Thank Tony Iommi for pioneering light gauge strings on guitars. He even used banjo strings back in the day because no company made super light gauge strings for guitars
I immediately thought of Iommi when I seen the title of this video. So the answer to me was "Yes, lighter guage strings can metal." Billy Gibbons uses lighter guage strings as well. I know ZZ Top are more rock but hell, he still gets a bad ass sound out of his setup. He said to someone (I can't remember who at the moment) who used heavy guage strings "Why you workin' so hard?" The dude switched to a lighter guage and never looked back.
This is also where some of the hidden benefits of an Evertune come into play. You can play really thin strings, even at lower tunings because the "flubbiness" from thinner or down tuned strings comes from going out of tune more quickly when you fret or chug on them. The Evertune reduces or eliminates that, and you can enjoy the benefits of thinner strings without losing some of the benefits traditionally gained from higher string tension.
Evertune - for people who never want to use a trem or bend very much. What's the point of using the .007 strings if you're going to slap them in a bridge that literally won't let you bend them that much?
@@simpleanswer8954 You can set up an Evertune to bend like a normal bridge, bend slightly less easily than a normal bridge, or not bend at all. Even when it's set to allow normal bends it still counteracts a lot of the string going sharp from a heavy fretting hand, or a heavy pick attack. As for using 7's without bending? Why not? It allows for a crazy light touch, a brighter sound, tighter chugs on the low strings... there are lots of other reasons. Bending to the moon is just the most popular reason.
I made the switch to 0.08-0.38 about ten years ago after developing carpal tunnel in my fretting hand. It made playing much easier and I even get more compliments on my tone, which I personally, think has improved as well. Great to see more videos demystifying thin strings.
Same here. I used to love the rigidness of heavy strings on a fixed bridge like a Gibson SG or something similar. Now I occasionally get that popping in the wrist when barring certain chords and man is it a yucky feeling.
i have a very specific talnet in squeaking/pinch harmonics looser strings make them way easier to pop off but they don't retain/sustain for shit they are a bit too skinny on a HSS strat, straocasters have a way of souding quite thin (but extremely defined) already, so it's too skinny, therefori play .10s i have to add it's a floatinf bridge setup though so it's probably a bit on the heavy side for the fist part of a bend i like my action reasonably high too, so i guess what i'm saying is hell for people with physical problems but i think people just are wrong about certain things, and are injurin themselves because of it like bar choirds... it's not in the fingers at all, whatsover, not beyond fretting the notes anyone who brags about being able to bend a note from fret position 1 up 2 semitones on a .13 steel string country guitar, is bragging about bullshit there is no musical point in doing that at all, and you're wasting time in developing pointless shit that needlessly stresses your hands now i liek note pooping, but i can do it without wrecking myself and i can poop notes rather than show how fat of a string i can theororethically still play outside of a musical context, noone cares i'm not impressed with peopel that play until they fingers bleed unless they have significant better chops that justify it brian adams can smoke a dick, he doesn't, his summer of '69 was fruitless wankery there's a reason classical nylon guitarists play on almost 45 degree angle diagonally. if you let the guitar hang from your arm at the right time, your underarm will provide the counterbalance force to bar the chord against the weight of the guitar, not the fingers, gravity takes care of it... work smarter, not harder
@@JosePineda-jn8jkI think that's partly the answer. Less tension and smaller diameter means the string will deflect more with the same amount of pressure. This causes the string to move back and forth through the nut slot more, which makes it go out of tune
I'm using a hybrid set of 009 to 046. The higher strings still bend and play easy, and the lower, slightly heavier strings hold Drop-D tuning better. The lower strings also hold tuning for Open C (Devin Townsend tuning).
That should be about like 007s in E standard. They say go up one gauge per half step down. I use 008s in E and 009s in Eb. My tone is way better since I went to lighter gauge. Might try 007 but I like the 8 gauge, I do play some SRV haha. Need the thick 8 gauge for tone and feel :) 8 gauge on D standard for the Tony Iommi SG though. Heavy metal spaghetti.
As a bass player, I've always liked using the thinnest string that I can get my hands on. It makes fretting so much easier, and you get the correct volume with much less effort. That allows me to play faster for longer.
I've been using 7s for the past year now and I absolutely love how much easier they feel to play, it just makes the whole experience feel so much nicer
Started using 8s a while back for standard tuning and haven't once wanted to go back. You might also want to try those strings on one of your guitars with a floating bridge as the reduced string tension means you can lower the spring tension in the back. This makes the bar super light and easy to control for more intricate Steve Vai / Allan Holdsworth style moves.
I've actually run into one headless trem bridge that can't even do 8's - the spring is too stiff. But I've run 8's on Strat, Floyd Rose, Steinberger, and Bigsby trems with no problems.
For the record, unless you're doing crazy 3 tone bends, lighter strings have less tension and are harder to break. That or ridiculous whammy bar abuse, which still is far more forgiving on thinner strings.
On one of my guitars I've also put a set of 07-38 strings (Billy Gibbons signature) - just to find out how it feels... And it definitely takes some time to get used to, but it is *so easy* to play!! Almost effortless 😎🤘 And the sound really is great: I'm not missing anything regardless of the gain levels... Of course heavy chugging will take some effort to get it right, but it certainly can be done - the intensity is still there, even if you don't have to hit the strings with a mallet 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I used to use an 8-38 set for a while but ended up sizing up to a 9-42 because I change tunings so frequently. You can get some crazy awesome pinch harmonics out of those thin strings
I like that you did a true side by side comparison. A ton of RUclipsrs do comparisons and play completely different licks or play each comparison so far apart you cant get a good idea of it.
i’d love to see ola go through his guitars and talk about what tuning and gauge he has on them, and even for SWOLA episodes it’d be cool to know what tuning and gauge he has on the guitar he’s using.
I was using 7s for a couple years, but recently switched to 10s as I changed to Jazzmaster guitars, and I love how the strings no longer go out of tune from the slightest pressure of my fingers. It did take a bit of adjustment time, of course. But the 7s were pretty fun for bends, for sure!
Exactly..it is nice not to have to constantly worry about pulling..or even pushing every note sharp. I exclusively used 9's for about 20 years..but since switching to 10's, there are no more headaches.
Being mostly a rhythm guy, with main influences like Iced earth, is always gravitated towards thicker strings on the rhythm side, but my go-to was always 009 to 52 for E-flat and/or E-standard. Only reason i havent liked any of my 7 strings is the 26.5 scale making the treble strings feel to tight for my own liking. but this set does have my curiosity, thats for sure
I have 8s on everything I own except for my strat, which has 9s and is currently in D standard. I leave my SG in drop D, and even with having strings that light on a shorter scale, it does great with em. I have arthritis in my left wrist, changing to 8s made a big difference in ease of use, and actually really helped lighten my touch, too. Glad you had a good time with a light set! 🤘🤘🤘
one thing I do when experimenting with different tuning is to refer to the set I prefer the most (like .10/.46) in a specific scale (as 25.5 or 24.75) and use one of many online tool to calculate the strings tension with different tuning/scale. In this way you ensure you have the right tension for your taste in any guitar/tuning you play. Nice video Ola! ;)
@@dandysalamanca5830 mmmm no, not exactly. A correct setup will result in a guitar “more comfortable” to play, so if you feel your guitar strings are “too stiff” possibly the guitar needs a setup. To calculate the tension google for “string tension calculator”, there are plenty of them online.
@@dandysalamanca5830 It mostly has to do with the feel. If you use lets say 9s in d standard tuning they will feel loose - slacky. Neck relief can always be adjusted with the truss rod
@@dandysalamanca5830if you want lower tuning with same feel, match the tension numbers with scale and string gauge totals. If you were to go super low tension without adjusting truss, your relief will be off, depending on neck materials.
I've been using the Zippys for standard since they came out. I've noticed they give a shortscale bass effect, they sound fuller because of less tension, like a shortscale bass in standard.
I am a bass player and at some point I discovered that thinner strings not only take much less effort, but sound way more clanky and thats what I've been looking for. So since that I buy thinnest strings I can find.
Interesting, so I'm not going crazy. I play guitar mostly but record bass as well and when I tried to use the recommended gauges for B-E-A-D tuning (from a 5 string set) it didn't sound right but once I sized down it was way better and had that grind.
@@fallenshallrise one more advice that might be not obvious - try to play as close to neck as possible. For live sets it can be exhausting (due to enormous amplitude of right hand), but for recording it may sound better. But this approach is really depends on taste. I'm trying to record with fingers and my fingers are somewhere between the neck pickup and neck itself
I've recently switched to 9s from 11s and 10s that I used before and I don't know why it took me so long. There's basically no reason to use thicker strings than you find comfortable. Plenty of guitar greats used 9s or smaller. 9s for 24.75" and 10s for 25.5" scale for me.
That sounds backwards. 10s on the shorter scale for more tension, 9s on the longer scale. But, what do I know, I just play a 24" scale guitar in a low tuning.
@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 Yes it's backwards in standard tuning. I mostly use Gibson scale guitars in standard and 25.5" for lower tuning. 9s become a bit too floppy and buzzy when I tune them down. This way they feel kinda the same.
Amazing. I might be kidding myself but there was an immediate change to your soloing style Ola.. those bendy licks had a slight Chris Poland feel to them!
Hey, Ola. Love that you're doing something so "easy" as changing strings. In fact, it could be a real headscratcher for some of us afraid to mess up the action of the guitar etc. For me I have this stupid fear of touching the truss rod, but you are the perfect guy for lessening that stress through practice. Cheers.
7s are great if you are recovering from a tendon type injury, and like you say if you want to practice using as little effort as possible. Billy Gibbons uses 7s and nobody would accuse him of lacking in the tone department
I been playing 9/42's for year's and my son bought me the Slash string set of 10/46's and it took a minute to get use to the different but I did and I liked it but I went bk to the 9's because they just fit me better with my big hands. Besides, if they are good enough for "saint Dimebag " then they are great for me!! I recently got hearing aids and I have got to experience Pantera all over again and its been amazing!! I have been learning some dimebag songs/licks(thx to you Ola) and just learning what little I have so far from Dime,that its helping my playing tremendously!! Once again thank you Ola for all you do for us fans.God bless you and your beautiful family!!
Well... Father of metal (and I'm talking about Tony Iommi of course) plays with this set: .008 p, .008 p, .011 p, .018w, .024w, .032w. for D# tuning. And yeah it chugs. On thin strings some notes not accurate as we want, but sometimes it makes song more lyric or more "doomy" sound like Black Sabbath songs.
When strings are changed, always stretch every part of them.... Get in tune, then start from the 1st fret and gently tug with your picking hand, now repeat this process all the way to the last fret on every string & fret.... Doing this will ensure all parts of the string have been stretched. Now your guitar will be in tune for longer. This is what a brilliant musician showed me.
I tried Yngwie's signature sets 10 years ago and was amazed how crazy over bends felt like. I really want to try the 007 Zippies now. Maybe it's a good idea to have one guitar with thin strings like this. 🤔Great review!
Used to play regular 8s, switched to hybrid 8 to 42 when Ernie Ball released it (Hyper Slinky). Got 2 sets of these 7s that I've been meaning to try, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I feel like they'll be fine for standard tuning, but I like to also play C# standard and I felt like regular 38 was a bit too loose for that and the 36 this 7 set will naturally be even worse. I think I'd love a 7 9 13 22 32 42 set. Probably going to try that at some point :)
I´m using a 007-032 set for all of my fixed bridge guitars and have been doing it for years. It´s just what you are used to. Tony Iommi can't be wrong.
I started creating this set of strings when I was 15yo. I’m now 35yo. When I first came up with the set it was a variation of Iommi’s. I was getting 07.09.11.18W.28.36 And another variation of 07.09.11.18W.24W.32 I called Ernie Ball when I was 15yo and explained what was looking for and they sent me samples of custom sets (6pk of each gauge) I didn’t have to pay for them as they where interested in my choice) now all of a sudden an almost identical set comes out. I want a thanks lol
Heavy strings often make people try too hard and work much harder than they need to. Plus all of the misconceptions about tone don't help matters any. Watch Jim Lill and Rick Beato to learn all about strings, wood, cabinets, mics, etc. Heavier strings might help build finger strength to start, but may also give you arthritis sooner, and often discourage people. Don't overwork yourself. You might be missing out on all kinds of things you could be doing with lighter strings. How many people quit playing guitar because people used to constantly parrot "get yourself a cheap acoustic guitar first to learn on?" Great advice. Get the hardest to play, lowest quality piece of crap to learn how to play on. It's not the same thing as getting a cheap snare, an electric keyboard, or cheap flute for band. Those sorts of instruments don't require more effort to play. Now your friend down the street is playing his favorite AC/DC tune, and you're still having trouble with chords because you can't keep the strings pressed to the frets. So it gets donated to the local thrift shop with a $5 price tag. Don't kick your own ass people. I'm going to teach my kid to drive a car, but first I'm going to remove the power steering so he can focus on muscling the car around instead of the fundamentals of driving. Sure, we may hit a few trees, poles, and parked cars, but he's got to learn the hard way because reasons.
Started studying Billy Gibbons playing recently and learned about his 007 sets, I've got some of my 25.5 scale guitars on them and like it. It's a bit overkill on a 24 3/4 tho.
"tonewise its a lot more brittle" There's less fundamental, which allows the harmonics to be more prominent.. That's what adjusting the amp is for. Many people still use a screamer to sculpt off the lows and fundamentals, this does it at the string level which means it is "adjusted" for each NOTE instead of being a global filter.
I played 10-52 for 10 years for dropped D. Two months ago I switched for 9-46 and I was amazed how effortless is now to play and make bends and legato things. I would do it long time ago if I knew. Still I think for 0-0-0-0s 52 was better.
02:30 I know what ye mean, I sometimes break a 9 during stretching. I dread the even thought of stretching a 7. 😅 That's the biggest benefit of thinner strings is the ease of bending the high strings. I prefer using a modified set of Power Slinky (11-48), where I swap out the 11 & 14 highest two strings for a 9 & 13 (respectively), and leave the plain 18 and wound 28-38-48 string intact. This gives me a chuggable low strings combined with a more easily bent high strings on Fender scaled guitars. For Gibson scaled guitars, I'll leave the 11 & 14 strings on because the 9 & 13 strings feels too loose for me.
I’ve personally been gravitating towards thinner strings than I have used in the past due to issues with my hands making it harder to press down heavier strings. Definitely is a learning curve when you’re used to really bearing down with the fret hand but after you get control of that it works out really well in my opinion for fast playing and bends (not that my fast playing and/or bends sound nearly as good as Ola lol)
I used to use Picato back i the day - used and endorsed by Ritchie Blackmore, Black Sabbath and Status Quo to name but a few - they used to do a set starting from 006.
Does any brand make 006 strings at the moment? I've been experimenting with d'adario 007 for other instruments and tunings for achiving higher tunings.
I switched to 8's for metal 40 years ago. Less fretting and bending effort, brighter tone, makes you a more precise player. Looks like I need to start using 7's on all my builds. Got some Reverend Willy's but never got around to trying them out. Didn't even know Ernie Ball made 7's, I currently use Ernie Ball 8's on all my builds. I also use large thin fender triangle picks. You can bend them on the fly to vary their stiffness while you play. They have a longer reach which can help when you have to skip over strings and reach the next one, such a riff on strings 4 and 6 that doesn't touch string 5. By gripping it loosely you can do sweeps very easily. String gauge, pick type, and playing style / effort really should be a matched set. And yes - thinner strings will make you a more precise player. You can always thicken up the lower-mids downstream in the signal chain. Personally, I prefer the less muddy source signal of thinner strings. It's easier to boost bottom than it is to cut muddiness. Thanks for doing my work for me - now I don't have to check out 7's - you did it for me. I just ordered some to try out on a build.
Hey Toni Iommi used 7's and 8's and look at the massive sound Sabbath had. I myself switched to 8's and love it , but I still have some heavy gauges on my guitars for thrash etc....
@@Goose21 He must be light on the touch , you definitely have to change your picking technique. Because when I go from 10's or 11's to 8's I forget and hit em to hard sometimes , it definitely takes some getting used to.
a few weeks ago I put 7's on my Peavey EXP. Bloody awesome and seems good so far as possiblity of snapping a string. Very responsive. Dont forget to adjust your truss rod.
At high-gain levels the sound is almost identical. The 9s had a bit more of the fundamental tone, but the 7s have a touch more clarity. The biggest difference is going to be the amount of effort to play. 7s you will need a light touch on your guitar.
0:46 I use a 10-56 set for the same tuning on a 25.5 scale guitar 😂 (10-52 set with the 52 changed to a 56) To be fair, I use them for E standard, Eb standard, drop D and drop Db
i wonder if i will give it a try, I've been using 11-49 string gauge for quite a long time. But, I did try playing 10's. And it was really different from 11 in my opinion. 11-49 kinda good when it comes to open string riffs or such. But going further on 7's. Men, it is really tempting because you can bend so easily. (You can bend more than a whole step).
Rev Willy's .07 -.38 on a Schecter with Floyd Rose. Sounds great, stays in tune, perfect intonation, never broken one in 3 years. My touch has never been lighter or better - never going back.
i used to be a 12-56 guy thinking thicker was better bc thats what i had always been told by everyone. switched to 10-52 and realized the medium gauges are absolutely top tier. easier bending, faster picking, and more bite.
I did 12-56 or even 12-62ish many years ago when all I had was an Ibanez LP clone and I just absolutely had to play Cannibal Corpse in A flat standard lol
Literally just put 7-38 and I normally play 8-38, and I'm never going back. You have to play lighter and a little more carefully, but it becomes second nature very quickly. I too suffer from wrist issues and issues in the finger tips, none of which are exacerbated by the thin gauge. Great video as it also dispels tone myths!
Yeah a lot of old guys use those Sevens like Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top. Billy uses the Dunlop RWN0738 Rev. Willy's Lottery Brand Electric Guitar Strings
I think a good rule of thumb is a player should always play the lightest strings possible for whatever tuning they’re playing in. Thick strings sound like crap, but for lower tunings you’re kinda forced to go pretty thick. The lowest tuning play in is drop C, and I use 10-52s.
I tried those on the strat-style scalloped neck guitar I just built, and they were perfect, except the high E's keep unraveling at the ball end on me. They sound every bit as heavy as 9's through my Blackstar. Edit: I bought some Dunlop Billy Gibbons signature 7's, and they blow the Ernie Balls out of the water. Hotter, crisper, better feel. Going to stick with these, and the heavier gauges for my other guitars.
I use 9-46 for E-Standard/Drop D and 10-52 for D-Standard/Drop C (25,5 inch scale guitars). Previously i used 10's for E -Standard. Years ago when i was searching for another guitar i realized that guitar brands (example: Jackson, Ibanez) put an information on their website which string gauge and tuning is prefered in chosen guitar - and there's a reason for that. From that time i'm saving my fingers while playing guitar and it's still sound great.
@@MFKR696i don't say i trust blindly to manufacturer characteristics, i consider it as a hint. My opinion is that may be helpful in some cases - it's about trying and depends of many things: music you play, size of your hands, length of your fingers and many more.
I use to use heavier but I'm the same way now. Just heavy enough strings and not excessively. 9-46 E 10 13.5 17 28 38 50 D Standard. Love that String joy let's you customize gauges at no extra cost.
I play drop C with 9’s. As i like to play blues/pentatonic licks with bends 2 notes up these strings help. Soundwise 10’s sounds a bit fuller but it’s not that big of a deal.
I'm amazed to see how fast you can adapt your alternate picking technique to such thin strings! Each time I grab a guitar with less than 10-46 my picking sucks badly, my hands are out of synch and I give up after an hour of atrocious sharp bends and sloppy picking hand.
I recommend Paul Gilbert's old instructional video - there are some really great right hand tips in there that have changed my playing for the better ever since I watched it in highschool!
Pretty astute observation actually....Lighter strings make it easier to bend/fret.....but it's a lot harder to control your picking...Higher tension is a LOT easier to pick. Give and take.
That's what happens when you hang out with Rick Beato. I haven't gone to 8's since I find I can do Gilmour bends on my 9's, and that's about as far as I care to go. Loved the expression on your face when you struck the first chord and realized there was hardly any difference in the chugability.
I'm honestly surprised its common for metal players to use 9s and 8s, I'm a metal player as well but I've been using 11s and 12s for quite some time. I thought playing thicker strings was the norm hahah, I'm gonna have to try a set of 9s. Rad vid, Ola!
I use the Hyper Slinkys. 8-42 on gibson scale standard tuning. I use tortex flow 1.14 picks. I can shred fast and they sound amazing. I have nerve issues in so i needed lighter strings. It also forced me to not tense up on my fretting hand
I honestly like thick and high tension in any tuning i have. It forces you to work a bit more to sound good but its worth it. Plus i feel like i have less tuning issues even when I'm heavyhand djenting away.
I told my local guitar shop I wanted to bend strings like dimebag. They set me up with green slinky's and they have been absolutely amazing. Makes my basic GR Ibanez sound like a premium product.
Definitely noticed more mids and even treble definition IMMEDIATELY. I know Ernie Ball's are bright strings in general (they are my preference) so could be a tiny bit from just brand new strings but, Man... Sounds Awesome
Jason Richardson uses 11-58 on a seven string tuned to drop F#. This inspired me to try lighter strings for drop G on my 7 string (10-56) and it surprised me as it held up very well. What they don’t tell you about thinner strings is they stay in tune better for extreme bends. It’s what BB King did practically his entire career.
I use a d'addario nyxl balanced tension 10-46 with a .052 replacing the 46 for drop c tuning. This gives me the same tension as a 9-40 set in standsrd E. I find that to be the perfect amount of tension on my solar a1.6c evertune.
For me, what's most important is the tension on each string is close in terms of the number of pounds of force measuring the tension. They really helps when you jump from string to string and they have the same general tension.
Dime used to use 0.008 for his high E, for standard tuning. On a Gibson scale length, 24.75 inches. Lower tension than your solar. It worked for him. That was using his down a quarter step tuning. Even less tension.
I've never seen anything about 8s. The one time he mentioned string gauges in his 1993 guitar clinic, Dime said he used 9-46. His signature set with DR Strings is 9-50, and he _may_ also have used the 10-52 and 11-50 sets. As for the bends that the other comment mentions, it's a bit easier to do huge bends on a Floyd Rose'd guitar... especially if you also pull up the bridge while bending.
I love 7's just as much as I love my 12's. They all have their different applications. If I'm playing in standard, 7's make it so much fun to just glide around and get a bright BRIGHT attack.
I think they could be in standard at least 25.5 scaled I don’t know how Billy gibbons does 24.75 so I’d deviate to c 9.5-44 c# 9-42 d 8.5-40 d# 8-38 all on 25.5 and I don’t think anyone makes 7.5 but lower to 25 and 24.75 the other fairly common scales with .5 increments until really downtuning you must have bigger increments deviating
For standard E, I find 9 - 42's to be the perfect feel for me. Slinky without being TOO loose and tight enough to chug hard without it crapping out. Pretty sure Dimebag used 42's for E as well. (Dime's version of E anyways lol)
I use 8-38 in E flat on a strat. There is absolutely no reason to use heavy gauge strings imo. Lighter is easier to play, easier to bend, and sounds exactly the same if not better that heavier gauge.
I use 8s also on D#, but in a Les Paul. Bends amazingly and sounds so good with a lot of gain. You can modulate the bass response with an EQ, but no pre amp or EQ will fix the feel.
I think it sounds better. Snappier, brighter. Less muddy if you play high gain which I do. DSL gain on max, plus TS gain and level on max. Crystal clear and no mud. Gives me an Yngwie tone with the Tele.
Got to love string gauge comments, not everyone tells you, 1. What tuning their guitar is in 2. What their scale length is 3. What set of strings they're actually using '9-42 Ernie ball Super slinky etc'. I use 11-49 D'Addario EXL115, 25.5 scale tuned to d-standard. Pretty happy with them, however I am going to try out the 11-49 EXL115W which has a wound third. I've never played a wound third before, so will be cool to check out, as I find the "G" string is normally the one to go out tune the most.
from baritone experience, the 3rd string wounded is a bit more stable, but very hard, if not impossible, to bend more than half step, so if you do a lot of lead and bends, i would not reccomand it, if your chug, sure go for it!
Glad to see this video. A lot of metal (and blues) players around are still convinced that the bigger the strings, the bigger the sound . I played for years 11-52 with standard D tuning 25.5" scale, just to eventually notice 10-46 was just as good, with less hurt to the hands.
What I don’t understand is why people say that it hurts to play heavier strings. I play 11-56 daddarios in standard e on both 25.5 and 24.75 scale guitars. I don’t get why people say it hurts. 9-42s feel like they move around too much for me,it’s like I’m falling all over myself . I want the string to stay as still as possible until I decide I want to bend it, I like that consistency of touch because I play really intensely.
@@stevenhirsekorn3444 it's not "ow that hurts" kind of pain, but more about tendons and joints fatigue. You seem to be young, wait a decade or two playing a lot in various contexts, and you'll get what I mean
@@AlexandreCriado I’ve been playing that way for like ten years, maybe it takes longer than that for it to set in but the feel of the heavy gauge makes me feel way more in control of the guitar and how I express what I hear in my head
@@stevenhirsekorn3444 that's the point. Lighter gauge is more demanding, you have to be in fine control of your attack and your fretting. With heavy gauge, it is easier, you can strike the strings with the strength of an angry uruk-hai and still not sound out of tune.
.007 strings is just asking for a broken string. So it doesnt matter how easy it is too play. A good percent of them probably break while winding up the strings. If playing a show, You will break tht string and changing a string at a gig is a no-no, better to finish the show without it. My 9s are doing fine for me for 40 years now
I put 8s on my strat a while back, and it leveled up my playing. My experience was the same. It forced me to lighten up my touch! Lighter touch means less effort. I keep 8.5-40 on my guitars now and they feel great, even the PRS with slightly shorter scale.
I think the male ego has pushed many of us (me included) to play thicker strings in standard tuning, when good old 9s are probably more than enough (and maybe give better string separation and mids). 10s and over are really for the drop tunings so you have enough tension, imho. And agree, I've gone to lighter on my 7 string for the unwound strings (as it's not a multiscale neck) as this reduces the tension for solo work.
The 007 Set gives it more of a Mick Mars kind of tone to it. Hearing the chords at 3:37 played on these strings gives it a sort of "Dr. Feelgood" album tone.
It's been a very long time since I've played anything other than 10 - 52 strings... seeing this made me realize I should actually setup one of my guitars with a lighter set just to switch it up, though I don't think I'll go this thin. Not sure if you've ever heard of string company called " String Joy" or not but you can custom order a string set in whatever gauges you want and have an option to select a wound G string ( E standard tuning) which helps in tuning stability because we all know how problematic that specific string can be staying in tune, however, it does make bending much harder so I think it would be better suited on a guitar used strictly for rhythm. Loved the video. Found it to be entertaining and informational, great job!!!!
My college would only ever string the in house guitars with 7s and I hated them for it for a long time. It did make me a better guitarist though. They're harder to play correctly but they make you play all strings the same way and it really helps with knowing what pressure to put on the strings when you're fretting.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank Tony Iommi for pioneering light gauge strings on guitars. He even used banjo strings back in the day because no company made super light gauge strings for guitars
Alot of guitarists in the 70s an 60s did that, Hendrix allegedly, Leslie West another very early pioneer into heavy music did aswell.
@@gamezharks cool, I never heard that before. Seems reasonable, especially since Jimmy was in England so much
I immediately thought of Iommi when I seen the title of this video. So the answer to me was "Yes, lighter guage strings can metal." Billy Gibbons uses lighter guage strings as well. I know ZZ Top are more rock but hell, he still gets a bad ass sound out of his setup. He said to someone (I can't remember who at the moment) who used heavy guage strings "Why you workin' so hard?" The dude switched to a lighter guage and never looked back.
@@wastelander138Actually I believe it was B.B. King who asked Billy Gibbons that question, and the "dude" who switched off of heavy strings was Billy.
@SeeJayPlayGames that makes more sense, haha. It was a short I seen a while back and my memory just isn't all that great. Thanks for the refresh.
James Bond approves of this string set.
Strings from Bond... Ernie Bond!
hahahaha. Good one
Best comment
Arf
And Munky and head
That "brittle" sound actually works really well in a mix. All the old session guys in the 50s and 60s used '8s.
Sorry here's the reupload with the fixed audio!
hola ola desde México hahaha, yes your name means hi in spanish😁
Kudos
@@asterionuniverse607No means hi in portuguese. Olá.
Haate maaantra!❤
Audio is worse!
Had 8-54 on my seven string for a few years after watching Beato’s video on string gauges. Sounds so clear with lots of gain.
Haha ,I started considered and trying 8 gauges string thru Beato's vid as well
@@everythingpotatoversion1201 I highly recommend. It’s a bit of an adjustment in technique, but the tone is awesome.
@@vikingmetaliscool thank you 🤘✌️☺️
you had, but not anymore? What made you switch from 8s?
@@thegame3417 Sorry, poor English… *I’ve had
They’re still on there 👍🏼 Love them
This is also where some of the hidden benefits of an Evertune come into play. You can play really thin strings, even at lower tunings because the "flubbiness" from thinner or down tuned strings comes from going out of tune more quickly when you fret or chug on them. The Evertune reduces or eliminates that, and you can enjoy the benefits of thinner strings without losing some of the benefits traditionally gained from higher string tension.
There's not enough tension for the saddle modules to work.
@@Nibblerr Don't talk about things you don't know.
An evertune will hold perfect tune with 8lbps of string tension.
Evertune - for people who never want to use a trem or bend very much. What's the point of using the .007 strings if you're going to slap them in a bridge that literally won't let you bend them that much?
@@simpleanswer8954 An evertune bends exactly like literally every other guitar ever.
@@simpleanswer8954 You can set up an Evertune to bend like a normal bridge, bend slightly less easily than a normal bridge, or not bend at all. Even when it's set to allow normal bends it still counteracts a lot of the string going sharp from a heavy fretting hand, or a heavy pick attack. As for using 7's without bending? Why not? It allows for a crazy light touch, a brighter sound, tighter chugs on the low strings... there are lots of other reasons. Bending to the moon is just the most popular reason.
I made the switch to 0.08-0.38 about ten years ago after developing carpal tunnel in my fretting hand. It made playing much easier and I even get more compliments on my tone, which I personally, think has improved as well. Great to see more videos demystifying thin strings.
Same here. I used to love the rigidness of heavy strings on a fixed bridge like a Gibson SG or something similar. Now I occasionally get that popping in the wrist when barring certain chords and man is it a yucky feeling.
Been playing the same 8-38 for years.Easy on the fingers,sound great.
What tunings? Even on drop c stuff?
@@1mawil1 E standard. I play with a set of 0.09-0.40 in D standard. Drop tuning is for folk guitars.
i have a very specific talnet in squeaking/pinch harmonics
looser strings make them way easier to pop off but they don't retain/sustain for shit
they are a bit too skinny on a HSS strat, straocasters have a way of souding quite thin (but extremely defined) already, so it's too skinny, therefori play .10s
i have to add it's a floatinf bridge setup though so it's probably a bit on the heavy side for the fist part of a bend
i like my action reasonably high too, so i guess what i'm saying is hell for people with physical problems
but i think people just are wrong about certain things, and are injurin themselves because of it
like bar choirds... it's not in the fingers at all, whatsover, not beyond fretting the notes
anyone who brags about being able to bend a note from fret position 1 up 2 semitones on a .13 steel string country guitar, is bragging about bullshit
there is no musical point in doing that at all, and you're wasting time in developing pointless shit that needlessly stresses your hands
now i liek note pooping, but i can do it without wrecking myself and i can poop notes rather than show how fat of a string i can theororethically still play outside of a musical context, noone cares
i'm not impressed with peopel that play until they fingers bleed unless they have significant better chops that justify it
brian adams can smoke a dick, he doesn't, his summer of '69 was fruitless wankery
there's a reason classical nylon guitarists play on almost 45 degree angle diagonally.
if you let the guitar hang from your arm at the right time, your underarm will provide the counterbalance force to bar the chord against the weight of the guitar, not the fingers, gravity takes care of it... work smarter, not harder
With nerve damage I just can't do lighter gauges. Gotta have something I can really feel.
Watching this I realise that I use heavier strings not for the sound, but because my technique just isn't good enough!
Heavier strings stays in tune better.
if you prefer the feel of thicker strings / tune lower then your strings are fine 👍
@@zomielastaroth4956based on what? How hard you over-press the string to dig into those jumbo frets?
@@JosePineda-jn8jkI think that's partly the answer. Less tension and smaller diameter means the string will deflect more with the same amount of pressure. This causes the string to move back and forth through the nut slot more, which makes it go out of tune
Yeah I absolutely loved 7’s and 8’s but my heavy hand just doesn’t work with them. 10-52 is my thinnest I can comfortably play on.
I'm using a hybrid set of 009 to 046. The higher strings still bend and play easy, and the lower, slightly heavier strings hold Drop-D tuning better. The lower strings also hold tuning for Open C (Devin Townsend tuning).
Im looking for strings like those, with thinner e, b and g strings, and normal d, a and lower e strings, I like E 42.
9-42's are pretty good too...
Hybrid slinky? my fave
I do drop c# with mine
9-46 for E standard is my gem!
42 is just too light for playing with energy live,
but with 9s I have more energy for playing very long sets.
I started using 9’s, tuned down a full step. It feels great and sounds good. The tension is perfect for me. No use using any thicker gauge strings.
That should be about like 007s in E standard. They say go up one gauge per half step down. I use 008s in E and 009s in Eb. My tone is way better since I went to lighter gauge. Might try 007 but I like the 8 gauge, I do play some SRV haha. Need the thick 8 gauge for tone and feel :) 8 gauge on D standard for the Tony Iommi SG though. Heavy metal spaghetti.
I love using .008's, especially the StringJoy brand's version of .008 to .040.
As a bass player, I've always liked using the thinnest string that I can get my hands on. It makes fretting so much easier, and you get the correct volume with much less effort. That allows me to play faster for longer.
I've been using 7s for the past year now and I absolutely love how much easier they feel to play, it just makes the whole experience feel so much nicer
Started using 8s a while back for standard tuning and haven't once wanted to go back. You might also want to try those strings on one of your guitars with a floating bridge as the reduced string tension means you can lower the spring tension in the back. This makes the bar super light and easy to control for more intricate Steve Vai / Allan Holdsworth style moves.
I've actually run into one headless trem bridge that can't even do 8's - the spring is too stiff. But I've run 8's on Strat, Floyd Rose, Steinberger, and Bigsby trems with no problems.
I have 8s on my Ibanez 30 fret
@@Clabian96Oooohhhh, I've been looking for those Ibanez extended range RGs - *really* rare here in the Netherlands, unfortunately... 😎🤘
Niceee! I went from 8-42 hyper Ernie to now 8-38 a lot easier on the fingers 😂 though I be scared of it snapping more now 🤣
For the record, unless you're doing crazy 3 tone bends, lighter strings have less tension and are harder to break. That or ridiculous whammy bar abuse, which still is far more forgiving on thinner strings.
On one of my guitars I've also put a set of 07-38 strings (Billy Gibbons signature) - just to find out how it feels...
And it definitely takes some time to get used to, but it is *so easy* to play!! Almost effortless 😎🤘
And the sound really is great: I'm not missing anything regardless of the gain levels...
Of course heavy chugging will take some effort to get it right, but it certainly can be done - the intensity is still there, even if you don't have to hit the strings with a mallet 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Thumbs up for Rev Willys. Im on 7 too. Complete lack of effort.
Been using 7s for E standard metal. Sounds great and chugs nicely, even if you need proper picking technique.
It's nice to see you're just like me with using the 09 - 42's. They're still good enough to chug while having a nice brightness for the highs.
I used to use an 8-38 set for a while but ended up sizing up to a 9-42 because I change tunings so frequently. You can get some crazy awesome pinch harmonics out of those thin strings
3:03 Bro thought he could sneak in the among us music
I like that you did a true side by side comparison. A ton of RUclipsrs do comparisons and play completely different licks or play each comparison so far apart you cant get a good idea of it.
i’d love to see ola go through his guitars and talk about what tuning and gauge he has on them, and even for SWOLA episodes it’d be cool to know what tuning and gauge he has on the guitar he’s using.
I was using 7s for a couple years, but recently switched to 10s as I changed to Jazzmaster guitars, and I love how the strings no longer go out of tune from the slightest pressure of my fingers. It did take a bit of adjustment time, of course. But the 7s were pretty fun for bends, for sure!
Exactly..it is nice not to have to constantly worry about pulling..or even pushing every note sharp. I exclusively used 9's for about 20 years..but since switching to 10's, there are no more headaches.
Being mostly a rhythm guy, with main influences like Iced earth, is always gravitated towards thicker strings on the rhythm side, but my go-to was always 009 to 52 for E-flat and/or E-standard. Only reason i havent liked any of my 7 strings is the 26.5 scale making the treble strings feel to tight for my own liking. but this set does have my curiosity, thats for sure
I have 8s on everything I own except for my strat, which has 9s and is currently in D standard. I leave my SG in drop D, and even with having strings that light on a shorter scale, it does great with em. I have arthritis in my left wrist, changing to 8s made a big difference in ease of use, and actually really helped lighten my touch, too. Glad you had a good time with a light set! 🤘🤘🤘
I’m dealing with arthritis- light gauge for me too…Father Time can be a dick.
one thing I do when experimenting with different tuning is to refer to the set I prefer the most (like .10/.46) in a specific scale (as 25.5 or 24.75) and use one of many online tool to calculate the strings tension with different tuning/scale. In this way you ensure you have the right tension for your taste in any guitar/tuning you play.
Nice video Ola! ;)
man i still don’t understand how to calculate string tension i use 10-46 it has something to do with neck relief right?
@@dandysalamanca5830 mmmm no, not exactly. A correct setup will result in a guitar “more comfortable” to play, so if you feel your guitar strings are “too stiff” possibly the guitar needs a setup.
To calculate the tension google for “string tension calculator”, there are plenty of them online.
@@dandysalamanca5830 It mostly has to do with the feel. If you use lets say 9s in d standard tuning they will feel loose - slacky. Neck relief can always be adjusted with the truss rod
@@dandysalamanca5830if you want lower tuning with same feel, match the tension numbers with scale and string gauge totals. If you were to go super low tension without adjusting truss, your relief will be off, depending on neck materials.
That was really cool. Those 4 note bends are sick!
I've been using the Zippys for standard since they came out. I've noticed they give a shortscale bass effect, they sound fuller because of less tension, like a shortscale bass in standard.
Sounds lovely. Really bright and well-defined sound and sounds surprisingly good with palm muting
I am a bass player and at some point I discovered that thinner strings not only take much less effort, but sound way more clanky and thats what I've been looking for. So since that I buy thinnest strings I can find.
I use D'Addario exl220bt strings 40-55-70-90.
Interesting, so I'm not going crazy. I play guitar mostly but record bass as well and when I tried to use the recommended gauges for B-E-A-D tuning (from a 5 string set) it didn't sound right but once I sized down it was way better and had that grind.
@@fallenshallrise one more advice that might be not obvious - try to play as close to neck as possible. For live sets it can be exhausting (due to enormous amplitude of right hand), but for recording it may sound better. But this approach is really depends on taste. I'm trying to record with fingers and my fingers are somewhere between the neck pickup and neck itself
I've recently switched to 9s from 11s and 10s that I used before and I don't know why it took me so long. There's basically no reason to use thicker strings than you find comfortable. Plenty of guitar greats used 9s or smaller. 9s for 24.75" and 10s for 25.5" scale for me.
So true..literally no point to use heavy gauge strings
That sounds backwards. 10s on the shorter scale for more tension, 9s on the longer scale.
But, what do I know, I just play a 24" scale guitar in a low tuning.
@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 Yeah... sounds backwards to me too. Heavier gauge on longer scale just adds to the already increased tension.
@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 Yes it's backwards in standard tuning. I mostly use Gibson scale guitars in standard and 25.5" for lower tuning. 9s become a bit too floppy and buzzy when I tune them down. This way they feel kinda the same.
Amazing. I might be kidding myself but there was an immediate change to your soloing style Ola.. those bendy licks had a slight Chris Poland feel to them!
I have been using 9-42 over 20 years. I have tried 8, 10,11. 9's are the right fit for me.
What tuning?
@@Twobarpsi
1/2 step down
@@rayprevailer8454 that's a good combination 🤘
Hey, Ola. Love that you're doing something so "easy" as changing strings. In fact, it could be a real headscratcher for some of us afraid to mess up the action of the guitar etc. For me I have this stupid fear of touching the truss rod, but you are the perfect guy for lessening that stress through practice. Cheers.
You just have to dig in and play with it! You won't break it and it will be very rewarding!!
7s are great if you are recovering from a tendon type injury, and like you say if you want to practice using as little effort as possible.
Billy Gibbons uses 7s and nobody would accuse him of lacking in the tone department
I been playing 9/42's for year's and my son bought me the Slash string set of 10/46's and it took a minute to get use to the different but I did and I liked it but I went bk to the 9's because they just fit me better with my big hands. Besides, if they are good enough for "saint Dimebag " then they are great for me!! I recently got hearing aids and I have got to experience Pantera all over again and its been amazing!! I have been learning some dimebag songs/licks(thx to you Ola) and just learning what little I have so far from Dime,that its helping my playing tremendously!! Once again thank you Ola for all you do for us fans.God bless you and your beautiful family!!
Well... Father of metal (and I'm talking about Tony Iommi of course) plays with this set: .008 p, .008 p, .011 p, .018w, .024w, .032w. for D# tuning. And yeah it chugs. On thin strings some notes not accurate as we want, but sometimes it makes song more lyric or more "doomy" sound like Black Sabbath songs.
"We have an seven string at home"
When strings are changed, always stretch every part of them.... Get in tune, then start from the 1st fret and gently tug with your picking hand, now repeat this process all the way to the last fret on every string & fret.... Doing this will ensure all parts of the string have been stretched. Now your guitar will be in tune for longer. This is what a brilliant musician showed me.
I tried Yngwie's signature sets 10 years ago and was amazed how crazy over bends felt like. I really want to try the 007 Zippies now. Maybe it's a good idea to have one guitar with thin strings like this. 🤔Great review!
That's right - Yngwie uses a set of 008's tuned down to Eb, right?
Yes, that's correct. @@davelanciani-dimaensionx
@@davelanciani-dimaensionx Yngwie uses a hybrid set....008, .011, .014, .022, .032, .046
Used to play regular 8s, switched to hybrid 8 to 42 when Ernie Ball released it (Hyper Slinky). Got 2 sets of these 7s that I've been meaning to try, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I feel like they'll be fine for standard tuning, but I like to also play C# standard and I felt like regular 38 was a bit too loose for that and the 36 this 7 set will naturally be even worse. I think I'd love a 7 9 13 22 32 42 set. Probably going to try that at some point :)
I´m using a 007-032 set for all of my fixed bridge guitars and have been doing it for years. It´s just what you are used to. Tony Iommi can't be wrong.
I started creating this set of strings when I was 15yo. I’m now 35yo. When I first came up with the set it was a variation of Iommi’s. I was getting 07.09.11.18W.28.36
And another variation of 07.09.11.18W.24W.32
I called Ernie Ball when I was 15yo and explained what was looking for and they sent me samples of custom sets (6pk of each gauge) I didn’t have to pay for them as they where interested in my choice) now all of a sudden an almost identical set comes out. I want a thanks lol
Heavy strings often make people try too hard and work much harder than they need to. Plus all of the misconceptions about tone don't help matters any. Watch Jim Lill and Rick Beato to learn all about strings, wood, cabinets, mics, etc.
Heavier strings might help build finger strength to start, but may also give you arthritis sooner, and often discourage people. Don't overwork yourself. You might be missing out on all kinds of things you could be doing with lighter strings.
How many people quit playing guitar because people used to constantly parrot "get yourself a cheap acoustic guitar first to learn on?" Great advice. Get the hardest to play, lowest quality piece of crap to learn how to play on. It's not the same thing as getting a cheap snare, an electric keyboard, or cheap flute for band. Those sorts of instruments don't require more effort to play.
Now your friend down the street is playing his favorite AC/DC tune, and you're still having trouble with chords because you can't keep the strings pressed to the frets. So it gets donated to the local thrift shop with a $5 price tag. Don't kick your own ass people.
I'm going to teach my kid to drive a car, but first I'm going to remove the power steering so he can focus on muscling the car around instead of the fundamentals of driving. Sure, we may hit a few trees, poles, and parked cars, but he's got to learn the hard way because reasons.
Started studying Billy Gibbons playing recently and learned about his 007 sets, I've got some of my 25.5 scale guitars on them and like it. It's a bit overkill on a 24 3/4 tho.
"tonewise its a lot more brittle" There's less fundamental, which allows the harmonics to be more prominent.. That's what adjusting the amp is for.
Many people still use a screamer to sculpt off the lows and fundamentals, this does it at the string level which means it is "adjusted" for each NOTE instead of being a global filter.
I played 10-52 for 10 years for dropped D. Two months ago I switched for 9-46 and I was amazed how effortless is now to play and make bends and legato things. I would do it long time ago if I knew. Still I think for 0-0-0-0s 52 was better.
And here I am, extremely uncomfortable with gauges smaller than 11s in Drop D
02:30 I know what ye mean, I sometimes break a 9 during stretching. I dread the even thought of stretching a 7. 😅
That's the biggest benefit of thinner strings is the ease of bending the high strings.
I prefer using a modified set of Power Slinky (11-48), where I swap out the 11 & 14 highest two strings for a 9 & 13 (respectively), and leave the plain 18 and wound 28-38-48 string intact. This gives me a chuggable low strings combined with a more easily bent high strings on Fender scaled guitars. For Gibson scaled guitars, I'll leave the 11 & 14 strings on because the 9 & 13 strings feels too loose for me.
I’ve personally been gravitating towards thinner strings than I have used in the past due to issues with my hands making it harder to press down heavier strings. Definitely is a learning curve when you’re used to really bearing down with the fret hand but after you get control of that it works out really well in my opinion for fast playing and bends (not that my fast playing and/or bends sound nearly as good as Ola lol)
I used to use Picato back i the day - used and endorsed by Ritchie Blackmore, Black Sabbath and Status Quo to name but a few - they used to do a set starting from 006.
Does any brand make 006 strings at the moment? I've been experimenting with d'adario 007 for other instruments and tunings for achiving higher tunings.
I switched to 8's for metal 40 years ago. Less fretting and bending effort, brighter tone, makes you a more precise player. Looks like I need to start using 7's on all my builds. Got some Reverend Willy's but never got around to trying them out. Didn't even know Ernie Ball made 7's, I currently use Ernie Ball 8's on all my builds. I also use large thin fender triangle picks. You can bend them on the fly to vary their stiffness while you play. They have a longer reach which can help when you have to skip over strings and reach the next one, such a riff on strings 4 and 6 that doesn't touch string 5. By gripping it loosely you can do sweeps very easily. String gauge, pick type, and playing style / effort really should be a matched set. And yes - thinner strings will make you a more precise player. You can always thicken up the lower-mids downstream in the signal chain. Personally, I prefer the less muddy source signal of thinner strings. It's easier to boost bottom than it is to cut muddiness. Thanks for doing my work for me - now I don't have to check out 7's - you did it for me. I just ordered some to try out on a build.
Don't forget to write some impressions here... ;)
Hey Toni Iommi used 7's and 8's and look at the massive sound Sabbath had. I myself switched to 8's and love it , but I still have some heavy gauges on my guitars for thrash etc....
@@mikeg6666Paul Gilbert also uses 8s which is crazy considering how fast he plays
@@Goose21 He must be light on the touch , you definitely have to change your picking technique. Because when I go from 10's or 11's to 8's I forget and hit em to hard sometimes , it definitely takes some getting used to.
I've used customs with lite on top and heavy bottoms for decades. Been happy ever since...
a few weeks ago I put 7's on my Peavey EXP. Bloody awesome and seems good so far as possiblity of snapping a string. Very responsive. Dont forget to adjust your truss rod.
3:03 among us
The first set of 7’s I used was Rev. Willys, and I loved them. Still use them on some of my guitars in drop tuning
At high-gain levels the sound is almost identical. The 9s had a bit more of the fundamental tone, but the 7s have a touch more clarity. The biggest difference is going to be the amount of effort to play. 7s you will need a light touch on your guitar.
0:46 I use a 10-56 set for the same tuning on a 25.5 scale guitar 😂
(10-52 set with the 52 changed to a 56)
To be fair, I use them for E standard, Eb standard, drop D and drop Db
i wonder if i will give it a try, I've been using 11-49 string gauge for quite a long time.
But, I did try playing 10's. And it was really different from 11 in my opinion. 11-49 kinda good when it comes to open string riffs or such.
But going further on 7's. Men, it is really tempting because you can bend so easily. (You can bend more than a whole step).
Rev Willy's .07 -.38 on a Schecter with Floyd Rose. Sounds great, stays in tune, perfect intonation, never broken one in 3 years. My touch has never been lighter or better - never going back.
I just snapped high E but it took quite a beating. +1 on Rev Willy.
i used to be a 12-56 guy thinking thicker was better bc thats what i had always been told by everyone. switched to 10-52 and realized the medium gauges are absolutely top tier. easier bending, faster picking, and more bite.
I did 12-56 or even 12-62ish many years ago when all I had was an Ibanez LP clone and I just absolutely had to play Cannibal Corpse in A flat standard lol
Literally just put 7-38 and I normally play 8-38, and I'm never going back. You have to play lighter and a little more carefully, but it becomes second nature very quickly. I too suffer from wrist issues and issues in the finger tips, none of which are exacerbated by the thin gauge. Great video as it also dispels tone myths!
I love the clarity and attack of thin Strings and it's so fun and easier to play pinch harmonics
Yeah a lot of old guys use those Sevens like Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top. Billy uses the Dunlop RWN0738 Rev. Willy's Lottery Brand Electric Guitar Strings
I think a good rule of thumb is a player should always play the lightest strings possible for whatever tuning they’re playing in. Thick strings sound like crap, but for lower tunings you’re kinda forced to go pretty thick. The lowest tuning play in is drop C, and I use 10-52s.
Skinny top heavy bottom is the way to go for that tuning indeed!
What would you recommend for Drop B to stay in the light side on a 25.5?
@@DravenxEyeless I don’t play in anything nearly that low. But I think I read Jim root is playing 56-11 for drop B. Or a 58…
I tried those on the strat-style scalloped neck guitar I just built, and they were perfect, except the high E's keep unraveling at the ball end on me. They sound every bit as heavy as 9's through my Blackstar.
Edit: I bought some Dunlop Billy Gibbons signature 7's, and they blow the Ernie Balls out of the water. Hotter, crisper, better feel. Going to stick with these, and the heavier gauges for my other guitars.
I use 9-46 for E-Standard/Drop D and 10-52 for D-Standard/Drop C (25,5 inch scale guitars). Previously i used 10's for E -Standard. Years ago when i was searching for another guitar i realized that guitar brands (example: Jackson, Ibanez) put an information on their website which string gauge and tuning is prefered in chosen guitar - and there's a reason for that. From that time i'm saving my fingers while playing guitar and it's still sound great.
@@MFKR696i don't say i trust blindly to manufacturer characteristics, i consider it as a hint. My opinion is that may be helpful in some cases - it's about trying and depends of many things: music you play, size of your hands, length of your fingers and many more.
I use to use heavier but I'm the same way now. Just heavy enough strings and not excessively. 9-46 E 10 13.5 17 28 38 50 D Standard. Love that String joy let's you customize gauges at no extra cost.
I play drop C with 9’s. As i like to play blues/pentatonic licks with bends 2 notes up these strings help. Soundwise 10’s sounds a bit fuller but it’s not that big of a deal.
I'm amazed to see how fast you can adapt your alternate picking technique to such thin strings! Each time I grab a guitar with less than 10-46 my picking sucks badly, my hands are out of synch and I give up after an hour of atrocious sharp bends and sloppy picking hand.
I recommend Paul Gilbert's old instructional video - there are some really great right hand tips in there that have changed my playing for the better ever since I watched it in highschool!
YA for real WTF Ola
Probably he practiced before the video.
It's all in the practice. The more you practice your alternate picking the more you can adapt to any style of playing or change in string gauge.
Pretty astute observation actually....Lighter strings make it easier to bend/fret.....but it's a lot harder to control your picking...Higher tension is a LOT easier to pick. Give and take.
That's what happens when you hang out with Rick Beato. I haven't gone to 8's since I find I can do Gilmour bends on my 9's, and that's about as far as I care to go. Loved the expression on your face when you struck the first chord and realized there was hardly any difference in the chugability.
I use 11-49 on my guitar tuned to Eb. I pick like a gorilla and it’s the only set that stays in tune for me. Plus I like the string tension ❤
The more I watch of "can I make it chug?" the more I like! You're a talented guy
I'm honestly surprised its common for metal players to use 9s and 8s, I'm a metal player as well but I've been using 11s and 12s for quite some time. I thought playing thicker strings was the norm hahah, I'm gonna have to try a set of 9s. Rad vid, Ola!
I was the same way man. Switched back to 9s and I'm loving it
@@Flathead-fb5tk think I might join the party hahaha
I use the Hyper Slinkys. 8-42 on gibson scale standard tuning. I use tortex flow 1.14 picks. I can shred fast and they sound amazing. I have nerve issues in so i needed lighter strings. It also forced me to not tense up on my fretting hand
I honestly like thick and high tension in any tuning i have. It forces you to work a bit more to sound good but its worth it. Plus i feel like i have less tuning issues even when I'm heavyhand djenting away.
I told my local guitar shop I wanted to bend strings like dimebag. They set me up with green slinky's and they have been absolutely amazing. Makes my basic GR Ibanez sound like a premium product.
You should try the Dimebag signature DR strings
Definitely noticed more mids and even treble definition IMMEDIATELY. I know Ernie Ball's are bright strings in general (they are my preference) so could be a tiny bit from just brand new strings but, Man... Sounds Awesome
You want really bright EB's? Try Super Slinky's 9-42 in cobalt construction on humbuckers.
Dude those frets are massive, love it.
2:50 is this riff from a song?
Jason Richardson uses 11-58 on a seven string tuned to drop F#. This inspired me to try lighter strings for drop G on my 7 string (10-56) and it surprised me as it held up very well.
What they don’t tell you about thinner strings is they stay in tune better for extreme bends. It’s what BB King did practically his entire career.
With evertune you could get away with such thin strings. But then you would need to swap out the springs to tighter ones.
I use a d'addario nyxl balanced tension 10-46 with a .052 replacing the 46 for drop c tuning. This gives me the same tension as a 9-40 set in standsrd E. I find that to be the perfect amount of tension on my solar a1.6c evertune.
Nice guitar, ola. I totally dig the blue finish. As for the strings, they don’t sound too bad, but I would rather go for a thicker set.
For me, what's most important is the tension on each string is close in terms of the number of pounds of force measuring the tension. They really helps when you jump from string to string and they have the same general tension.
Dime used to use 0.008 for his high E, for standard tuning. On a Gibson scale length, 24.75 inches. Lower tension than your solar. It worked for him. That was using his down a quarter step tuning. Even less tension.
That would explain some of the bends on CFH lol
I've never seen anything about 8s. The one time he mentioned string gauges in his 1993 guitar clinic, Dime said he used 9-46. His signature set with DR Strings is 9-50, and he _may_ also have used the 10-52 and 11-50 sets. As for the bends that the other comment mentions, it's a bit easier to do huge bends on a Floyd Rose'd guitar... especially if you also pull up the bridge while bending.
Malmsteen also uses an 8 for his high e
I love 7's just as much as I love my 12's. They all have their different applications. If I'm playing in standard, 7's make it so much fun to just glide around and get a bright BRIGHT attack.
Holy crap! I play so heavy-handed, if I even looked at a .007, it would snap. LOL
I think they could be in standard at least 25.5 scaled I don’t know how Billy gibbons does 24.75 so I’d deviate to c 9.5-44 c# 9-42 d 8.5-40 d# 8-38 all on 25.5 and I don’t think anyone makes 7.5 but lower to 25 and 24.75 the other fairly common scales with .5 increments until really downtuning you must have bigger increments deviating
For standard E, I find 9 - 42's to be the perfect feel for me. Slinky without being TOO loose and tight enough to chug hard without it crapping out. Pretty sure Dimebag used 42's for E as well. (Dime's version of E anyways lol)
And his guitars had a 24.75" scale length
At 4:12 korn twisted transistor began playing in my head
I use 8-38 in E flat on a strat. There is absolutely no reason to use heavy gauge strings imo. Lighter is easier to play, easier to bend, and sounds exactly the same if not better that heavier gauge.
I use 8s also on D#, but in a Les Paul. Bends amazingly and sounds so good with a lot of gain.
You can modulate the bass response with an EQ, but no pre amp or EQ will fix the feel.
Yup
I think it sounds better. Snappier, brighter. Less muddy if you play high gain which I do. DSL gain on max, plus TS gain and level on max. Crystal clear and no mud. Gives me an Yngwie tone with the Tele.
I’m gonna try it.
Been using .007 strings for years now and I play a lot of metal. They are great!
Got to love string gauge comments, not everyone tells you, 1. What tuning their guitar is in 2. What their scale length is 3. What set of strings they're actually using '9-42 Ernie ball Super slinky etc'. I use 11-49 D'Addario EXL115, 25.5 scale tuned to d-standard. Pretty happy with them, however I am going to try out the 11-49 EXL115W which has a wound third. I've never played a wound third before, so will be cool to check out, as I find the "G" string is normally the one to go out tune the most.
from baritone experience, the 3rd string wounded is a bit more stable, but very hard, if not impossible, to bend more than half step, so if you do a lot of lead and bends, i would not reccomand it, if your chug, sure go for it!
Glad to see this video. A lot of metal (and blues) players around are still convinced that the bigger the strings, the bigger the sound .
I played for years 11-52 with standard D tuning 25.5" scale, just to eventually notice 10-46 was just as good, with less hurt to the hands.
What I don’t understand is why people say that it hurts to play heavier strings. I play 11-56 daddarios in standard e on both 25.5 and 24.75 scale guitars. I don’t get why people say it hurts. 9-42s feel like they move around too much for me,it’s like I’m falling all over myself . I want the string to stay as still as possible until I decide I want to bend it, I like that consistency of touch because I play really intensely.
@@stevenhirsekorn3444 it's not "ow that hurts" kind of pain, but more about tendons and joints fatigue. You seem to be young, wait a decade or two playing a lot in various contexts, and you'll get what I mean
@@AlexandreCriado I’ve been playing that way for like ten years, maybe it takes longer than that for it to set in but the feel of the heavy gauge makes me feel way more in control of the guitar and how I express what I hear in my head
@@stevenhirsekorn3444 that's the point. Lighter gauge is more demanding, you have to be in fine control of your attack and your fretting. With heavy gauge, it is easier, you can strike the strings with the strength of an angry uruk-hai and still not sound out of tune.
@@AlexandreCriadoI prefer that sound, it’s just what I like. And I probably won’t change it. I suppose that was insightful though
.007 strings is just asking for a broken string. So it doesnt matter how easy it is too play. A good percent of them probably break while winding up the strings. If playing a show, You will break tht string and changing a string at a gig is a no-no, better to finish the show without it. My 9s are doing fine for me for 40 years now
Ok nerd
Sorry, I asked him
I use 8's on mine for standard and 9.5's for D standard it's super fun and easy to play!
Dang 9-42 for drop D? To me that's quite light. My playing would suck lol.
I thought the same thing. 48 for me at D is way too light haha
I play with 10 - 52 and it´s not even hard lel
I put 8s on my strat a while back, and it leveled up my playing. My experience was the same. It forced me to lighten up my touch! Lighter touch means less effort. I keep 8.5-40 on my guitars now and they feel great, even the PRS with slightly shorter scale.
I think the male ego has pushed many of us (me included) to play thicker strings in standard tuning, when good old 9s are probably more than enough (and maybe give better string separation and mids). 10s and over are really for the drop tunings so you have enough tension, imho. And agree, I've gone to lighter on my 7 string for the unwound strings (as it's not a multiscale neck) as this reduces the tension for solo work.
The 007 Set gives it more of a Mick Mars kind of tone to it. Hearing the chords at 3:37 played on these strings gives it a sort of "Dr. Feelgood" album tone.
Day 321 of asking Ola for an 8 string solar T.
It's been a very long time since I've played anything other than 10 - 52 strings... seeing this made me realize I should actually setup one of my guitars with a lighter set just to switch it up, though I don't think I'll go this thin. Not sure if you've ever heard of string company called " String Joy" or not but you can custom order a string set in whatever gauges you want and have an option to select a wound G string ( E standard tuning) which helps in tuning stability because we all know how problematic that specific string can be staying in tune, however, it does make bending much harder so I think it would be better suited on a guitar used strictly for rhythm.
Loved the video. Found it to be entertaining and informational, great job!!!!
Been using 0.08-0.38 for E-standart for years now. I really love it and dare everyone to try it!
My college would only ever string the in house guitars with 7s and I hated them for it for a long time. It did make me a better guitarist though. They're harder to play correctly but they make you play all strings the same way and it really helps with knowing what pressure to put on the strings when you're fretting.