Let's not forget that the tension on the wound strings isn't due to the overall gauge of the string, but rather it's all in the central core, so simple comparison of incremental gauge sizes isn't entirely meaningful.
Not just for “beginners”. I saw a video where Billy Gibbons said that BB King had advised him to change to 9’s and it had changed his playing completely.
I've played everything from 9s to 13s and this is just not a problem. There's literally no negative effects to strings being slightly different in tension. A far bigger problem with the B string in standard tuning is that it breaks the 4ths pattern and consequently is impossible to temper properly against the third G string, which makes a fairly finicky major 3rd.
@asukalangleysoryu6695 It's not a matter of tuning. It's a matter of temperament. The equal temperament of guitar is fundamentally flawed in order to make chords easier to play. There's literally no way for the G and B strings to create a perfect third everywhere on the neck without completely redesigning the fretboard (some guitars actually do this, just Google "True Temperment Guitar" to see what I mean). This is why some guitarists like EVH or John Frusciante will choose to deliberately put their B string out of tune for certain songs, that way it will sound more in tune when playing a specific interval further up the neck than if they just used their tuner.
@@asukalangleysoryu6695 with the way modern tuning works, major 3rds are always going to be out of tune, and tuning them properly would lead you to play flat on everything else
I haven’t had an electric guitar for a few years since my band broke up and someone offered me more than I paid for my Tom delong strat. When I had my guitar I stopped buying string packs and just chose the gauges myself at the music store by buying single strings. I experimented using light gauge acoustic strings for the low strings to get more oomf and man, as long as you didn’t care about the strain it put on the neck, it made the guitar sound like a 5000 dollar custom shop. My dad would constantly take it out of my room to play at church in the worship band. It was hilarious seeing a 40 something year old quintessential dad playing a surf green Tom delong strat next to 60 year old women playing organ and pianos.
Are you saying us 40 something’s can’t play surf green strats? Come on now son, we’ve been rocking strats of all sorts since before you were born! I agree with you though that it would be amusing seeing it in a worship band next to a 60yo organist.
@@bluegryp oh trust me I understand that the surf green strat dates to the 50s but it was the Tom delong blink 182 model. That’s what made it funny. Lol
@@bluegryp its not just the color. The model has a single invader pickup with a single volume control. That guitar is everything but for worship music XD
you know they make mixed sets with heavy bottoms and light top strings right? also, using acoustic strings actually makes it harder for your pickups to, well, pickup the strings. there’s a reason electric strings are nickel wound and not bronze like acoustic strings
I'm 66 so you should really get a laugh out of me playing my Explorer with a Floyd Rose. Yikes your dad was 40 and playing a surf green guitar! How did you cope :)
I think for beginners like me, a balanced set would be best. Having trouble with bar chords, is a typical hurdle for beginners. I think many beginners might get disillusioned and/or quit the guitar. I did when I was 10, now I am restarting at 65.
Playing chords with 9’s is quite easy, even for children. There is no issue with 9’s, but there is with balanced sets. If there was no trade off, all sets would come balanced. In order to get the best and balanced sounding tones, you can’t have balanced tension strings.
@@ReturnTheSanity Can you explain how an imbalance in string tension results in a balance in 'tone'? Because 9 and 11 sound pretty much similar while a 16 sounds like a thicker string. A more even distribution would to my ear result in a more even progression of treble to bass going from high to low strings. Also, with your logic, would a regular 10-13-17 (more balanced than 9) sound unbalanced compared to 9?
@@butthole4185 I tried the 9 12 15 24 32 42 set and it's amazing! The tension is more balanced, and when I bend G and B together, they feel more natural.
When you're used to a problematic string set, it's difficult to see the problem. Name-dropping serves no purpose here, famous people can be wrong too 😉
After playing regular 9-42 for years and never liked it I switched to the Fender 8-46 set. So much better in every way. Better string tension on the low E string and easier to bend the high E string. Give it a try!
Been playing 9-42's for nearly 40 years. I think you are just representative of the trend of new-to-guitar OCD over-thinking-it weirdos who seem to be now ruling the roost on gear forums. You do you. I'll carry on being a guitarist.
Like you I play standard 9’s… 45+ years. lol, hasn’t the peripheral always been about the ‘better mouse-trap’? So many ‘guitar owners’ spend more time on ‘that new scratch, edgy set-up and the “perfect tone” than actually learning the instrument. Just my humble professional guitarist/luthier/guitar store owner opinion from out here in the trenches.✌️❤️
I was using tens for the longest time and was having tuning stability issues so I went back to pink and it helps . I always wondered about this concept though thanks for the informative video
I play Billy Gibbons' 7's on a Les Paul, which already has a short scale (!!!). It feels weird unitl you get used to it and it feels like they're fragile unitl you realize they aren't. The feel, responsiveness and tone are all amazing. Not great for modern metal but awesome for most everything else.
I’ve noticed that there’s a balance of control and efficiency with 10s; I didn’t have as much stamina with those in standard on a 25.5” scale, but 9s of the same material and tuning on a 24.75” scale are more prone to the edge strings jumping off the fretboard like in part of Kirk’s Master of Puppets solo before the whammy.
how difficult is it, if you are playing a song where you have to play some chords? Is it difficult keeping the chord shape without pullling it out of tune?
@@perrythomasmusic3709 7's here on an Explorer, and it is fine... I mean really fine... lots of power and grunt, just lighten your touch a bit and chords ring true.... plus you have the option technique of bending them as desired :) Rick Beato has an interesting video on light strings vs heavy and the concensus definately was more definition without a loss of heft. Scientifically done too comparing waveforms and levels etc. I would reccomend checking out lighter guages - we do not need to strain to do bends with todays materials.
I just want to clarify something before anyone else posts a comment about this. I never said 9's were ONLY used by beginner guitarists. I'm well aware that many professional guitarists use 9's, I even pointed this out right after. It seems a lot of people paused the video right after they heard "used by beginner guitarists" without listening to what I had to say next and went straight to the comments.
Welcome to RUclips. The most toxic and judgemental comments section on the popular web. LOL I began with 10's and ended up buying a guitar set up for 11's. unfortunately it doesn't stay in tune, and the floating bridge is too loose with lighter gauges. I would rather use 9's so it's a new guitar for me. LOL
@@poseidon5003 What guitar is is? I've locked down the bridge on my Jaguar by just wrapping electrical tape around the posts, a common trick on floating bridges. I also tried 11's because 'you're supposed to' on offsets, but they're not for me. Have you checked the nut is okay, that could also be contributing to tuning problems?
@@birdie17uk Hagstrom Hj-500 Tremar. The guitar came and was set up for 11's. Big hollow bodies are usually designed for 11's and won't stay in tune at all if you use the tremolo bar with anything lighter. But I tune it down half a step (E flat) to make it easier to bend the strings....and a lot of rock bands and individuals tune down half a step anyway.
Nah. People just hear what they want. They then think that their opinion actually matters to anyone other than themselves. That's around the time they start to spout off whatever nonesense they can halfway spell. ;) With that said, I would prefer 8s. I like bends and treble with my distortion. :p
Most electric guitars are engineered for 9-42, my vintage Yamaha Pacifica manual from 1989 for my 921's,521, 712, 721, 912 recommends 9-42 electric guitar stings, the whole guitar was designed by Rich Lasner. I think I'll trust Rich Lasner and my 40 years playing and working on electric guitars.
I have played every brand, .009-.042. I settled on the Dean Markley Blue Steels. They are cryogenically treated and I actually have a set on a strat that has been there for 2.5 years and still play like they are brand new. I wish others would cryo-treat but I believe DM has the market on that. It took me 3.5 years to play every brand over the same guitar. I wrote down everything in a log book with the labels glued to each page and took extensive notes. I have played DM Blue Steels for 30 years. Never felt a balanced set… will be trying them or getting DM to make me a set of I can even find out how to get ahold of them. Keep Playing!!
I've been using Blue Steels for years. I prefer the custom light 9-46 with a slightly heavier bottom. They certainly do last much longer. I used to change strings often but since the first time I've tried the Blue Steels, I was sold. A bit more expensive, but definitely worth it!
I’ve never tried Blue Steels, but I think steel strings last longer in general. Have you ever tried Pyramid strings? Their plain steel strings are silver plated.
@@kennethdismukes1942 I never even heard of Pyramid strings. The Blue Steels are cryogenically treated and really do last a lot longer. I used to change my strings very often, as soon as the sound started getting a little dull. The Blue Steels are a bit more expensive, but not having to change them so often makes it so worth it. I keep em clean too and the sound stays bright.
There is an advantage to the loose B string. When doing a double stop bend on the G and B strings with a single finger, the looser B will of course displace less distance than the G, but will reach up to the next half step pitch in sync with the G string reaching up a whole step. For example, bend up on the 9th fret. The G# note on the B will reach A and the E note on the G will reach F#. This is more difficult to do in tune on a balanced tension 9 set. If your playing has a lot of double stop bends from the major interval up to the next minor third, on the G and B strings, then the standard gauges work best.
When I use a set of 9s on my strat, the 1st string seems a bit stiff for whole step bending. The 2nd and third feel right for me. I change the 9 to an 8.5 and it works for me.
@@jye_24 Just because you can bend an 11 doesn't mean you should. It really depends on your playing level and style. Lightning fast bends and tremelo in high tempo solo's simply have less of a speed limit imposed on lighter gauges of strings. No matter your strength, a lighter string will allow more freedom for the same effort.
Gee, me, Eric Clapton, and Brian May never realized that there was a problem with a .09 set. The reason for the lighter 2nd string is that that is the string we bend most. Why work harder than you have to?
I started using 10’s they stay in tune, more tone. The chords are fuller the leads sound better in a 3 piece band live. If I’m shredding I prefer 9’s. But while playing music I prefer 10’s.
I use 8-38. It started out as a way to lessen the pain I had from doing manual labor, but I ended up figuring out how to change my amp and effects settings do get the sounds I want, and the mental effort it took to play almost without any tension so as to not go out of tune, improved the sound and feel of my playing so much, that I can't go back to 10-52 anymore. Just give me as slack a strong as possible and I'll be happy. Are there any even thinner string sets available?
I’ve heard and seen Billie Gibbons and Rick Beato talk and play different string sets with the idea of getting better tone and also better bending results and I’m using StringJoy 8-40 set after trying a 15 G on a 9-42 set of EB’s for a while on my Strat and it’s a game changer for my old fingers. I think I’d still be using 8’s if I were younger. Much more comfortable and fun.
Headstock design also comes into play. Put a set of 9's on a Strat. Now put them on a Strat with a reverse headstock. Different feel . Everyone talks scale length, but it's tailpiece to tuner that should be considered. High E on a Les Paul, 29 inches. High E on a Strat or Tele, 32 inches.
@@Kleyguy7 Standard headstock will have looser bass strings, and tighter treble strings. Reverse headstock will have tighter bass strings, and looser treble strings.
Thanks for posting this, nice to have options in regarding strings and there tension and in relation to each other. Well described. Players have often moved to a lighter gauge set for ease of bending notes and as one can see the difference in the high strings is often 10 down to 9 or 9 down to 8 or 8 down to 7 for the high E string, yes this does make a difference in tension for bending. Using a 12 gauge for the b string in a string set of a "9 gauge set" sounds like good advice. Note: when using an "8 gauge set" I wrap the low E under the tailpiece of a tune-o-matic bridge to increase tension of the low E string. Sometimes I will do the same for the A string.
This is very good advice, and Stringjoy can send you a set with every string to specs. I use 10's on the LP with 52 as the bottom string. On the stunt guitar I have 9-42's. Basically, string gauge is something to experiment with; the differences can wildly improve your creativity and playing.
Hendrix, Billy Gibbons, Van Halen, Jimmy Page .... 8's (Those are just the ones I know for certain without looking; in fact Gibbons is 7.5's). Light gauge is not for beginners. Play what feels good for you, get your tone with your pickups and rig set up, and if you are worried about what anyone else says or thinks you're screwing up.
Just purchased two sets of 8s to arrive within a month. I have a hereditary problem as my body destroys calluses, and by that I mean we (my family) don't get them. They start to form then go to bed to wake up with them 90-100% gone. It gets so bad that when I try to practise it feels like I am playing on razor blades, and immediately have to stop. So much pain that I am seven months in, and you wouldn't know that I wasn't in my first week. I play 10s, and I wonder if 8s would help at all? Going to find out soon enough, and for my first month I was on Balanced 9s.
I really appreciate you doing this video on strings. I do play 9s but had thought about trying balanced strings. You convinced me to try them. I do play string joy strings. I will order a set of balanced 9s. Thanks Doug,
Great video! I thought nobody ever noticed that! There is a bit of an issue with the G string: I have tried both regular 9-42 set and balanced 9-40 and honestly that 15 gauge feels a bit too loose in comparison to the 12 gauge string I also tried sets like 11-54 that have a 15 gauge string as the second string and it feels weird to have more tension on your 2nd string compared to the first string. Also a 22p as the third string next to a 15 gauge string feels really weird to my taste. It took me a while to realize that no matter the gauge of strings you use, the first string always has to have a little bit more tension than the 2nd string, the 3rd string has to have a bit more tension than the 2nd string, the 4th string has to have a bit less tension than the 5th string and the 6th string needs to have a bit less tension than the 5th string So in conclusion: 9-12-16-24w-32-42 would feel a little bit better for most players
@@blackinblue11 I did notice they werent all the same tension though. The e being substantially harder to bend than the b and g kinda drove me apeshit. String gauge intervals just didnt click for some reason. If I can fix it by adjusting em I'll be pretty stoked really. I'll let you know how it works out.
@@butthole4185 Haha Well I played 10 gauge for a long time but I noticed my bends getting worse and worse, so tried 9 and was happy with it. I started with D.Markley blue steel and over the years did a full circle back to them. They are fairy light to begin with, but still..then with 9 I was happy with the feel, but sound changed a bit, so I spent alot of time to compensate, as you can imagine. Now I don't wanna be interested in this because I don't wanna try another strings in my life..but then again I'm interested:) I remember once tried Rotosound 10 gauge, best feeling ever, so soft and light, but unfortunately the sound lost it's life and sparkle a bit..
I've tried out many different sets over the years and I always come back to a set of 11s with an 21w third string. It's perfect for me as far as tone, rythym, lead,
Now this makes sense! As a tech I string a lot of guitars, and believe it or not my Korg seems confused when I tune the A and B strings. I always tune the A to 432 Hz instead of 440. 440 just isn't right I don't care what they say! 432 is the sweet spot. PERIOD! Also, going old skool and using brass or true bone nuts makes a HUGE difference! Go back to the 60s, Early 70s Stones, PF, the Who, Zef, the Early Wrecking Crew & Mussel Sholes, Kitchner, Cropper, Allen Wilson(Canned Heat), Page, Jimmy, BB, Robby, Django Rinehart! They not only knew how to put notes togather. THEY KNEW HOW TO SET UP THEIR INSTRUMENTS! They didn't have techno overrides, explosions, and half naked dancers to hide bad sound and bad playing! ;)
I’ve been using elixir 9s for years. It’s my favorite for playing in 440. That being said, I don’t recommend 9s for anything lower than a half step down.
I don't even understand how you can play 9s for standard tuning. On my PRS (25" scale) 10s feel so loosy goosy (especially low e and b). I couldn't imagine playing with 9s. On my Jackson Soloist (25.5" scale) I also play 10s but in Eb and the tension is about the same as on my PRS. On my Fender in E standard I play 9.5s lol.
I've played 9's for years I learned of this balanced set recently I tried it it took some getting use to I do like it better but bending the g string was something that took me a little while to not over bend it
Hi! I used 9’s for years but I like to feel some resistance as I tend to bend a lot. I now use 3 main sets: 10-48 on Teles and 335 like, where the 3 wound strings give a bit more flesh to the tone, 10-46 on guitars with humbuckers - LP, SG, and Gilmour’s blue on Strats, that particularly fit these guitars well: 10-12-16-28-38-48. On special occasions, I use Duesenberg 10-50’s for PRS and Thinline that require more powerful bass. My 2c$…😉 P.S: my experience with manufacturers’ balanced sets wasn’t convincing…
I started using 11s and 12s for tone reasons and I'll never go back. Thicker strings are not hard to play when you get used to them. In fact they make playing much easier and more controllable
SRV to Hendrix : " Balanced what? Strings?? What?" Hendrix : " The sound comes from your heart, You know, We're just here, on this planet to spread Love man..." SRV : "Well said, Man"
I've used heavy gauges on my hollow bodies for decades. Then the life changing event. I'm a poor amateur musician, in real life I'm an author. I had a poetry reading /book signing in a theater with 150 odd people and this friend of mine, a renowned pro guitarist, multi - instrumentalist and bandleader was in charge of live musical background, mostly jazz. At the end, I was attracted by his mint new Ibanez, and, while the audience was leaving, I took his guitar and he switched to grand piano. Not just a couple of chords but an half hour improvisation with half of the audience that wouldn't leave the hall 🤣. His guitar was so smooth to play! At the end I asked him about the gauge of his strings. Well, guess what? 0.9. My tenet about jazz guitars went to pieces.
I've used 9s for 50 years and I'm fine with them. The B (11) string doesn't feel too loose but the G string might be better if it's a slightly smaller gauge, as I bend TF out of it also. I might inquire into doing a customized set jst to see how much difference it makes, but I doubt it's worth the likely cost increase doing it that way. We shall see. Thanks for the thought.
I've been customizing my gauges for years due to this problem, currently I'm using 11-13-15 for short scale guitars and 10-12-14 for long scale, maybe not the best compensated relation but I like it. I also wish companies put fatter 4th strings on their sets.
I play a Taylor T5 which not only has the stacked humbucker, body sensor, and two pickups under the neck, it also has an LR Baggs Anthem system installed, which I installed myself. I have been toying around with different gauges over the years. I use a total Frankenstein set of strings: 10-12-16-32-42-54 (I previously switched the 13 out for a 12) I have decided to switch to a new custom set which will be 9-11-15-30-38-50 With the exception of the light top heavy bottom factor, this is pretty close to what you’re recommending. Im using GHS White Bronze for the wound, and random single 9’s and 11’s. Looks like with these, I may be on the right track. FYI, being that this guitar plays mostly like an electric, but doesn’t quite have the frets, the action, or the scale to play like a true electric, I’m thinking that the little bit of extra tension will make it play/feel more 10’s. Thanks. I may follow up here with my findings, but hopefully either way, this set works out.
I switched to Pink Slinky`s & Fender thin celluloid picks early on in my playing & always stayed there... Until about a decade ago I began making up my own sets (still Ernie Ball) & I went lighter while it seems everyone else was detuning & going heavier. My string gauge varies by guitar, but always starts with 8 then 9 & anything between 11-15 & sometimes a wound string. Next is likely a 22, 30 & 38. In a pinch I just buy sets off the rack, yellow, pink & blue Ernie Ball & mix n match. As I`m older now i like the light touch & easy bendability. I play Heavy Rock, hi gain with pitch shift, utilizing the master volume crunch, sometimes an octave pedal & standard tune 6 string electric, but also string my Martin acoustic the same. My setup is dead flat with no neck relief & strings right on the fret never higher than a 16th & usually closer. This is why my G string gauge varies between 11-15 & sometimes wound depending on guitar to avoid fret buzz. I`m sure I could do a better fret job & nut work to be more precise, but this works for me, your mileage may vary!
During the 90s, there were balanced 9s and 10s sets by DiMarzio (yes, DiMarzio). They stopped making strings after just a few years. I loved their sets. I don't remember the exact gauges, but they felt just wonderful.
I have 25 years playing with 9 and 10. 9 for 25.5 and 10 for 24.75 / 25 scales . To be blunt, it depends much of the guitar and their manufacturing, especialy the neck. The problem that you talk about, I found it with the 10 sets on many epiphones. Personal i feel that the 9 its a little too thin for me, so in many cases i been use some mixed or hybrid sets. There are too many variables on the table when it comes the issue of the hand-feel of the player.
There are Wound Strings thinner than 17w like 16w, etc from Octave4Plus & the wound strings have less tension than the plain strings to minimize brekage.
I've used the standard 9s for years and have not had any problems with them. As you pointed out many guitarists use 9s because of the relative ease which with one can bend strings compared to thicker gauges. By raising the gauge of the B string it will make both the B and high E strings more difficult to bend which would basically defeat the purpose of why many guitarists choose these strings in the first place.
I use D’Addario NYXL 9.5/44 in a short scale (24.6) Gretsch Jet Duo TVP Jones pickups guitar and it works fantastic…very comfortable for playing bends and you don’t compromise the full tone of your guitar…I highly recommend it to any guitarist!
If you want a string with a mass halfway between 9 and 16 thou, its 13.5 thou, and between 9 and 17 thou it's 14.5 thou. For a circular bar the mass is proportional to the cross sectional area, so you need to subtract the x section area of the larger string from x section of the lower string, divide that by 2 and add the area of the lower string back to get the mid value, then find the diameter of a circle with that area. I used to use 8, 10 & 15 using the banjo 1st trick and a standard set moved down 1 position to get a plain 3rd. When custom gauges came out, I measured what I'd used and found they were those values. Later I switched to 9,11 & 16 for convenience. They were easier to find, more makes available and the feel wasn't too far off the 8,10,15 set. I still have a couple of guitars with 8,10,15 sets and it takes a few minutes to reset my playing to that set.
@@MaxPrehl Use a banjo 1st which was 8 thou at the time, but not available as a guitar string. Move the 1-5 of a guitar string set down one string. Last time I checked 8 thou banjo strings weren't available.
Although the B is the theoretical culprit, the practical, felt problem is with the high-E, as the G feels closer to the B in terms of tension due to the fact that its diameter increases, therefore it starts acting a little bit like the wound strings. So when playing, although you can feel each string is different, the only *real* problem is the high-E feeling much stiffer than any other string, especially when bending. All other strings can achieve a 1 wholestep bend quite easily, while the high-E feels like it cuts through your skin and also kind of reaches its ellasticity limits at the end of the bend, sometimes feeling like it's on the verge of snapping.
I have noticed an unbalance G-B-E especialy G will go stiff, on a Strat a easy fix by lowering the string but on a tunomatic system it is what it is so I avoid slinky 9 on my Lp as E will feel way to sloppy and G stiff or the other way around depending on my setup.
I'm glad that finally someone mention this! I always change the second string to .012 but the G string seems fine to me at .016. If I use D'Addario's .008's, I also have to change the second string to .011.
I swap the 11 and 16 for a 12 and 15. The 16 is used with 10-46 sets I use. 9-12-15 and 10-13-16 feels great to my fingers. Between the two sets (9-42 is tuned to E standard, while 10-46 is tuned to Eb standard), the strings are pretty even between themselves of a certain type (plain, wound), and the other set. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I think the plain strings are around 13 pounds, while the wound strings are around 16.
I'm happy with the DR Strings 9.5-44 set on my Strat scale length guitars. 9's are too thin. 10's are too thick. 9.5's are just right. 👧🏼🎸 (9.5-11.5-16-24-34-44)
I played 10’s for years and switched to 9’s a couple years ago. I wasn’t aware of this tension issue but I recently have been doing some recording and realized I do bend a little sharp sometimes, I don’t notice it when I’m playing but I can see it in the DAW and now I can hear it on playback. Maybe this is the reason. Guess I’ll get a balanced set and see if it makes any difference. Worth a shot 👍
...this are Problems, we never had back in the days: in the 80s we have to took the strings, which we can buy in a store, mostly Fender Flatwound...😊 but with the JEM77FP came this 009 Gauge too - and it works good. Today everything would explain, and the best advice is: play your guitar, and if it does not Sound good: Practice, play it. And when this does not work MAYBE the gear is not right... but it is more the Player. Often. Greetz from Germany .
9,5-11,5-16-26-36-46 is my best combo for 25,5" scale so far. For rhythm work 24-34-44 are too light, I break the 24 D-string quite easily, it interesting such a small increase has such a big effect.
I went 8's on my PRS and 7's on my Explorer :) Now that's slinky. Not really thought about the even distribution of tension, so thanks for the thought provoking vid.
That´s an issue I noticed years ago as I was improving my skills on the guitar. To me it seemed quite obvious but soon i discovered that it doesn´t bother the vast majority of guitar players and it is totally fine. I found out that the 10 gauge string sets are much more balanced in terms of tension, which highlights the mystery of the 9 gauge string sets. As the internet was evolving and more information was provided on the subject, I found out that Dean Markley, the man himself, before the string company, was selling single strings and custom string sets in his shop. The electric guitar was starting to take over and players from the 60s required light gauge strings ("slinky") in order to mimic the lap steel licks, very difficult to do with the "unbendable" 13 gauge string sets that were sold in those days and provided with new guitars. To me that 011 and 016 on 9 gauge string sets remains a mystery. I understand that balanced string tension is not everything and that balanced string output might be important but that doesn't explain the diference between the 09s and 10s sets, with this latter being much more balanced tensionwise. The 09 gauge I started to use are 09, 12, 15 or 16, 24 or 25, 34, 46. On 10s I'd use 09.5 or 10, 13 or 13.5, 17, 26, 36, 49 or 50. I would also use more or less balanced 11s or 12s set on drop tuned guitars. Nowadays I tend to be less nerdy about it, partly because some single string gauges are difficult or impossible to find depending on the brands. I would use regular 10s with no problems, the regular 09s I still can't get around it.
my long-time set is: 9 - 11,5 - 15 - 22 - 30 - 42 ( just ordered some 8,5s to try, my standard set is very balanced, the bass E still a bit looser, and I do like to bend the hi e, so the two E & e might work!...) Its a trial and error process people...🤔
I’ve been playing for 15 years and have never given this much thought into string gauge. By the time I gave a shit about changing strings regularly and having my guitar set up properly, the industry standard was .10-.46 so that’s what I’ve been playing for about the past 10 years or so. 10’s in Eb on a 24.75” scale length is the perfect feel to me. However, I would be open to trying a balanced string set of .09’s or even .08’s.
Need to consider impact on intonation here I think. I'd be curious about what a luthier thought. But at face value, a more consistent spread of tension on the neck, across all strings, seems likely to have a positive impact on changing intonation over time. If so, then this suggested change might be most suitable for newer guitarists who aren't comfortable with adjusting guitar set-up.
9’s used to feel normal, but I could barely play an acoustic guitar without being in pain. You can’t put anything less than 11‘s on an acoustic without sounding like crap and the action is higher to boot. If you want to be able to play both acoustic and electric then you need to go a little heavier on the electrics and a little lighter on the acoustics then what would be ideal for each. So I use 11’s or 12’s on my electric, and it’s still feels easy to play after playing my acoustic with 11’s.
I personally play 9.5's because they're next to as bendable as 9's but the bit of extra thickness gives it a bit of extra presence in the mids that's very pleasant to me.
The low E is looser than the A and D on standard sets. One way to tighten the tension without going up a gauge is to put a piece of foam under the string behind the headstock and or tune-o-matic bridge. It's like a fret-wrap, but for a specific string. It dampens the resonance and makes the string feel stiffer.
@@Sweedurbex Wow, those are pretty thick. I found alot of the Blues guitar players use 8's. Maybe it has more to do with the type of music, and guitar.
@@turbomike71 for years I switched a 12 string to six strings on the 22. I used 13 acoustics. I bought a new guitar and I'm moving to lighter strings . The 12 string I'll still play as a 6 string. The guitar is fucked sound wise old ovation that's got big crack in side but I'll still play it sometimes . Then go back to my new one. It good for training purposes ☺️
Whatever floats your boat, there’s so many options out there it’s hard to complain about being boxed in with no choices…. I’ve never had an issue with 9s other than when I play a lot they feel way too slinky so I move up to 10s or 11s… 8s 9s 10s 13s… it’s all good just find a set you like… Skinny top heavy bottoms where good for me on some guitars…
the best string set I ever played were 10-14 plain, 18-24-32-44 wound. The wound G string is way easier to bend and has a bolder tone. The D-A-E are progressively tighter, which feels amazing.
You wouldn't expect it to be linear since the gauge of a string is the diameter, meaning you'd expect 4 times the material if you double the gauge. There are string tension calculators for this, which the poster displays in the video.
I'm late....for the vast majority of players the biggest issue is bending strings so it makes sense for top end to be light, and its easy to change pick up height to compensate for slight lower output..ive been doing this for decades, never had any issues or problems with sound on any guitars ive owned..
Years ago I used 9's and always found that the 16 seemed out of balance. Then I found Fender 150XL 9's with a 15 G string and played those for years. That changed when I started using guitars with Floyd Rose bridges. I found that I needed more tension on the wound strings. I've been using the Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky 9-11-16-26-36-46 since then. I'm not saying they are perfect. I have also experimented with different sets from String Joy. I may change again...who knows. ;-)
I was die hard 10s guy, then tried 9s then i was blown away by how easy it is to bend, then bought epiphone sg with 10s and I'm definitely going back to 10s, the reason being is also - Tension. 10s feel much much better for faster arpeggiated picking, it's not as flimsy
![The Best String Gauge For Guitar [Ultimate Guide]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Xq47umcIEA4/mqdefault.jpg)
Let's not forget that the tension on the wound strings isn't due to the overall gauge of the string, but rather it's all in the central core, so simple comparison of incremental gauge sizes isn't entirely meaningful.
Not just for “beginners”. I saw a video where Billy Gibbons said that BB King had advised him to change to 9’s and it had changed his playing completely.
And now Billy uses sevens !
BB played 8s
Actually he played 7’s and now plays his signature 8’s.
Billy gibbons is really not a good guitar player I really wouldn’t use him as an example
@@opiec8871in Heaven
I've played everything from 9s to 13s and this is just not a problem. There's literally no negative effects to strings being slightly different in tension. A far bigger problem with the B string in standard tuning is that it breaks the 4ths pattern and consequently is impossible to temper properly against the third G string, which makes a fairly finicky major 3rd.
I understand what you mean, but it is pretty far from impossible: just use a tuner.
@asukalangleysoryu6695
It's not a matter of tuning. It's a matter of temperament. The equal temperament of guitar is fundamentally flawed in order to make chords easier to play. There's literally no way for the G and B strings to create a perfect third everywhere on the neck without completely redesigning the fretboard (some guitars actually do this, just Google "True Temperment Guitar" to see what I mean).
This is why some guitarists like EVH or John Frusciante will choose to deliberately put their B string out of tune for certain songs, that way it will sound more in tune when playing a specific interval further up the neck than if they just used their tuner.
@@asukalangleysoryu6695 with the way modern tuning works, major 3rds are always going to be out of tune, and tuning them properly would lead you to play flat on everything else
@@kinniecas9004 Wait does that mean pianos have slightly different tuning to guitars?
@@LegendLength nah pianos are out of tune, it just doesn't sound as bad cos our ears are used to it after decade of modern music being tuned that way
I have used 9 - 42 strings for decades, because I bend them and like to avoid the damages to my fingers and hands created by using heavier gauges!
I haven’t had an electric guitar for a few years since my band broke up and someone offered me more than I paid for my Tom delong strat. When I had my guitar I stopped buying string packs and just chose the gauges myself at the music store by buying single strings. I experimented using light gauge acoustic strings for the low strings to get more oomf and man, as long as you didn’t care about the strain it put on the neck, it made the guitar sound like a 5000 dollar custom shop. My dad would constantly take it out of my room to play at church in the worship band. It was hilarious seeing a 40 something year old quintessential dad playing a surf green Tom delong strat next to 60 year old women playing organ and pianos.
Are you saying us 40 something’s can’t play surf green strats? Come on now son, we’ve been rocking strats of all sorts since before you were born! I agree with you though that it would be amusing seeing it in a worship band next to a 60yo organist.
@@bluegryp oh trust me I understand that the surf green strat dates to the 50s but it was the Tom delong blink 182 model. That’s what made it funny. Lol
@@bluegryp its not just the color. The model has a single invader pickup with a single volume control. That guitar is everything but for worship music XD
you know they make mixed sets with heavy bottoms and light top strings right? also, using acoustic strings actually makes it harder for your pickups to, well, pickup the strings. there’s a reason electric strings are nickel wound and not bronze like acoustic strings
I'm 66 so you should really get a laugh out of me playing my Explorer with a Floyd Rose. Yikes your dad was 40 and playing a surf green guitar! How did you cope :)
This feels like a research paper presentation done by a high school senior or college freshman
Junior high.
@@jsullivan2112Kindergarten.
@@orandachildren1051 I'm sure you wrote plenty of research papers in kindergarten too. 🙄
I think for beginners like me, a balanced set would be best. Having trouble with bar chords, is a typical hurdle for beginners. I think many beginners might get disillusioned and/or quit the guitar. I did when I was 10, now I am restarting at 65.
Playing chords with 9’s is quite easy, even for children. There is no issue with 9’s, but there is with balanced sets. If there was no trade off, all sets would come balanced. In order to get the best and balanced sounding tones, you can’t have balanced tension strings.
@@ReturnTheSanity Can you explain how an imbalance in string tension results in a balance in 'tone'? Because 9 and 11 sound pretty much similar while a 16 sounds like a thicker string. A more even distribution would to my ear result in a more even progression of treble to bass going from high to low strings. Also, with your logic, would a regular 10-13-17 (more balanced than 9) sound unbalanced compared to 9?
I have been using 9-42 strings for years. Humbly, I disagree, there is no problem with 9’s.
If 9s are good enough for John 5, then they’re good enough for me lol
I have too but I never liked how hard it was to bend the e compared to the b n g. I'm gonna try it out and post my results.
I'm good at breaking 9's.
@@butthole4185 I tried the 9 12 15 24 32 42 set and it's amazing! The tension is more balanced, and when I bend G and B together, they feel more natural.
When you're used to a problematic string set, it's difficult to see the problem. Name-dropping serves no purpose here, famous people can be wrong too 😉
Never even considered the off balance of 9s, good stuff man, thanks for the extra brain.
After playing regular 9-42 for years and never liked it I switched to the Fender 8-46 set. So much better in every way. Better string tension on the low E string and easier to bend the high E string. Give it a try!
I switched to 10s and then again 9s
9s felt so better
but 8s are too light imo
I always used 9's but tried 8's and I love them.
I used 8-38 but da G just sounds weird
That is malmsteen secret ..
@@TelipatiEvolustions He has an even heavier bottom, I think Yngwie set is 8-46 or so.
Been playing 9-42's for nearly 40 years.
I think you are just representative of the trend of new-to-guitar OCD over-thinking-it weirdos who seem to be now ruling the roost on gear forums.
You do you. I'll carry on being a guitarist.
Like you I play standard 9’s… 45+ years. lol, hasn’t the peripheral always been about the ‘better mouse-trap’? So many ‘guitar owners’ spend more time on ‘that new scratch, edgy set-up and the “perfect tone” than actually learning the instrument. Just my humble professional guitarist/luthier/guitar store owner opinion from out here in the trenches.✌️❤️
I was using tens for the longest time and was having tuning stability issues so I went back to pink and it helps . I always wondered about this concept though thanks for the informative video
Interesting. As a guitar nerd, I think you should post more. Now, I feel more comfortable putting together a custom set. Thank you.
I play Billy Gibbons' 7's on a Les Paul, which already has a short scale (!!!). It feels weird unitl you get used to it and it feels like they're fragile unitl you realize they aren't. The feel, responsiveness and tone are all amazing. Not great for modern metal but awesome for most everything else.
I’ve noticed that there’s a balance of control and efficiency with 10s; I didn’t have as much stamina with those in standard on a 25.5” scale, but 9s of the same material and tuning on a 24.75” scale are more prone to the edge strings jumping off the fretboard like in part of Kirk’s Master of Puppets solo before the whammy.
how difficult is it, if you are playing a song where you have to play some chords? Is it difficult keeping the chord shape without pullling it out of tune?
😳
@@perrythomasmusic3709 7's here on an Explorer, and it is fine... I mean really fine... lots of power and grunt, just lighten your touch a bit and chords ring true.... plus you have the option technique of bending them as desired :) Rick Beato has an interesting video on light strings vs heavy and the concensus definately was more definition without a loss of heft. Scientifically done too comparing waveforms and levels etc. I would reccomend checking out lighter guages - we do not need to strain to do bends with todays materials.
@@perrythomasmusic3709 it can be. it took me a year or so to learn to ease up enough to not pull it out of tune.
Balanced tension is the way forward, I use 9-12-15-24-34-48
Progressive tension on the wound strings helps with flubbiness.
I just want to clarify something before anyone else posts a comment about this.
I never said 9's were ONLY used by beginner guitarists. I'm well aware that many professional guitarists use 9's, I even pointed this out right after. It seems a lot of people paused the video right after they heard "used by beginner guitarists" without listening to what I had to say next and went straight to the comments.
Welcome to RUclips. The most toxic and judgemental comments section on the popular web. LOL I began with 10's and ended up buying a guitar set up for 11's. unfortunately it doesn't stay in tune, and the floating bridge is too loose with lighter gauges. I would rather use 9's so it's a new guitar for me. LOL
@@poseidon5003 What guitar is is? I've locked down the bridge on my Jaguar by just wrapping electrical tape around the posts, a common trick on floating bridges. I also tried 11's because 'you're supposed to' on offsets, but they're not for me. Have you checked the nut is okay, that could also be contributing to tuning problems?
@@birdie17uk Hagstrom Hj-500 Tremar. The guitar came and was set up for 11's. Big hollow bodies are usually designed for 11's and won't stay in tune at all if you use the tremolo bar with anything lighter. But I tune it down half a step (E flat) to make it easier to bend the strings....and a lot of rock bands and individuals tune down half a step anyway.
Nah. People just hear what they want. They then think that their opinion actually matters to anyone other than themselves. That's around the time they start to spout off whatever nonesense they can halfway spell. ;)
With that said, I would prefer 8s. I like bends and treble with my distortion. :p
@@andthoseotherguys LOL
Most electric guitars are engineered for 9-42, my vintage Yamaha Pacifica manual from 1989 for my 921's,521, 712, 721, 912 recommends 9-42 electric guitar stings, the whole guitar was designed by Rich Lasner. I think I'll trust Rich Lasner and my 40 years playing and working on electric guitars.
I have played every brand, .009-.042. I settled on the Dean Markley Blue Steels. They are cryogenically treated and I actually have a set on a strat that has been there for 2.5 years and still play like they are brand new. I wish others would cryo-treat but I believe DM has the market on that. It took me 3.5 years to play every brand over the same guitar. I wrote down everything in a log book with the labels glued to each page and took extensive notes. I have played DM Blue Steels for 30 years. Never felt a balanced set… will be trying them or getting DM to make me a set of I can even find out how to get ahold of them. Keep Playing!!
I've been using Blue Steels for years. I prefer the custom light 9-46 with a slightly heavier bottom. They certainly do last much longer. I used to change strings often but since the first time I've tried the Blue Steels, I was sold. A bit more expensive, but definitely worth it!
I’ve never tried Blue Steels, but I think steel strings last longer in general. Have you ever tried Pyramid strings? Their plain steel strings are silver plated.
@@kennethdismukes1942 I never even heard of Pyramid strings. The Blue Steels are cryogenically treated and really do last a lot longer. I used to change my strings very often, as soon as the sound started getting a little dull. The Blue Steels are a bit more expensive, but not having to change them so often makes it so worth it. I keep em clean too and the sound stays bright.
@@kennethdismukes1942 Silver plated sounds interesting though. Are they expensive?
@@kennethdismukes1942 I just noticed my original reply and I didn't realize I was being redundant. Sorry about that.
There is an advantage to the loose B string. When doing a double stop bend on the G and B strings with a single finger, the looser B will of course displace less distance than the G, but will reach up to the next half step pitch in sync with the G string reaching up a whole step. For example, bend up on the 9th fret. The G# note on the B will reach A and the E note on the G will reach F#. This is more difficult to do in tune on a balanced tension 9 set. If your playing has a lot of double stop bends from the major interval up to the next minor third, on the G and B strings, then the standard gauges work best.
BUNN SENT ME. But this video is actually super relevant as I recently switched over all my guitars to .009's
When I use a set of 9s on my strat, the 1st string seems a bit stiff for whole step bending. The 2nd and third feel right for me. I change the 9 to an 8.5 and it works for me.
No offence ur all just softies. 11s or nothing… get some big boy fingers
Check your intonation and saddles if need adjusting. Is your strat a USA made or foreign made? That also can be a factor.
@@jye_24 Just because you can bend an 11 doesn't mean you should. It really depends on your playing level and style. Lightning fast bends and tremelo in high tempo solo's simply have less of a speed limit imposed on lighter gauges of strings. No matter your strength, a lighter string will allow more freedom for the same effort.
@@FrankyFeedler wrong absolutely untrue
@@sirspongadoodle Thanks for your well-founded argument.
Gee, me, Eric Clapton, and Brian May never realized that there was a problem with a .09 set. The reason for the lighter 2nd string is that that is the string we bend most. Why work harder than you have to?
If only Eddie Van Halen had seen this video before he passed away, he wouldnt have been playing a too loose b string.
@@christianfoster3806 If only. (sigh!)
Oh well, this comment is a perfect example of how there are always people ready to defend illogical conventions.
I started using 10’s they stay in tune, more tone. The chords are fuller the leads sound better in a 3 piece band live.
If I’m shredding I prefer 9’s. But while playing music I prefer 10’s.
weird how guys that care soo much about gauge never mention alternative tunings
I use 8-38. It started out as a way to lessen the pain I had from doing manual labor, but I ended up figuring out how to change my amp and effects settings do get the sounds I want, and the mental effort it took to play almost without any tension so as to not go out of tune, improved the sound and feel of my playing so much, that I can't go back to 10-52 anymore. Just give me as slack a strong as possible and I'll be happy. Are there any even thinner string sets available?
007 exists - with RUclips Videos ( Beato )
7 is too thin, it might be too easy to break
I play Fender 10-38 Hendrix inspired set. I’m locked in for life.
I’ve heard and seen Billie Gibbons and Rick Beato talk and play different string sets with the idea of getting better tone and also better bending results and I’m using StringJoy 8-40 set after trying a 15 G on a 9-42 set of EB’s for a while on my Strat and it’s a game changer for my old fingers. I think I’d still be using 8’s if I were younger. Much more comfortable and fun.
Thanks everyone for your comments! Didn't expect this video to get this much attention this quickly!
@@strungout3718 No, …absolutely a good topic and I’m going to get around to try your tension balancing ideas.
Headstock design also comes into play. Put a set of 9's on a Strat. Now put them on a Strat with a reverse headstock. Different feel . Everyone talks scale length, but it's tailpiece to tuner that should be considered. High E on a Les Paul, 29 inches. High E on a Strat or Tele, 32 inches.
Which is easier to bend?
@@Kleyguy7 Standard headstock will have looser bass strings, and tighter treble strings. Reverse headstock will have tighter bass strings, and looser treble strings.
@@russdesaulniers3112 makes sense, thank s
@@russdesaulniers3112 maybe it's the opposite ruclips.net/video/N46HGv0ehuQ/видео.html
@@russdesaulniers3112 And what about locking nuts like in floyd rose bridged guitars? Does it matter?
I find this very helpful. I'm going to need new string someday and I think I'll try a balanced set.
Thanks for posting this, nice to have options in regarding strings and there tension and in relation to each other. Well described. Players have often moved to a lighter gauge set for ease of bending notes and as one can see the difference in the high strings is often 10 down to 9 or 9 down to 8 or 8 down to 7 for the high E string, yes this does make a difference in tension for bending. Using a 12 gauge for the b string in a string set of a "9 gauge set" sounds like good advice. Note: when using an "8 gauge set" I wrap the low E under the tailpiece of a tune-o-matic bridge to increase tension of the low E string. Sometimes I will do the same for the A string.
This is very good advice, and Stringjoy can send you a set with every string to specs. I use 10's on the LP with 52 as the bottom string. On the stunt guitar I have 9-42's. Basically, string gauge is something to experiment with; the differences can wildly improve your creativity and playing.
Hendrix, Billy Gibbons, Van Halen, Jimmy Page .... 8's (Those are just the ones I know for certain without looking; in fact Gibbons is 7.5's).
Light gauge is not for beginners.
Play what feels good for you, get your tone with your pickups and rig set up, and if you are worried about what anyone else says or thinks you're screwing up.
www.jeffperrinmusic.com/blog/string-gauges-of-50-legendary-guitar-players/
Brian May uses 8's as well.
Just purchased two sets of 8s to arrive within a month. I have a hereditary problem as my body destroys calluses, and by that I mean we (my family) don't get them. They start to form then go to bed to wake up with them 90-100% gone. It gets so bad that when I try to practise it feels like I am playing on razor blades, and immediately have to stop. So much pain that I am seven months in, and you wouldn't know that I wasn't in my first week. I play 10s, and I wonder if 8s would help at all? Going to find out soon enough, and for my first month I was on Balanced 9s.
@@seric4546 May uses 9s now and had his own signature set which I use. Love them
Lighter gauge strings are definitely better for beginners because they have waaaaay less tension.
I really appreciate you doing this video on strings. I do play 9s but had thought about trying balanced strings. You convinced me to try them. I do play string joy strings. I will order a set of balanced 9s. Thanks Doug,
I’ve been using the Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky strings for years now and I love them. You basically get the best of both worlds.
There's a little bit of magic in each pack! I've been using them for years too and they can't be beaten.
Great video! I thought nobody ever noticed that!
There is a bit of an issue with the G string: I have tried both regular 9-42 set and balanced 9-40 and honestly that 15 gauge feels a bit too loose in comparison to the 12 gauge string
I also tried sets like 11-54 that have a 15 gauge string as the second string and it feels weird to have more tension on your 2nd string compared to the first string.
Also a 22p as the third string next to a 15 gauge string feels really weird to my taste.
It took me a while to realize that no matter the gauge of strings you use, the first string always has to have a little bit more tension than the 2nd string, the 3rd string has to have a bit more tension than the 2nd string, the 4th string has to have a bit less tension than the 5th string and the 6th string needs to have a bit less tension than the 5th string
So in conclusion:
9-12-16-24w-32-42 would feel a little bit better for most players
I never actually payed any attention to the intervals before but this video just convinced me that I need a custom set.
Don't you just love it, when casualy and relaxed click on a random video, and ending up with a problem, that you didn't have before that:p
@@blackinblue11 I did notice they werent all the same tension though. The e being substantially harder to bend than the b and g kinda drove me apeshit. String gauge intervals just didnt click for some reason. If I can fix it by adjusting em I'll be pretty stoked really. I'll let you know how it works out.
@@butthole4185 Haha
Well I played 10 gauge for a long time but I noticed my bends getting worse and worse, so tried 9 and was happy with it.
I started with D.Markley blue steel and over the years did a full circle back to them. They are fairy light to begin with, but still..then with 9 I was happy with the feel, but sound changed a bit, so I spent alot of time to compensate, as you can imagine. Now I don't wanna be interested in this because I don't wanna try another strings in my life..but then again I'm interested:)
I remember once tried Rotosound 10 gauge, best feeling ever, so soft and light, but unfortunately the sound lost it's life and sparkle a bit..
Yes, I’ve always noticed the b string being more slinky, i’m going to try a balance set, thanks for posting
I've tried out many different sets over the years and I always come back to a set of 11s with an 21w third string. It's perfect for me as far as tone, rythym, lead,
Now this makes sense! As a tech I string a lot of guitars, and believe it or not my Korg seems confused when I tune the A and B strings.
I always tune the A to 432 Hz instead of 440. 440 just isn't right I don't care what they say! 432 is the sweet spot. PERIOD!
Also, going old skool and using brass or true bone nuts makes a HUGE difference!
Go back to the 60s, Early 70s Stones, PF, the Who, Zef, the Early Wrecking Crew & Mussel Sholes, Kitchner, Cropper, Allen Wilson(Canned Heat), Page, Jimmy, BB, Robby, Django Rinehart! They not only knew how to put notes togather. THEY KNEW HOW TO SET UP THEIR INSTRUMENTS!
They didn't have techno overrides, explosions, and half naked dancers to hide bad sound and bad playing! ;)
I’ve been using elixir 9s for years. It’s my favorite for playing in 440. That being said, I don’t recommend 9s for anything lower than a half step down.
I don't even understand how you can play 9s for standard tuning. On my PRS (25" scale) 10s feel so loosy goosy (especially low e and b). I couldn't imagine playing with 9s. On my Jackson Soloist (25.5" scale) I also play 10s but in Eb and the tension is about the same as on my PRS. On my Fender in E standard I play 9.5s lol.
@@chrisking6695 Everyone is different. 10s on standard tuning for me is too heavy/tense. 9-42s for me.
Thank you for the information. I will try out your suggestion.
I used to play 9 until 8 started become more available. I use 8-38 for standard, and that made playing so much easier.
I've played 9's for years I learned of this balanced set recently I tried it it took some getting use to I do like it better but bending the g string was something that took me a little while to not over bend
it
Hi! I used 9’s for years but I like to feel some resistance as I tend to bend a lot. I now use 3 main sets: 10-48 on Teles and 335 like, where the 3 wound strings give a bit more flesh to the tone, 10-46 on guitars with humbuckers - LP, SG, and Gilmour’s blue on Strats, that particularly fit these guitars well: 10-12-16-28-38-48. On special occasions, I use Duesenberg 10-50’s for PRS and Thinline that require more powerful bass. My 2c$…😉
P.S: my experience with manufacturers’ balanced sets wasn’t convincing…
I started using 11s and 12s for tone reasons and I'll never go back. Thicker strings are not hard to play when you get used to them. In fact they make playing much easier and more controllable
SRV to Hendrix : " Balanced what? Strings?? What?"
Hendrix : " The sound comes from your heart, You know, We're just here, on this planet to spread Love man..."
SRV : "Well said, Man"
I've used heavy gauges on my hollow bodies for decades. Then the life changing event. I'm a poor amateur musician, in real life I'm an author. I had a poetry reading /book signing in a theater with 150 odd people and this friend of mine, a renowned pro guitarist, multi - instrumentalist and bandleader was in charge of live musical background, mostly jazz. At the end, I was attracted by his mint new Ibanez, and, while the audience was leaving, I took his guitar and he switched to grand piano. Not just a couple of chords but an half hour improvisation with half of the audience that wouldn't leave the hall 🤣. His guitar was so smooth to play! At the end I asked him about the gauge of his strings. Well, guess what? 0.9. My tenet about jazz guitars went to pieces.
I've used 9s for 50 years and I'm fine with them. The B (11) string doesn't feel too loose but the G string might be better if it's a slightly smaller gauge, as I bend TF out of it also. I might inquire into doing a customized set jst to see how much difference it makes, but I doubt it's worth the likely cost increase doing it that way. We shall see. Thanks for the thought.
I've been customizing my gauges for years due to this problem, currently I'm using 11-13-15 for short scale guitars and 10-12-14 for long scale, maybe not the best compensated relation but I like it. I also wish companies put fatter 4th strings on their sets.
I play a Taylor T5 which not only has the stacked humbucker, body sensor, and two pickups under the neck, it also has an LR Baggs Anthem system installed, which I installed myself.
I have been toying around with different gauges over the years.
I use a total Frankenstein set of strings: 10-12-16-32-42-54 (I previously switched the 13 out for a 12)
I have decided to switch to a new custom set which will be 9-11-15-30-38-50
With the exception of the light top heavy bottom factor, this is pretty close to what you’re recommending.
Im using GHS White Bronze for the wound, and random single 9’s and 11’s.
Looks like with these, I may be on the right track.
FYI, being that this guitar plays mostly like an electric, but doesn’t quite have the frets, the action, or the scale to play like a true electric, I’m thinking that the little bit of extra tension will make it play/feel more 10’s.
Thanks.
I may follow up here with my findings, but hopefully either way, this set works out.
I switched to Pink Slinky`s & Fender thin celluloid picks early on in my playing & always stayed there...
Until about a decade ago I began making up my own sets (still Ernie Ball) & I went lighter while it seems everyone else was detuning & going heavier.
My string gauge varies by guitar, but always starts with 8 then 9 & anything between 11-15 & sometimes a wound string.
Next is likely a 22, 30 & 38.
In a pinch I just buy sets off the rack, yellow, pink & blue Ernie Ball & mix n match.
As I`m older now i like the light touch & easy bendability.
I play Heavy Rock, hi gain with pitch shift, utilizing the master volume crunch, sometimes an octave pedal & standard tune 6 string electric, but also string my Martin acoustic the same.
My setup is dead flat with no neck relief & strings right on the fret never higher than a 16th & usually closer.
This is why my G string gauge varies between 11-15 & sometimes wound depending on guitar to avoid fret buzz.
I`m sure I could do a better fret job & nut work to be more precise, but this works for me, your mileage may vary!
During the 90s, there were balanced 9s and 10s sets by DiMarzio (yes, DiMarzio). They stopped making strings after just a few years. I loved their sets. I don't remember the exact gauges, but they felt just wonderful.
Currently using 8, 11, 14, 24, 32, 42 and I am liking it better than regular 9s.
I have 25 years playing with 9 and 10. 9 for 25.5 and 10 for 24.75 / 25 scales .
To be blunt, it depends much of the guitar and their manufacturing, especialy the neck.
The problem that you talk about, I found it with the 10 sets on many epiphones.
Personal i feel that the 9 its a little too thin for me, so in many cases i been use some mixed or hybrid sets.
There are too many variables on the table when it comes the issue of the hand-feel of the player.
I got tiny hands and use Medium Bottom Heavy top 11 gauge strings on my strat. Love how they feel and the aggresive tone along with my metal pick.
I started using tony iommi strings witch is 8 to 35 a week ago and it was amazing
There are Wound Strings thinner than 17w like 16w, etc from Octave4Plus & the wound strings have less tension than the plain strings to minimize brekage.
Thank you for mentioning StringJoy guitar strings. They make a great string that has long lasting bright tone!
Just discovered this channel. Love it.
I've used the standard 9s for years and have not had any problems with them. As you pointed out many guitarists use 9s because of the relative ease which with one can bend strings compared to thicker gauges. By raising the gauge of the B string it will make both the B and high E strings more difficult to bend which would basically defeat the purpose of why many guitarists choose these strings in the first place.
I use D’Addario NYXL 9.5/44 in a short scale (24.6) Gretsch Jet Duo TVP Jones pickups guitar and it works fantastic…very comfortable for playing bends and you don’t compromise the full tone of your guitar…I highly recommend it to any guitarist!
If you want a string with a mass halfway between 9 and 16 thou, its 13.5 thou, and between 9 and 17 thou it's 14.5 thou. For a circular bar the mass is proportional to the cross sectional area, so you need to subtract the x section area of the larger string from x section of the lower string, divide that by 2 and add the area of the lower string back to get the mid value, then find the diameter of a circle with that area.
I used to use 8, 10 & 15 using the banjo 1st trick and a standard set moved down 1 position to get a plain 3rd. When custom gauges came out, I measured what I'd used and found they were those values. Later I switched to 9,11 & 16 for convenience. They were easier to find, more makes available and the feel wasn't too far off the 8,10,15 set. I still have a couple of guitars with 8,10,15 sets and it takes a few minutes to reset my playing to that set.
Whats the banjo 1st trick?
@@MaxPrehl Use a banjo 1st which was 8 thou at the time, but not available as a guitar string. Move the 1-5 of a guitar string set down one string. Last time I checked 8 thou banjo strings weren't available.
Although the B is the theoretical culprit, the practical, felt problem is with the high-E, as the G feels closer to the B in terms of tension due to the fact that its diameter increases, therefore it starts acting a little bit like the wound strings. So when playing, although you can feel each string is different, the only *real* problem is the high-E feeling much stiffer than any other string, especially when bending. All other strings can achieve a 1 wholestep bend quite easily, while the high-E feels like it cuts through your skin and also kind of reaches its ellasticity limits at the end of the bend, sometimes feeling like it's on the verge of snapping.
I have noticed an unbalance G-B-E especialy G will go stiff, on a Strat a easy fix by lowering the string but on a tunomatic system it is what it is so I avoid slinky 9 on my Lp as E will feel way to sloppy and G stiff or the other way around depending on my setup.
I'm glad that finally someone mention this! I always change the second string to .012 but the G string seems fine to me at .016.
If I use D'Addario's .008's, I also have to change the second string to .011.
I agree, I think we need a hybrid set eventually 🤙🏽
I swap the 11 and 16 for a 12 and 15. The 16 is used with 10-46 sets I use. 9-12-15 and 10-13-16 feels great to my fingers. Between the two sets (9-42 is tuned to E standard, while 10-46 is tuned to Eb standard), the strings are pretty even between themselves of a certain type (plain, wound), and the other set. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I think the plain strings are around 13 pounds, while the wound strings are around 16.
I'm happy with the DR Strings 9.5-44 set on my Strat scale length guitars. 9's are too thin. 10's are too thick. 9.5's are just right. 👧🏼🎸 (9.5-11.5-16-24-34-44)
I go with 9-42 on standard tuning and 9-46 for half step down tuning. Never had any problem and tone is awesome. I mainly play hard rock and blues!
I played 10’s for years and switched to 9’s a couple years ago. I wasn’t aware of this tension issue but I recently have been doing some recording and realized I do bend a little sharp sometimes, I don’t notice it when I’m playing but I can see it in the DAW and now I can hear it on playback. Maybe this is the reason. Guess I’ll get a balanced set and see if it makes any difference. Worth a shot 👍
1:58 wtf is that finger
Lost my appetite
Man is clippin the f out them nails for this video 🤣🤣🤣
I've been playing custom fats for years and that just feels right to me. But i chucked on summer 9s at a show and they weren't that different.
I've always used 9's. Love them.
...this are Problems, we never had back in the days: in the 80s we have to took the strings, which we can buy in a store, mostly Fender Flatwound...😊 but with the JEM77FP came this 009 Gauge too - and it works good. Today everything would explain, and the best advice is: play your guitar, and if it does not Sound good: Practice, play it. And when this does not work MAYBE the gear is not right... but it is more the Player. Often. Greetz from Germany .
9,5-11,5-16-26-36-46 is my best combo for 25,5" scale so far. For rhythm work 24-34-44 are too light, I break the 24 D-string quite easily, it interesting such a small increase has such a big effect.
I make a more balanced tension set out of a 9-42 by switching out the 9 and 11 for 10 and 13.
That's what Steve Morse used to do.
I use EB 9s Slinky's and love them. I would be interested in trying out the balanced set. Sounds interesting.
I went 8's on my PRS and 7's on my Explorer :) Now that's slinky. Not really thought about the even distribution of tension, so thanks for the thought provoking vid.
That´s an issue I noticed years ago as I was improving my skills on the guitar. To me it seemed quite obvious but soon i discovered that it doesn´t bother the vast majority of guitar players and it is totally fine. I found out that the 10 gauge string sets are much more balanced in terms of tension, which highlights the mystery of the 9 gauge string sets. As the internet was evolving and more information was provided on the subject, I found out that Dean Markley, the man himself, before the string company, was selling single strings and custom string sets in his shop. The electric guitar was starting to take over and players from the 60s required light gauge strings ("slinky") in order to mimic the lap steel licks, very difficult to do with the "unbendable" 13 gauge string sets that were sold in those days and provided with new guitars. To me that 011 and 016 on 9 gauge string sets remains a mystery. I understand that balanced string tension is not everything and that balanced string output might be important but that doesn't explain the diference between the 09s and 10s sets, with this latter being much more balanced tensionwise. The 09 gauge I started to use are 09, 12, 15 or 16, 24 or 25, 34, 46. On 10s I'd use 09.5 or 10, 13 or 13.5, 17, 26, 36, 49 or 50. I would also use more or less balanced 11s or 12s set on drop tuned guitars. Nowadays I tend to be less nerdy about it, partly because some single string gauges are difficult or impossible to find depending on the brands. I would use regular 10s with no problems, the regular 09s I still can't get around it.
I'm finding no fault in standard 9s!😎❤️️🎸‼️
my long-time set is: 9 - 11,5 - 15 - 22 - 30 - 42 ( just ordered some 8,5s to try, my standard set is very balanced, the bass E still a bit looser, and I do like to bend the hi e, so the two E & e might work!...)
Its a trial and error process people...🤔
i agree with you....ever since i was a teenager in the 1960's i always felt the ten gauge and 26 gauge were too tight on the first "Fender " sets
I’ve been playing for 15 years and have never given this much thought into string gauge. By the time I gave a shit about changing strings regularly and having my guitar set up properly, the industry standard was .10-.46 so that’s what I’ve been playing for about the past 10 years or so. 10’s in Eb on a 24.75” scale length is the perfect feel to me. However, I would be open to trying a balanced string set of .09’s or even .08’s.
Need to consider impact on intonation here I think.
I'd be curious about what a luthier thought.
But at face value, a more consistent spread of tension on the neck, across all strings, seems likely to have a positive impact on changing intonation over time.
If so, then this suggested change might be most suitable for newer guitarists who aren't comfortable with adjusting guitar set-up.
9’s used to feel normal, but I could barely play an acoustic guitar without being in pain. You can’t put anything less than 11‘s on an acoustic without sounding like crap and the action is higher to boot. If you want to be able to play both acoustic and electric then you need to go a little heavier on the electrics and a little lighter on the acoustics then what would be ideal for each. So I use 11’s or 12’s on my electric, and it’s still feels easy to play after playing my acoustic with 11’s.
I use 8s with zero problems. You can get used to any size strings.
I just got a 9/60 7 string set for my 7 string baritone from stringjoy gonna string it up tonight.
I personally play 9.5's because they're next to as bendable as 9's but the bit of extra thickness gives it a bit of extra presence in the mids that's very pleasant to me.
The low E is looser than the A and D on standard sets. One way to tighten the tension without going up a gauge is to put a piece of foam under the string behind the headstock and or tune-o-matic bridge. It's like a fret-wrap, but for a specific string. It dampens the resonance and makes the string feel stiffer.
I switched from 8 to 9. Didn't really like it, plus the heavier the guage wear the frets more.
Its the opposite for me I started out playing acoustic with 13s and I like to play metal and rock music mostly on electric so I use 11 or 12s
@@Sweedurbex Wow, those are pretty thick. I found alot of the Blues guitar players use 8's. Maybe it has more to do with the type of music, and guitar.
@@turbomike71 for years I switched a 12 string to six strings on the 22. I used 13 acoustics. I bought a new guitar and I'm moving to lighter strings . The 12 string I'll still play as a 6 string. The guitar is fucked sound wise old ovation that's got big crack in side but I'll still play it sometimes . Then go back to my new one. It good for training purposes ☺️
Whatever floats your boat, there’s so many options out there it’s hard to complain about being boxed in with no choices…. I’ve never had an issue with 9s other than when I play a lot they feel way too slinky so I move up to 10s or 11s… 8s 9s 10s 13s… it’s all good just find a set you like… Skinny top heavy bottoms where good for me on some guitars…
I absolute love 9s, just like the feelling of it
Most guitar players used 8s until Steve Ray Vaughn hit the scene, Watch Rick Beato's episode regrinding strings. Many people simply like 9s.
the best string set I ever played were 10-14 plain, 18-24-32-44 wound. The wound G string is way easier to bend and has a bolder tone. The D-A-E are progressively tighter, which feels amazing.
Have you checked if there is a perfectly linear relation between gauge and tension?
You wouldn't expect it to be linear since the gauge of a string is the diameter, meaning you'd expect 4 times the material if you double the gauge. There are string tension calculators for this, which the poster displays in the video.
Stringjoy makes that set and it works!
I'm late....for the vast majority of players the biggest issue is bending strings so it makes sense for top end to be light, and its easy to change pick up height to compensate for slight lower output..ive been doing this for decades, never had any issues or problems with sound on any guitars ive owned..
Years ago I used 9's and always found that the 16 seemed out of balance. Then I found Fender 150XL 9's with a 15 G string and played those for years. That changed when I started using guitars with Floyd Rose bridges. I found that I needed more tension on the wound strings. I've been using the Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky 9-11-16-26-36-46 since then. I'm not saying they are perfect. I have also experimented with different sets from String Joy. I may change again...who knows. ;-)
I was die hard 10s guy, then tried 9s then i was blown away by how easy it is to bend, then bought epiphone sg with 10s and I'm definitely going back to 10s, the reason being is also - Tension. 10s feel much much better for faster arpeggiated picking, it's not as flimsy