Going lighter

Walks Backward

Walks Backward

Well-Known Member
Long ago we had Black Diamond strings. That was it. Ya couldn't find anything else. They were heavy (11's mostly) and often had a wound G. Ya either played them or you became a bassist or a drummer. I didn't mind as my hands had "Kung Fu Grip" in those days from working cattle and hauling and bailing hay. The work made for very strong hands and such. :dood:

Years later all sorts of strings came out. I went to 10's and stayed there. Even after the first stroke I could still play the daylights outta 10's without any issues. But relearning to play again after "S-2" (the second one that knocked the snot outta me) 10's are providing a might difficult on a Strat scaled instrument. Not bad with a LP or SG, but the longer scale is harder for me now. So........

I've ordered some 9's. Yes, I didn't stutter. 9's! Will install em on the Starcaster and set em up low as I can and float the bridge unit for all the give I can get. I think arthritis is also an issue as well. So for now at least, 10's are fine on my other two, but they gotta go on that "Fender hard bender" as I can only play about 30 minutes and my hands are dead. :confused:

Got some D'Addario XL's and a set of Dunlop nickel wrap roundwounds on the way. So we'll see if 9's help me out a bit and give me back some of my mojo S-2 stole from me. And if I see Fat Bastard I'm gonna shoot him in his belly just because I can!:eek::coffee:
 
Walks Backward said:
Long ago we had Black Diamond strings. That was it. Ya couldn't find anything else. They were heavy (11's mostly) and often had a wound G.
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Yep, That's all I used back then and sometimes they were flat wounds cause they ran out of the regular. I still use .11's, but thinking of going to .10's cause I'm gettin old and the lumbago is kickin in. :facepalm:
 
I had 9s on all my guitars, other than my SG which had 10's. It came with 10, so I just kept it that way. I just switched it over to 9s last week. Much better for me.
 
Yup, 9s on my Gibsons and Epis. 7s on my Fenders. Tried 8s on the Gibson SGs and I can do it, but too bendy for confidence.
 
The 9's came in today. Set the Starcaster up and used my old leather bridge stunt and the Snark. Was like a partial makeover in a way. To my wounded old ears it sounded just a teensy bit thinner (probably psychosomatic from decades of 10's) but it played much easier. Far more responsive in bends and with a floating bridge. Improved the playability of the ole' junker, but that's all I'm doing to it. Saving up for a decent "Strat Shaped Object", likely a Jackson Dinky with a Rose on it and 24 frets. And they come set up with 9's so I'll just keep it that way.

But for now changing gauges down one was a smart idea.
 
i put 11s on one of my Teles and the darn things hurt my fingers after while lol.it had 10s on it.reason i tried the 11s is i got 2 Teles and both had 10s.but for what ever reason the strings felt slinkier on the one Tele over the other.im going back to 10s when the time comes
 
Walks Backward said:
Long ago we had Black Diamond strings.
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Those damned things were rough as a cob. My cousin was a country player and he showed me how to put together a custom set that we'd call light top heavy bottom today and that trick made me a slicker lead player.
 
Wade.....I watched an interview with Billy Gibbons (you may have heard of him??) and Billy was relaying a story of his meeting with BB King back "in the day".............
Billy Gibbons was relating a story of how backstage prior to a gig with B.B. King some years past they exchanged axes briefly..Billy noted aloud to B.B. the gauge on "Lucille" was really light.

B.B.told him that he had been using really light strings for years .008 on the high end..'Why are you working so hard"? was B.B.'s retort to Billy.

Billy stated that later he had gotten some really light .007's on the high side and had been using ever since..

And Ol Rev. Gibbons has some 07;s on the market today .......................... So Wade I ask you Brother---- why you working so hard? ;)

I use 9's across the board......just feel better......... I play more bass than 6 string ---so--- I aint afraid of THICK strings--- but again......why work so hard.

Here are some SUPERFINE 6's!!!!!!!!!
Dunlop Reverend Willy's Electric Guitar String Set - Extra Light

Lifes short play what feels good and "F" the rest :)
 
I use as light as 7's on a Strat and as stiff as 11's on one of my Les Paul's...I use everything between on the rest. But I really love the 11's nothing else sounds quite like them...
 
Adrian I like heavy strings because the mass equals tone. When I was gigging weekly long ago I used pure nickel round wounds on a round core. All instruments had 10's and a few 11's. Big fat strings made for big fat tone. That was then......

These days, after the second stroke, arthritis, hitting 70 for crying out loud, and having less than 30% hearing left, um, well yeah, I went to 9's on an instrument with a neck like a Louisville Slugger. My LP Custom and SG Spl both sport 10's and will continue. Just went lighter on the chunky neck with cheesy action.

The day I put 7's on my guitar is the day I eat my Colt!:sadwave:
 
eSGEe said:
Wade.....I watched an interview with Billy Gibbons (you may have heard of him??) and Billy was relaying a story of his meeting with BB King back "in the day".............
Billy Gibbons was relating a story of how backstage prior to a gig with B.B. King some years past they exchanged axes briefly..Billy noted aloud to B.B. the gauge on "Lucille" was really light.

B.B.told him that he had been using really light strings for years .008 on the high end..'Why are you working so hard"? was B.B.'s retort to Billy.

Billy stated that later he had gotten some really light .007's on the high side and had been using ever since..

And Ol Rev. Gibbons has some 07;s on the market today .......................... So Wade I ask you Brother---- why you working so hard? ;)

I use 9's across the board......just feel better......... I play more bass than 6 string ---so--- I aint afraid of THICK strings--- but again......why work so hard.

Here are some SUPERFINE 6's!!!!!!!!!
Dunlop Reverend Willy's Electric Guitar String Set - Extra Light

Lifes short play what feels good and "F" the rest :)
Click to expand...


I was gonna talk about that precisely!

Some of the greatest out there play 8's and even 7's.

Nothing wrong with it

My strats have 9s. I keep the SG loaded with 10s just because I don't want to mess with the truss rod and I ain't got a good tech in town
 
Wade,

I respect you very much on multiple levels. And I understand folks like different strings......its all good. I too grasp the arthritis issue (Im there all ready at 48-- due to previous occupational degradation) and a 1 hour 'noodle" is about all I can do--- then I gotta take a break---
I would argue against your thickness = tone statement however as BB King and Billy Gibbons certainly dont lack tone using the spindly strings they use. But I would also argue YOUR tone is YOUR tone and how you make it is damn cool ----
ROCK ON and leave that Colt holstered ------ they are just strings man! :)
 
You forget I live in the land that time not only forgot but flat out ignores! Got about a minute or so and that video locked up. As usual. A few days ago I lost my temper and threw this phone across the room. Took me 10 minutes to find the battery after I calmed down.:mad::coffee:
 
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