[oompa]

tried alot with 56, 59 and 62, and i found that 56 was to sloppy to get clean notes fast. i stick with 62 now (tuned to A) and even though i sometimes think that i should get 64's or something instead, i think that i should go down to 59 just as often so i just stick with 62 wich i guess is kind of a "middle road" for me.

also, what noodles said.

[guitarplayerone]

I recently (well not recently but the tendons are still healing) fucked up my wrist, and really am appreciating 9-56 (vs another 7 with 10's on it, and my friends 11's on his carvin six.

at the end of the day, I think that a set of ten's is better for rythm guitar, at 11's witha 25.5 inch scale everything becomes unbendable for me.

plus I have small girly fingers...

for rythm guitar playing, tension is a must though, its just a bitch because I've noticed that it seems to require more pressure to hit notes with heavier strings from the fretting hand. which, for me, means I exert myself unnessecarily when I use heavy strings...

then again PG used 11's at some point, its all subjective

[jacksonplayer]

I use 8-39 + 52, which works out perfectly for me, since I pick with a very controlled motion and don't manhandle the strings with my fretting hand. I do have to be careful in chording to not go out of tune, particularly higher on the neck.

Then again, my playing doesn't have much "djent" in it anymore.

[zimbloth]

Well I'm definitely the commander of the light-ass strings brigade, but it's definitely not for feel. I like the feel of thick strings. I use light gauges because they just always seem to sound better, whether it be in chords, single note runs, chugging, whatever (I don't 'djent'). I've been over this a million times, but when the tension is too high, strings to me lose all their tone, especially on the low end. Vibrations are key.

Also Drew, or anybody, you're insane if you think thicker gauges = more attack, that's literally impossible. That's been false 100% of the time after 10 years of trial and error. Thicker strings = darker, rounder tone, softer attack. The only way it could have more attack is if you're picking way harder than what you would be relative on lighter gauges.

Also, again, the tone is all in the fingers thing is ridiculous. It's a huge factor, but some times, no matter how you pick or whatever your technique, some strings thru some rigs just plain sound muddy or bad. I could care less what SRV did. I've seen a million times when I've switched gauges (same brand) on a string how dramatic the effect is one way or another.

There's no right or wrong, it's all personall taste, but there's no doubt it plays a huge factor in tone, regardless of technique.

[soldierkahn]

i lightened my gauges up for my B Stan Tuning.

I use 10-13-18w-26-36-46-58 (or 56, im gonna try em both out and see which one i like more)

i use the same on my rg5ex1 ( 10-13-18w-26-36-46)

sorry, i love wound thirds

[ShawnFjellstad]

i love thinner strings.
i use a set of 9s on most of my guitars.

[Anthony]

12- 70 standard. I'm so cool.

[distressed_romeo]

Originally Posted by noodles

At the end of the day, tone comes from your hands. SRV's early albums were cut with the less successful Marshall and Fender amps that everyone else avoided. Ty Tabor cut the first two King'x X albums by plugging into a solid state Gibson Lab series amp. The clean intro on "La Grange" was Billy Gibbons plugging a Strat straight into the board!

Play what is the most comfortable to you. I don't use heavy strings for thicker tone or some juvenile "penis length contest",like one poster suggested. I play them because they feel the most comfortable to me, which keeps me from thinking about my playing. When I'm not thinking, I'm better able to get out of my own way and just play the guitar.

Damn straight.

Regarding Ty Tabor, he's been known to tune BF#DGBE using a regular 9-42 gauge set, and still gets crushing low-end...

GP1: Pablo has used 11s, but apparently he only put them on his guitars when he was in the studio to cut the rhythm tracks. I know this because when I met Richie Kotzen he told me that he started using 11s on his guitars because he'd heard Paul used them, and by the time he found out that it was just a studio thing he'd already gotten used to them!

[noodles]

Originally Posted by zimbloth

Well I'm definitely the commander of the light-ass strings brigade, but it's definitely not for feel. I like the feel of thick strings. I use light gauges because they just always seem to sound better, whether it be in chords, single note runs, chugging, whatever (I don't 'djent'). I've been over this a million times, but when the tension is too high, strings to me lose all their tone, especially on the low end. Vibrations are key.

What about vibrating mass? I guess that doesn't count.

Also Drew, or anybody, you're insane if you think thicker gauges = more attack, that's literally impossible. That's been false 100% of the time after 10 years of trial and error.

Originally Posted by Drew

Thicker strings are a bit more compressed than thinner ones, which gives you a "darker" sound (as the attack is less pronounced).

Thicker strings = darker, rounder tone, softer attack. The only way it could have more attack is if you're picking way harder than what you would be relative on lighter gauges.

Well, that would be me. I pick heavier strings a whole lot harder, since I don't have to worry about knocking the things out of tune. With lighter gauges, I have to hold back, so I don't get the attack I'm looking for. With heavier strings, I can just pound on the guitar.

Also, again, the tone is all in the fingers thing is ridiculous. It's a huge factor, but some times, no matter how you pick or whatever your technique, some strings thru some rigs just plain sound muddy or bad. I could care less what SRV did. I've seen a million times when I've switched gauges (same brand) on a string how dramatic the effect is one way or another.

Come on, Nick, you're missing the point. Yes, we all know that amps, guitars, pickups, cables, picks, strings, tubes, pedals, and so on all have an effect on your tone. What I was getting at is that a player's personal character is always coming through. The greats are great for a reason: they play with a power an authority than shines through, regardless of gear. You can recognize their personal style and sound. SRV's amp/guitar tone changed with every record, but he still sounds like SRV. He had that SRV tone that was the most important part of the formula. Your hands are gear, too.

FWIW: SRV used heavy strings for one reason and one reason alone: he broke lighter strings. He started on nines, and kept moving up until he stopped breaking strings. He was an extremely physical player.

[noodles]

Originally Posted by distressed_romeo

Damn straight.

Regarding Ty Tabor, he's been known to tune BF#DGBE using a regular 9-42 gauge set, and still gets crushing low-end...

You should see his picks. They're these flimsy nylon things.

Ty completely throws the arguement of thin=bright/attack right out the window. Ty has a very thick, dark tone that would lead you to believe that he is playing bridge cables. Instead, it comes from the way he lightly brushes the strings with his pick, barely moving them at all. He has incredible right hand control and a very violin-like swell to his single note lines.

I still maintain that strings are one of these least important parts of the tonal equation, and how you pick the strings is where your attack comes from. This is why I pick the gauges that feel most comfortable to me, rather than forgetting that my amp has a presence knob and buying rubber bands.