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Puluke
Aloha
USA
36 Posts |
 Posted - 10/17/2011 : 04:13:57 AM
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While having a setup done, extra light John Pearse strings were put on instead of their medium/light slack key set (the folks I ordered from sent the wrong set and the luthier strung them; not his fault). At first I thought I'd be changing them right away but after playing for a few days am wondering if maybe these are the way to go. They're so easy on the fingers, though at times seem too easy; the lack of "tactile feedback"(?) sometimes makes them hard to feel. Has anybody else found the same thing? What about regular light gauge? Or does the mixed set offer a definite advantage? It's not as simple as trying each and comparing, since I have to order the mixed set...as far as I can tell nobody in Texas sells them. Mahalos for your help on this and the other questions I've asked!
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Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 10/17/2011 : 06:19:20 AM
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Choosing a string set is a multi-factor matter, and in my experience it's different for every guitar. I would probably find the Pearse extra lights (.010, .014, .023, .030, .039, .047) too light for my Goodall but they would be fine for my old Martin 0-18. (I sometimes put an even lighter set, the equivalent of Pearse Nuages, on that guitar.) Those choices are driven by sound and, for the Martin, the stress the guitar can take. I'm relatively insensitive to feel, since I regularly switch from a heavily-strung archtop to the Goodall to a silk & bronze-strung flat-top.
On a guitar that I use mostly for slack key, I'm inclined to use a mixed set--standard light, with mediums for both Es and the A. I would certainly use a heavier low E and A and add the D if I were going to get ambitious and try any of the C tunings. (Then there's the practice of putting on a whole medium-or-heavier set and tuning everything down a whole step, but that's different kettle of capos.) |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 10/17/2011 : 09:02:21 AM
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I have used lights, mediums and slack key sets in the past. Lately, I play lights. It works for me.
If it feels right and sounds good, don't change anything. If your slacked strings seem too loose or you are looking for a bit more low end, you could go medium on the bass strings only or for all 6. Sometimes, people who break strings easily also want to go to a heavier gauge to save from changing strings so frequently.
The good news is that there is no clear cut correct or wrong answer. |
Andy |
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Peter Medeiros
`Olu`olu
546 Posts |
Posted - 10/17/2011 : 09:55:43 AM
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That's good advice Andy,
I can remember fifty years ago using only Black Diamond Strings because it was the only brand that was available. Your fingers got used to it after awhile and the music still sounded good.
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 10/17/2011 : 11:12:17 AM
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Like Andy, I use light gage strings on all my guitars but I use a different brand than you use. It is very easy to find a regular light set on the shelf just about anywhere.
Extra lights would go too far for me becasue my guitars seem to quit singing and the mediums are too hard on my fingers.
Sometimes I use a medium 6th but only when I tune to Bb. Even then I hesitate to go buy just one string so I rarely do it. |
Bob |
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Trev
Lokahi
United Kingdom
265 Posts |
Posted - 10/17/2011 : 11:38:45 PM
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It’s a very personal thing, is string choice.
I always use the heaviest strings available – usually 13-56. To my ears this gives a much better tone and more projection. Lighters strings often sound perfectly fine at home, but when you take them out to a session, it’s immediately obvious that the guitar is a lot quieter.
The trade-off is that heavier strings are a bit harder on the fingers. Personally I think it’s worth the extra effort, and it’s good for building a bit of finger strength. If you like to bend strings, it’s certainly more of a challenge!
But if volume is not particularly important to your situation – if you play mainly plugged in, or at home – then there’s a case to be made for light strings. Why, after all, make it harder work if there’s no benefit in it to you?
I know exactly what you mean by light strings seeming ‘too easy’ – although I would hesitate to use that expression myself; it still seems to be quite difficult enough to me! But certainly, it seems, well, insufficiently tactile.
I played an electric guitar on Sunday night, for the first time in about six months. The strings felt to me like spider webs.
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chunky monkey
Ha`aha`a
USA
1004 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2011 : 07:01:33 AM
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| I play Elixir PB mediums on all my guitars, but I tune down to Taro Patch F or Open C. I had occasion to play someone else's guitars recently, both strung with lights and found them to be different enough from what I'm used to to have to constantly watch what I was playing to avoid mistakes. What you get used to I guess. |
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thumbstruck
Ahonui
USA
2154 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2011 : 08:27:33 AM
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| I like light guage strings. No probem when I tune the low E to C. It's what you get used to. |
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Iakonu
Akahai
USA
57 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2011 : 12:23:31 PM
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| I was at a workshop with George Kahumoku, Jr. recently and this very question was asked of him. His reply was literally "I buy what ever strings are on sale." Perhaps it's because he has twice as many strings to restring as many of us but it made me realize that you can get used to anything after a while. I prefer a light to medium gauge string but I have an arch top which sounds so much better with a heavy gauge string. It isn't much fun transitioning to a heavy gauge after playing lights but I get used to it and the music still sounds good (reflecting Peer's comment above). Jus' press right? |
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Earl
`Olu`olu
USA
507 Posts |
Posted - 10/20/2011 : 06:23:58 AM
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It's mostly a function of sound and feel -- whatever works for you is the right answer.
For many years, I played almost exclusively with light gauge strings. Lately, I have been using mediums mostly, whether in standard tuning or slack-key tunings. Like Trev, I like the greater tone and acoustic volume from mediums. (I am also trending to heavier flatpicks when strumming too). When you drive the top harder, you get more sound.
I have been favorably impressed by the Elixir PB set that is medium-light, mediums on the bass side and lights on the trebles (sometimes referred to as a "bluegrass" set). This works pretty well for slack tunings, which lower the bass strings. But a full medium set works pretty well too.
Like Uncle George, I tend to buy whatever is on sale. Most of mine are strung with Elixir Nano these days, since certain guitars get played only a few times a year.
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Trev
Lokahi
United Kingdom
265 Posts |
Posted - 10/20/2011 : 10:37:43 PM
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Ah yes, Earl! "Whatever is on sale" - I've always done that. particularly with mandolin strings! Before the Internet, the my only recourse was the local music shops. I'd walk in, look at the array of fifty or a hundred different types of guitar string, and ask "Have you got any mandolin strings?" Usually the answer was no, but if I was lucky, the retailer would eventually emerge with a packet, and pausing to blow the dust off, he'd say "We've got these." I'd ask "Have you got any different guages?" "No, we've just got these." "Can I have two sets, then, please?" "No, these - we've just got these. These are the only ones we've got. Just these." "In that case, Sunbeam, I'll have those please!"
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Topic |
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String Gauge
