penningtron wrote: Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:23 am

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:13 am Khruangbin Mark says he changes strings once a tour.

Thumbs up for that guy. I always found the change multiple guitars' strings for every single show thing (drumheads too) to be wasteful and gross. The worst story I heard on here was the bass player for Tool getting a new set for his backup basses every single show (but at least the FM who posted that got to take home the unused sets).

The khruangbin guy plays flats though.

cakes wrote: Tue Jun 10, 2025 10:12 am and came across this video

That's the stupidest fucking video, imo. There are other variables with this study that can influence the outcome. The way the riff is played is never the exact same twice. The guitar action is also changing with each different gauge.

re: gauges....play what you like and what works for you in terms of string tension and the scale length of your guitar. I personally like a regular set of 10s on a full scale Fender but if I'm in possession of a Mustang or Jaguar I'll go with 11s just to get roughly common tension. I play like an ape, though. YMMV. Also if you're experimenting with gauges pay attention to wound/unwound strings depending on your guitar. If you have a Mastery bridge it will not intonate with a wound G string because .

re: brand or model....I normally wouldn't consider a *fancy* set of strings but was recently hipped to these by someone who's opinions I vehemently trust and was pleasantly surprised. They feel great and last a ton longer than normal strings:
re: bass strings....i'm not really mad at much of it. Some things sound better out of the box, but everything sounds good in time. The metal band I was in previously tuned down a half step and for that I preferred the Steve Harris signature Rotosounds because duh. If a band is tuning down much lower than a step I start reaching for 5-string packs because i'm all about preserving string tension.

I realize there are a lot of factors there, which is why I'm testing strings myself. There is now empirical evidence from my own string change that proves what is discussed in this video. It's not that stupid. The last minute where Beato plays the four different strings on his own riff is really the crux of it all. Sure, it doesn't matter... until it does, which is why I've arrived here.

cakes wrote: Tue Jun 10, 2025 2:09 pm I realize there are a lot of factors there, which is why I'm testing strings myself. There is now empirical evidence from my own string change that proves what is discussed in this video. It's not that stupid. The last minute where Beato plays the four different strings on his own riff is really the crux of it all. Sure, it doesn't matter... until it does, which is why I've arrived here.

Wait until you hear Dave from Friedman talk about Edward Van Halen and strings.

You'll feel like Neo.

numberthirty wrote: Wed Jun 11, 2025 4:48 am Wait until you hear Dave from Friedman talk about Edward Van Halen and strings.

You'll feel like Neo.

I've heard this mentioned more than a few times on different youtube videos. Did he play 7s or something silly like that?

I strung up 9s last night. They felt great, but there seemed to be something lost on the high strings that I like. I dunno, could be other factors or maybe could use some adjustments on my other settings. I did like the feel, but it wasn't as dramatic as it was going from 11s to 10s. I'm gonna spend a few more days with 9s and then move to 8s, then move back up to 9.5s.

Sidenote, I hate stringing up this LP. I am so glad I have locking tuners ready to install on the new guitar. Holy hell.

cakes wrote: Wed Jun 11, 2025 10:05 am They felt great, but there seemed to be something lost on the high strings that I like. I dunno, could be other factors or maybe could use some adjustments on my other settings.

When you think about it, with lighter gauge strings there's less metal vibrating over the pickups so less signal voltage is produced. So you may need to adjust pickup height or add an in-line boost to have the same output from the guitar.

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Wed Jun 11, 2025 10:54 am

cakes wrote: Wed Jun 11, 2025 10:05 am They felt great, but there seemed to be something lost on the high strings that I like. I dunno, could be other factors or maybe could use some adjustments on my other settings.

When you think about it, with lighter gauge strings there's less metal vibrating over the pickups so less signal voltage is produced. So you may need to adjust pickup height or add an in-line boost to have the same output from the guitar.

That's a good idea. I did notice I would need to adjust some things in my pedals, too. I'm really digging how more subtle the compression pedal is working now, though. Since the heavier gauge was kinda muddy in comparison, just a little compression went a long way. Now, it seems to have more room to breath.

I am more curious how far down I could go in gauge where I get that balance of playability without losing too much of the other things that I've grown accustomed to liking. Once I get the gauge down, I'm going do a full setup. After that, I'll know what to do with this Warmoth build.

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Wed Jun 11, 2025 10:54 am

cakes wrote: Wed Jun 11, 2025 10:05 am They felt great, but there seemed to be something lost on the high strings that I like. I dunno, could be other factors or maybe could use some adjustments on my other settings.

When you think about it, with lighter gauge strings there's less metal vibrating over the pickups so less signal voltage is produced. So you may need to adjust pickup height or add an in-line boost to have the same output from the guitar.

Someone, I believe fm Steve, once said on here that Billy Gibbons uses super light strings and a super light attack with an amp that is absolutely cranked. I often wonder about that because I've always kinda done the complete opposite.

Yeah, I think Gibbons plays 7s or something insane like that. He got the suggestion from BB King iirc. Gibbons also has very hot pickups.

Teacher's Pet wrote: Wed Jun 11, 2025 12:24 pm Billy Gibbons uses super light strings

He definitely put his name on some super light strings:

https://www.jimdunlop.com/billy-gibbons ... ngs-07-38/

I'm with FM Teacher's Pet on the '200 lb. gorilla' approach to guitar, in part because when I've played guitars with 9s I have to be careful not to pull chords sharp. But I should probably practice technique.

https://www.musicradar.com/news/billy-g ... -interview

<< “BB King left me with probably the strongest statements you could ask for,” Gibbons recalls. “Firstly, you should learn to play what you want to hear. Not what someone is trying to teach you. Follow what’s in your head.”

The second piece of advice was lifechanging, shattering a supposed tonal golden rule, an assumption most of us make. It also explains why Billy likes his guitar strings on the slinky side…

“I was about 22 and just starting out with ZZ Top,” he says. “I was in the dressing room and BB said to me, ‘Can I play your guitar?’ I said, ‘Sure man.’

"He strummed it a few times and handed it back to me. He looked at me rather quizzically and said, ‘Why you working so hard?’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘Those strings. You got real heavy, heavy strings.’ I said, ‘Well, isn’t that how to get the heavy, heavy sound?’ He said, ‘No! Don’t be working so hard!’ >>