What String Gauge do you use on electric (strat)

guitarded

Experienced
I have been using 9s for as long as I have been playing, mostly because I am a weenie, but have lately been trying to get a good Lincoln Brewster tone, namely… LB Sample.wav - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage , but have had trouble getting a good balance between the lows getting overly boomy with no real definition and the highs getting too shrill. In the sample when he hits those higher note it has that great snap with the highs singing through and still beefy at the same time. I have EQed a hundred different ways but still haven’t got it. I know it's partly technique with a pluck possibly.
I am thinking going to a heavier string may help, Plus I think I am in the minority using 9s.
Just wanted to get an average of what folks use.
If you have time, thanks for weighing in.
BTW does anyone know what gauge string LB uses?
sry bout the large file size...
 
You should start a poll if you want to collect data of some kind, but you probably won't get much of an "average" anyway. Plus who cares what the average is, yeah?

Quick Google search indicates that LB does indeed use GHS 9's.

You've identified a tone problem and I think you're right about a potential solution. Slap a set of 10's on there and see what happens!
 
9 will give you more snap.
Try Elixir Nanoweb 9's ... if you want more bottom end you can try the hybrid 9-46

Still not enough snap? Get a Swamp Ash body with maple neck.
Still not enough snap? Get a Tele

:idea
 
Personally, I think snap has more to do with pick attack and amp settings... e.g. SRV had no lack of snap but was rolling for most of his career with 13's. YMMV.
 
Oh, and if you were curious about me... I use 11-49 on my Les Paul and 10-46+64 on my 7-string Ibby. Generally, heavier strings at the same scale length and tuning will give a more fundamentally rich tone, while lighter strings have more harmonics. Ergo the lower registers can sound a bit thin and the top end can sound shrill, as you'd mentioned.

Try stepping up to 10's for a couple of months, don't judge too hard until you build up the hand strength. Then you might notice the tonal difference when you go back to 9's.
 
Yes: fatter strings = fatter tone (hotter, too, because there's more metal moving through the pickup's magnetic field).

You might not like them until you build up your hand strength by using them, but you will reach a point where they feel as natural as your 9's.


Here's a quick way to get yourself ready for 10-gauge strings:
  1. Get your hands on a 12-string guitar — the crappier the better.
  2. Tune it to concert pitch.
  3. Play it 15 minutes a day for a week.
After a week, the 10's will feel like cotton thread.
 
I use 10-46 (Ernie Ball RPS).
The 10's give me perfect string tension in standard tuning

Per
 
I have been using 9s for as long as I have been playing, mostly because I am a weenie, but have lately been trying to get a good Lincoln Brewster tone, namely… LB Sample.wav - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage , but have had trouble getting a good balance between the lows getting overly boomy with no real definition and the highs getting too shrill. In the sample when he hits those higher note it has that great snap with the highs singing through and still beefy at the same time. I have EQed a hundred different ways but still haven’t got it. I know it's partly technique with a pluck possibly.
I am thinking going to a heavier string may help, Plus I think I am in the minority using 9s.
Just wanted to get an average of what folks use.
If you have time, thanks for weighing in.
BTW does anyone know what gauge string LB uses?
sry bout the large file size...

the pickup(s) might play quite a part in this.
'muddy bass and shrill highs' sounds like sub-par pickups to me.
 
I use 10-46's too but I usually tune down 1/2 step.

I've had a lot of different strats over the years and each one has been slightly different as far as what string brand / guage worked best for me.

My current strat is an all original 71' (I think, 70's for sure) with maple fingerboard.

It sounds best to my ear with 10's tuned down 1/2 step. The pickups lowered just slightly on the bass end. And the tone control backed off a hair. I back it off by ear to find the sweet spot depending on the rest of the signal chain.

- Richard
 
D'Addario 14-18-26-44-56-68 They are listed under bass guitar strings *lol* I LOVE those fat strings, they sound so amazing! I play them on my FGN Expert Elan (it's a 25") with a drop-h tuning
 
the pickup(s) might play quite a part in this.
'muddy bass and shrill highs' sounds like sub-par pickups to me.

Good point Don.

I would also recommend experimenting with changing the pickup height from poll piece to string.

For me, with 70's vintage strat pickups, the pickup height adjustment makes a big difference in tone. I reset the height if I change string guage or brand.

- Richard
 
Thanks for all the replies!

Quick Google search indicates that LB does indeed use GHS 9's.
thanks, must admit that never occored to me.


the pickup(s) might play quite a part in this.
'muddy bass and shrill highs' sounds like sub-par pickups to me.
I don't doubt this at all. The pups are the stock one that came in my highway one.
I hope to put some area 58s in there soon. I am making it out a lot worse than it is i guess. I can get a decent enough tone. just when I try to get THAT snappy sound on the higher notes it causes probelms elsewhere.

D'Addario 14-18-26-44-56-68 They are listed under bass guitar strings *lol* I LOVE those fat strings, they sound so amazing! I play them on my FGN Expert Elan (it's a 25") with a drop-h tuning
OUCH! ;)

Good point Don.

I would also recommend experimenting with changing the pickup height from poll piece to string.

For me, with 70's vintage strat pickups, the pickup height adjustment makes a big difference in tone. I reset the height if I change string guage or brand.

- Richard

This has helped... Ihave been messing around with this for a while... I used the "nickel method" and some others... I eventually settled on lowering them quite a bit lower than most suggested heights. To me that was where that sounded the smoothest and best balanced. This probably goes back to crappy pups too.
 
I really appriciate the input.
and btw, I am NOT a metal player. ;) Wish I could... those guys have some monster chops
I can almost pass for a blues guy on a good day!
 
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