Great review of the basics of string mechanics Phil. I am really enjoying your videos and love your great attitude about sharing your knowledge. Ignore the Trolls and I Know More Than You twits and keep it coming! I have been playing 46 years and like to keep up to date on what is changing and your videos are a breath of fresh air!
I've always preferred 11s but just put a set of 12s on and love them. Go with what you feel comfortable playing not what you think you should have. One main reason for me is tuning stability.
A simple concept well-explained, and it ran contrary to my assumptions. I just watched a podcast (Q&A) video of yours, and you said you had a bunch of string videos. So here I am. And thanks again! Now on to a couple others.
I agree, I just bought some stuff and hope to start using it next week. Thank you for the comment. I was thinking it was time and you prompted me to just go ahead and order some mics. Thanks again
Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top uses a .007 set. Can you imagine? How does he get such a fat sound with such a light gauge? Not the kind of set for players who dig in with an aggressive attack. .010's are perfect for me. Anything lighter and I'm pushing it damn near across the fret board. Anything heavier starts to feel like bass strings to me.
+6672rock It's probably all in the amps. I had a friend who was a tech for a band that toured with ZZ several years ago. He said Billy barely touches the strings. Very light pick attack.
Short, Sweet, and to the Point. I wish someone had told me the string equation sooner. Thanks, good info and in the context that I can understand. Nice job!
Another great video sir! I play clubs and hotels, blues bars and festivals. The older I have gotten the longer my hands hurt. I have even iced them up on breaks. I have been going with 8s on all my guitars except my Resonator. Tone or sound is the same, playing really has gotten better and l love playing again.
this really helps because I switched from 9s to 10s and a number of my Friends thought I was nuts. They mostly play Blues and Classic Rock and I mostly play Metal with power chords. This video solidifies in my mind I made the right choice going to 10s.
Phil you have taught me many things. I love to watch your videos! I've been geeking out on guitars and amps since the mid 70's and you know a lot more than me dude. My band is The Surf Zombies. We like to rock.
Long time fan of your stuff, but for some reason it's the first time i've seen this vid. Coming to this from a classical guitar perspective into electric guitar playing, I feel one thing that electric players don't think about is the tonal connection from string to string. What I mean by this is: If you play a phrase that stays in one position, it will inevitably jump from one string to another. Considering this phrase to be a "voice," one needs to take into account that the tone isn't incredibly changed from one string to another, or else it will sound like the phrase was partially on one instrument, but then jumped to another dude. The obvious way to keep a melody sounding like it was "sung by one guy" would be to play it all on one string, but that obviously poses a technical problem of not causing hiccups from leaping from position to position. The compromise is to find strings that match "across the board," so that you can still sound "like the same guy." Just try playing the top-of-the-treble-clef E note across all of the strings and you'll see that they are colored uber-differently. This problem is incredibly inflated by having hybrid strings, because the wire-y sound of the top strings don't compare to the tubby, full sound of the bass strings that they're adjacent to. I would think that, in lieu of trying to have a guitar set up to facilitate fluid phrasing, you would want to be cautious of playing with hybrid strings. In the classical guitar world, we even will mix-and-match different brands of strings--especially since the G string on 6-string packs sound dead/muddy compared to the rest of the pack (and will likely be swapped with something with higher carbon-fiber content). Experimenting on strings in this regard should be done on all guitars.
This also depends on the scale length of the guitar. A Gibson style guitar like a Les Paul has a 24,5 Inch scale and a Fender style like a Stratocaster or an Ibanez has a 25.5 scale. If you use a set of 10s on your les paul it wont be as tense as a set of 10s on a strat. I cant really understand how people use 9s on Les pauls if you ask me
GHS has called this "hybrid set" "custom lights" as far back as the early 1980's. This is what I strictly used on my Fender Bullet (1983 USA model). I used go one step further and run a 14 as a 3rd string because I was bending it in the 2nd fret a lot as well as playiong the 1st and 2nd string in the 3rd fret. Pedal steel bend in G....my finger just didn't seem to be strong enough for the 16.
haha, I came back and looked at this older video... There is an amazing difference in audio and video from this to your current vids.... Nice improvements.
As somebody who doesn't solo I like using 11-50s in Eb. I used to use 10-52s but I found the E B and G to be way too light and just pressing them slightly too hard made them go sharp and I found the E A and D to be a bit too thick. So I compromised and now I am glad I switched to 11s
I've been playing for 25 years, tried all kinds of string gauges, brands, styles you name it. The best compromise between tone and playability is using 10s and tuning to E-flat. BUT.... In standard tuning I like to bend (and apply vibrato to) the lower strings as well, and with 10s that is very impractical. You have to bend them much further to get to the same pitch as with 9s. So I use 9s. 9s sound practically the same as 10s, but they are much easier to bend and with bending plus vibrato. Also, contrary to Phillip's experience, I find that higher gauges slow my playing down, because the strings are much tighter, so I have to fight them more to press them down. In standard tuning for most purposes I would recommend 9s. If you play primarily heavy rhythm, you can use a hybrid set with thicker low strings. If bending with vibrato is important to you, then 9s are perfect. Of course, there will always be people who will say that SRV used 13s and could bend and apply vibrato no problem. To them I say: SRV had huge hands, played hours per day, was gigging like crazy and used cocaine. If you think you can pull-off (no pun intended) 13s, be my guest, but I know of many people that suffered RSI as a result. Cheers.
Back in the 1950's the Fender literature listed two string gauges: 13's as "standard" and 12's as "light". Then someone discovered you could put a banjo string on the high E and move the rest over one place to avoid having a wound string on the G and making the strings easier to bend and that became common. Eventually Ernie Ball and some other string manufacturers started making lighter gauges to accommodate the demand for them. I like the tone of heavy strings, for example; Stevie Ray Vaughan with 13's (he could bend them), and Pat Martino with 16's (thick jazz tone, not much bending).
I had a Kramer with hybrids on it, but I gave it to a cousin when he started to learn to play. don't miss it either. when I played it, it felt weird. I use 10 but have been thinking about trying nines for the long scale necks 25 1/2" because of one of Phils vids about Fender and Gibson shipping there guitars with different thickness strings. But I guess from ever bodies comments its what your comfortable/used to. One of my friends has some expensive Guitars and he ha them all set up professionally (he has a friend who is a luther) he has the action raised pretty high cos that's how he learned to play. he lent me his diamond jubilee telecaster anniversary model it had a small diamond in the head stock. I couldnt play it apart from strumming a few chords. its sunday afternoon and I'm starting to spout drivel. Cheers Phil keep up the good work.
What you are forgetting to mention in this is the difference this will have for bedroom players v gigging players. Your tone in a band should actually be rather "bright" so it will cut through clearly on a p.a mix, unless you are playing in a 3 piece Jazz/Blues combo of course! Most problems occur because people set there tone in there bedroom with nothing competing sonically with them... this will sound awful when added to the rest of the group. Strings should be whatever feels nicest to the player I think. Anyway...just my two cents. 9-46 for the win
now you're talking about mixing but yes, you're right.. cutting lows on a guitar will allow the sound to cut through better as low frequencies are omni directional and highs are directional.. so lows will bounce off everything and mid- highs not as much.. great comment for those who tone hunt.
That explains something about my Gretsch! I've got it set at 2/64" relief and it plays well (clean). I'm running 10s on it, and 9s on my Fenders... which need more relief.
I like 10's, I have been using them for the past 5 years. Although if I dedicate a guitar to a lower tuning I might try 11's, or a hybrid. I mainly play rhythm.
One additional thought on this: for those shredders and metal guitars using a floating trem bridge guitar (such as floyd rose), the guitar will tend to stay in tune better with 10's or the hybrid 9 - 46 string sets. I personally like the brightness you get from thinner strings, which seems to disappear on thicker strings, though the extra volume and sustain is nice, so it's a bit of a trade off all round, and every guitar i own is a compromise between tone and playability.
I think, judging from what you said about thicker strings sounding better, that anyone who has enough hand strength to play guitar at all can comfortably play lead and rhythm with Ernie Ball Regular Slinky strings. They are 10 13 17 26 36 46. That seems to me that all the strings should be thick enough to get the tone and low action that you mentioned. And never have I ever had problems bending the hell out of them, even on the low E. So, hopefully you find this to be true or can correct me. I also think you're right about the hybrids, though. My problem with them (conceptually, I've never tried them) is that they sound too different from each other, tonally from the unwound to the wound. That said, I think the hybrid sets are cool, and I have a set of Ernie Ball hybrids waiting in the wings for the next time I need new strings. Thanks for reading. Bye
?Phil I'm looking at that particular PRS you have. I saw one in the guitar center and believe it or not my first question was if I change the string gauges on this how do you set your intonation. There seems to be no real tools. I was told that you have to treat that bridge like you would a nut and you not file it and if you get it wrong just order another bridge. And start all over or return to the original string gauge. That sounded very complicated but I have found nothing to confirm nor rebuke that. And as I'm watching you do your what string to buy I'm reminded of my weekend foray to the guitar center in Jacksonville Florida
I've been using hybrids for years. Best combination. But I have one guitar with regular slinkies for playing Robin Trower. You can definitely hear the difference when it comes to tone.
Good to know as I just finished building a kit LP as my first electric guitar. I am coming from a classical acoustic so didn't have any knowledge of strings. Hmm sounds like the strings I bought are too light. Oh well easy to change. Thanks for the info.
Hi, Phillip. I like your videos, but I don´t agree that lighter are more difficult to play with. That´s because even with low action, we are always pressing the strings against the frets with our fingertips. Then, tighter strings are harder to press. I already used string sets from .008 to .011 and I´m satisfied with Elixir .009 sets (standard tuning). That seems pretty obvious for guitar players, when they try to play a bass guitar or an acoustic guitar (which usually have heavier string gauges), they feel the stronger muscular effort to play.
I like playing a creamy/bluesy sound ...but do a lot of rhythm playing also. So, do I ask for...say... D'Addario Hybrid 10's? or are you talking about buying 2 different sizes / mix and match? Or should I go to 11's? I have whimpy fingers so find pain cuts my playing time down too quickly.
Can you make an up to date video on this? I will try and remember to ask on the live stream if I manage to tune in on time for once - incase you don't see this. I am happy to hear what you said about tension and lower action with thicker strings - that always made sense to me, but seems to be the opposite to conventional wisdom. I think a know your gear on finding the right set for you (without actual set recommendations - because it is subjective etc) would be great. 'Need less buzz, but like action: do this''Find you are getting caught on chugs: do this' etc. Ta Phil!
i've used the same gauge set of strings for the last 25 plus years,, .11 .15 .19p .30 .40 .50 , use them on every electric guitar i own, never had a problem bending but again i've used them for so long its normal
interesting, been a 09 player on most of my electrics, 10's on 339. but, my change is on my acoustics. problems with my hands/fingers pushed me down to the ernie ball earthwood 80/20 extra light. (10 14 20 28 40 50) as i started playing more, i moved up to the same string, but the 11 high E. while at Fur Peace Ranch for a weekend, one of the instructors mentioned that if you go to lighter strings, it's because of the wound strings. (ok, no real news there) he suggested if you go lighter on the set, go a set heavier on the two plain strings. so i use two guitars. 1 E-e, the other D-d for the higher songs. i use the four wound strings from an 11 set on the E-e, and the 12 & 16 for the plain strings. the D-d gets a 12 set for wound, with a 13 & 17 as the plain strings. gives me the comfort and ease on the wound, with a little bit bigger string for clarity on the wound.
Phil made this video six years ago. I have been playing guitar since 1988. I was today years old when my mind was blown. Phil, you mentioned set-ups at the end. I know situations can vary depending upon user and guitar, etc... but generally speaking, is there a guideline for when a set-up is required? How many 'steps' can you change gauge without needing a set up? One? Two? Would that apply across the board within a certain parameter? Would going from 9 to 10 not need a set up while going from 11 to 12 would need a set up because of the change in tension at higher gauge or would neither require a set up because of the relative difference? I hope that makes sense?
I've found if the action is too low, I can't get under the strings to bend them, so lower action is not always better. BTW, I think std gauged strings are fine. There is a reason for 10's on elect. (less breakage than 9's) and 12's on acoustic (more volume than thinner). Thicker might be OK, but would be harder to play.
Have you tried the Bullet end strings by Fender? They're great for trem work on a strat bc the ball ends will stretch out of tune more. I put big thick strings on my Fender Mustang Special & it needs a decent set up now. I couldn't get used to the rubber band feel of regular 10's on a short scale...
i tried 8 and 9 on a les paul and its impossible for me to play with, tried 11 and my fingers hurt like hell 10 is the best for me, great tone and still easy to bend. thanks for your videos !
I have been playing 10's for a long time. 9's feel to flimsy to me. When I do bends it feels to weak to me. Palm muted rhythms sound weak. I have heard some amazing players that use 9's though.
I run 3 different sets depending on tuning 10-52, 11-56, 12-60 lol I'm mostly rythym but have started incorporating leads in the last couple years. I started as a bass player though so thicker gauges tend to work for my heavier hands.
+Phillip McKnight is there a difference between packages that say "acoustic strings" and "electric strings"? I have tried plenty of strings on my acoustic and could never find one that felt good. Thicker strings made the action too hard to play and light/extra light "acoustic" strings broke super easy when being wound up or played on a different tuning. A few yrs later i bought a prs and my friend got me to try ghs boomers electric strings (10-46). I liked the sound so much that I use the same electric strings on my acoustic guitar. The low strings don't break as easily as the acoustic strings even though the 10-46 are considered LT/Ext light.
For my picking style I prefer a slightly looser tension than others would like. I tune down to C# and B standard, but I use 11-49's and 12-54's respectfully. It gives me about 13lbs of tension on the "Low E" string. I don't like when the strings are so tight its like I'm fighting them. I want to be able to alternate pick fast without putting much effort.
interesting topic; what i have found in my 7 years of playing guitar is the complete opposite to what's you are stating in this video. when i am using 10 or even 11 i find it harder to play and guitar is under a lot of pressure from the weight of the strings pulling on the neck, so it is not happy and it doesn't sing or intonate as when i'm using 9's or 8's. So now i know why guitar gods like jimi hendrix, yngwie malmsteen, reverend billy gibbons uses 8 gauge strings ;)
I have multiple guitars, acoustic and electric, and I wanted, more than anything else, that they feel consistent. After much experimentation, I've settle on 11-48 or 11-50 sets. I don't do Buddy Guy-type bends so slightly thicker high strings are OK.
99% of all string sets have bad volume balance. Your wound strings will almost always drown out You’re plain strings. There is no perfect string set, there is only compromise. I buy my strings in singles. I use one type for my plains and another type for my wounds. I have perfect volume balance and easy bending. If you bend a lot and play 900 miles an hour, you definitely don’t want heavy strings. If you learn to play light and fast, you will not get calluses. If you can learn to relax your hand completely, you will find speed and accuracy that you never dreamed of! 🎸🕊
In some of my guitars I have flatwound strings, but most guitar shops do not have them. I tend to prefer a wound G, unless I amplanning to do string bends.
Hi, new to guitars & wanted to know exactly what you mean bigger & smaller. Bigger is higher gauge & smaller is lower gauge? So a 11 is a bigger/high gauge? & 8 is smaller/low gauge ? THX in advance.
I get what your saying about the physical dynamics of a string as far as the motion of movement,but your also saying that Billy Gibbons has a crappy tone because he uses .007's ?
Enjoyed the video, man. I setup my guitars exactly as you suggest. Although I think Yngwie uses thin strings and high action like Hendrix or a violin's setup.
Phillip you say larger gage strings are easier to play I agree but I have one problem. My fender Strat has a 12in radius fret board and my Les Paul traditional pro II has a big 50's neck with a 14in radius fret board. Here is my problem I play my Fender Strat deluxe with noiseless pickups and the push push button because it is a better guitar. I like playing 10's but on my fender I get a lot of finger buzz on my cords gaps between the strings. Now I know after I get lessons 2 or 3 years from now it will not matter. So I put 9's on my Strat no finger buzz but the tone sounds very weak compared to the 10's am I wrong. Also I wanted to play some different brands of strings and I got the Elixir with some kind of coating in 9's. I might be crazy but my instructor is teaching me a Chris Stapleton song that has a lot of slides. These strings seam slippery and the slides sound like shit and I just don't like the feel. I like all of my strings with the same amount of tension and feel and I like 10's. Do you have any advice or if anyone reading this that has a lot of experience playing please give me your advice. If I put 10 on my fender will the finger buzz on my cords go away with time and getting better. Thanks in advance
Hello Phillip. I bought a guitar last week and the guy let me have a set of Elixirs half price.He said that they last longer than other strings. This made me realise how ignorant I was about strings generally and clicked on this video hoping to find out about which strings keep their tone the longest amongst other things. Is there any chance of doing a video about strings in which you discuss the significance of scale length, bridge type, tuners, unwound G strings and the different sorts of strings that there are eg flatwound, nickel plated etc? And anything else you think is relevant. Are there ways of making strings stay brighter longer? I was quite overwhelmed by the variety in the shop and such a video would be very helpful to a virtual beginner like myself.
Compared to thin strings, thicker strings have a more acoustic guitar tone. Indeed, thicker strings have fuller tone and project more volume than thin ones, yet of course are more difficult to bend especially on longer scale necks. For Jazz, it's thicker strings. For rock & blues, .10's, 9.5's or 9's will do.
Hey Phil, great video, just a little question about 12's with a plain (unwound) g string, I use Ernie ball 'not even slinky' strings on a couple of my electrics and find the g string sounds super dull and almost buzzy compared to the other strings, any ideas on what I might do to fix this? cheers!
Thank you for explaining this. Could you please explain guitar preamp, amp modelers, di boxes, and booster pedals. What is the difference? I just want a preamp so I can go straight to the board. Thanks
I have a Taylor 214ce guitar, I currently have DR 13s on it. What strings would you recommend I check out and attempt to play? I am mostly rhythm, simple things like pop and punk with a little emo, but I have been trying to get into lead as well. Should I go for the hybrid? And if so, what gauges on an acoustic? I will await your response.
Hey Phil! Would going hybrid increase the chance of the neck twisting? Also.. since thicker gauge strings have more tension like you say.. does that mean bending them a step would take less movement than lighter strings but more effort? am i right in saying that?
I'm thinking about changing to 11s (I play 10s currently) but I'm worried about the whole nut slot size issue. I dont have nut files or anything like that so how would I go about changing to 11s? Would I have to go to a tech or is there an alternate way to widen the nut slots?
I have not played for couple of years and just cleaned and strung up my guitar. I'm finding the 10s i was once used too are now very hard on my weak hands. Would going from 10's to 9's requiere a setp up? Or can i just change gauge a be happy?
Great explanation. I always like 11s and 12s on acoustic with 10s on one guitar to bend more but I play a lot and my fingers are strong. Too many players using 9s thinking they are easier.
10's to 9's not a big deal... 10's to 8's big deal and 10's to 7's is just happiness to my old and tired hands with still keeping the tone I need to hear. 7's gave me another 6 or 7 years to play the noise I like....
I haven't tried a hybrid set, but I have played 9s and 10s. Wouldn't it be weird doing an ascending run and then having the first few strings feel a bit loose since they're lighter?
im glad someone else feels the same about larger strings. i used to play 9s but my action was way to high now im playing 10s and have gotten my action down. im thinking of going to hybrid 11s possible. what is the string height u run mine is currently about 1mm on low e and high e. but the low e strings have a slight rattle
Got inspired to tune my guitar.
Broke the string
Next time you better clean your ears before you attempt to tune anything (especially your own guitar... Lol)
Great review of the basics of string mechanics Phil. I am really enjoying your videos and love your great attitude about sharing your knowledge. Ignore the Trolls and I Know More Than You twits and keep it coming! I have been playing 46 years and like to keep up to date on what is changing and your videos are a breath of fresh air!
I've always preferred 11s but just put a set of 12s on and love them. Go with what you feel comfortable playing not what you think you should have. One main reason for me is tuning stability.
A simple concept well-explained, and it ran contrary to my assumptions. I just watched a podcast (Q&A) video of yours, and you said you had a bunch of string videos. So here I am. And thanks again! Now on to a couple others.
You need a mic bro, the camera mic isn't good enough. Just want you to have the best videos as possible.
I agree, I just bought some stuff and hope to start using it next week. Thank you for the comment. I was thinking it was time and you prompted me to just go ahead and order some mics. Thanks again
Right on! Looking forward to the new videos.
+Phillip McKnight Try editing out the parts where you stand up and turn off the video. Its the small things in quality that make a huge difference.
Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top uses a .007 set. Can you imagine? How does he get such a fat sound with such a light gauge? Not the kind of set for players who dig in with an aggressive attack. .010's are perfect for me. Anything lighter and I'm pushing it damn near across the fret board. Anything heavier starts to feel like bass strings to me.
+6672rock It's probably all in the amps. I had a friend who was a tech for a band that toured with ZZ several years ago. He said Billy barely touches the strings. Very light pick attack.
6672rock Equalization, the guy has racks of equalizers one for each guitar so they all sound close to each other.
6672rock hwy uses cpins or metal as picks
6672rock probably just a matter of amps. Almost all the problems people have with tone can be fixed with a good amp
Short, Sweet, and to the Point. I wish someone had told me the string equation sooner. Thanks, good info and in the context that I can understand. Nice job!
Another great video sir! I play clubs and hotels, blues bars and festivals. The older I have gotten the longer my hands hurt. I have even iced them up on breaks. I have been going with 8s on all my guitars except my Resonator. Tone or sound is the same, playing really has gotten better and l love playing again.
all of your videos are very informative and well needed! keep it up man :)
Thank you
Thank you Soo much !!!! This really helped me !! The only video on RUclips that actually explains string gauges properly 😭🙏
I can't wait to change "G" strings; my favorite string to bend and always seems a little too loud for me. Thanks for the idea!
this really helps because I switched from 9s to 10s and a number of my Friends thought I was nuts. They mostly play Blues and Classic Rock and I mostly play Metal with power chords. This video solidifies in my mind I made the right choice going to 10s.
Exactly!!! Always have been a fan of heavy strings.
Skinny tops low bottoms, best setup.
Medium Top Heavy Bottom is better.
You have given me food for thought!
skinny strings are too bouncy, 10-46 minimum for me, but i prefer 12-52 for both acoustic and electric,
Phil you have taught me many things. I love to watch your videos! I've been geeking out on guitars and amps since the mid 70's and you know a lot more than me dude. My band is The Surf Zombies. We like to rock.
Long time fan of your stuff, but for some reason it's the first time i've seen this vid. Coming to this from a classical guitar perspective into electric guitar playing, I feel one thing that electric players don't think about is the tonal connection from string to string. What I mean by this is: If you play a phrase that stays in one position, it will inevitably jump from one string to another. Considering this phrase to be a "voice," one needs to take into account that the tone isn't incredibly changed from one string to another, or else it will sound like the phrase was partially on one instrument, but then jumped to another dude.
The obvious way to keep a melody sounding like it was "sung by one guy" would be to play it all on one string, but that obviously poses a technical problem of not causing hiccups from leaping from position to position. The compromise is to find strings that match "across the board," so that you can still sound "like the same guy." Just try playing the top-of-the-treble-clef E note across all of the strings and you'll see that they are colored uber-differently. This problem is incredibly inflated by having hybrid strings, because the wire-y sound of the top strings don't compare to the tubby, full sound of the bass strings that they're adjacent to.
I would think that, in lieu of trying to have a guitar set up to facilitate fluid phrasing, you would want to be cautious of playing with hybrid strings. In the classical guitar world, we even will mix-and-match different brands of strings--especially since the G string on 6-string packs sound dead/muddy compared to the rest of the pack (and will likely be swapped with something with higher carbon-fiber content). Experimenting on strings in this regard should be done on all guitars.
As a 68 y.o. one man band playin a 12 string acoustic/elec. I agree the bigger strings are the way to go for me ,,, thanks for the education !!
I've tried anything from 8's to 13's and honestly 9's feel the best to me because they have that snappy twangy bite to them.
This also depends on the scale length of the guitar. A Gibson style guitar like a Les Paul has a 24,5 Inch scale and a Fender style like a Stratocaster or an Ibanez has a 25.5 scale. If you use a set of 10s on your les paul it wont be as tense as a set of 10s on a strat. I cant really understand how people use 9s on Les pauls if you ask me
Because they like them?
GHS has called this "hybrid set" "custom lights" as far back as the early 1980's. This is what I strictly used on my Fender Bullet (1983 USA model). I used go one step further and run a 14 as a 3rd string because I was bending it in the 2nd fret a lot as well as playiong the 1st and 2nd string in the 3rd fret. Pedal steel bend in G....my finger just didn't seem to be strong enough for the 16.
haha, I came back and looked at this older video... There is an amazing difference in audio and video from this to your current vids.... Nice improvements.
wow!! so simply explained, yet brilliant!! that was probably the best gear advice I've ever heard-thank you......
Going back through your channel to watch some I have missed. Good video thanks for the info.
As somebody who doesn't solo I like using 11-50s in Eb. I used to use 10-52s but I found the E B and G to be way too light and just pressing them slightly too hard made them go sharp and I found the E A and D to be a bit too thick. So I compromised and now I am glad I switched to 11s
I've been playing for 25 years, tried all kinds of string gauges, brands, styles you name it. The best compromise between tone and playability is using 10s and tuning to E-flat. BUT....
In standard tuning I like to bend (and apply vibrato to) the lower strings as well, and with 10s that is very impractical. You have to bend them much further to get to the same pitch as with 9s. So I use 9s. 9s sound practically the same as 10s, but they are much easier to bend and with bending plus vibrato.
Also, contrary to Phillip's experience, I find that higher gauges slow my playing down, because the strings are much tighter, so I have to fight them more to press them down.
In standard tuning for most purposes I would recommend 9s. If you play primarily heavy rhythm, you can use a hybrid set with thicker low strings. If bending with vibrato is important to you, then 9s are perfect.
Of course, there will always be people who will say that SRV used 13s and could bend and apply vibrato no problem. To them I say: SRV had huge hands, played hours per day, was gigging like crazy and used cocaine. If you think you can pull-off (no pun intended) 13s, be my guest, but I know of many people that suffered RSI as a result.
Cheers.
Back in the 1950's the Fender literature listed two string gauges: 13's as "standard" and 12's as "light". Then someone discovered you could put a banjo string on the high E and move the rest over one place to avoid having a wound string on the G and making the strings easier to bend and that became common. Eventually Ernie Ball and some other string manufacturers started making lighter gauges to accommodate the demand for them. I like the tone of heavy strings, for example; Stevie Ray Vaughan with 13's (he could bend them), and Pat Martino with 16's (thick jazz tone, not much bending).
Thank you, great information for us nubies.
I've only been playing 30 years.
I had a Kramer with hybrids on it, but I gave it to a cousin when he started to learn to play. don't miss it either. when I played it, it felt weird. I use 10 but have been thinking about trying nines for the long scale necks 25 1/2" because of one of Phils vids about Fender and Gibson shipping there guitars with different thickness strings. But I guess from ever bodies comments its what your comfortable/used to. One of my friends has some expensive Guitars and he ha them all set up professionally (he has a friend who is a luther) he has the action raised pretty high cos that's how he learned to play. he lent me his diamond jubilee telecaster anniversary model it had a small diamond in the head stock. I couldnt play it apart from strumming a few chords. its sunday afternoon and I'm starting to spout drivel. Cheers Phil keep up the good work.
What you are forgetting to mention in this is the difference this will have for bedroom players v gigging players. Your tone in a band should actually be rather "bright" so it will cut through clearly on a p.a mix, unless you are playing in a 3 piece Jazz/Blues combo of course! Most problems occur because people set there tone in there bedroom with nothing competing sonically with them... this will sound awful when added to the rest of the group. Strings should be whatever feels nicest to the player I think. Anyway...just my two cents. 9-46 for the win
Well said, thank you for posting.
now you're talking about mixing but yes, you're right.. cutting lows on a guitar will allow the sound to cut through better as low frequencies are omni directional and highs are directional.. so lows will bounce off everything and mid- highs not as much.. great comment for those who tone hunt.
Your video quality has improved on your newer videos. Great topic.
Thank you Phill, very informative video.
The best explanation I’ve seen.
10-52 4 life :D
10-52 Gang rep.
Fits my BC Rich Mockingbird perfectly
That explains something about my Gretsch! I've got it set at 2/64" relief and it plays well (clean). I'm running 10s on it, and 9s on my Fenders... which need more relief.
Thank you Sir.... appreciate your effort and enjoy the videos.
I like 10's, I have been using them for the past 5 years. Although if I dedicate a guitar to a lower tuning I might try 11's, or a hybrid. I mainly play rhythm.
I’ve been using sevens since they came out, love em.
I play 9-46 Ernie ball strings. They are amazing!
One additional thought on this: for those shredders and metal guitars using a floating trem bridge guitar (such as floyd rose), the guitar will tend to stay in tune better with 10's or the hybrid 9 - 46 string sets. I personally like the brightness you get from thinner strings, which seems to disappear on thicker strings, though the extra volume and sustain is nice, so it's a bit of a trade off all round, and every guitar i own is a compromise between tone and playability.
I’m new to guitar.
Your videos are very helpful,thanks.
I think, judging from what you said about thicker strings sounding better, that anyone who has enough hand strength to play guitar at all can comfortably play lead and rhythm with Ernie Ball Regular Slinky strings. They are 10 13 17 26 36 46. That seems to me that all the strings should be thick enough to get the tone and low action that you mentioned. And never have I ever had problems bending the hell out of them, even on the low E. So, hopefully you find this to be true or can correct me. I also think you're right about the hybrids, though. My problem with them (conceptually, I've never tried them) is that they sound too different from each other, tonally from the unwound to the wound. That said, I think the hybrid sets are cool, and I have a set of Ernie Ball hybrids waiting in the wings for the next time I need new strings. Thanks for reading. Bye
Thanks Phil great info, I was one of them dudes!
?Phil I'm looking at that particular PRS you have. I saw one in the guitar center and believe it or not my first question was if I change the string gauges on this how do you set your intonation. There seems to be no real tools. I was told that you have to treat that bridge like you would a nut and you not file it and if you get it wrong just order another bridge. And start all over or return to the original string gauge. That sounded very complicated but I have found nothing to confirm nor rebuke that. And as I'm watching you do your what string to buy I'm reminded of my weekend foray to the guitar center in Jacksonville Florida
I've been using hybrids for years. Best combination. But I have one guitar with regular slinkies for playing Robin Trower. You can definitely hear the difference when it comes to tone.
I agree with your approach, for my stratus I have a hybrid set, 10 on top 11 on bottom they do sound better to me
Good to know as I just finished building a kit LP as my first electric guitar. I am coming from a classical acoustic so didn't have any knowledge of strings. Hmm sounds like the strings I bought are too light. Oh well easy to change. Thanks for the info.
Hi, Phillip. I like your videos, but I don´t agree that lighter are more difficult to play with. That´s because even with low action, we are always pressing the strings against the frets with our fingertips. Then, tighter strings are harder to press. I already used string sets from .008 to .011 and I´m satisfied with Elixir .009 sets (standard tuning). That seems pretty obvious for guitar players, when they try to play a bass guitar or an acoustic guitar (which usually have heavier string gauges), they feel the stronger muscular effort to play.
I like playing a creamy/bluesy sound ...but do a lot of rhythm playing also. So, do I ask for...say... D'Addario Hybrid 10's? or are you talking about buying 2 different sizes / mix and match? Or should I go to 11's? I have whimpy fingers so find pain cuts my playing time down too quickly.
Can you make an up to date video on this? I will try and remember to ask on the live stream if I manage to tune in on time for once - incase you don't see this.
I am happy to hear what you said about tension and lower action with thicker strings - that always made sense to me, but seems to be the opposite to conventional wisdom.
I think a know your gear on finding the right set for you (without actual set recommendations - because it is subjective etc) would be great. 'Need less buzz, but like action: do this''Find you are getting caught on chugs: do this' etc.
Ta Phil!
i've used the same gauge set of strings for the last 25 plus years,, .11 .15 .19p .30 .40 .50 , use them on every electric guitar i own, never had a problem bending but again i've used them for so long its normal
for e standard?
interesting, been a 09 player on most of my electrics, 10's on 339.
but, my change is on my acoustics.
problems with my hands/fingers pushed me down to the ernie ball earthwood 80/20 extra light. (10 14 20 28 40 50) as i started playing more, i moved up to the same string, but the 11 high E.
while at Fur Peace Ranch for a weekend, one of the instructors mentioned that if you go to lighter strings, it's because of the wound strings. (ok, no real news there)
he suggested if you go lighter on the set, go a set heavier on the two plain strings.
so i use two guitars.
1 E-e, the other D-d for the higher songs.
i use the four wound strings from an 11 set on the E-e, and the 12 & 16 for the plain strings.
the D-d gets a 12 set for wound, with a 13 & 17 as the plain strings.
gives me the comfort and ease on the wound, with a little bit bigger string for clarity on the wound.
Phil made this video six years ago. I have been playing guitar since 1988. I was today years old when my mind was blown.
Phil, you mentioned set-ups at the end. I know situations can vary depending upon user and guitar, etc... but generally speaking, is there a guideline for when a set-up is required? How many 'steps' can you change gauge without needing a set up? One? Two? Would that apply across the board within a certain parameter? Would going from 9 to 10 not need a set up while going from 11 to 12 would need a set up because of the change in tension at higher gauge or would neither require a set up because of the relative difference? I hope that makes sense?
I use 10s with standard tuning on my strat. Took some getting used to as far as bends go,. but I love the sound of the thicker strings.
I've found if the action is too low, I can't get under the strings to bend them, so lower action is not always better. BTW, I think std gauged strings are fine. There is a reason for 10's on elect. (less breakage than 9's) and 12's on acoustic (more volume than thinner). Thicker might be OK, but would be harder to play.
Have you tried the Bullet end strings by Fender? They're great for trem work on a strat bc the ball ends will stretch out of tune more.
I put big thick strings on my Fender Mustang Special & it needs a decent set up now. I couldn't get used to the rubber band feel of regular 10's on a short scale...
i tried 8 and 9 on a les paul and its impossible for me to play with, tried 11 and my fingers hurt like hell 10 is the best for me, great tone and still easy to bend. thanks for your videos !
I have been playing 10's for a long time. 9's feel to flimsy to me. When I do bends it feels to weak to me. Palm muted rhythms sound weak. I have heard some amazing players that use 9's though.
damn, just three years ago. a baby boy Phillip.
I run 3 different sets depending on tuning 10-52, 11-56, 12-60 lol I'm mostly rythym but have started incorporating leads in the last couple years. I started as a bass player though so thicker gauges tend to work for my heavier hands.
+Phillip McKnight is there a difference between packages that say "acoustic strings" and "electric strings"?
I have tried plenty of strings on my acoustic and could never find one that felt good. Thicker strings made the action too hard to play and light/extra light "acoustic" strings broke super easy when being wound up or played on a different tuning.
A few yrs later i bought a prs and my friend got me to try ghs boomers electric strings (10-46). I liked the sound so much that I use the same electric strings on my acoustic guitar. The low strings don't break as easily as the acoustic strings even though the 10-46 are considered LT/Ext light.
For my picking style I prefer a slightly looser tension than others would like. I tune down to C# and B standard, but I use 11-49's and 12-54's respectfully. It gives me about 13lbs of tension on the "Low E" string. I don't like when the strings are so tight its like I'm fighting them. I want to be able to alternate pick fast without putting much effort.
interesting topic; what i have found in my 7 years of playing guitar is the complete opposite to what's you are stating in this video. when i am using 10 or even 11 i find it harder to play and guitar is under a lot of pressure from the weight of the strings pulling on the neck, so it is not happy and it doesn't sing or intonate as when i'm using 9's or 8's.
So now i know why guitar gods like jimi hendrix, yngwie malmsteen, reverend billy gibbons uses 8 gauge strings ;)
I have multiple guitars, acoustic and electric, and I wanted, more than anything else, that they feel consistent. After much experimentation, I've settle on 11-48 or 11-50 sets. I don't do Buddy Guy-type bends so slightly thicker high strings are OK.
I enjoy your informative videos most i.e. This one
Terrific video, very helpful, subscribed!
99% of all string sets have bad volume balance. Your wound strings will almost always drown out You’re plain strings. There is no perfect string set, there is only compromise. I buy my strings in singles. I use one type for my plains and another type for my wounds. I have perfect volume balance and easy bending. If you bend a lot and play 900 miles an hour, you definitely don’t want heavy strings. If you learn to play light and fast, you will not get calluses. If you can learn to relax your hand completely, you will find speed and accuracy that you never dreamed of! 🎸🕊
In some of my guitars I have flatwound strings, but most guitar shops do not have them. I tend to prefer a wound G, unless I amplanning to do string bends.
Hi, new to guitars & wanted to know exactly what you mean bigger & smaller.
Bigger is higher gauge & smaller is lower gauge?
So a 11 is a bigger/high gauge?
& 8 is smaller/low gauge ?
THX in advance.
I get what your saying about the physical dynamics of a string as far as the motion of movement,but your also saying that Billy Gibbons has a crappy tone because he uses .007's ?
Enjoyed the video, man. I setup my guitars exactly as you suggest. Although I think Yngwie uses thin strings and high action like Hendrix or a violin's setup.
Excellent as usual. Better than the FBI anyway. I played a Mosrite years ago and it had weenie strings. Man was that easy to play. Any comments?
I played a Mosrite when The Ventures switched to them. I still remember the way it played and still judge action from that adolescent memory.
Phillip you say larger gage strings are easier to play I agree but I have one problem. My fender Strat has a 12in radius fret board and my Les Paul traditional pro II has a big 50's neck with a 14in radius fret board. Here is my problem I play my Fender Strat deluxe with noiseless pickups and the push push button because it is a better guitar. I like playing 10's but on my fender I get a lot of finger buzz on my cords gaps between the strings. Now I know after I get lessons 2 or 3 years from now it will not matter. So I put 9's on my Strat no finger buzz but the tone sounds very weak compared to the 10's am I wrong. Also I wanted to play some different brands of strings and I got the Elixir with some kind of coating in 9's. I might be crazy but my instructor is teaching me a Chris Stapleton song that has a lot of slides. These strings seam slippery and the slides sound like shit and I just don't like the feel. I like all of my strings with the same amount of tension and feel and I like 10's. Do you have any advice or if anyone reading this that has a lot of experience playing please give me your advice. If I put 10 on my fender will the finger buzz on my cords go away with time and getting better. Thanks in advance
This is helpful. I had 11 flatwound, then 9s. I think 10s will be better or hybrid.
Hello Phillip. I bought a guitar last week and the guy let me have a set of Elixirs half price.He said that they last longer than other strings. This made me realise how ignorant I was about strings generally and clicked on this video hoping to find out about which strings keep their tone the longest amongst other things. Is there any chance of doing a video about strings in which you discuss the significance of scale length, bridge type, tuners, unwound G strings and the different sorts of strings that there are eg flatwound, nickel plated etc? And anything else you think is relevant. Are there ways of making strings stay brighter longer? I was quite overwhelmed by the variety in the shop and such a video would be very helpful to a virtual beginner like myself.
Compared to thin strings, thicker strings have a more acoustic guitar tone. Indeed, thicker strings have fuller tone and project more volume than thin ones, yet of course are more difficult to bend especially on longer scale necks. For Jazz, it's thicker strings. For rock & blues, .10's, 9.5's or 9's will do.
Hey Phil, great video, just a little question about 12's with a plain (unwound) g string, I use Ernie ball 'not even slinky' strings on a couple of my electrics and find the g string sounds super dull and almost buzzy compared to the other strings, any ideas on what I might do to fix this? cheers!
Thank you for explaining this.
Could you please explain guitar preamp, amp modelers, di boxes, and booster pedals. What is the difference? I just want a preamp so I can go straight to the board. Thanks
Very nice explanation 👍🏼
my PRS CE22 9s with med pick,PRS Hollowbody 1 Spruce top 10s with heavy pick.
I have a Taylor 214ce guitar, I currently have DR 13s on it. What strings would you recommend I check out and attempt to play? I am mostly rhythm, simple things like pop and punk with a little emo, but I have been trying to get into lead as well. Should I go for the hybrid? And if so, what gauges on an acoustic? I will await your response.
SRV= 13s … Personally, I go with a factory Strat setup and NYXL TENs.
Normal humans don't have the insane hand and finger strength of SRV! The man had to have gorilla hands to play 13s like that...
Great info Phil... thank you! :)
Hey Phil! Would going hybrid increase the chance of the neck twisting? Also.. since thicker gauge strings have more tension like you say.. does that mean bending them a step would take less movement than lighter strings but more effort? am i right in saying that?
Thanks I’ve been using the wrong strings! My problem is not bending the strings, it’s my hands that are like baseball gloves!
I'm thinking about changing to 11s (I play 10s currently) but I'm worried about the whole nut slot size issue. I dont have nut files or anything like that so how would I go about changing to 11s? Would I have to go to a tech or is there an alternate way to widen the nut slots?
Yes, Use 400 grit sand paper and wrap it around the string. It makes for a make shift file.
Phillip McKnight Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for the reply!
I went to 11's and didn't have to file my nut, I don't know if you've switched over yet but you should check before filing your nut.
I have not played for couple of years and just cleaned and strung up my guitar. I'm finding the 10s i was once used too are now very hard on my weak hands. Would going from 10's to 9's requiere a setp up? Or can i just change gauge a be happy?
I use 12-52, but I tune down a full step(D standard tuning). It's a little tough to do full bends, but I'm getting better.
very beautiful prs is it stocktail? sorry about mispronouncing I'm still learning about prs and I want a regular bridge on it
I love DR strings 10s are actually 11s wound tight to be a 10. Perfect for a Les Paul.
Yngwie has super high action, and uses something like a 8-46 hybrid set.
Very informative. Can I ask what are you using for distortion it sounds awesome
Thanks for the hybrid info! Thumb
Thanks so much as always, you're the man
Great explanation. I always like 11s and 12s on acoustic with 10s on one guitar to bend more but I play a lot and my fingers are strong. Too many players using 9s thinking they are easier.
10's to 9's not a big deal... 10's to 8's big deal and 10's to 7's is just happiness to my old and tired hands with still keeping the tone I need to hear. 7's gave me another 6 or 7 years to play the noise I like....
+Patrick Teto 7s! Well done.
great info as always.
Fonzy, I hear him fine. Mackie big knob, Hr824's, old apogee ensemble interface. Check your system
I haven't tried a hybrid set, but I have played 9s and 10s. Wouldn't it be weird doing an ascending run and then having the first few strings feel a bit loose since they're lighter?
im glad someone else feels the same about larger strings. i used to play 9s but my action was way to high now im playing 10s and have gotten my action down. im thinking of going to hybrid 11s possible. what is the string height u run mine is currently about 1mm on low e and high e. but the low e strings have a slight rattle