle there is, the tighter the strings will feel. This is why the strings have a much looser feel on a Les Paul when you wrap the strings around the tailpiece (Zakk Wylde style) versus stringing traditional (through the tailpiece).

In summary, play around with those things. You will be surprised how much they affect the feel of the strings. The bottom line is that you can't just run some formula and expect it to mean a whole lot beyond providing some ball park guidelines. You HAVE to also consider and look into the construction of the guitar and particular brand/model strings you are using. I found it best to run the calculations then buy various strings, then experiment by feel to see what is best for a given guitar and tuning.

[Matt_B]

In summary, play around with those things. You will be surprised how much they affect the feel of the strings. The bottom line is that you can't just run some formula and expect it to mean a whole lot beyond providing some ball park guidelines. You HAVE to also consider and look into the construction of the guitar and particular brand/model strings you are using. I found it best to run the calculations then buy various strings, then experiment by feel to see what is best for a given guitar and tuning.

Well, I'm stick with D'addarios because they are a constant (they are all I use) and as far as the guitars go, I can't change much about those so I'm going to try strings out and see what happens.

[Chad]

Of course the whole perceived string tension is another can of worms:

http://liutaiomottola.com/myth/perception.htm

I had never read that article until now. It's getting late so I just scanned it. It seems they could have explained things easier. After reading that I would like to mention a simple experiment that proves the affect that string length beyond the scale length has. Here is the experiment:

Grab a guitar without a locking nut. Bend any string to a given pitch and make note of where the strings stops on the fretboard. For example, bend the high E string up one full step at the 12th fret and make note of how far you have to push vertically to reach F#. Now install a capo at the first fret. This has the same effect as a locking nut (i.e. it clamps the string down effectively making it feel like the string length stops right at the clamping point). Now bend that same high E string up to F# and take note of how far you have to vertically push up the string.

You will find that with the first bend (no capo) the feel is looser but you have to push further vertically on the fretboard. With the capo installed, you won't have to push as far vertically but you will have to exert more pressure.

[Chad]

Well, I'm stick with D'addarios because they are a constant (they are all I use) and as far as the guitars go, I can't change much about those so I'm going to try strings out and see what happens.

D'Addarios have been my favorite strings for years....can't go wrong with them. And I especially like how they make it relatively easy to get separate strings to build custom gauge string sets.

Does your 24.75" scale guitar have a Les Paul style headstock? If so, theoretically, you will want to compute a gauge that gives more pounds of tension on the inner strings. Again, this is because of the string length beyond the nut. For an even feel you will especially want the G & D strings to have a higher relative tension compared to the other strings.

[Matt_B]

Does your 24.75" scale guitar have a Les Paul style headstock?

Yes they do. They're LPs. My other guitars either have locking nuts, reverse headstocks or plain ol' 6-to-a-side regular headstocks.

If so, theoretically, you will want to compute a gauge that gives more pounds of tension on the inner strings. Again, this is because of the string length beyond the nut. For an even feel you will especially want the G & D strings to have a higher relative tension compared to the other strings.

For me, that's the next level to take this too once I get the different scale lengths balanced out. But this added element raises a question.

We all know that scale length is measured from the nut to the bridge so on guitars with a locking nut, the string length is the string length. On guitars with standard nuts, how do we use the length of the string for determining tension? We know the scale length is what it is but if I measure the distance from a particular tuner to the bridge, what does that number mean? Because the string is being constricted by the nut and/or bridge, it's tight anyways so how does that portion of the string factor into the tension calculation?

[Chad]

We all know that scale length is measured from the nut to the bridge so on guitars with a locking nut, the string length is the string length.

Once the nut is locked down, yes.

On guitars with standard nuts, how do we use the length of the string for determining tension?

Provided the nut doesn't bind and prevent movement of the strings, then extra string length from the nut to the tuners makes the string feel more elastic and loose.

We know the scale length is what it is but if I measure the distance from a particular tuner to the bridge, what does that number mean?

Just that extra string length outside of the scale length makes the strings feel looser. The high E string on a Jazzmaster or Jaguar is one VERY loose feeling string because there are inches of string between the bridge and the tremolo....and also the length from the nut to the high E tuner is longest since it is a regular 6 in a row headstock.

Because the string is being constricted by the nut and/or bridge, it's tight anyways so how does that portion of the string factor into the tension calculation?

I never got to the point of measuring pounds of tension. Perhaps somebody else can chime in with more info on that. Just guessing, I'm not sure the actual sitting tension measurement will be any different, but once you start playing/bending/moving the strings, then it feels different.

[max]

That's good to hear. I can understand how the .044 might feel a bit odd but it's just a matter of getting used to it. A set of standard custom lights is 9-46.

Theres an extensive thread over at Jemsite (where I never go) with plenty of tension charts. Apparently the original poster plays this very set, that is a standard 009-042 with a changed b (012) and E-String (044) on his double locking guitars.

http://www.jemsite.com/forums/f21/string-tension-charts-73846.html

On the Fender strat the 012 b-string balances well with the G-string, but the e-string feels a little light now in comparison (but not bad). I also put a 012 b-string on an SL1 and it feels more even than the same thing on a strat. Could be that all strings have the same length on floyd rose guitar, or maybe its because of the 9.5 radius on the strat, dont know.

[Matt_B]

Heh, I guess I should have done more comprehensive search on Jemsite before posting about this though I'm glad to have confirmation of this from both the thread and you.

I can understand why some folks may think analyzing things like this seems like a waste of time but when you're trying to eek out every bit of performance from your playing, little things like this can help. I also believe that just because something (like standard string gauges) have been done a certain way for a long time doesn't mean they can't be improved upon. Challenging convention is what leads to innovation.

[Newc]

So where does one find a hand tool that will measure the tension of a given string on a given guitar? There's some brand-to-brand comparisons I'd like to see.