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Do some strings feel stiffer though of the same gauge?


Jkater

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I want to move to 10's on my Pacifica (strat if you will) but I'd like to still have easy bends and soft feel to it. Are there brands that, in most opinions, feel softer?

 

I'm asking because I read here something as to a certain brand feeling stiffer than others for a given gauge. :freak:

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Ernie Ball slinkys definitely have a looser feel given the same gauge as other strings. I found out by accident when I was given a free pack. I went back to my a couple of other sets there after and noticed they felt tighter. ( D'Addario, Dean Markley)

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The wrapped strings can be different depending on the core wire sizes. I'd say Ernie ball, D'Addario, DR, Labella, tend to have medium to thinner core wires and thicker wrappings. Strings like Boomers, Sfarzo, D'Aquisto, SIT, Thomastik-Infeld and a few others tend to have a medium to heavier core wire so thay may feel stiffer.

 

My suggestion would be to do what I do and use 9~46 instead of 9~42. This will give you more balls playing chords yet keep the high end flexable. You may need to do minor setup adjustments of course which is the case whenever you change gauges.

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Good thread. This is a question I've wondered about too. I agree that EBs seem to feel softer than anything I use on a regular basis. I seem to have the same problem with EBs that a lot of folks mention - they just seem to go dead so quickly. I've wondered if some of the perceived differences may actually be due to small variations in the true gauge of the string sets. Does everyone's 10 actually measure .01, or is there a fair amount of variation from brand to brand?

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The wrapped strings can be different depending on the core wire sizes. I'd say Ernie ball, D'Addario, DR, Labella, tend to have medium to thinner core wires and thicker wrappings. Strings like Boomers, Sfarzo, D'Aquisto, SIT, Thomastik-Infeld and a few others tend to have a medium to heavier core wire so thay may feel stiffer.


My suggestion would be to do what I do and use 9~46 instead of 9~42. This will give you more balls playing chords yet keep the high end flexable. You may need to do minor setup adjustments of course which is the case whenever you change gauges.

 

 

This

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Good thread. This is a question I've wondered about too. I agree that EBs seem to feel softer than anything I use on a regular basis. I seem to have the same problem with EBs that a lot of folks mention - they just seem to go dead so quickly. I've wondered if some of the perceived differences may actually be due to small variations in the true gauge of the string sets. Does everyone's 10 actually measure .01, or is there a fair amount of variation from brand to brand?

 

 

No they spec out. I have a micrometer at home and I've specked out most of them. If you want longer life and brightness you need a harder steel. I'm not an expert in metalorgy but it has to do with the makeup of steel and how much iron and coke is used to m,ake the steel, temps, impurities etc.

 

I can say I but about 5~10 sets a month and have tried just about every brand out there in my gauges. If you want someting with equal lbs pull per string, good tone, and stellar quality control I can make a few suggestions.

 

These are excelent strings, best sounding strings I've found for Fender guitars. They have even tension and retain their bright tone.

 

http://www.juststrings.com/ghs-prcl.html

 

Regular boomers arent bad either, a bit less bright and durability.

http://www.juststrings.com/ghs-gbcl-b.html

 

These are my absolute favorite made in USA strings and what I been using pretty much exclusively for a few years now. They sound great, never break and the intonation remains spot on between sets which is real important for me because of all the recording I do. If I swap instruments on tracks I need to be able to get the same tuning and intonation between instruments and thses do it better than any I've found. Very even tension between strings too.

 

http://www.juststrings.com/sfarzoelectricguitar.html

 

These are great options too.

 

http://www.juststrings.com/sit-s946.html

 

 

http://www.juststrings.com/daquistoelectricguitarstainlessroundwound.html

 

I'd use these all the time if they werent twice the proce of others. They give you that melt in your hands feel. The flexibility is just right on these. No intonation problems at all.

The durability isnt as good as some others. They do give you an extra E and B string though so that does help.

 

http://www.juststrings.com/lab-el-l.html

 

 

 

I did use three sets of D'Addarios again recently and its pretty much the same deal with those. I get a few days of good playing and about half the lifespan of other strings I use.

If I only had one guitar and bought a bunch of sets it wouldnt be so bad changing strings often, but I got 27 guitars to keep string and D'Addarios just dont cut it. Good strings but the wrapped strings notch out on the frets too qualcky for me and they also go dead fairly quick.

 

I used these fairly recently http://www.juststrings.com/dan-n-cl.html Not bad for the price. I only tried two sets and they kind of remind me of the D'Addario in feel and durability but Safarzo or Boomers in tone. Not great but not bad.

 

On the flip side I wont buy Fender, Gibson, DR, Rotosound, or Gibson strings. Been burned too many times with bad sets. If they dont have flat strings they dont intonate or remain in tune. I may go back once a year and check on their quality, and if they havent improved they remain on my crap list. Fender went down the tubes when they exported production to Mexico and Japan. DR, I dont know what the hell they're doing. The core wires on theur wrapped strings are too thin and they wont intonate right. Rotosound are complete garbage. Gibson You can intonate the instrument but the strings just dont have the right flexability so you get sharp and flat notes up and down the neck. They also stretch alot which I'm too old and experienced to be dealing with. They also charge too much for them.

 

I could go on an on here, but the strings I didnt mention are all pretty much the middel of the road. Something Like Blue Steels are pretty good for Dean Markley. Havent used them in a long time. They're bright but not as durable as Progressives in my opinion. I should try them again its been a few years. I kind of target the best strings to bring out an instruments tone and though Blue steels may do the job, The progressives are just killer in comparison so I go with them if I have a choice.

 

Many strings are branded too. They dont make their own strings and get them made by the other manufacturers who alsio make strings.

 

I wouldnt doubt that Dunlop, Darco, Dan Electro, Pyramid, Snarling Dogs, Cleartone, and a buttload of others mwerely buy the strings and use their own packaging.

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  • 8 years later...
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Resurrecting old thread.  I broke a string (following gig in the middle-of-nowhere), and got a generic ".10" from a local music store:  I know that they were identical gauges as I - ok; admittedly oddly - travel with a micrometer for business.  The new one was decidedly stiffer than the old "E".  While it might stretch/loosen with time and use, my belief is that it is composition of the steel alloy, and won't feel 'right' again until I change the entire set.   $.02-worth

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I have both a Gibson Flying V, a Gibson LPC and a Epiphone LPC.

The Gibson LPC has a more drastic tilt in the headstock than the Epihone LPC and you really feel it when you bend the string . Plus, if you lower the tailpiece ( string retainer) in relation to the bridge, string tension will rise.

On my Epi LPC, I use 11- 52 with the lowered tailpiece  to get the same feeling from Gibson LPC with 11- 50 gauged strings.

But on Fenders, Squires, Jackson's, Kramer's and Super Strats with Floyd Roses, I use 10- 46 gauged strings to get the same feel from my Epi and Gibson's.

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i know the op is primarely talking about the feel and this video is more talking about the sound  but it kind of points out that some of us are influenced by guitarists such as stevie ray vaughan who played 13`s while tuned down a 1/2 step and has maybe made some of us think ahh!, if it`s good for stevie it`s good for me. where realisticly  most of the rock /blues guitarists used very light strings . check out rick beato`s vid , he seems to know what he`s talking about.

 

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