Originally Posted by: PhillipBDThat's what surprised me, not so much the easier bending (expected), but the great tone with different but pleasant subtle snap & jangle that almost like a DeLorean ;) took me back to the Golden Age sound of old LPs.[/quote]

All other things being equal (guitar, amp, speakers, cab, board), I think there are 3 things that might also factor in: pickup height, pick gauge & picking attack.

I have found that with lighter strings you can set the pickups a bit closer to the strings to get more "umph" or pop & snap. The closer the pickups are to heavy strings the more the string vibration can sort of "overload" the pickup. And the natural appication of heavy picks & picking to heavy strings can add to this.

With heavier strings I've had to lower the pickups considerably to maintain the same picking approach. Otherwise I get that "overloaded" overcompressed result that makes it seem like the string doesn't have the chance to ring fully. Like yelling right into a mic at a distance of an inch, instead of standing back a foot & yelling at the mic.

Contrast this with players that use lighter strings sometimes favor lighter picks & certainly a lighter picking attack because overwise the string breaks or warbles out of tune.

And I know I can get slightly different results from using different gauge picks & picking attacks. Setting the pickup height to the sweet spot is a must for whichever string gauge you are using & your choice of pick & typical pick attack should also be factored in.

This is a very overlooked part of the process. I think mostly because it's difficult to quantify. To my knowledge there is no book or standard measurement on correctly setting your pickup height factoring in pick attack, string gauge, playing style, etc. The only thing I know that is standard is to set the bass side a bit lower.

I do it by trial & error. Set the pickups, play & listen. Adjust the pickups, play & listen.

[quote=PhillipBD]which has me wonder if the gradual migration away from .008s to .010s and above, resulting in a heavier non-wound G string, contributed to a loss of a special "something".

I don't think so, because players have adjusted in other ways by carefully setting their gear (pickups, amp, FX chain) & developing their playing styles to get the result they want.

I think the main lesson to learn is to be aware of the possibilities & experiment to find your optimal individual preferred strings & settings.