Balanced Tension Sets

DrewA

DrewA

Inspired
So, I've been using D'Addario XL120s (9-42) for a long time, and was pretty happy with them. I heard about the "balanced tension" sets, so I thought I'd give them a try. This is a little chart I made that shows the difference -

string: original gauge (tension), new gauge (tension):

E: 9 (13.10), 9 (13.14)
B: 11 (11.00), 12 (13.11)
G: 16 (14.70), 15 (12.91)
D: 24 (15.80), 22 (13.27)
A: 32 (15.80), 30 (13.89)
E: 42 (14.80), 40 (13.18)

I've been using them for about 2 weeks now, and my impressions are positive. In terms of feel, the first thing you'll notice is heavier B string and lighter A and low E. They actually do feel very "balanced". I also like the tone, which again sounds very even to me in terms of timbre and volume.

Anyone else tried these? Any thoughts on why you would or would not recommend them?

p.s. Sorry if this has been covered already...
 
For years I've been swapping my B string (11) for a 12, and I've experimented with the other guages from time to time. I will likely check these out.
 
I've been buying individual strings and making my own balanced tension sets for a while, especially for bass. I started doing this when I joined a band that played in Drop C tuning and couldn't find a string set that felt right. I tried 10's & 11's and even a 7 string set but used the low B string instead of the E string.

I used the 3 links below to find the strings I needed for different tunings:
http://www.daddario.com/Resources/JDCDAD/images/tension_chart.pdf
D'Addario : String Tension Guide
http://www.daddario.com/upload/tension_chart_13934.pdf
 
By coincidence, I posted about the same topic a few days ago: http://forum.fractalaudio.com/loung...ers-have-you-tried-balanced-tension-sets.html

There was an interesting response from swervedriver about "equal tension" possibly being less desirable that progressive tension (tighter low-end strings to avoid floppy A and low-E)... I have no opinion yet on this, but it's certainly an interesting point of view.

To the OP who's initial impression is positive, can you comment on that? My gut tells me I'd agree with swervedriver, and would prefer lower tension on E, B, and G string, and increasing tension on D, A and low-E... but I haven't tried any of that.
 
I've been using a hybrid custom set for years based on this principle - I believe in it and bravo to D'Addario for doing it (though they've been doing it under the EXL-111 set for a while too).

Feels better to me, just even pressure all over the fretboard and trem's tend to stay in tone better and return to zero more often.
 
interesting this...
I've never tried it...

that said, I do tend to like my plain strings slinky, and the wrapped strings a little on the tighter side
so I use Ernie Ball Hybrid 9's concert tuned
and Power Slinky [11's] in D standard.. but here I swap out the 5th and 6th with a 40 and 50
 
I've been using progressive tension sets for a number of years now. I actually started by swapping out singles over the course of a couple years and slowly worked out what worked for me. I now buy all singles and roll my own. Works a treat. Equal tension is a good start, but equal tension doesn't mean they feel the same. You have to have the progressive tension to get all strings to feel the same, which was always my end goal. You'll likely need to widen your string slots on your nut if you want to give it a go, especially on the low E and A.
 
onemoreguitar said:
I've been using progressive tension sets for a number of years now. I actually started by swapping out singles over the course of a couple years and slowly worked out what worked for me. I now buy all singles and roll my own. Works a treat. Equal tension is a good start, but equal tension doesn't mean they feel the same. You have to have the progressive tension to get all strings to feel the same, which was always my end goal. You'll likely need to widen your string slots on your nut if you want to give it a go, especially on the low E and A.
Click to expand...

now this makes more sense to me...
which is why I like the hybrid sets..
cos to me they feel more uniform
 
onemoreguitar said:
You have to have the progressive tension to get all strings to feel the same ...
Click to expand...
Interesting. Since I started playing I've used 10-52s to get tight bass strings, and still do on Gibson scale guitars. The Parker Fly responds better with more tension on the top strings. Rather than go for floppy bass strings I started swapping the G and B for 18 and 14. Since D'Addario started shipping 11-52s sets I've been going the other way, and dropping the top E to 10.5.
 
Dpoirier said:
By coincidence, I posted about the same topic a few days ago: http://forum.fractalaudio.com/loung...ers-have-you-tried-balanced-tension-sets.html

There was an interesting response from swervedriver about "equal tension" possibly being less desirable that progressive tension (tighter low-end strings to avoid floppy A and low-E)... I have no opinion yet on this, but it's certainly an interesting point of view.

To the OP who's initial impression is positive, can you comment on that? My gut tells me I'd agree with swervedriver, and would prefer lower tension on E, B, and G string, and increasing tension on D, A and low-E... but I haven't tried any of that.
Click to expand...

Didn't see your thread, cool.

Not sure why people said they sounded darker, and were harder to bend. I found the exact opposite, with the exception that the B string has noticeably more tension.

Not that the standard 9-42 set are difficult to bend, they're not (and I use 10-52 depending, also). For some reason they sound subjectively a little brighter and louder - not sure why that is. I do like the way they feel, but of course, that's a personal preference.

I've used standard sets up until now, without any problems. Yeah, I don't think it makes a tremendous difference, that's true. They do feel and sound different though, but it's not a "wow" moment.

One of the things that's interesting to me, is that with a standard 9-42 set, the B string actually has much less tension than the high E, and the low E less than the A. So, in a sense, that's not "progressive" tension, even though it might feel like it.

I think I'll stick with them for the time being, knowing I can always return to my previous gauges without too much trouble (other than adjusting the intonation)!
 
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onemoreguitar said:
I've been using progressive tension sets for a number of years now. I actually started by swapping out singles over the course of a couple years and slowly worked out what worked for me. I now buy all singles and roll my own. Works a treat. Equal tension is a good start, but equal tension doesn't mean they feel the same. You have to have the progressive tension to get all strings to feel the same, which was always my end goal. You'll likely need to widen your string slots on your nut if you want to give it a go, especially on the low E and A.
Click to expand...

Yeah - that's why I wanted to try these, to try and get a more even feel and tone, though what I was using previously were perfectly fine.

Don't know if these gauges actually achieve that. It's hard to accurately judge though, because I'm sure I have some bias from what I'm used to.
 
I just noticed I've been referenced here; if anyone's interested I can post which strings I'm using on my guitars for various tunings, along with their calculated tensions. I'm using an Excel sheet I've poorly designed to calculate what I need, based on data from a table found on d'Addario's website which lists all their string gauges and accompanying string densities.

Note that this stuff only works if you don't change tunings on your guitar. Considering the price of single strings it's probably worth a try if you're comfortable setting up your guitar yourself (you'll likely have to do some intonation and action adjustments, possibly some filing of the nut for very low tuned strings). In my case I gained a somewhat lowered action (without fret buzz) and a much more solid feel on my detuned strings. I'm not going to say it's the be-all-end-all solution for anyone unhappy with how their current string set feels, but it's simply another approach that may be worth trying. :)
 
swervedriver said:
I just noticed I've been referenced here; if anyone's interested I can post which strings I'm using on my guitars for various tunings, along with their calculated tensions. I'm using an Excel sheet I've poorly designed to calculate what I need, based on data from a table found on d'Addario's website which lists all their string gauges and accompanying string densities.

Note that this stuff only works if you don't change tunings on your guitar. Considering the price of single strings it's probably worth a try if you're comfortable setting up your guitar yourself (you'll likely have to do some intonation and action adjustments, possibly some filing of the nut for very low tuned strings). In my case I gained a somewhat lowered action (without fret buzz) and a much more solid feel on my detuned strings. I'm not going to say it's the be-all-end-all solution for anyone unhappy with how their current string set feels, but it's simply another approach that may be worth trying. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, go ahead and post it - would be interesting to see what you came up with!
 
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