Rick Beato on string gauge

This topic came up at rehearsal last night and I've been thinking of trying this new, forthcoming Ernie Ball set:

https://www.ernieball.com/guitar-st...wound-electric-guitar-strings/6-string#P02228

.0085 -> .040

A bit beefier then a Super Slinky .008 set.

For decades I played Ernie Ball 2221 sets (.010 -> .046) and a couple of years ago started to find them a bit too tough to bend and I was working harder then I'd like to. I play Suhr guitars which seem to have a stiffer string feel overall.

I dropped down to the Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky 2222 (.009 -> .046) and have been using them regularly for some time now.

Lately I'm thinking I'd like to have a bit less stiffness in the unwound strings and was thinking of trying the new .0085 set, but I like the wound strings to be chunkier at .026, .036, .046 (was never too crazy about .042 low E and lighter wound strings) so I might try making my own hybrid set.

Some guitars with .009's play and feel very slinky to me, some guitars .010 feel the same way...pretty guitar/scale dependent but am finding my Suhr's with .009's are fighting me a bit too much these days. I can still play them but dropping a bit on the unwound strings has been on my mind as of late.
 
Agreed, and the original Beato video, they didn't touch any settings....so the 'better' sounding string has more to do with how the amp was set.

Reminds me so much of a friend of mine who plugs in a new guitar and says - don't like it, it's too bright.
And I always say - um, did you turn the treble down on your amp?
And he says - no, I shouldn't have to.
And I say - that has to be the dumbest thing anyone has ever said, ever, in any universe.

Thing is though, plugging in different guitars to the same amp setting is a very good way to hear the differences between guitars. After that, maybe you like how it sounds different so you keep the setting the same, or you compensate for too much treble or bass.

Too many guitarists treat their electric guitars like they are acoustics. Yeah, this one is too bright, too midsy, to boomy. With electrics we have options. Acoustics too if they come with a preamp. EQ motherf***ers! It exists for a reason! Feel of a guitar should be as important, if not more important then tone. EQ can compensate for tone. Hell, those classic rock tones most people are trying to nail were probably heavily EQ'ed in studios to begin with.

Here are Tony Iommi's string gauges on the live guitars:

For the D# tuning,
.008p, .008p, .011p, .018w, .024w, .032w

For the C# tuning,
.009p, .010p, .012p, .020w, .032w, .042w

.008's tuned down (!!!)....and I don't think anyone would argue he doesn't have a massive, powerful, full sound...food for thought.

His sound comes from his amps obviously. And the reason he went for lighter strings was for comfort, not tone, as heavier strings hurt his injured finger. Hell, that's why he originally tuned down to C# in the 70's in the first place.
 
I play 9-46s. They feel right. For me, the low strings feel too floppy with 9-42s.

I practice on 11s. Whatever I can do with 11s, I can do better and more confidently on 9s.
 
It did at first. Then I started paying attention to how far I was bending instead of how hard I was bending. I think my bending improved as a result.
Yeah... Fair point.

We should really also bend by ear but for pre-bends that's kind of impossible :)
 
An interesting thread and I had watched Rick Beato's vid when it first came out. A lot of comments here about buzzing, bending, tone and feel on various string gauges, but what seems to be missing is the ever-important context of what tuning you are using. 9-42's are great in standard tuning, but maybe not so much if you play in Drop-C, for example. I'm very interested in this discussion and hearing everyone's opinions, but the comments are tough to put in perspective without knowing what tuning you are talking about. Scale length of the guitar also makes a difference here, so unless we know what you are playing on and what you are tuned to, general statements like "I prefer 10's over 9's" are a bit broad, absent context. Just my 2 cents...
 
It did at first. Then I started paying attention to how far I was bending instead of how hard I was bending. I think my bending improved as a result.
In fact, I quickly got to the point where I could swap guitars with different string gauges without thinking about it. The bends just come out. My only thought when switching to heavier strings is "This is more work! " :)
 
Agree... 10's are the best string.. for the best tone and flexibility, harmonics, squeelies, pick slides, tuning stability...etc...good rock n roll.

9's are good for beginners...until your hand muscles form. You spend so much time developing finger muscles...

using 9's is going in the other direction.... forces you to lighten up your touch or everything sounds sharp.

9's are good for shredding and fast playing.... but it's a pain for alternate picking.. strings just flexing too much...picks spends too much time in contact with it... like playing with a light pick. a few pros, many more cons
 
Agree... 10's are the best string.. for the best tone and flexibility, harmonics, squeelies, pick slides, tuning stability...etc...good rock n roll.

9's are good for beginners...until your hand muscles form. You spend so much time developing finger muscles...

using 9's is going in the other direction.... forces you to lighten up your touch or everything sounds sharp.

9's are good for shredding and fast playing.... but it's a pain for alternate picking.. strings just flexing too much...picks spends too much time in contact with it... like playing with a light pick. a few pros, many more cons
Dang it! After all these years of playing and I'm still a beginner!
 
I play M style ESP guitars, 24 frets with a 25.5 scale length, which all are also EMG 81/81, 81/85, or 81/60 and Original Floyd Rose equipped.

One summer a few years back, I was gigging doubles every weekend, and was using Elixir Nano's to extend the life of my strings to save one money. Tone was passible, but you can actually hear the plastic in the sound after a while when you gig with other bands and they are not using Elixirs, and the stability was not great as the strings aged, also all the shredded plastic in the picking area creates "drag" so one sunday I bought a whole bunch of different sets, and brands and after about a month of trying them all, I found these NYXL 9-46 are the absolute best fit for the guitars I own, and with my technique/playstyle.

Most importantly though is the stability. I play aggressively with my pick hand while going for a feather light touch on the fretboard. I love the way you can easily vibrato these with little effort, and the harmonic resonance is thick and pleasing.... as well I am a trem bar diving assassin lol... these strings last me about 120 hours per set before the B and high E go flat.

I play everything from classic rock, to country, to hip hop, to metal, to thrash, to grunge. Paired with an EVH 5150III 50 watt 6L6 and a 212 loaded with an Celestion G12EVH and a Vintage 30, while running an Axe-FX II 4CM for everything except amps and cabs.... it's an experience in itself to play this rig, and IMHO the strings a Major factor in the enjoyment of playing.




daddario-nyxl-marketing.jpg
 
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bought a whole bunch of different sets, and brands and after about a month of trying them all, I found these NYXL 9-46 are the absolute best fit for the guitars I own, and with my technique/playstyle.
This is one of the best things any guitarist can do. I went through the same process a couple of years ago after many years with a particular brand and various gauges. I found exactly what @Severed did; the perfect brand, construction and gauge for me and my guitars. If all strings were the same it would be simple but there is a difference between types of strings. Brand usually ends up being personal preference but there is a tonal and tactile difference between gauge and how the strings are constructed. We're all individuals and have different preferences of feel, tone and what we're willing to or able to spend. We spend so much time working on our tone but often neglect the one aspect of it that can make the difference between "fighting" the guitar and enjoying it.
 
I used to use 9's, 10's and 11's on different guitars but now use 9-42 nickel wound on everything. Couple of tweaks to the tone and all's good. I use a 3.5mm pick and really like how they feel.
 
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