Originally Posted by: PhillipBDSome great names in early Rock & early Blues used very light gauge strings, even .007s in some cases, but .008s (and .009s) mostly it seems. A casual look at the web has in the "Golden Age" as .008 guitarists Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons (.007), Peter Frampton, Tony Iommi, and on...[/quote]

Supposedly the unwound G string was a big step forward because it allowed you to bend easier & do classic blues-rock licks more effectively. And of course lighter gauges make it easier to bend overall

I've read that Iommi used banjo strings in the early days because he couldn't find a manufactured set of light gauge strings. He needed them to compensate for his damaged fingers!

That's an extreme case, but I think a lot of this is due to necessity. If you want to be able to bend more, or downtune, or use a lot of volume, then it can help to have lighter strings.

Originally Posted by: PhillipBDHave we drifted these days as .010 gauge guitarists from one of the "secret sauces" of the original sound of Classic Rock and Blues?

I think one reason for the relative popularity of .010s is SRV's influence on electric guitarists. He used really heavy strings, but again because of necessity. He played really hard & needed strings that would stand up to that punishment. Lighter gauge strings would just snap & break.

[quote=PhillipBD]Any fellow GT'ers have an opinion on this, or have tried .008s?

I've used .011s, .010s, .009s & .008s.

I think most of this comes down to playing style. The heavier gauges work well if you are playing really aggressively and, or downtuning. The lighter gauges work well if you play with a lighter touch. I use .009s now because it saves my old hands from too much pain. :) And .008s break too easily.

And Rick Beato's video on the topic was fun to watch. Fun topic, thanks!