Does Rick Beato Have A Point About Lighter Strings?
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- Опубликовано: 13 апр 2024
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@RickBeato and @RhettShull did some stuff on this a while back, and I wanted to give 8s a try, but also share what some of you guys thought about it!
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I’m an amputee and play electric guitar with one hand using a combo of tapping and strumming on the neck. I switched to the Dunlop ‘Reverend Willy’s’ 7-38 guitar strings and everything got better. Love light strings.
Those 7’s are great!
If Yngwie Malmsteen recorded Marching Out on 8-gauge strings & Neal Schon recorded all of his solo records on 9-gauge strings, that's all the proof you need.
Per Neal Schon, as far as I know, he recorded Late Nite with 8's. (I hope I am not mis-quoting) Schon's tone on Late Nite is ENORMOUS too. So maybe the gauge isn't as big as a factor, with regards to tone, as many previously believed.
Van Halen , Hendrix. Nuno Bettencourt , Holdsworth, BB king, Jerry Garcia, Malmsteen, Jeff Beck, paul Gilbert , Jimmy Page... Just the first ones I remember. All 0.9.... 0.8. Players. And several of them Eb tuning even with light strings. And we can make an equivalent stellar list of heavy gauge players. It's about comfort. the tone shit is a myth.
I made a list, 9s players:
[ ] B.B. King
[ ] Clapton (Cream Era)
[ ] Neal Schon
[ ] Steve Lukather
[ ] Angus Young
[ ] Brian May
[ ] Eddie Van Halen
[ ] Jakub Zytecki
[ ] Yngwie Malmsteen (008)
[ ] Billy Gibbons (007)
[ ] Jimmy Page
[ ] Mark Knopfler
[ ] Randy Rhoads
[ ] Steve Vai
[ ] Joe Satriani
[ ] Mateus Asato
[ ] Andy Wood
[ ] Paul Gilbert (008)
I believe Angus plays 8s
@@andbenitz also JAMES BOND... 007
i have cubital tunnel syndrome (ulnar nerve damage which messes with my fretting hand) and changing to 8's from 11's has meant i can play for hours instead of minutes
I had that and found I improved it with exercises - not sure if you have tried - in my case thankfully seems to have gone away - I am probably more economical in how I play as well
Nerve damage is really horrible. I got
Carpal tunnel when I was about forty. Absolutely devastating. I had carpal tunnel surgery done to both hands. I.
Thought I would never be able to play again. It was my whole identity. So I put on a slide and learned to play that way. Gradually I was able to start using my fingers again. It took years to be able to
play with my fingers like a normal guitarist. My advice is to get to a doctor and get it sorted out. It's
doable. In the mean time there's a lot of good information online about how to fix hand problems for musicians. I
would start there good luck.
Your playing is so soothing.just smooth and very articulate.love it thank you
I’ve got a hot take nobody seems to mention:
I’ve gone back and forth for decades, I have strong hands and enjoy a good fight at the neck for my style. I found some of my favorite players play both, but there’s a distinct “stringy” tonality that lower gauge players get which I love for styles akin to Neil Schon. Thing is, a good grasp at EQ can resolve tone discrepancies. So all that said, I landed at thicker gauge strings for one reason I never see mentioned by prople with a platform:
My solid body electric is significantly more acoustically resonant with thicker/tighter gauge strings (probably due to tension increasing low-end), and a more resonant electric body is more inspiring to me unplugged, and noticeably more inspiring plugged in as well becuase I can feel it more in my bones.
I play an old g&l legacy as my main with 11’s and after playing it alone acoustically listeners would swear it was a hollow body. This only intensified when I replaced the lacquer with an oil finish too. I’m a sucker for feeling in my body with my guitars. If it weren’t for this one factor that I’ve verified, I would go down to lower for injury prevention because I’m big on self-care.
Oh well tho 😌
I definitely like and agree with your comment here. My SG, very lightweight Mahogany bodied of course, resonates against me like a swarm of bees is inside the neck (in a good way!!) when I play with tens. I’m worried I’ll lose that if I scale down, and it’ll end up lacking that character.
However… as a partially manual laborer (west Texas cotton farmer, it’s a cross between grueling physical labor, purely intellectual information processing, with a lot of not-really-physical machinery usage in between), I’ve got really strong hands, but probably will develop some issues in them eventually.
Yeah something to be said about what the resistance on heavier strings adds to the feel under the fingers. If bending wasn't so important to me than heavy have great response
For anyone who hasn't tried this: play through your entire repertoire striking the strings as lightly as you possibly can, then experiment with adding emphasis. For me, doing this helped my playing immensely, and I also discovered a huge pallete of tones I didn't know about!!!
Cheers!
UNLESS, your thing is to play harder, because at least a bunch of your songs are heavier rock songs. But dynamics are important there too. One shouldn't play hard all the time, like an ape just hitting the guitar.
@@nedim_guitar We are apes hitting the guitar
IMHO strings should be chosen by feel and comfort. If I need more bass, I turn the bass knob up, same applies to any other frequencies
Exactly. These days, people go nuts about things that really don't matter. If you play a high E string tuned to 440, nobody's going to listen and say, "Oh, that guy is using a set of 008s"
@@Scott__C Yeah, but it does matter. It matters to the player. If the player feels good playing and enjoys the dynamics and details of the tone, then that inspires the player and they enjoy playing much more, which can also translate to the audience.
That's kind of the point: feel and comfort. When it comes to sound though, some things can't be EQ'd just like that. I was using a 1.14 pick for a while, but when I just tried the old .71 and even .6-something, I could hear a huge difference in the punchiness of the attack. Thinner picks sound so much better to me, that is, the sound of the strings played with a thinner pick.
For me it is all relative to what the guitar needs.
I strung one with 10 and the other one with 9
Both of this were a standard tuning guitar with the same scale length.
I do like how 9 sound tho.
After some time with your guitar you kinda get the feeling of it tho.
@@nedim_guitar I get where you're at, but you're just doing it, not changing back and forth a thousand times to get RUclips hits like I think Beato does.
Great vid John, love the discussion.
Found you through a guitar review, but you have steadily become one of my favorite guitar content creators.
Keep up the good work!
I changed after years playing 11, 12. I play jazz. I use .8. I would never go back to heavy gauges. The sound is better, bigger, the guitar and strings vibrate more and more. The pressure you have to use is less for both hands.
Your phrasing is incredible.
I select strings for feel, not tone.
In terms of tone, light strings sound good, but I can't get used to the feel of strings under .010 (especially for bends), so I'd rather tweak that part of my tone elsewhere.
I used to always play with 10s, but lately, I switched to 9s. I gotta say, it's much easier to play, especially if you're gigging like three times a week. It makes a huge difference. The tone didn't change much it still sounded great!
I've had quite another experience : for years and years I was using 10's on my long-scale and 11's on my ES-345 and I was gigging regularly 2-4 times a week, often long hour gigs and my hands were totally used to the strain. When the gigs started to break away (Covid ....) my stamina did the same, I tired much more easily and switched to the lighter gauges. BUT since I worked all sorts of gigs as a sideman, my main function was to provide harmony and rhythm, I did NOT solo all the time. And to my ears (and hands) the really light gauge strings just cannot deliver the tight rhythm sounds , be it in a funk , blues or jazz setting. The feel, the resistance is just not right for me. One other aspect re the comfort of the left hand is the fret size and height : a low fret makes it so much harder to put any kind of inflection into the notes. Beato has a point in his video but -as in most cases - he focuses on lead playing only which is quite removed from the typical day-to-day chores of a freelance guitarist. I'm part of the rhythm section first and foremost.
@@christianlassen3948yeah it’s hard to play fast rhythm on low tension strings. I don’t know that it’s impossible to get them to sound the way you want them to, but you definitely have a point.
same here but i DO break my E and B strings way more frequently than i ever did when i used straight 10's
I moved to 8's (from 10's) after having surgery on my left hand. It enabled me to continue playing through the rehab period and it taught me the value of playing with soft, or at least softer, hands in order to get more feel/emotion/expression into my playing. After 2 years on 8's I tried 10's again but have now settled on 9-42 as a good compromise. In my 20's I went through a 13-54 phase in the belief that it would somehow benefit tone and maybe it did add something to power chords, but I love bends and vibrato which was much more difficult to execute on a heavy gauge. In conclusion, I'd say that you should go with a string gauge that keeps your hands comfortable after a 3 hour gig, fits your playing style and doesn't leave you fighting with the guitar to make the moves that you want to make. It will depend on the individual player as to what the perfect gauge is for them, but nobody gives out prizes for pain tolerance.
I used to use 006's back in the 70's. Got them from Picato, a brand made by General Music Strings.
Picato were used by Status Quo, Richie Blackmore and Tony Iommi.
I have CMC joint arthritis in my left thumb resultant of a motorcycle accident I suffered at 15 years old. I've been playing for 45 years and it just recently started to be a real problem. Very painful to fret and make wide stretches with fretting hand. I've been thinking of switching from 10's to maybe 9's to see if that helps. The surgery to repair the CMC joint seems like a nightmare. I'll do everything I can do to delay that surgery.
Very informative video!
I switched from 10s to 9s, haven't been brave enough to try 8s just yet. To my ears, there's a bit less low end which allows the mids to cut through better. I've really enjoyed how they affect bigger chords and power chords on the lower strings - it's noticeably less muddy than it used to be
Maybe placebo, maybe not, but I like it so I've stuck with 9s.
I use 9.5s and I feel the same way you do as I was a long time 11 gauge player for almost 20 years and I honestly think 10s and 9s or (9.5) sound better and feel better to play especially if you gig often and or long gigs.
Used only .11's or .12's for 20+ years, and just tried .08's on my Strat about a year ago, and it changed my life. Play's like butter now. And my fingers stopped constantly shedding skin, which is nice.
Damn man. Love these intros. Can you do a video on your picking hand? Like when do you anchor your pinky or palm and when do you float it? Sometimes it’s looks like your hand isn’t even moving. It’s mesmerizing. That sweepy bit at 2:20 is amazing. Was your hand just floating? Pick angle? I dunno. Either way great video as always. Thanks!
I switched to Earnie Ball 8.5 - 40s on my strats and love them. I have had some issues with my left hand and the lighter strings helped. Another thing that helped is quitting caffeine. Caffeine was giving me inflammation in my joints.
Great vid! For me it’s been an easy choice. Strings provide the feel, amp provides the tone. Been on 09s for the last 30 years. Stays in tune too.
Love your style and feeling for playing the right notes, like Timmons, Basilio, Asato… your tone is great here 🤘
I used to put 10s on everything, but now put 9s on anything 25.5”, and 10s on anything shorter. 8s might be possible, but seems a little too far right now. If you do drop down to them, don’t forget to check whether your truss rod needs to be loosened off a touch.
I used to use 11s on my Les Paul tuned down 1/2 step. Then I used 9 s and found it effortless to play but lacking on the B and high E. So then I tried heavy bottom 9s and they were great on the bottom. Today I tried 9.5 hoping it would be just right but now I miss the easy bending. I’m going to gig with the 9.5 this week end. They stay in tune better for me. Cheers
I tried 8’s years ago and I was forever breaking them ,so I stick to 9’s now .But I am considering trying 8’s again with arthritis in my hands .
Changed to 8s for regular tuning and 9s half step down a few years back due to arthritis. Took a while to get used to them and a little tweak of the truss Rod for the 8s . Still can get as much bass etc as I need.
I've always gravitated towards 9s. Just seems to occupy that perfect middle ground, but I let my individual guitars tell me what they like so there's some 10s in the collection also.
What is the middle ground? You're not gaining anything with heavier strings, so there's no real need to compromise. Thinner gauge strings are not only easier to play they sound better too. For the most part though it's fairly obvious that if I have 8s on my guitar I have an 11 string too. So the notion that your 11s are hard to play doesn't make a lot of sense in terms of the string thickness. We're not playing everything on the high E string are we? It's more about the tension and there are multiple factors affecting the tension of the strings, scale length, tuning et al.
The thing I'd suggest is, if anyone feels they have to use effort or strength to play the guitar then it's their technique that is flawed not their strings. Playing music is about using minimal energy, it's not a test of strength. A good test is to do something that expends the strength in your arms and then play - because when your arms are fatigued you should still be able to play the guitar. If you can't it's likely that you're using far too much effort to play whatever strings you do or don't have fitted.
I swore by tens for about 30 years. After the Beato video I put 8’s on my player Strat as an experiment. I don’t find I notice any difference in tone from the 10’s but man is it effortless to play.
I can't play strngs that light, regardless if they were to sound ever so slightly "better". The reason I stepped up to slightly heavier strings is because I was bending the odd note out of tune sometimes, just playing chords. If I'm not comfortable playing, I won't play well and I won't sound good. It's more feel than anything for me.
Slipped in some blackbird 9:25
I’ve been experiment with .09’s, usually I use .011’s. Only difference I find is the feel. Slightly easier to bend, but kinda have to bend the string more. It’s quicker to bend a thicker string to pitch, I’ve found. One benefit is they are easier on my right hand nails, when I’m hybrid picking.
I use 8.5 Winspear strings, and I absolutely love how they feel. I’ve had issues with De Quervain’s tenosynovitis in the last, and after working on my technique in terms of lightening my touch and dropping down string gauges I almost never have any issues any more.
I started playing, last June at the age of 67 :D. My PRS Standard 24. McCarty SE 594, FGN Iliad and my Gibson SG Standard 61 all came with 10s - I have swapped to 9's and now find the 'softer' action much nicer all round. Thinking of putting 8s on my SG. I have no tendinitis or other issues but prefer easy playability and a low action.
Of course everyone should try different string guages to find what ultimately suits them, but I wonderif too much is made of this, and people ( insecure guitarists) will suddenly focus on something they hadn't thought of as the answer to all or any of their playing. Usually this is something like a pedal an amp or some way of setting up the instrument that a famous guitarist uses, and becomes a new fad for five minutes. I still find tens the easiest and best guage for me, but years ago I tried other guages and of course everyone should, but there are much more important things to work on than strings. I use a lot of bends etc, but at age 70 have no hand troubles using the strings I've griwn used to. The kind of chording you do, and the sort of pick used ( if you use one) might have more to do with it than string thickness. Not many people go into detail on fingernails, or pick grips, or the guitar lead they're using, but all this can have as much effect. Tens work for me, any lighter, and my hammer-ons are too weak, and the bottom end of chords get wobbly, and any thicker, and bends become more hard work than they're worth, and the amp and pickups compress and clip, but we all must find what suits our own delivery or structures when it comes to strings.
Bloody hell what incredible melodies!!!
Insightful video John. Missing here (and from Beato's conversation) is acoustic guitar string gauge. I'm no expert but it seems like the majority of players use 12s or 13s on D style / Orchestra bodies. The requirement for string vibrational energy to resonate the top of the guitar is rooted in string gauge. Parlor / short scale guitars are the method to obtain lower string tension (I enjoy my 24" Martin Junior for casual playing.) I am curious if this is a conversation amongst orchestral (i.e. violin, cello, bass... oh don't forget the violas) string players?
Another issue worth considering is fret size. I have arthritis and other arm issues and have gone lighter and lighter with strings. My frets have also gotten taller over the years. Something about fingertips hitting the fingerboard repeatedly exasperates symptoms.
After watching Rick’s and Rhett’s videos a year or so ago, I tried a set on my RS620 and didn’t love them, went back to 9s. To me a bit more bass and mid tones and still as easy on the hands.
I'm still using 10's but I've been tuning to Eb for a number of years and have found that helps. I also try to be mindful of my diet more and eating less sugar while increasing Omega 6's to reduce inflammation makes me feel better overall. More people need to think in terms of prevention rather than treatment in these sort of areas.
I had hand surgery 8 years ago and wound up having to switch to 7s (or 8s if I couldn't find 7s). It made me play softer and ultimately made me a better guitarist. I can now play 9s, but I still use 7s because I got used to them.
My issue of dropping gauge is whether it can work for slide guitar? I have already worked on a light touch for slide so I can it with a regular actionon all my electric guitars with 10s on Fender scale and 11s on Gibson scale
Interesting topic. I'm pushing 40 and recently developed RSI in my left wrist. I've been teaching 60+ students a week using my acoustic with 12s on, and think I will try switching to a classical guitar for teaching this term. I've always played with 10s on my electric but think it's time to experiment with 9s there also.
Many players in the 60’s used a banjo string for the top e and dropped all the other strings down to the string below and chucked away the bottom e. It was a revelation at the time, most strings were quite heavy and had a wound third as well. . Light gauge strings weren’t readily available then. It gave you about the same feel as a set of 8’s with a nice bendy third.
I've been using 9s for over 40 years, I tried 8s a little while back which I liked but they were a little too slinky for me. I bought a set of Ernie Ball 8.5s but I haven't installed them yet, looking forward to trying them.
Yes 100%. YJM 8-46's are perfect for E and Eb standard tuning on Strats with the bullet ends that help tuning stability, too
Loved the intro.
Been using 8s since 1980 and usually with super heavy stainless picks on vintage gibsons and for a while deeply scalloped ibanez. I have 50s les pauls with original frets. Easy touch. Gestures at sound. So light a touch that you get a new dynamic. Squeeze.
Any suggestions for down tuning D standard? My hands get fatigued quite often. I use 11’s tuned D standard. My regular tuned guitars have 10’s.
John that was a beautiful intro
I love 8’s. I’m about to try an I treating set of 10-38 strings though and see how I like those.
For some reason the 8’s I tried on my Strat, and I think my Custom 22 didn’t work out. Sound went thin and I gave up quickly. Maybe I should have tried to EQ them and gave them time. I already use too much pressure so chords went out of tune etc etc. Over bending was also an issue. Oh well, as I age I may have to use them.
Been using 8s for about 4 years now. made me soften my grip and attack, but gave me more control, and I guess, like BB said, I’m not working so hard now. I use them on all my guitars too, and was using them on my Les Paul before i sold it (sold the LP cos couldn’t deal with the weight anymore)
I need to know what your pick grip is. Looks so different to how I hold pad to pad, I’ve got big hands I find the closed grip quite hard
I could not really play for years noticed top loaded tele feel much better maybe now 8s will continue to help. I was such a heavy player learning to be lighter not as easy as you think a whole mindset I really love player so prayers thoughts too me
I just got my first ever Gibson LP this week 🤩 It came with the obligatory 10s and the strings must have been old as the high E broke after just a few bends (I’m GenX - does that make me an X-bender???). I have 9s on my Tele and Strat and as I had no spare set of 10s lying around, I put 9s on the LP. After a short period of adjustment they now feel totally fine. I’m now intrigued to try out 8s and see if I can make those crazy BB King bends. I’m presuming when guitarists say 8s they generally mean 08/38 right? The Ernie Ball Hyper Slinky’s look interesting as well.
Because of some nasty arthritis, I have had to change from 10s to 9.5s and now to 9s. Using 9s, I have much less hand fatigue yet still experiencing a good tone. One thing I do miss though about a heavier string is the extra resistance against my pick. I find that haptic experience helpful in picking accurately.
Well said John! The debate goes on...
I use hybrid 9s... perfect for me 😊
I play 9.5 or 9 gauge strings on my RG550 and strat. Have done for years. For the fast shredding stuff I find them the most comfortable. I recently upgraded my PRS tremonti fixed bridge which I play for alternate tuning and heavy rhythm stuff and recently threw on a pack of tens. I find that playing rhythm/chords feels better with tens. I tried 8’s many moons ago but found them too light and loose, 9’s are my happy place.
I see a lot of folks saying the thinner strings help them. TBH I have had persistent problems in both wrists but especially my fretting hand wrist now for about 4 years and playing other people's guitars with lighter strings I can't say I notice it helping much. So I've just stuck with 10s on most everything. Not white knuckling the guitar helps, posture helps for sure though. But I don't play enough where it'd be an issue. I think if I were doing hours a day of practice and then gigs at night I'd already be looking at trading into a desk job though irrespective of string gauge but what do I know.
I switched to 8's out of curiosity after that video, but I was already aware of Billy Gibbons using very light strings. They're great.
9s on my Gibson LP, 8.5s on my other 25.5" guitars.. use a thick pick (2mm for me) and it's such a dynamic sound, with very little effort, makes me wanna play a lot more and for much longer.
Used to have hand pain. If you massage everywhere on your hand and arm that it hurts that can help a lot. Everywhere it hurts in my wrist and hands i'd dig my fingertips in like a masseuse, pretty aggressively. ..Don't forget to warm up and stretch.
I have left elbow tendinitis from my job doing physical medicine and playing. 9’s seem to work best for me for both comfort and feel. I use them on all the #majikband music.
It is really important ro consider action when going to 8s. Worth noting that Paul Gilbert and Yngwie use high actions.
BTW Hand problems can be partially alleviated by use of a very light pick….your left hand will automatically squeeze lighter. With s light pick you have to ease of your right to avoid it getting out of control BUT a light pick is much easier to control at gentle levels than a heavy one. Try it if you don’t believe me.
I have always used 10s...I always liked the tension and the feel. When I played the lighter gauge strings, I had intonation issues. However, now that I am in my mid-50s, I am considering changing. My tendonitis is pretty bad.
Allan Holdsworth was very special in his approach conceptually and style (specifically to the way he played) as he required almost like never use the pick. As a Jazz player i've always used regular strings to get the sound i want (my style is around scott henderson, sco, pat metheny etc.) and play both fingers and pick but mostly fingers. It's all a matter of sound; style and feel imo.
just a couple months ago my band was playing a show. I was using 11-54 for drop C, my bandmate was using 10-52. we were using the same thing, cus we both use hx stomp, down to the amp and IR. we did the initial chug test if u will. right there and then I knew I had to use at least similar string gauges like my mate because the volume difference was night and day.
I played 10's for 25 years. I bought a new guitar about a year ago, and it was set up with 9's (and a Floyd Rose), so I decided to play them until they needed to be replaced. I actually loved the lighter Guage. Now I use 9 to 42's.
Don't forget the Mark Speer technique: A-D-G-B-E-E, flat-wounds tuned standard. I use fw 10's, tuned to D standard.
I just ordered some D'Addario 9's to replace my 10's on my two PRS Guitars.... Hoping it makes for easier action, not as concerned about the tone.
I tried 8s in desperation to get a 3 saddle tele clone to intonate.
Really need a light touch with them to avoid them going sharp.
Mad bends though.
My focus is playing electric in a live band setting. I prioritize feel/ comfort, but maybe even more I prioritize what will ensure my intonation is good up the neck. Sometimes too light of string is hard not to play slightly sharp. It’ll stick out like a sore thumb.
I've used .008s since 2005. They're perfect.
I typically play 9-42. I've been tuning to E-Flat lately, and sometimes I will use 10's in that case, though lately I've been sticking to 9's. If you're using any kind of drive, there's very little tonal difference. If you play clean, there might be a thinner sound with lighter strings, but you can compensate with EQ for that if you need to.
Very interesting. I currently use 9’s and will give 8’s a go.
For many years I enjoyed the higher tension/push-back of 10's, but I did end up with tendonitis. Recovery required about 6 months of not playing. Then I returned to playing 10's but was more careful about playing posture in the wrist, elbow, etc., and didn't have any further problems for the next few decades. After watching that Beato video, I kicked around the idea of switching to 8's and eventually did. "Why are you working so hard" is a question that I didn't have a good answer for. So, a year ago I made the switch. When considering returning to 10's-- only because I have a bunch of packs sitting around-- the question now is why? The 8's sound and feel great-- why work harder?
I'm 44 years old & I play rhythm parts (chords & short licks/riffs). I play in many different tunings & different scale lengths. If I'm in E Standard, Eb, Drop D, Open D, DADGad, or Open G I use D'Addario 10-52 NYXL only for comfort & tuning stability. On a 25.5 inch scale in E or Eb I have no problem with 10-46. Lower tunings are thicker & have at least a 25 or 25.5 inch scale. I don't notice a change in tone, although I'm guessing there is a change, but it's just what I'm used to. Much like guitar straps, picks, cables, etc. it's just comfort & familiarity. I started playing in 2001.
I'm an older player and hand strain is a real thing. I have arthritis and tendonitis. Been playing forty+ years. My only beef with 8s is they vibrate like crazy. If you're a finger picker, you can compensate like you compensate with slide guitar. If you're a pick user, use 10s on top and 9s or 8s on bottom. Slinky makes a few hybrid sets that nail the tension.
I typically use 10's on Gibson style guitars, and 9's on Fender style guitars. I've had 8 trigger finger surgeries, and my surgeon can't really say why I am so suseptible (he just says I am abusing my hands). But since it has affected both hands (4 surgeries on each hand), I doubt string tension was a big factor. BUT, post surgery, during the recouperation period, I increased my string guages a little - 10.5's on Gibsons and 10's on Fenders. This froced my muscles to work harder, and I think, hastened the recovery, which is mostly about regaining muscle strength. Its like stepping up the exersize routine. I do plan to try 8's at some point, but haven't as yet.
I've had hand issues, mainly when i was trying to do 4 hour gigs with custom light, light bottom, heavy top, still the bottom started at 10. i changed to straight forward 9's and found my hands liked having the break and i adjusted quite quickly to a lighter touch so as not to get sharp notes. i don't think 8's would be easy to play live as you'd have to focus heavily on not over doing the pressure. anyway, good video.
I’ve got some interesting thoughts on 12s after touring with them for a bit!
9's are great for me on multiple guitars with a trem system on all of them. Tones are great, easier to play, never any tuning issues, and forces me to be more sensitive
The problem I have with 8's is the loss of tension for the right (picking) hand. Fast alternate picking I find harder with 8's, but if Yngwie can do it maybe I'm just not very good.
Didn't notice much difference in tone though. Which was a suprise.
I’ve been playing .11s for years.
I switched to those because I tended to instantly break anything lighter. Now I love how snappy they feel.
Now if I play .09s I over bend and my intonation and vibrato are way off. And they feel like overcooked spaghetti.
It never had anything to do with the tone for me. It’s all about feel and durability.
I'm primarily a bassist and I am constantly harping on the differences between tension and stiffness. Strings can be constructed to be very stiff, using hexagonal core wire and stacking winds in a particular fashion, under pressure, so when the string is fresh out of the package and draped over an index finger, it sticks almost straight out. Strings can also be constructed with woven silk core and a singular exterior wrap (Dogal strings) and be INCREDIBLY supple, draping over an index finger like a cotton string, dancing towards the floor. Those strings, tuned to pitch, have roughly the same TENSION but they have vastly different STIFFNESS.
Flatwound strings tend to naturally be more stiff since the exterior wrap is a wide (relatively) flat band, but even then the construction method can make them extremely supple (again, Dogal strings is the best example, with Thomastik Infeld being historically more obtainable and known generally).
I tend to opt for having a light touch, and I find that overly taught (tensioned) and stiff strings just sort of... choke themselves out. Even super down-tuned heavy style stuff. The worminess of the lighter feeling sets definitely feels more playable overall.
I used to use 10’s or 12’s until I saw a video with Paul Gilbert saying he switched to 9’s. I made the switch and it’s much better with 9’s. You can always do the lite top heavy bottom if needed.
For me, it’s about how they feel under my fingers. 9s (or lighter) feel like nothing’s there and I don’t like it. Plus they break easier, and the high e has the potential to slip off the frets too easily. I’m happy with my 10s 🤘 (but also to each their own obviously, if you like 9s or lighter, rock on!)
I think There is an adaptation going to lighter gauge. Not Just for the fretting hand. Picking hand also. If you are not used playing with lighter strings and are used the play hard on the heavier gauge it is a different dynamic. If you try this I'd suggest to give it a while before deciding if you love this or not. I use 9 and 10 on my strats. There Is a noticeable difference on feeling but I got used to both
I have 9s on a Les Paul and find them a bit too loose - ok on my charvel which has longer neck - I mostly use 10s though
I used to play 8s more than 40 years ago. I was 16 or 17 years old and I did not know better. I now play 10s simply because I read the tone was better. I think you get used to any gauge after while but I do recall 8s were easy to play. In retrospect though, I do like the resistance 10s offer. Maybe 9s would be a good compromise.
I used 10s and always had issues with bending, I changed to 9s and bought back the joy of playing guitar; I think it was listening to Rev. Billy Gibbons saying why are you fighting the instrument, just make it easier to play and he was absolutely correct.
I may try 8 in the near future but to be honest, so far, I can do everything I want with 9s so did not see the need to go the lighter way.
Tone difference, if there, would be so minim that a tweak of the amp or pedal should correct it.
I'll add my 2c. I've used unbalanced strings seemingly forever - 10-52 (I did go through a spell of 9-46). I'd use a different custom set if it were more convenient (read: less pricey!) I don't think the 'tone' changes noticably but the difference in inharmonicity is. When picking harder the overtones are noticeably more sharp with lighter gauge strings. The best way I could demonstrate this is to detune the wound E until it sounds like every note has some prebend component to it. This shouldn't be a deal breaker for every player - if you use have a light consistent touch in all your playing then it won't worry you - take advantage of all that light strings offer! This only goes so far to explain why some who like to be dynamic in their playing (eg: overdriven and clean by touch alone) might have chosen heavier strings - in contrast to the almighty Beato's decree! There is some feel factor to heavier strings... there's more feedback from the string through the fingers - esp on things like prebends. Acoustic players may want more familiarity across instruments. That all said, the pros for light strings can't be ignored - it all just needs to be weighed up .
I mostly play with 10's "for ease". I like the thicker tone of 11's. I tried 9 and 9.5. I can't get under the string very well to bend it. So when gigging I have to work a lot harder to make sure I don't lose the bend. I'll stick with 10's for now. Actually I like the heaver strings to be lighter. I know I can buy individual strings but I wish there was a hybrid light set like: 42 32 24 16 13 10 "or 11 or 10.5".
10s are the are a happy medium for me a found 9s would dig into my skin lol on the high e 😂 got some skinny top heavy bottom to try lol .
I think it's just a case of playing what feels right. Everyone is different. I have no problems with 10's but am tempted to try 11's
I play hybrid strings since 30 years : 9/46, i had in the past a lot of tendidinis, but it's completely over now. The (for my person) solution : a simple exercice for my wrists, find with a sport physiotherapist. Coupled with a good alimentation, and sport too.
My physiotherapist said : guitar at your level is like sport, play it often you can do, in yours limits (sometimes over the limits for growing), if you don't use it, you loose it.
Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top uses sevens, and his tone sounds monstrous!
I think 8's are great and maybe you just need the right application. For instance, I love 8's on my 62 reissue strat with a thin neck and vintage frets. I like 9.5 and 10's on thicker necks with med jumbo frets. As mentioned in the comments, it does force you to have a lighter touch and gets you playing in a different way. Not bad, just different.
As a heavy gauge sting player, I had to go down to 11's on solid body guitars because of tone. With heavier strings, my Tele wasn't "singing" the way it should. In contrast, lower gauge strings on my hollow-body don't produce the tone I want or match how the guitar was designed and built to project. When jazz guitarists sit in on set with me, often we'll trade guitars (living NYC a lot a players have tried my L5) and usually the comment is, "these are heavy strings (13-56) but, it's not stiff at all, feels so good to play." That gauge makes sense for that guitar. But 13-56 on my Tele, that feels and sounds entirely wrong, for the instrument. Definitely hurts a bit and sounds dull. So in a way the guitar will tell me which gauge it prefers by listening trying out a few gauges first. I'm so impressed and in awe of players who use light strings. That's a lot of control not to play too hard and risk being out of tune. In the end, trying different gauges keeps our hands on the guitar and playing more.
The intro was "O" by Coldplay, beautiful song.