best gauge strings?

[ChrisDee]

hey guys i was wondering which gauage is the best for fast playing?

I noe guys like satch and malmsteen use thick strings, but sum ppl say the thinnest gauage .038-.008 are the best for fast playing

wats ur opinion coz i want a sensitive gauge

[Biblical]

to be honest, its all on personal opinion, people like satch use the 10's which are good strings for speed, i like to add a 12 and a 9 on the top instead for easier bending.

the 8's for me are too thin, its like cheese wire, i dont really think they have much tone either,

[Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars]

Depends on what youre doing too. .009-.046 is good, I use .010-.052 beacuse I play in drop D so much.

[MikeB]

malmsteen uses fairly light strings actually... 009-046 or 042's i think. i play 008-038's because they band soo well, and are very very sensitive. they also have the ability to have quite a low action. these suck at drop tuning, but i stick to E.

id say try the 008's if you want responsive, if you dont like em you can always go back to 009's etc... however these 008's are great for a light touch!

mike

[jammy]

I use 9's on my seven string, 8's on my six stringers, and im gonna be using a custom set of 8 tops, 9 middles, and 10 (with extra strings of course) bottoms on my 8 string.

The string gauge doesnt really effect how fast you can play i find (well, within reason, i think just about anyone would be slow on 13's). Ease of bending is the main difference you will noitce, and therefore ease of vibrato.

[jammy]

malmsteen uses fairly light strings actually... 009-046 or 042's i think. i play 008-038's because they band soo well, and are very very sensitive. they also have the ability to have quite a low action. these suck at drop tuning, but i stick to E.

id say try the 008's if you want responsive, if you dont like em you can always go back to 009's etc... however these 008's are great for a light touch!

mike

Malmsteen also plays in Eb, making those 9's feel like 8's, especially with the scalloped board...

[ChrisDee]

my biggest concern about strings is that my touch is really light, and i use quick little finger movements all the time. I'm really only concerned about the top high e and b strings, so which strings r the most sensitive and responsive? you all say the light gauge for a light touch? rite now im using standards and they sumtimes dont ring wenever i quickly touch them on my Rg 1570.

I would hvae thought mayb .010's wood have been sensitive but im open to discussion

[rob]

I read in "how to sound like your favorite players" book that malsteen palys with 8's tuned to Eb! that must be a hell of a bending ride with those deeply scaloped boards as well!

Ps this book is great for a good read

[jbkim]

i think just about anyone would be slow on 13's

Speak for yourself! There are plenty of smokin' players (acoustic and jazz players comes to mind) that play heavier gauges. Even touch/tap guitarists (like Adam Fulara) play plenty fast on 13's.

It's been said you don't choose the gauge, the guitar does. I think this is true to some degree and so, in a way, it's pointless to ask others for an opinion on this subject. Just try different gauges for a while and judge for yourself. Make sure you do the proper truss rod, bridge, etc. adjustments for each gauge change.

Some say the trade-off for sensitivity/responsiveness and light touch is usually an anemic tone. Find you own middle ground. For me it's 10's after YEARS of 9's. Another option is to strengthen your fingers. Buy a cheapo (but decent) guitar like a $80 kramer focus and string it with 12's or 13's. Practice on that for an hour or so before picking up your Rg 1570 for your real practice session... I guarentee you'll FLY all over that thing!

Hmm... this thread should be moved to Players Corner.

[Ace]

I'm switching between 9s and 10s all the time. The thicker the strings, the more "balls" your sound usually has, and I really like the sound of my old strat with 11s but it's just nearly unplayable for me, I'm a light-fingered shred head at heart but I'd love to use thicker strings for sound improvement.

so long

ace

[GregP]

I find light strings don't work for me because I don't have a delicate touch. Now that I have 2 electrics, I've restrung the tele-style with .09s to try to get some of that country lap-steel bending stuff going on, but so far I sound horrible.

So I guess it's what you're used to. I think it's hard to argue that lighter strings will help you play faster; but for me, I don't have the same 'confidence' with those little buggers, so I'm still playing faster on the .10s.

If you don't have a preference already, .09s would be plenty light... .08s might be a bit TOO light, no?

[krazyderek]

practice on accoustic for a week, then go back to a regular set of 10-46 on your electric.... you'll be flying..

[BLS]

I use .10-.46 But i really did like the Zakk Wylde strings. its 10-60 i think, it has heavey ead and light gbe strings. Good mix for tuning down.

[Biblical]

8's are for girls

[YDoesGodMockMeSo]

10-52 (Light top, heavy bottom).

Best ever. Especially of the D'addario variety.

[Sethmetal]

Zakk wylde uses a 10-60 set and an 11-74 set. Pretty heavy and he shreds pretty hard.

I like playing fast riffed passages, like a lot of extreme metal (Carcass, Arch Enemy, Shadowsfall). I find that having loose strings makes it impossible to play fast. Technically when you are picking, you are trying to get to the same spot quickly. This spot is the string. I find that with looser strings, that spot is often not where it should be. The string is in a different position because it is vibrating. Thicker strings have a tendency to stay with a stable range while vibrating. That way your picking is more economic, timely, and precise.

Thicker strings make it harder to bend, but Who really needs to go past a full step or 1 1/2 steps? Get a floyd if you need to bend sharper. On that note, Heavy gauges make for a stiff playing vibrato due to the increased spring tension necessary to level the trem.

On the topic of hybrid sets (Light top Heavy bottom). I have found these strings to be a great mix for fast tight rhythms and bendability on the top. But I often replace the 17 (Gstring) for an 18 or 19 to improve picking speed. Hope this helps.

Oh yeah by the way Dick Dale plays like 13's or 16's...something rediculous like that. He is a fast mofo, and he still bends ocassionally, but it looks painful.

Stevie Ray played 11's and up and he can't tear through some pentatonics.

[Slaughthammer]

i pretty much like my .009-.046 strings. no matter if tuned to E, D, or even C, they play comfortable and fast, and i can do some heavy rythm-stuff with them. plus i can shred on the lower strings as well as playing heavy riffs. for me, i think it's the best solution. i once played on .011-strings, but i didnt like that at all... no ability to bend...

[weezerboy]

practice on accoustic for a week, then go back to a regular set of 10-46 on your electric.... you'll be flying..

if you only read one post in this whole thread, that is the one that will help you the most

everyone should put the electrics away at least once a month

[GregP]

'Tis true... though I spend 70% of my time on the acoustic with .12-? strings, and I STILL don't fly on the electric. <grin>

[urbansmurf]

i have 10-46, and they seem fine for me. i started on 9s and worked up to 13.5's (to build strength) and they bent my tremelo bridge forward, like a ghetto floating bridge

[ChrisDee]

is it logical and practical to haveur high e at .008 and ur low e on like .052?

or even thicker for the low e?

best of both worlds super fast shred solos and heavy rhythm riffage

[weezerboy]

yes...companies such as ernie ball and rotosound offer "heavy bottom, light top" sets

[Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars]

I use the EB slicky top/heavy bottom 10-52 set. I play my dad's guitars with 9s and they feel like toys. The virbrato is insane that I can get. It makes it hard to buy a new guitar.....guess I should build em.

[krazyderek]

i used to play the 10-52's when i was in a metal band, (drummer was really loud) so i needed something i could literally HIT with my pick when palming and playing chords, but i find now they aren't that great for alot of lead work, and they really aren't that great for floyd equiped guitars if you want to play vai, the skewed tension affects how the bridge returns to 0, i probably coulda tried playing around with the springs, but 10-46 worked fine and felt better when playing lead licks on the heavier strings, like they say, don't fix it if it aint broke