Members cobalt-60 Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 Do I have much to worry about going from 10s to 11s? I imagine not, but I don't know, I've always used 10s, but want to go up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cleverbastid Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 On some guitars yeah, I find playing 11's on my strat the bass strings feel well, kinda like playing a bass. Bending is very different. Tone really doesn't differ between my tele with 10s and strat with 11s. I really prefer the tele now, even though I used to love 11s on all my guitars (archtops too). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grayeyes777 Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 it's a major difference in feel and in guitar setup. if you're tuned down some it wont matter much but in standard tuning i'd stick with the 10's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IamBurnout Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 It makes your balls drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheBumRush Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 it's a major difference in feel and in guitar setup. if you're tuned down some it wont matter much but in standard tuning i'd stick with the 10's. Yeah, I play half-step down and then in DADGAD (half-step down too). So heavier strings make a big difference to me. Of course, I also play like a monster and tend to break strings way more often than I should. Monster bends (2-3 step) and tremolo picking, sweeps and all that good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cobalt-60 Posted May 12, 2009 Author Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 it's a major difference in feel and in guitar setup. if you're tuned down some it wont matter much but in standard tuning i'd stick with the 10's. They're a lot thicker in the top end, I eventually want to go even thicker. I want the guitar to be like an acoustic. I want a brighter, fuller sound, my guitar is too thin. Still, should I worry about the neck or the nut or anything like that? I'm pretty sure it was made for 10s. Obviously I'll need to do the intonation all over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dkerwood Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 When I was first learning the guitar, I borrowed somebody's Strat with 11's on it. Stiff stiff STIFF stiff stiff. At the time, I couldn't bend any notes at all. Not sure how I'd fare today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members goodhonk Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 it'll make yer hand hurt, and you won't like playing. the tone/sustain will be better though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheBumRush Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 it'll make yer hand hurt, and you won't like playing. the tone/sustain will be better though. They just need to man up. It'll be better for them in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cobalt-60 Posted May 12, 2009 Author Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 it'll make yer hand hurt, and you won't like playing. the tone/sustain will be better though. Bring teh tonez! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members L6Sguy Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 the change from 10s to 11s was probably the best thing i've ever done for my guitars' tone (all started as 10s, then up to 11s). takes a couple days to get used to maybe, but so worth it. nut, saddles, and intonation will all have to be dealt with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coma Larkin Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 I'm playing w/ 12's and loving it, but I'm not doing 3 step bends or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bsc1307 Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 I play with 12's as well on my strat and I like them a lot. I moved from 10's to 12's a couple of months ago, so I can only do about a 1 note bend but once you get used to the heavier gauge bending becomes easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cobalt-60 Posted May 12, 2009 Author Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 I guess i should have emphasized this, sorry it's late, but will the guitar be fine? That's what I'm worried about. I'm not going to have to adjust the truss rod or get a new nut or something, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members duderanimous Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 within the past year I went from playing 10's to 9's... "downsized" for the first time in years (15-20?) and the playability has gotten much easier, and the "RAWK" toanz have become much more prominent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhamnett Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 It needs to be said that this is definitely related to the guitar's scale length. Example: 10s on a Strat will feel stiffer than 10s on a Les Paul. cobalt... you shouldn't need to worry about the truss rod, just need to adjust the bridge (unless you have some funky setup). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BHz_econo Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 be a man - 12's or greater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members L6Sguy Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 I guess i should have emphasized this, sorry it's late, but will the guitar be fine? That's what I'm worried about. I'm not going to have to adjust the truss rod or get a new nut or something, right? the guitar will be fine, its not like guitars are made for 10s, or 11s or whatever. truss rod may well (read: most likely) need adjustment as part of new setup, but the nut wont need to be replaced, just filed a bit as will the saddles. of course if you arent 100% competent/confident, its well worth having it done by a real tech, rather than wasting time {censored}ing things up, trying to decide whetehr its {censored}ed up, making a few threads about it, and then bringing it to a tech to resolve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhamnett Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 of course if you arent 100% competent/confident, its well worth having it done by a real tech, rather than wasting time {censored}ing things up, trying to decide whetehr its {censored}ed up, making a few threads about it, and then bringing it to a tech to resolve. QFT and emphasis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ambient Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 I use 11's, and sometimes bend as much as a major 3rd up (G string though), you get used to them, become a better player and they sound better. imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members english_bob Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 Heavier strings won't make you a better player or "a man". As Duderanimous says, for some styles, lighter strings can actually be better. As for tone, I've heard arguments both ways- some say if you have a really good guitar to start out with, it won't need heavy strings to sustain or to sound good and full-bodied. It will certainly sound different- whether it sounds better or worse is pretty subjective. Shifting all the extra weight and tension in the strings may well make your guitar harder to play- SRV still managed to fly all over the fretboard with a set of 13s, but if the rumours are true, he also had to superglue his fingers to his forearms after a set so he could pull the skin off his arm to replace what he'd lost from his fingers. If inventing new forms of suffering to overcome makes you "a man", then I guess I stand corrected. I went from 9s to 10s years ago because I played quite a bit of acoustic guitar and found that moving back to an electric strung with 9s after getting accustomed to the extra tension made me over-bend and generally caused the 9s to feel very insubstantial, which put me off while I was playing. My main guitar is a Telecaster, so taming the extra treble you get with lighter strings was quite a good thing. Your guitar shouldn't suffer any irreparable damage from the change in string gauge (so long as you're not tuning UP from standard tuning, anyway), but it will probably want some adjustment- the truss rod may need a tweak, the nut slots may need widening to accommodate the thicker strings without sticking and causing tuning problems, and the intonation may need adjustment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members joeyowen Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 it is better for your fingers, more exercise and'll make them stronger chicks dig the higher gauge strings....... also it would improve your sustain i think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vinnies Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 chicks dig it when you're thicker. just do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members L6Sguy Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 ......Shifting all the extra weight and tension in the strings may well make your guitar harder to play- SRV still managed to fly all over the fretboard with a set of 13s, but if the rumours are true, he also had to superglue his fingers to his forearms after a set so he could pull the skin off his arm to replace what he'd lost from his fingers.........which probably has much more to do with his playing approach than the strings themselves -- bass players dont run into the missing fingertip thing, as a rule of thu, er, finger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members christianatl Posted May 12, 2009 Members Share Posted May 12, 2009 be a man - 12's or greater This. 13-56 in dropped C on an Esquire. FTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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