# Tuning UP? D'addario .007 .008 .0085 experiences



## Winspear (Jan 15, 2011)

_NOTE: I wasn't sure where to post this. Here seemed like the best idea to me. Feel free to move it._
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I recently ordered some .007, .008, and .0085 D'addario strings to test their tension.

I am (hopefully) soon getting a multiscale 9 string with 24.75" on the high end and intend to tune it to G#4. I want to be able to use normal strings, 
normal technique, and normal stringing method (not have to gradually tune it up). I need to be able to play without worrying it will break. 

So I have ordered these strings to test their breaking tensions on my 25.5" Ibanez 7 string. I have heard that the long distance between the nut and tuner, as well as the string-thru body, places extra tension on the string, so perhaps my 9 string design with neither of these will hold up better.

G4# on this scale length is by no means ambitious, but I wanted to just test these three strings and post the results up here for anyone considering similar tunings.
I've heard of people using these strings on much longer scales, as well as people breaking them on normal scales.

On the 24.75" scale length, the tensions of each string will be as follows;
len 24.75"

G4# .007 PL == 11.88#
G4# .008 PL == 15.52#
G4# .0085 PL == 17.53

On the 25.5";
len 25.5"

G4# .007 PL == 12.61#
G4# .008 PL == 16.48#
G4# .0085 PL == 18.6#

Equal tension on the 25.5" guitar would be somewhere between G and G#, but I will tune to G# just to give myself some extra headroom. Ideally, I will be using the .0085 string, to match tension with the rest of the set. 

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*D'addario .007*

Day 1, Morning
Restrung and set up my guitar with the usual 11-49 set in D# standard, and a .007 high G#. I went for the .007 first because I figured;
-The string would hold up fine
-The tension would be too light for my liking
-I would get fed up playing it, and save wasting it, could tune it up to A and see how it holds there.

Well I've had it strung for about half hour and have played 10 minutes of light lead. The 12.61lbs tension actually feels ok next to my 17.48lbs D#, which surprised me.
It's a bit odd when bending though, as when my finger hits the second string I have to push harder than I was until then, to move the D# string away. I'm off to uni now so the string will be left to sit for a good 5 hours. Will put it to the test tonight.

Day 1, Evening
The string hasn't snapped during the day. I'm getting used to playing with a high string but the intervals are confusing! The guitar sounds much better like this than tuned down. The string hasn't snapped from bending, though I've only bent it a half step. Can't physically go any further with the other strings in the way, but I do suck at bending (Do low tension strings require more physical bending per increase in pitch??)
I'm going to practice some lead and theory with this tuning and tune it up to A later. I'm thinking it may break from bending at A after a while, due to its size.
I've decided in G# the .007 is definately a bit loose for ideal tension and the tone and sustain suffers slightly. 

Day 1, Midnight
I played fingerstyle for around 2 hours, and another 2 hours of lead. The string has held up through plenty of bending, including several attempts to bend a full step. I've tuned up to A and played for a few minutes more, and am leaving it overnight. Maybe it will snap during the night like my .009 G# did in the past.

Day 2, Evening
The high A held up strong through 6 hours of playing today, including some full step bends. I attempted to tune to Bb, expecting it to break, and it broke at the tuner before reaching Bb (at around 15lbs of tension). 

.007 Conclusions:
.007 breaking tension: ~15lbs.

-The .007 string is usable at 12.61lbs tension (G#4 25.5") with no worry of breakage. However, without fairly high action the low tension is not beneficial for tone and sustain.
-The .007 string is usable at 14.15lbs tension (A4 25.5"), but I would not feel comfortable using it live, as it snapped being tuned any higher. I expect it could well have broken from bending or just picking at some point in the future if I had kept it tuned to A. After all, you wouldn't use a high E that snapped before reaching F.
-I would recommend using this string at around 13.33lbs tension (A4 24.75") for best performance. Perhaps with a top loaded guitar and a shorter distance between the nut and tuner, I might tune to A4 on a 25.5". 

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*D'addario .008*

Day 2, Evening
-I tuned the guitar back down to D# standard and put on a .008 G#. The 16.48lbs of tension feels a lot better, but I needed to raise the action quite a bit for the string to respond better. The string snapped after 10 minutes of playing, on my first attempt at a bend. I think I went just over a half-step. I did buy another one of these strings so I've strung it up again and will play as normal for a while without bending and see if it breaks. 
-For some reason, I don't like this string as much as the .007 in A. Although the higher tension is nicer on my picking hand, it feels a bit unresponsive on my fretting hand and is somehow shrill.
-I tuned it down a bit to halfway between G and G# - "G.5". It felt and sounded a lot better. I think this string is over tensioned at G# 25.5" (16.48lbs). I also played it in G (14.68lbs). It felt very safe here although I prefered the slightly higher tension in "G.5" (around 15.5lbs).
-The string snapped at the tuner upon retuning to G#. 

.008 Conclusions:
.008 breaking tension: ~16.4lbs

-The .008 cannot be played at G# 25.5" with this guitar. It's extra strength from size over the .007 does not make up for the increase in tension.
-This string seems best played between 14.68lbs (G 25.5") and 15.5lbs ("G.5" 25.5" or or G# 24.75"). 

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*D'addario .0085*

Day 2, Evening
-Once again the question is whether the slight increase in strength will outweigh the increase in tension. As I only have one of these strings I am not going to tune it up to G# yet. I will play in G, and tune it to G# when I am finished, like I did with the .007 gauge and Bb. 
-While preparing and eating dinner, I tuned the string to G and retuned it every few minutes as it would drop to F#. So it had around 30 minutes stretching time before I played.
-I played lead in G (16.57lbs) for an hour. I experienced similar issues, though not as bad, as with the .008 string. It was slightly unresponsive and hammer-ons did not ring out too well. I tuned up to G# (18.6lbs)
-I've played lead with plenty of bending in G# for a few hours. The string feels very slightly over tensioned to play, but feels strong and I am confident playing it. This is my favourite of these three strings to play. It feels slightly better tuned down to "G.5" (~17.5lbs).
-I want to enjoy playing the guitar tuned like this for a while more, so I am not going to tune this string up to find it's breaking tension yet. I will update this post when the string either a) Breaks from playing in G#, or b) I tune the string up to A/higher if it reaches.

.0085 Conclusions:
.0085 breaking tension: _To be updated_

-The .0085 seems perfect for G# on 25.5" scale length (18.6lbs). It would feel a bit better around 25" (17.88lbs).

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*Overall conclusions:*
-The .007 string needs around 12.6lbs of tension (G# 25.5") to play well. It is usable for this tuning but does perform better in A (14.15lbs), however it could probably break quite easily due to its size. The .007 string is perfect at around 13.3lbs tension (A4 on 24.75"). 

-The .008 string is not ideal for a 25.5" guitar. The increase in tension from the .007 string outweighs the increase in strength, and the .008 string is likely to break in G# (16.48lbs). It is playable in G (14.68lbs) but could benefit from a little more tension. This string would be good for tuning to G# on 24.75 (15.5lbs).

-The .0085 string is very usable at 18.61lbs (G# 25.5"). It is strong enough to be treated as a normal string. I would use this for G or G# on a 25.5". It would also be perfect for G# on 24.75" scale. 

Scale length--------Gauge to use-----------
25.5"-------------.0085/.008-----.0085----------.007
24.75"---------------.0085-----.0085/.008-------.007
-------Tuning:---------G-----------G#-------------A

I hope this is of use to anyone considering tuning their guitar up and wondering about strings. Sorry if the structure here is a bit of a mess!


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## vansinn (Jan 16, 2011)

I haven't had time for close reading all of your very interesting info yet, so..

Not meaning to play negative pants, but I think you'll end up with the same result as others, myself'ish included, have reached: Ordninary strings aren't designed for A4.

I tried a Rotosound 008 on an old 25" Dan Armstrong, tuned up to E, then slowly one stop at a time, let it rest 20 mins, next stop...
I did reach A4, could play it, and on a daily basis gradually started bending ½-1 stop, then 1½ stops.
A week later, I came home from work, and it had snapped 
Didn't snap over nut or saddle, nor at ball end or the tuner, but somewhere around 15th fret (frets are nicely polished, so it wasn't 'cut').

I have no doubt you'll have better results with a 007 on your 24.75" scale, but also feel sure ordinary strings will snap way too early - and worst, snap at uneven time intervals, meaning you'll have a hard time knowing when to change strings to be sure the show can go on.

If ordinary strings could be tested to last at least several days past two weeks, we could simply change that top string every bi-weekly, say on a Sunday, but I'm pretty sure it'd need to replaced every week - and even so, it'll likely still snap right when the action is hot.


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## Explorer (Jan 16, 2011)

There is a sad truth I hadn't wanted to accept over the years, but I've ultimately made my peace with it: a guitar string at 25.5" will break at or just above G#4.

A thinner string will have an easier time getting there, but is inherently weaker, and therefore will break.

A thicker string is inherently stronger, but therefore needs more tension due to its thickness, and therefore will break. 

With the exception of the Octave 4 Plus strings, no other guitar string will get above G#4 for long. 

Don't feel bad about trying, though. I've been trying since the late '70s/early '80s. It's good to have those reminders pop up every so often.


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## Winspear (Jan 16, 2011)

Thanks both for your input 
Time is indeed one thing I didn't leave much of here to test the strings. I am hoping my .0085 G# will hold up - if it lasts a week or more them I'm guessing it is 100% usuable on 24.75".


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## vansinn (Jan 16, 2011)

EtherealEntity said:


> Thanks both for your input
> Time is indeed one thing I didn't leave much of here to test the strings. I am hoping my .0085 G# will hold up - if it lasts a week or more them I'm guessing it is 100% usuable on 24.75".



But it isn't.. even if this single randomly selected string does hold on for a week+, you'll need to test several over time to find a statistically acceptable lifespan.
C'mon dude, even so, do you really feel like changing that string every week?

I'd rather obtain the exact correct string to scale, pitch and bendability from O4P, which, given the rather short scale, will likely last a fairly nice time 

Hehe, I really wish your continued testings will reveal that at this scale, so-and-so-many of this-or-that string all did last two full weeks(+) with 1-1½ stops of daily bendings 

(no pun intended at all)


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## Customisbetter (Jan 16, 2011)

Fun Fact: I am a one of the few 007 users on this forum. 

Not so fun fact: the 007 will NEVER get to A4 @ 25.5".

I can keep my Dad 7s at G# for two weeks. After that the minimal oxidation from playing weakens the string enough to break. Also bending the G# up a semitone will lead to breakage. Troy is another person who can attest to that as he was the audience for that test. 

I do however keep my dad 7s ate Gb and G for lengthy periods of time without any issue.


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## Winspear (Jan 16, 2011)

_But it isn't.. even if this single randomly selected string does hold on for a week+, you'll need to test several over time to find a statistically acceptable lifespan.
C'mon dude, even so, do you really feel like changing that string every week?_

I will test more strings - I may end up playing these .0085s in G# 25.5" until I get the 9 string. I'm enjoying it a bit more than having a low string. 
And no, of course I do not feel like changing it every week  But I would presume, that if it were to last 1-2 weeks on 25.5", then it would last much longer on 24.75". I will continue to update this thread with whatever happens. 

_
Fun Fact: I am a one of the few 007 users on this forum. 

Not so fun fact: the 007 will NEVER get to A4 @ 25.5"._ 

I guess it does depend on the guitar. As is written above, I played A4 for 6 hours, with bends, and who knows how long the string would've lasted if I had not intentionally broken it. And there was somebody on this forum who had used one at a much longer scale length with atleast some success.

Of course thanks all for sharing your information and opinions - hopefully this thread can be of use to many


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## ixlramp (Jan 16, 2011)

EtherealEntity said:


> The string hasn't snapped from bending, though I've only bent it a half step. Can't physically go any further with the other strings in the way, but I do suck at bending (Do low tension strings require more physical bending per increase in pitch??)



Cool post. I've discovered that thinner plain strings, and roundwounds with thinner cores (such as a .022), have less pitch response to bending. The fatter plain strings (.016p+) have a huge response.

Perhaps A4 is asking too much? ... without using special strings such as O4P perhaps we should just accept that G4 is the limit at 25.5". That's high enough for me. We can always tune DGCFADG


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## bostjan (Jan 16, 2011)

Think about this - 

Strength of a material is directly proportional to thickness.
The tension is inversely proportional to the thickness.

Therefore, the maximum frequency is not dependant at all on the string thickness (for plain strings of the same material).

I've never snapped the high A on my Oni (600 mm), and I bend it like a regular string, and I've only ever used d'addario plain steel .007"s.

Prior to owning my Oni, I kept my Samick tuned up to G# with a .007" at 25.5". It was a little touchy, but worked long term with care. Tuning a regular string to G4 at 25.5" should be no problem.

IMO, either use a shorter scale length and a regular string to get to high A, or use an o4p, or one of those zirconium amporphous metal strings.


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## Explorer (Jan 16, 2011)

EtherealEntity said:


> I guess it does depend on the guitar. As is written above, I played A4 for 6 hours, with bends, and who knows how long the string would've lasted if I had not intentionally broken it. And there was somebody on this forum who had used one at a much longer scale length with at least some success.
> 
> Of course thanks all for sharing your information and opinions - hopefully this thread can be of use to many



If I recall correctly, someone claimed they had regularly tuned a string to G#4 with a scale length longer than 25.5". In that same thread, I did a quick calculation and found that the same string would have been tuned to A4 at 25.5". I was going to be in the same area as the poster, and have friends in that same area, so I was more than willing to witness the miracle, or have someone else check it out, since it would have turned over 25 years of experience on its head. Sadly, that didn't work out; it wasn't something they were currently doing, and it had been a bit in the past. I'd have paid for the price of strings, just to see it repeated, but that never came to be.

Now, imagine that with what you've seen with your own eyes, and with what you've heard from folks who have tried it themselves, that someone claimed they regularly got to A4 with any string but an O4+ string. You might be doubtful, no? 

Anyway, I'm glad that people occasionally take the empirical route, rather than just parroting what they've heard. For being another who is attempting to push the boundaries, even if it doesn't work, +1 to your rep, good sir.


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## Winspear (Jan 31, 2011)

Just popping back here to let you know that the .0085 G# has held up for two weeks strong now


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## SirMyghin (Jan 31, 2011)

bostjan said:


> Think about this -
> 
> Strength of a material is directly proportional to thickness.
> The tension is inversely proportional to the thickness.



I am going to nitpick a bit here. STRENGTH of material is not proportional to thickness, it is a material property (see constant). The load capacity of the string is proportional to a thickness, as it will break when the ultimate strength is exceeded. The strength is a stress, load/tension is a force. The correlating factor is AREA as stress is force/area. 

Ethereal, are you going through any special means to keep the strings from oxidizing (stuff like fast fret or whatnot?)


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## vansinn (Jan 31, 2011)

EtherealEntity said:


> Just popping back here to let you know that the .0085 G# has held up for two weeks strong now



Cool! at 24.75" or 25.5" ?
With/without bending, and if so, how much?

I had a RotoSound 008 last a week at A4 on a 25" with 1-1½ stop bends


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## Winspear (Jan 31, 2011)

25.5". Quite a bit of bending in the first few days, not so much now as it's not really a big part of my style. I'd say it's gone through a good 100 or so half-step bends. There's some more detail in the original post 

Vansinn - that's great results! My experience with D'addario .008s was pretty awful so far and I don't know why! 

And no, I'm not using anti oxidants. I wipe my strings down after playing, fairly thoroughly (~30 second process). The guitar has been left standing in an unzipped gig bag.

There are definately conflicting results in this thread and others regarding tuning up...but my purpose was to find my own conclusions and post them here. So far I'd definately say it's possible to tune to G#/A confidently with normal strings at 25.5". I'd probably still avoid A unless playing 24.75", if I was gigging. I'll try some more .007s soon and see how they go.


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## troyguitar (Jan 31, 2011)

I've had good experiences tuning to G using .007 to .009's of all sorts and scales from 25.5" to 27.5" - and have had bad experiences tuning any higher no matter the string or the guitar. It's never been consistent enough to be something I'd use on stage, so it's not worth it to me. This summer I plan to fix that problem by building some multi-scale guitars with very short scales (probably like 23" on the high end).


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## MetalGravy (Feb 4, 2011)

I guess using a 7 at 25.5" w/a Kahler would be out, too, huh?


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## Explorer (Feb 4, 2011)

EtherealEntity said:


> There are definately conflicting results in this thread and others regarding tuning up...but my purpose was to find my own conclusions and post them here. So far I'd definately say it's possible to tune to G#/A confidently with normal strings at 25.5". I'd probably still avoid A unless playing 24.75", if I was gigging. I'll try some more .007s soon and see how they go.



Wut.

I know that you got one string to A4 at 25.5", but don't know if I'd draw any huge conclusions from that one string. Did you do this more than once, in order to do it confidently?

Maybe you didn't post a few other successful tests....


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## ixlramp (Feb 4, 2011)

I doubt that string at A4 would last much more than 6 hours playing time


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## zoukophone (Feb 5, 2011)

regarding the breaking tensions mentioned in the original post - if the string breaks at the tuner it may not be reaching its maximum possible tension, more likely the tuner is stressing it and making it break at a lower tension than it otherwise might manage.

if it breaks somewhere away from any contact point, then it is definitely the limit of the string itself. 

of course this is not a hard and fast rule, the string might break from a tiny internal flaw that could be anywhere along its length and just happens to be at the tuner, but if they consistently break at the tuner, then try winding the string with cotton or otherwise protecting it as it bends around the tuner, especially if there are any edges at all that it has to cross like the edge of the tuner hole.


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## Winspear (Feb 6, 2011)

It is indeed quite possible and likely that the .007 high A would have broken soon after the 6 hours experience I had with it. Note that I said "So far..". It is by no means a huge conclusion. I will be doing more tests like this, but at the moment I am strung with a low to record one of my songs. Like I said, I would not feel confident using it on stage, unless I had a 24.75" (and have run a few more tests). The G# seems fine to be used as a normal string so far, though.


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## Durero (Feb 6, 2011)

I'm keenly interested in the experiences in this thread. About 20 years ago I tried to reach A4 on a 25.5" scale Brian Moore guitar and I tested every brand and gage I could get my hands on (still have piles of .007 D'Addarios left over from then because I could only special order them in sets of 20.)

Back then I knew nothing about allowing the steel to stretch for long periods before going up to A4 so, although I tuned up very very slowly, all the strings failed before reaching that pitch.

The strings which consistently reached the highest pitch before breaking were .009 gage strings. They would pass G#4 and almost reach A but not quite.


I've had great experiences with O4P strings reaching Bb4 at 25.5" or Ab4 at 28.5" but I'm very interested to see how close to that level of performance can be achieved with other string brands.


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## ixlramp (Feb 6, 2011)

ixlramp said:


> I doubt that string at A4 would last much more than 6 hours playing time





EtherealEntity said:


> It is indeed quite possible and likely that the .007 high A would have broken soon after the 6 hours experience I had with it. Note that I said "So far..". It is by no means a huge conclusion.



I want to apologise for that comment. After reading zoukophone's posts in the other thread I now have a more open mind on this. I'm now tempted to see how high I can get on one of my basses.


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## Durero (Feb 7, 2011)

zoukophone's post which Mat is referring to: Tuning D'Addario .0085 to A4 Video

Well worth watching


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## stuglue (Mar 19, 2012)

What is the tension for the 007 tuned to Ab on a 26.5" scale? Also what is the tension on the 008 & 0085 at the same scale length?


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## Rook (Mar 19, 2012)

Best success I've had with tuning up is drop B with a high f# on a seven, it gave the 'uptuned' feel and awesome playability and the F# was easily achievable, you don't gain too much range wise though.


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## Winspear (Mar 19, 2012)

Haven't got time to go the calculator right now but from my OP:

The .007 string is usable at 12.61lbs tension (G#4 25.5") 
The .007 string is usable at 14.15lbs tension (A4 25.5")

Just move everything down a semitone for 27" - so that's 26.5 with some headroom which is good.
007 26.5" A4 will be somewhere around 13.5lb I guess. Like I said in the OP, wouldn't gig with it but it might work fine.
I had bad luck with the 008 and haven't tried that one again. 
The 0085 I wouldn't take above Ab at 25.5".
So I'd suggest 007 or O4P strings. Order some various Daddarios and try them out though - dirt cheap!

Fun111, yeah I've messed around with tunings like that, it's good fun!


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## Winspear (Mar 19, 2012)

Worth noting I tried stringing up my friends Agile 27" to G recently. It seemed a lot harder and the 0085s wouldn't take it. The maths were fine and it wasn't string thru, had a reverse headstock - all things that should help, but it didn't work. Had to use 007. So guitars will vary!


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## vansinn (Mar 19, 2012)

Corrosponds nicely with my experiences.
What do you mean by "useful"? For how long did it work for you?

FWIW tension-wise, I've had one and same off-the-shelf (rotosound IIRC) 008 tuned to G4 at 26.5" for two month; works fine, can easily bend half a stop, full stop possible but is a tight feeling, like the string saying "please, no more bondage, I can take no more" 
What's interesting is that it'll snap if I try tuning it to A4 - but nevertheless will accept occational bends to A4. Weird, innit..

I still need to order and try the D'Addario 0075; could be just right for this.
Also need to try a 007 Ernie Ball, which is made from a different steel alloy.


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## stuglue (Mar 19, 2012)

I didnt know ernie ball did a 007. Looks like Ab is achieveable on 26.5 providing i don't bend the string (which I can get used to)


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## Winspear (Mar 19, 2012)

vansinn said:


> Corrosponds nicely with my experiences.
> What do you mean by "useful"? For how long did it work for you?



Couldn't find 'useful' in my post - you mean usable? By usable I mean comfortable tension, could play it confidently, tone was good etc.
I've strung up with 0085s in G# a few times now and I've only broke one after a few weeks.


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## Adam Of Angels (Mar 19, 2012)

I've got a .010 at F# on a 27" scale at the moment and its not having any trouble.


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## Ryan-ZenGtr- (Mar 19, 2012)

Ditching Spanish tuning (standard tuning) may help get the tension down and the unfamiliar shapes will be removed. Tuning it in 4ths across the whole range would be my suggestion.

I was watching a great interview with Stanley Jordan, having wondered about his style. He ditched standard tuning and moved to all 4ths (as you would tune a 6 string bass, high C) so that when tapping his right hand would maintain the same patterns as his left, keeping a unison approach. It saved him relearning the instrument to account for Spanish tunings peculiarities.

Perhaps it's been mentioned before. Might help.


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## Adam Of Angels (Mar 19, 2012)

With respect, how is that going to change whether or not we are able to tune a string to a particular pitch?


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## stuglue (Mar 20, 2012)

It wouldn't, in fact it would make it worse as you would have to tune a fourth above top F which is Bb so in effect you'd be up a semi tone from A.


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## Guitarguy77 (Nov 16, 2012)

EtherealEntity said:


> _NOTE: I wasn't sure where to post this. Here seemed like the best idea to me. Feel free to move it._
> -----------------------
> 
> I recently ordered some .007, .008, and .0085 D'addario strings to test their tension.
> ...


 
I tuned a .012 up to G. It snapped before reching G# My neck is a 25 inch. A .012 tuned to g would have about 32 pounds of tension. Breaking tension at 350000 psi is about 40 pounds. A .012 would have 50 pounds of breaking tension at 450000 psi. A .012 string with 45000 psi could reach G# or A, possibly Bb on a 25 inch acoustic. How high can you tune .056 low E string on a 25 inch acoustic?


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## Winspear (Nov 18, 2012)

32lb of tension is a lot for a string that thin I guess. The thicker the string the more tension it can take but that doesn't mean a 12 could tune to G better than a 9 for example - which I'm sure you know. I expect a 56 gauge could easily handle 40lbs.

Just thought I'd post here in case anyone reads - since making that original testing I haven't posted back in my thread. However, I've done lots more tuning up since then as well as receiving a guitar with a scale length chosen by my results, and can say things stand pretty much exactly as they did with those early tests. I have however found that 8 gauge strings are more reliable than I wrote in that post, but they do still seem to be an un-happy medium on 25.5 like I wrote above. It's perfect for G# on 24.75. I do recommend buying reinforced ballend strings or soldering the ends yourself - the thinner strings seem to lose the ball end much easier.


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## Guitarguy77 (Nov 21, 2012)

EtherealEntity said:


> 32lb of tension is a lot for a string that thin I guess. The thicker the string the more tension it can take but that doesn't mean a 12 could tune to G better than a 9 for example - which I'm sure you know. I expect a 56 gauge could easily handle 40lbs.
> 
> Just thought I'd post here in case anyone reads - since making that original testing I haven't posted back in my thread. However, I've done lots more tuning up since then as well as receiving a guitar with a scale length chosen by my results, and can say things stand pretty much exactly as they did with those early tests. I have however found that 8 gauge strings are more reliable than I wrote in that post, but they do still seem to be an un-happy medium on 25.5 like I wrote above. It's perfect for G# on 24.75. I do recommend buying reinforced ballend strings or soldering the ends yourself - the thinner strings seem to lose the ball end much easier.


Update* Today I sucessfully got a d addario .008 up to G#.on my 25 six string acoustic. In fact I went about 25 cent past G#. I was able to get a martin .010 up to G# as well. I was quite surprised considering if the strings where at 350000 psi they would break at that tension. I got very close to breaking tension at 350000 psi. It would be at 97% of breaking tension according to the calculator. When using a string tension calculator I go by the lower range of breaking tension. The link below is what I use to calculate the tensile strength of strings.
New info I made at about 40 cents from A440 with a .010 string on a my 25.3 neck. 
String Tension


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## Winspear (Nov 21, 2012)

Great link - I use that all the time now. Other sources can be too unreliable. Especially the tensions displayed on D'addarios webpages for each of the string sets! I always take the string weight from their PDF and calculate myself.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Nov 21, 2012)

I used a 0.008 D'addario with usable results on my Oakland Axe Factory 8 string with a 27" scale length tuned up to G.

It would only break if you dig bends around a full step, you could sort of pull it off. If you wont be bending the shit out of it then you'll be good to go.


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## Winspear (Nov 21, 2012)

Yeah it's doable there but right on the edge which is why I went 24.75 instead of 25.5  I can get full steps out of it _sometimes_ but certainly don't make a habit of it.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Nov 21, 2012)

Yeah I didn't play around with it too much because at that point I had gone through enough .007's and one or two .008's that i did not feel like going back to the store.


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## MF_Kitten (Nov 21, 2012)

i've tuned a .008 to high G on both 25.5" scale and 26.5" scale. the latter felt a bit... scary 

It works perfectly in that tuning on the 25.5" scale though. CGCGCG tuning works flawlessly


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## Guitarguy77 (Jan 21, 2013)

All unwound strings break at almost the same note,but the tension is different. You can tune a .017 up to E safely for eample.


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## Guitarguy77 (Jan 26, 2013)

Just punched in numbers on the tension calculator. A .017 string will break at 79 pounds tension. A .012 string will break at 39 pounds of tension assuming 350000 psi. I even got two .016 strings up to g on a 25. I safely tuned to hi e with a .020 string. So all unwound slmost break at the same note but different tension. A .017 string at 79 pounds will be at A440. A .012 string at 40 pounds will also be at A440.
String Tension


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## Winspear (Jan 26, 2013)

I'm sure that's not possible dude, the thickest wound strings would barely last in that tension as far as I know

.017 , typical G string on 25.5, holds under 17lbs of tension. It is also used on bass for the F below that, at around 24lbs of tension. I'm quite certain it couldn't hold much more.

I'm not speaking from experience here but I'm fairly sure my info is correct. Maybe someone (Skip?) can shed more info.


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## daniel_95 (Jan 26, 2013)

You've heard of a capo right?

EDIT: Disregard that, I didn't read the whole thing, my bad.


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## Guitarguy77 (Jan 26, 2013)

EtherealEntity said:


> I'm sure that's not possible dude, the thickest wound strings would barely last in that tension as far as I know
> 
> .017 , typical G string on 25.5, holds under 17lbs of tension. It is also used on bass for the F below that, at around 24lbs of tension. I'm quite certain it couldn't hold much more.
> 
> I'm not speaking from experience here but I'm fairly sure my info is correct. Maybe someone (Skip?) can shed more info.



I,m referring to an unwound .017 string a medium for a b string on acoustic. Yes a wound will snap well before that tension. Wound strings are a different story. To determine the breaking tension of wound strings you have to know the diameter core.


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## Winspear (Jan 26, 2013)

^ I know. I checked out the breaking section of the calculator too and I see how you are getting your numbers. The lower gauges .010 and below certainly echo my experience. It just seems such an incredibly high tension for the thicker gauges like .017. 

I see exactly what you are getting at with regards to all strings breaking just short of A on regular scale.
Thing is, even if it's true in numbers it really doesn't seem true in my experience on the guitar. I would never feel safe with the G string tuned beyond C, say.
I'd be interested in taking a number of plain steels and stringing them all 2lbs below breaking tension to see how long they'd last. It seems G/G# is the practical limit for most, which is certainly true with the thinner ones.


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## welsh_7stinger (Jan 27, 2013)

I use a .07 for high g on a 26.5 inch scale guitar with no issue. I once was able to tune a 10 up to Ab/A on a 25.5 with no issue before. To be honest I'm planning on going to a .08 for the high g.


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## vansinn (Feb 2, 2013)

welsh_7stinger said:


> I use a .07 for high g on a 26.5 inch scale guitar with no issue. I once was able to tune a 10 up to Ab/A on a 25.5 with no issue before. To be honest I'm planning on going to a .08 for the high g.



Which is exactly what I do: 008 at G4 @26.5" (though-body).
Does get a Bit too high tensioned for bending more than a half step.
Same 008 did last me almost a year, though, so...


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## Guitarguy77 (Jun 6, 2013)

Will an 8 gauge string more likely reach an A on an electric than acoustic on a 25 scale? I heard on electric guitars the strings are not as sharply bent as they are on acoustic. What if the string was dead straight? How much more tension could it handle?


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## Winspear (Jun 9, 2013)

I guess it might handle a bit more depending on headstock/bridge designs etc but the fact is it's still close to breaking tension purely on the vibrating area.


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## Guitarguy77 (Jun 27, 2013)

I've tested a mandolin hi e and it snapped at F#5. Same tension as G4 on a 25. A mandolin is not exactly half the scale length of a guitar. If G#4 is the highest note on a 25, than G5 would be on a 13.75 mandolin. I could reach G#5 if I'm lucky.


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## Guitarguy77 (Aug 4, 2013)

I made it up to A440 on my 25 scale 12 string using an ernie 9. I actully went a little bit past A.


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## xtreme1 (Dec 9, 2013)

Anyone have experience with a .007 PL on G# at 26.5? I ordered one from labella to try it out...


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## vansinn (Dec 9, 2013)

^ you can do it, but don't expect to bend much, and it'll likely feel very tight - unless you happen to prefer high tensions, of course.
My experiences (on a Riot 8) are that though a 007 at the immediate level seems to more easily reach G4#, it's actually more prone to breaking than a 008.

When starting bending, it felt fairly so-so smooth in the beginning, but quickly started crying 'stop, please, I can't take it' 
The 008 feels tougher bending, but feels more linear in it's quest for keeping alive.
None of them feels good at G4# @ 26.5, though.

I don't even like going to G4 and regards F4# as the practical limit on this scale.
Lately, I've adopted a C Standard tuning, i.e. tuning six mid strings C with the additional high F4 and low G2.


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## xtreme1 (Dec 9, 2013)

vansinn said:


> ^ you can do it, but don't expect to bend much, and it'll likely feel very tight - unless you happen to prefer high tensions, of course.
> My experiences (on a Riot 8) are that though a 007 at the immediate level seems to more easily reach G4#, it's actually more prone to breaking than a 008.
> 
> When starting bending, it felt fairly so-so smooth in the beginning, but quickly started crying 'stop, please, I can't take it'
> ...


Even though it is only supposed to have 13.5# of tension it still feels tight? Wow, I was afraid it might be getting too floppy on me. I'll post my results and see if they match up with your experience. Thanks!

EDIT: Oh ya, and to the OP, thanks for the detailed post. Your experiences made for an interesting read.


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## Winspear (Dec 10, 2013)

"My experiences (on a Riot 8) are that though a 007 at the immediate level seems to more easily reach G4#, it's actually more prone to breaking than a 008."

Yup.
In my opinion your limit without O4P strings on 26.5 is G4, which will be fairly safe with either string.


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