what gauge guitar strings do you use, and what tuning?

justinhedrick · May 20, 2011, 03:08:08 PM

I'm getting my 9 string (24.75 scale) set up soon and have been using 10-52s and tune to drop d. the reason i use the bigger low strings is because it had some intonation/buzzing issues with thinner strings, and someone suggested upping the gauge but they feel MASSIVE compared to my 10-42 sets in my strat and tele.

what strings do any of you use?

The Shocker · May 20, 2011, 03:19:46 PM

Short scales - 11's. Otherwise not picky except I like a wound 3rd.

LogicalFrank · May 20, 2011, 04:15:36 PM

I am in B-standard. I use the bottom six from a heavy gauge seven string set. 14-58. I think I am using 12-52 for standard but the only guitar I really play in standard is my hollow body. My brand is Webstrings. They are cheap.

VOLVO))) · May 20, 2011, 04:19:04 PM

12-60 in E Flat, 13-60 B Standard.

blackkrosses · May 20, 2011, 04:36:18 PM

"Not Even Slinkys" (12-56) except I buy a wound 3rd. C standard.

LogicalFrank · May 20, 2011, 05:07:07 PM

Quote from: blackkrosses on May 20, 2011, 04:36:18 PM
"Not Even Slinkys" (12-56) except I buy a wound 3rd. C standard.

Gotta have a wound third. I hate the way the thicker unwound thirds feel. They seem to stay in tune better too.

Fuhgawz · May 20, 2011, 05:26:48 PM

C# with 11 - 56 gauge strings. D'addario EXL117 to be exact.

blackkrosses · May 20, 2011, 05:44:44 PM

Quote from: LogicalFrank on May 20, 2011, 05:07:07 PM
Quote from: blackkrosses on May 20, 2011, 04:36:18 PM
"Not Even Slinkys" (12-56) except I buy a wound 3rd. C standard.

Gotta have a wound third. I hate the way the thicker unwound thirds feel. They seem to stay in tune better too.

Yeah, I actually cramped my finger trying to bend the unwound 3rd once. Also I find it's chunkier when I'm playing power chords on the 4th and 3rd strings.

clockwork green · May 20, 2011, 06:14:55 PM

Most of my guitarsare in B standard and I use D'Addario 14-68's (all Gibson's). My semi-hollow es137 is in standard and I use Pyramid 11-50's...great, great strings.

eyeprod · May 20, 2011, 10:02:04 PM

Quote from: LogicalFrank on May 20, 2011, 05:07:07 PM

Gotta have a wound third. I hate the way the thicker unwound thirds feel. They seem to stay in tune better too.

I'm the opposite. I love that "thick as a bailing wire" unwound 3rd on a heavy set of strings. That thing can hurt you for sure. Lately I'm running ernie ball 11's in all my guitars, which are tuned to D or E standard. Sometimes I tune one to Eb to play along with Lemmy.

peyotepeddler · May 21, 2011, 01:28:58 AM

mmmmm

i'm tuned to c and use ghs rollerwounds 11-52's, i really like the tension of these, they allow alot of wild ass vibrato and bends, gets more of my style in to the mix

use to use a set of ghs 13-56's many years back in the day, tuned to c, i was also using a solid state amp, for cleans it rocked hard, with high gain it was great for staccato type riffing, but i moved on to more fluid stuff

mawso · May 21, 2011, 02:12:24 AM

i used 9-42s on the ones with a fender scale length, and 10-46 on the ones with a gibson scale length

standard tuning

Hemisaurus · May 21, 2011, 02:14:11 AM

.130's because .125 is too damn floppy, and I'd need to drill out my bridge for a .135, so I do the spacer trick on my B string for extra length to tighten it up.

whatever is the cheapest nickel strings, nothing too bright, and leave 'em on as long as possible. wherever I can, I leave original strings on a new instrument.

lordfinesse · May 21, 2011, 02:18:25 AM

D'Addario XL, 10-42s. E standard. Lame right?

Pundan · May 21, 2011, 12:20:31 PM

A#, D'Addario Baritone Light 13-62.

Baltar · May 21, 2011, 03:34:15 PM

Heavy bottoms Skinny Top. 10-52. More of a rock n roll guy.

Necromancer · May 21, 2011, 03:50:11 PM

11-49, drop C.

yesca · May 21, 2011, 05:17:10 PM

D'Addario Jazz Medium Gauges (.13-.56) drop b tuning on my les paul. just got my custom agile 3100 with p90's so ill probably slap on the same strings

cusar5 · May 21, 2011, 06:54:18 PM

My quest for the ideal set of bass strings continues to this day, but I've had good results with D'addario Chromes and Ernie Ball flats. They sound similar enough that I can use them interchangeably, and since flats take a long time to go completely dead I can mix and match as I pick up new sets.
For standard E I like 100-80-60-40.
Standard D is a bit trickier, but 110-90-70-50-32 (that's a high A#) has been working well for me lately. I may change the 70 and 50 for a 65 and 45 though.
I used to tune to standard C with HUGENELK, and while we don't use that tuning anymore I still like it. I haven't found a low C/B that really works for me, but the GHS 126 came pretty close, so my full C set was 126-95-75-60-40.

h.p. lovecraft · May 22, 2011, 08:36:22 AM

Normally 10s bit if I go lower than D I'll swap 'em out with 11s.

Hemisaurus · May 22, 2011, 08:36:33 AM

Maybe you should try grondwound / halfwound strings? I've heard good things about them, never tried them myself, it'll e a few years before I need new strings hopefully.

beerrhino · May 22, 2011, 08:44:23 AM

13-60, D standard

zachoff · May 23, 2011, 11:11:40 AM

.110-.055 D standard/Drop C (bass)

liquidsmoke · May 23, 2011, 12:04:40 PM

D'Addario XL nickel wound 13, 17, 26, 36, 46, 62 for A tuning on an Epi Junior special. So it's a 7 string set without the 10 and I substitute the 59 for a 62. I turn the gain up all the way on my Laney and the result is kind of old school death metal sounding tone although my playing isn't death metal like at all.

I think I have a set of 9s on my SG for E tuning, that's my rock guitar.

tossom · June 01, 2011, 08:24:41 PM

Every guitar I have is different I think... Mainly due to sticking on whatever I had lying about or what I found in the local shop.

Vigier has 9-42 - D'Addario XL120 tuned to E flat standard
Tele has 11-50 DR tite fit EH11 - tuned to C standard
Strat has 10-46 D'Addario EXL111 tuned to C# standard
SG has 13-56 DR tite fit MEH13 tuned to drop F#