Stevie Ray Vaughan punished his instrument... hearing John Mayer talk about string choices was really put me into a good mind frame... Basically he said no one can play the way Stevie did for a whole set with .13 guage strings... if you did your arm would fall off. So that was when John Mayer decided that string choice wasn't about being a man... it was about knowing your limits. If you can't bend the string up to the note you want... you're using a guage of string that's too high. Some people get by fine wtih .11's or .12's.... some people need .10's it's a comfort thing as well.