Stringers


merker
Registered User
Joined: 08/25/03
Posts: 67
merker
Registered User
Joined: 08/25/03
Posts: 67
06/12/2004 1:43 am
Right now i use ernie ball hybrid slinkers,9-11-16-26-36-46, and i was wondering if i should start using thicker gauge. Does the tone get alot better? I like to tap and sweep arpers, so what do you think?
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# 1
Lordathestrings
Gear Guru
Joined: 01/18/01
Posts: 6,242
Lordathestrings
Gear Guru
Joined: 01/18/01
Posts: 6,242
06/12/2004 4:33 am
Spend some time playing an acoustic guitar to see how well your technique translates to thicker strings. I use heavy strings (D'Addario EJ21) on my two favourite guitars, but the massive tone comes at a cost. I have to slide instead of bending more than a semi-tone (one fret), and the force I need to apply to achieve hammer-ons and pull-offs would seem downright barbaric on a lighter string set.
Lordathestrings
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# 2
merker
Registered User
Joined: 08/25/03
Posts: 67
merker
Registered User
Joined: 08/25/03
Posts: 67
06/16/2004 5:03 am
hmm. On my other guitar i have .13's and its fun to play, but i also have it tuned down a whole step though
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# 3
Kevin Taylor
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Joined: 03/05/00
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Kevin Taylor
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Posts: 4,722
06/16/2004 11:25 am
Thicker strings will give you a meatier tone for stuff like blues & jazz...fingerpicking etc...
But for tapping stick with the custom lites... you're using the same guage I've used for years and the upper guages are small enough for easy tapping and lead bends and the lower strings are thin enough for bends but thick enough to give some chunk to power chords.
Best bet is keep a second guitar around with thicker strings. That way you can leave your first guitar set up with lower action and light strings when you need em.
# 4
Azrael
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Joined: 04/06/01
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Azrael
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Posts: 2,093
06/16/2004 12:14 pm
i switched from 009 to 008 to 007, back to 009 and now to 010. and i think i´ll keep the 10s for they provide a good balance between playability and tone.

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# 5

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