Thicc vs Thinnn

  • Thread starter Thread starter japetus
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I cannot use strings that light. My right hand would push those right out of tune... every time. 10s in standard. 11s for half step down. 11-56 for anything lower.
 
I cannot use strings that light. My right hand would push those right out of tune... every time. 10s in standard. 11s for half step down. 11-56 for anything lower.
It's totally insane. I don't think I can do it, I am used to 11's. I just wanted to see what it's like.
 
I'm a 10s lifer pretty much.. Even in High School I was messing around with 10s..
My guitars nowadays are Baritones with 10s which works out to almost 10.5s tension wise..
You could make the argument that really light strings are easier to play, but I'm fuckin stoopid, and I'm not changing now.. :ROFLMAO:
Thicker strings are louder and sound better for most things, certainly for what I'm going for..
Get 2 duplicate rigs and have 1 guy play 7s and the other 10s and try to tell me 7s sound better..
FIGHT!
 
During my earlier days when I was on a years long blues kick, I ran 11s on a Strat in standard. Ouch. But I built my finger muscles and developed a good vibrato. Switched to 10s when I regained my senses. But when that video circulated around a year or two ago about which string gauges actually sounded better, it got me thinking. So I got a few different standard and hybrid sets. And for rhythm playing, I actually preferred the way 9-42s sounded. Less mud, more cut. Maybe sit was compensating for my guitars, but whatever, those are my guitars. So now it’s 9s for standard and Eb. And 10s for low tunings like D std or drop C#.
 
Get 2 duplicate rigs and have 1 guy play 7s and the other 10s and try to tell me 7s sound better..
FIGHT
Totally depends on the rig and player. 7s sound tighter, no question about that. Sometimes a rig needs tighter. There are videos doing exactly what you describe and the super slinky’s sounded better…sometimes.
 
I've tried just about all of em and have 8s tuned a half step down and love it. 7 string has 9s.
 
25.5" scale
Eb,,,,, Turbo Slinky 9.5-46


25" scale
Eb,,,,,,Ultra Slinky 10-48
Samesies! :cheers:

And if a guitar sounds too strident, I'll usually go up a notch in string thickness to add beef and remove some jangle.

Only on my '68 RI Strat, tuned to E, I have 9-42, IIRC. Elixirs, because I don't play that guitar often, so Elixirs (Optiweb) keep the sound reasonably fresh over time.
 
Alright, the verdict is in. There's just no way in standard tuning that I can make this work. It's ridiculous. I play semi heavy handed and have big hands, this just feels like I could snap them easily at any moment. Bends just fly off into outer space. I guess for someone with hand issues, nerve or muscle problems, it could be an option...especially on a guitar with low frets.

But for me, I'm gonna chalk it up to a failed experiment. I tuned the guitar up 2 whole steps and I'm playing it like that until I snap a string.
 
 
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