The Best String Gauge For Guitar [Ultimate Guide]

Рет қаралды 20,308

Жыл бұрын

tomhess.net/Fretting Which string gauge for guitar is best? This video is the ultimate guide on guitar string gauges, sizes, and thickness. Here’s exactly what you’ll learn[...]
In order to understand which string gauge is best for your guitar, you first need to understand the pros and cons of string thickness. There’s a lot that goes into these differences. I break it all down for you so you can choose the right string size for your guitar.
First, we’ll look at how the 3 parts of every note you play are affected by the gauge of the guitar string. Learning this will help you find the right gauge string.
Second, I’ll show you how string tension plays a major role in how thin or thick guitar strings react to the notes you play.
Third, we’ll look at the complete list of pros and cons of bigger strings (heavier string gauge) and thinner strings (lighter string gauge).
Finally, we’ll discuss the differences in tone. Most people believe that heavy strings produce a better tone. That is not always true. In this video, I’ll show you the difference.
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Пікірлер: 53

@BasedRaven96 Жыл бұрын

I use 8s. When it comes to strings I chose what feels the best for me!

@wyattstephans1718 Жыл бұрын

This has to be the most comprehensive analysis on strings I’ve ever seen. Well done.

@tomhessmusiccorp Жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it Wyatt! :)

@andreasfetzer7559 29 күн бұрын

Great , intelligent Video. These kind of videos serve the musicianship.

@sixbrokenstrings7322 Жыл бұрын

It's amazing the difference string tension can make. I tried some 9-42s recently and had a hard time getting used to the extra relief of the string. I prefer the tone of the lighter gauge, but I've spent so much time playing 10-46s it just feels better I guess.

@mrbas5150 Жыл бұрын

On my schecter at standard tuning I use 9-46. On my SG tuned down half step I use 10-52. Works for me. In the end it's all about what works for you

@zipperhead101 Жыл бұрын

Really good info. Things I hadn't even considered. Thanks for breaking it down like no other!

@tomhessmusiccorp Жыл бұрын

My pleasure, Kelly! Glad you liked it! :)

@anime5h_m1shr4 Жыл бұрын

One of the best videos on selecting string gauge. Thank you!!

@erikdutra8336 Жыл бұрын

Incredible work, friend! Thank you for this video, it helps a lot! 👍🏻

@tomhessmusiccorp Жыл бұрын

My pleasure, Erik! Glad you like it! :)

@marcborneis4131 11 ай бұрын

Excellent analysis !!!

@user-kj1ql9dk3n Жыл бұрын

Solid explanation.

@mikephilippov8735 Жыл бұрын

Great video - the level of detail is awesome!

@tomhessmusiccorp Жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it, Mike! :)

@fingerz1245 Жыл бұрын

You are a wealth of knowledge! Thank you!

@tomhessmusiccorp Жыл бұрын

My pleasure! :)

@A20Y11 Жыл бұрын

good points!

@gtaglia779 Жыл бұрын

I use 10 to 52s because I tune to Drop C#...The lighter top gauges makes it much easier to bend and play vibrato while I keep the tightness for rhythm with heavy gauge bottom strings. I like the total tension to be about 100 to 110 pounds using a string tension calculator, which I highly recommend

@lumberlikwidator8863 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the sane, low key discussion on string gauge. Very intelligent advice here. I prefer the 9-46 set on most of my guitars, but the no. 11 b string feels a little too light for me, so I replace it with a no. 12. On my full hollow body Gretsch I like 11-52 flatwounds. Nice channel. Never seen it before but now I’m subscribed.

@bonzo1928 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the information, most of the videos I watched on this topic before were overly technical. For me, as a result of this video, I think I will try 9s on my electric guitar next string change

@Amiga1200_Juicer Жыл бұрын

Mr Hess i have the best of both worlds. My secret formula is 10-46 then drop it half step (d#) on 25.5 scale.. İ flow like butter and it checks all the ticks in your chart. All the bests!

@trance9158 Жыл бұрын

Need this for bass guitar.

@ATthemusician 5 ай бұрын

I highly recommend building a balanced tension set with stringjoys tension calculator. With a normal 10-74 set on my 8 string, some of the strings have nearly 30lb of tension while others only have around 11lb. That's just unnatural and really weird feeling in retrospect. I'll never go back to standard string packs. Now i have 8-11-14-22w-30-42-56-80 gauge and tension is perfect all across the strings.

@LPGTR Жыл бұрын

Excellent lessons on strings, I tend go for 10-52 on Strats and for Short Scale Guitars go for 10-52 on Les Paul and I use plain 18 on G string it keep the Les Paul in tune better for standard tuning and 11-52 for half step Eb tuning and 10-52 or 11-52 Gibson Scale 24.75 are best for Les Paul's and SGs and Explorers, 335, Daddario NYXL last for long time. Tom what Gauge do you use for Gibsons and what gauge strings for Strats? Thumbs up Great video.

@thanosp.8140 11 ай бұрын

All those where great points towards either gauge. I just want to emphasize on the subjective opinion of the guitarist: what one calls easy-to-play, the other calls floppy; what one calls clarity, the other calls tinny-sounding. So bottom line is to experiment with different gauges (for each guitar!) and decide what clicks with you, be it due to sound or touch.

@brianbergmusic5288 6 ай бұрын

Hybrid strings for the win! I use Ernie Ball 10-52s in D-standard ( *Skinny Top & Heavy Bottom* ) and 9-46s in E-standard ( *Hybrid Slinky* ). I feel like such sets give the best of both worlds, but I have head some suggest that the tone/volume of hybrid sets are unbalanced, but if it's good enough for Kiko Loureiro then it's more than good enough for me. For lead, I prefer playing in E-standard because the unwound G string is the weakest link for tone, and it sounds less bad in a smaller gauge in contrast to the slightly bigger when I move down to D-standard. For heavy metal only, D-standard for the win, due to chugging rhythms being the bread and butter of any song/tune. I may be a nobody, but I play guitar instead of video games. I never considered the advice that the tail end of notes benefits from heavier gauge strings so thank you for teaching me something new!

@armandvanzyl4937 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the video, Tom. I've seen a couple of videos presenting their own pros and cons when it comes to string guage, but yours was by far the most balanced of the lot. I'm constantly in two minds about what guage is right for me. The amount of times I've switched between 9's, 10's, 11's and hybrid sets between those has become too hard to count. I like the ease of the lighter guages, but also for some reason I find fretting chords and keeping them in tune difficult on them, as in I have this odd tendency to slightly bend the strings when I play chords on lighter strings. Must be in my head or a technique problem. I also just find picking much more enjoyable on heavier guages. In terms of tone I have never considered the guage to make much of a difference, so it's never been a factor for me. Anyway, great video, thank you.

@tomhessmusiccorp Жыл бұрын

Glad you liked the video, Armand :) If you have a hard time keeping chords in tune, it could be that you are squeezing the strings too hard or that you are accidentally bending the strings when you fret chords. This is a simple issue you to correct (just pay attention to how the fingers come down on the frets and use less pressure to fret chords and make sure you don't bend the strings unless you are doing a string bend). This won't take long to fix.

@armandvanzyl4937 Жыл бұрын

@@tomhessmusiccorp Thanks for the advice and the reply, sir. I took a good look at what you mentioned just now in my most recent practice session and also video recordings of my previous practice sessions (don't have a teacher, so I try to spot what I can and then fix it) and noticed that I do slightly bend the strings when I play chords. Not always, but a few too many times. Your videos are always a great help. Thanks again.

@ehsanhaq155 8 ай бұрын

9s work for me. 10s do too on Les Pauls. But overall 9s for life. Standard tuning player. 🙏

@sosebee2 Жыл бұрын

Hi Tom - Very Thoughtful video. Question: do you lump 9's and 10' (standard no hybrids, standard tuning) as light gauge and above that heavy gauge? I have a Strat with tens on it and I love the sound. I put 9's on my Tele and it sounds too twangy. I'm going back to 10's.

@lukssinkovec2289 Жыл бұрын

I found it hard to do a whole bend and the vibrato on top of it with 10s on my epi g400 pro sg in e standard, it was going to the point my hand hurted. So i put it with same gauge first in e flat, not noticing a difference, so than i put it in d standard. That's where things became lot easier. My other guitar mij jackson dinky likes a slightly higher gauge, so i have that one strung with 10s in e flat and the tension is quite the same as with an sg in d standard. I never liked 10s in standard e with 24.5 scale guitars to be honest, it was way too tight to bend, and i bend a lot. At the end i found out that i like more slinkier feel on 24.5 scale guitars. I would put 9s if i was in e standard on my sg.

@jetarocruz6624 10 ай бұрын

thanks . im moving from 10 to 9s. but do i need to change the nut too ?

@ilijatokic2778 Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot for every lesson you upload, Mr. Tom. I really like your approach. Your videos are always helpful when I actually listen to them and try to apply the things you say. I was wondering, could you give me advice about timing and rhythm, or maybe even make a video about it? I really struggle with those. I don't know how to start practicing it. I know music theory, I know what kinds of notes we have, etc., but I don't know how to start applying that and get better at it. Whenever I grab a music sheet of a solo and try to play it in time, it just seems impossible to me. It looks pretty chaotic. I've been playing guitar for 2 years, and this is truly bothering me. I believe it's the most essential thing to know, because every song or technique I want to learn or master should be by using a metronome, which I just don't know how to do the right way while trying to learn anything.

@tomhessmusiccorp Жыл бұрын

Hi Ilija, I'm glad you like my videos :) About timing, first, make sure you understand the rhythm of the piece of music you are practicing (what the note values are and how to count them against the click). Then, start by simply clapping your hands to the metronome (clapping out the rhythm of the music). Once you internalize the rhythm in your mind and can clap your hands in time, it will be much easier to pick up your guitar and play in time.

@carneboy Жыл бұрын

My takeaway is higher gauge would benefit more rhythm style playing and lower gauge more lead style playing.

@Bluesruse 8 ай бұрын

Not sure if this was mentioned or not, but heavier gauge strings need to vibrate less, meaning you can setup lower action without fretbuzz. This can be an important factor for some shredders out there.

@REBELSCL 2 ай бұрын

My question has to do with string material… What are the strengths and weaknesses of Nickel vs Stainless Steel vs Cobalt…etc. I’m 69 and regrettably heavily arthritic.. I’m using either 7’s or 8’s for the ease of fretting but want to learn about string material properties… I’ve also considered 9-42 flat wounds as I understood that they’re easier to fret… HELP? BTW, I own multiple guitars (10) but generally speaking they are mostly either Strat style or Les Paul style.. a couple are PRS’s…..

@mikevanchieri Жыл бұрын

@TomHessMusicCorp - What about using a hybrid set of strings such as 9-46 where you have easier bendability on the higher strings and also better tuning stability on the lower strings when really attacking power chords for rhythm parts?

@tomhessmusiccorp Жыл бұрын

If you're having problems keeping the low strings in tune when playing heavy power chords, it's not really the fault of the string gauge. What's most likely happening is the trajectory of the pick is not parallel with the plane of the strings as the pick plays the chords. When the pick is off the plane, coming at an angle, that often creates tuning issues and intonation issues because the strings will go sharp after you first attack the chord. This tends not to happen (very much) when the pick slices through the strings parallel with the plane of the strings.

@jimmy5196 Жыл бұрын

I’d like to add to this video that……string BRANDS also make a tremendous difference, even with the same gauge. For example, D’addario .009’s are much different than Ernie Ball .009’s. The D’addarios feel stiffer and brighter while the Ernie Balls feel much “looser” and have a more balanced tonality (to my ears). I also feel as if Ernie Balls stay in tune better.

@georgenox4482 Жыл бұрын

Thank you ,Tom Hess, for this valuable guide on string gauge! I always wondered how you bend your notes so wide (1+1/2 steps and beyond) and still the strings don't even break! Now, it is obvious because of your choice of 9's...

@tomhessmusiccorp Жыл бұрын

You're welcome George! Glad you liked it! :)

@Sebastian_Mroczek Жыл бұрын

There's another factor that I have to present here that was only partially mentioned. Thicker strings require tiny little more force, which means they need slightly more body strength engaged. This creates more tension of the muscles, which means you might play little bit slower:D. Of course this is a fraction of a difference;)

@vince1229 Жыл бұрын

How would a scalloped fretboard fit into this?

@tomhessmusiccorp Жыл бұрын

A heavier gauge string would make it slightly safer to not push down too hard on a scalloped fingerboard. However, as long as you are a bit careful with your technique, I'd still recommend the lighter gauge strings (9-42) assuming you are tuned to standard tuning. If you tune down, you might consider going a little heavier.