I switched string gauge on my Les Paul from Ernie Ball yellow pack .010" to NYXL pink pack .009". I hate the feel. Hate it. Bends are nice but picking feels like nothing. I'm just beating on the strings and pushing them out of the way instead of hitting them to whatever precise degree I am able. However, my issue with major thirds being out of tune at the first fret seems to have disappeared.

My fingers hate it but my ears like it. Hmmm, maybe I should try .095". I moved from .013" to .011" to .010" and I don't recall having as much of an issue as this.

Had anyone else changed string gauge and got along with it?

I did many years ago, i use to run 12’s on my fenders. I went down to 10’s. The sound wasn’t as “full” strumming or playing chords. However as you have said it was better for bends and buzzing on frets.

On Gibson scale (24 3/4”), a given string gauge is going to feel squishier than on a Fender scale (25 1/2”) as there’s less tension on the strings. Generally, tens on a Gibson scale feels fairly close to how nines feel on a Strat. When I was a Strat guy, I settled on 9.5-46. It was just right for me. On my Gibsons, I won’t go lower than tens for the reasons you mentioned and actually prefer 11’s.

Intonation adjustments can go into and out of whack with string gauge changes, because although very slightly, you are changing the geometry and the strings will vibrate differently anyways.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
Intonation adjustments can go into and out of whack with string gauge changes, because although very slightly, you are changing the geometry and the strings will vibrate differently anyways.

After changing the strings to the lighter gauge I had to tweak tyre truss rod. I loosened it about a quarter turn to get rid of the buzz. Then I intonated the bridge.

Before I got the Les Paul, I was a 25.5" guy, too. I just don't play my other guitars anymore. This one just fits me and nothing else sounds like this one.

I've more or less only played 11s on my electric guitars for 20 or so years, but they were all Strat scale so it felt like I expect 11s to feel, tension wise. But lately I've been playing Les Paul scale ones most of the time and now my 11s feel too light for my tastes, so I'm about to move to 12s or 13s on anything Les Paul scale but keep 11s-50s on all Fender scale instruments.

Basically - one metric I have for myself is that my electrics need to sound good unplugged, in a quiet room, and I'm in the camp that feels that requires heavier strings. It's a small detail, but I think it matters. I want the whole guitar to vibrate and resonate more.

Bigger strings, more energy, bigger vibrations, more resonance, more sound. Better to me.

Anything smaller than 11s don't feel right to me, either, for my stuff, with tube amps only, and (mostly) analog-only pedals. I want the quirks, anomalies, classic circuits, and the rest, so chunkier strings are just one more nerdy detail in that line of thinking - which I work to keep from going to ridiculous ends (no Guitar cable on Earth is worth $1000, for instance.).

Yea. I have several guitars in different tunings. Standard, drop C, Eb. I like to keep 9's on my shredders. But my strat likes 10.5 in Eb. My LP likes 12s, but in drop C you need it.

I tried the Billy Gibbons 8's thing on a LP and I friggen hated it. Constantly banging it sharp with my right hand. You gotta have extremely light picking technique for that setup. I can't do it. I play hard.

Interesting. ^

I was (re)watching the Rig Rundown episode for A Perfect Circle yesterday on YouTube and James and Billy were saying, as a band, they all play in C# Standard, which I'd forgotten.

I don't play in any other tunings, but I'm after a couple of Baritone guitars in the coming months and I intend to have them setup in A (vs B like Baritone guitars usually are).

What about the major third on the first fret thing? The worst offender is the B string. It's way out at the first fret with .010s but not with .009s. Any idea about that?

The G and B strings are always the biggest offender with intonating, and there’s some guitars I’ve worked on where they just would not intonate one or the other properly. In that case, you kinda compromise and set the intonation so it’s more correct between 0-9 frets than perfectly dead-on at the 12th. It’s where you’re going to be spending most of your time playing anyway.

You might try a wound third on that particular guitar and see if that gets you closer. Oddly enough, some guitars seem to like them better when this is an issue.

A wound G always breaks though. It's that tiny core that snaps at the bridge.

I went from 12's to 11.5's and noticed a huge difference on my Strat

also went down a half gauge on my acoustics and its made a huge difference in playability

After years of using heavier gauges I switched to nines a few years ago and I should have done it sooner. It took a few weeks to get used to the lighter tension but now it feels normal and they just make playing easier. There’s a small loss of tone and volume when playing unplugged but I can’t hear any difference through an amp.

I have found that the Earvana nut really works.
I don't have perfect pitch, but I seem to be very sensitive to chords that have off pitch notes. The guitar is inherently "out" by virtue of even-tempered fret setup, but the Earvana nut (along with good intonation setup) seems to minimize that.

I have moved up and down string gages continuously and I think all the stereotypical comments really are true:
Heavier creates more powerful tone, but lighter gives easier bending and more nuance to the bends. So it is all a series of trade-offs. No way you are going to get SRV tone with a set of .009s, but no way to play Vai bends on 12s.

Low-tuning seems to make proper intonation harder to achieve. After many experiments, I ended up liking 10-46, tuned to standard E, and 24.75 scale best; but it is just a personal preference. I have one guitar strung with 13-56 just to build finger strength and one tuned to E-flat, just so I can jam along with old Hendrix songs.

I do most of my practice on the 13-56; but after you get used to going back and forth, the transition also becomes easier.

I'd recommend taking it to a good pro to check the string height in the nut slot and the fret wire height. If it is changing that much it is moving too much.

quote:

Originally posted by sigspecops:
After years of using heavier gauges I switched to nines a few years ago and I should have done it sooner. It took a few weeks to get used to the lighter tension but now it feels normal and they just make playing easier. There’s a small loss of tone and volume when playing unplugged but I can’t hear any difference through an amp.

That's what I was hoping for but so far no dice. I'll stick with it another week. Maybe I'll actually practice or something.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
A wound G always breaks though. It's that tiny core that snaps at the bridge.

I didn’t say it was a great option.

Wound thirds went the way of the Dodo for good reason, but some guitars do actually prefer them.

If you’re intonating by moving the saddle and it’s still out of whack, the geometry elsewhere is wrong. As suggested the nut slot may not be cut correctly (angle matters as much as depth here, and smooth finish work as much as both of those). It’s been a while since I’ve been setting up brand-new Gibsons, but even when I was making good money at it, I didn’t see many, if any, nut slots properly cut from the factory, and this was still in the days of “PLEK” is the new end-all, be-all. May be worth it to have a legit, good tech have a quick gander at it.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
A wound G always breaks though. It's that tiny core that snaps at the bridge.

I didn’t say it was a great option.

Wound thirds went the way of the Dodo for good reason, but some guitars do actually prefer them.

If you’re intonating by moving the saddle and it’s still out of whack, the geometry elsewhere is wrong. As suggested the nut slot may not be cut correctly (angle matters as much as depth here, and smooth finish work as much as both of those). It’s been a while since I’ve been setting up brand-new Gibsons, but even when I was making good money at it, I didn’t see many, if any, nut slots properly cut from the factory, and this was still in the days of “PLEK” is the new end-all, be-all. May be worth it to have a legit, good tech have a quick gander at it.

I had Randy at Axecraft put a new nut on it. The tuning is finally stable. Before that the G and B would not stay in tune for more than a nanosecond.

Randy is a master. I'd imagine it's at least close to perfect. I'm going to put 10s back on and see if it's sharp or flat. I think it's sharp which would imply the slot isn't deep enough.

Pertaining to electrics:
Over the years, I’ve settled on “heavy 10’s”, with the heavier wound strings. I like the balance of the chords with the wounds, and the bending ability of the GBE strings.

Other than my Nash and Anderson guitars (and select vintage guitars), I ALWAYS have the factory nut immediately replaced with bone, and cut by my tech. It solves so many tuning and intonation issues with a good nut.

As another member said, I always try out new guitars acoustically first. I need to know it sounds/feels good acoustically before I plug it in. When unplugged, I will also independently pick the G&B strings and feel for strength of vibration on lower bout and rear strap button. A good test of sustain.

I used to use 9-46 on my Les Paul. About 2 years ago, I switched to 10-46. At first I didn't like how heavy the high E felt but as I played more, it started feeling better and now I don't think I could ever go back to the .09. the 10 just seems to bend "better". Totally unscientific, it is all about feel.

Yeah, I'm going back to .010s. It feels like a toy with .009s.