[mnemonic]

Originally Posted by heffergm

I wish Elixir made a 59, because I really like the way they feel, but the 10-54 set they make I can't stand... not enough tension in the low B at all.

they should make a 59 and 64 or something, cos that jump from 56 to 68 kinda sucks if you want something in between.

i have a set of elixir 9-42's + elixir 56 on my seven right now, but i wanna put some heavier low strings on there, so i ordered some 9-46's + a elixir 65 bass string (damn thing was expensive, it better be awesome)

[CaptainD00M]

On this note i thought i might ask, do any of the major string companies do a 9-46 bassed seven string set with a 59 or 58 or whatever for the B?
I still a seven n00b, so dont know.

[djpharoah]

Originally Posted by CaptainD00M

On this note i thought i might ask, do any of the major string companies do a 9-46 bassed seven string set with a 59 or 58 or whatever for the B?
I still a seven n00b, so dont know.

Only ones that come close are GHS with a 9-42+58

[CaptainD00M]

That blows.
Oh well 10-59's it is then.

[7 Dying Trees]

Originally Posted by zimbloth

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.

I'd have to say that I find the dismissal of fingers and the player to be ludicrous, and part of the mentality that some old guys have that buying a vintage marshall and an eric clapton strat will make them sound like him, it won't.

Tone is definately in the fingers. You can make siomeone sound better through pickups, amps, guitars et all, but anyone worth their salt can make a mediocore or even bad setup sound good, and with some amps you can definately tell how good a player is as it shines through, like with the VHT. Picking + the fingers, coniction of playing, they all contribute to the signal, and how it comes across. Pick like a weakling and it sounds weak, not powerfull enough, fret wrong, and it sounds unsure, and these are things that come through and affect the perception of someone's playing. I am a great believer in shit in = shit out. All the amps, cables, pickups, cabs, all don't mean much if what's going in isn't good, and it all starts with the player.

Originally Posted by zimbloth

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.

Strings? Not really that much to be honest, I find that how you pick and how aggressively you pick as well as how cleanly you strike the notes makes the biggest difference.
After that I'd say the amp and how someone has their settings dialed in, followed by the guitar+pickups. Cables and the like rank quite low. Strings? Well, the gauge of strings determines your pick attack and how much you can get away with.


Personally, I've been conditioned and have learnt to play with a more aggressive pick attack, hitting the strings hard so the guitar body vibrates more, makes an audible acoustic sound and it just sounds better that way, but, with lighter gauge strings I'd be breaking them. Even with the strngs I play now, I'd be breaking a bass string after about 40 minutes of live playing, every gig without fail, if I were tremelo picking all the time, and especially for trem picking and fast stuff, there's no substitute for light strings for me, light strings just feel flimsy and just don't have the same "snap" to them.

[7 Dying Trees]

Originally Posted by heffergm

I just really liked the feel a lot more. I get a lot more feedback when picking. In terms of sound... it's less a concern for me than the feedback I get when playing.

Yep, I like a bit of fight with the strings, just gives you feedback on your playing.

[unconventional]

What you guys are referring to with this trend towards lighter strings is referred to as Negative Cleptojab. It happens every 12,000 years.

I've been experimenting like fuck with the Xiphos and strings. I was going as low as 8-48 (48 being the 7th) and I got that nice twangy snap out of the 7th string that I like. So I played like this for a bit and realized that the technical riffs I'm writing that I can't fucking play.

I'm practicing day in day out and these (now) semi-simple riifs are killing me. So last night I slung a set of regular slinky 7's on with a 52 for the 7th and suddenly everything is tighter and I can play the fuckign thing again.

Watch out for negative cleptojab, it's just a trend that will slowly phase out.

[FortePenance]

^Most people won't go as low as 8-48 though. @_@

[unconventional]

Originally Posted by FortePenance

^Most people won't go as low as 8-48 though. @_@

Yeah I realize that. This is my first 7 string and I find the large string to be a bit awkward sounding and find that the larger strings have a loss of clarity. so I attempted to go as low as a 48 and it sucked.

[CrushingAnvil]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

So, been playing 11-49, with a 65 bass string, tuned to Bb. Recently, my fretting elbow (weird mental image there) began to hurt, which freaked me out. So, I wondered if maybe it was my recent string gauge upgrade from a 59 to a 65 that was the cause of it. Anyway, while I was deciding what to do, I thought about Dino, who uses a 52 or a 54 in A, which I always assumed was ridiculously unworkable. So... I tuned the 49 down to B. And here's the kicker... it takes a bit of adjustment, but it works! Suddenly, I was djenting like all hell! Riffing like a demon. Paradigm shift!

So, I've been wondering if maybe I've been totally misguided all these years. The popular wisdom was that heavier strings=better tone, which, as I've discovered in my ripe old age, might not be the case. I'm thinking maybe 9-42, with a low 54 or a 56, might be well worth trying out. Dudes, opinions? Anyone else have a similar experience?

Hey dude, you're onto it man, I use a 60 at Bb and thats pretty good for me, but I'd use a 54 If I wanted too, sometimes If the string is too tight, It takes some of the bass away, and its not muddy ENOUGH.