What thickness guitar strings should I get?
Josh asked:
I got my guitar (BC Rich Warbeast) 365 days ago (lol christmas 08) and have never changed the strings. My guitar stills sounds great IMO. I like to play hard rock and metal and want a great tone. 1. What are the differences between thin and thick strings? 2. If my low e string was 68 gauge, how would that sound? 3. Can you tell me more about strings in general?
I got my guitar (BC Rich Warbeast) 365 days ago (lol christmas 08) and have never changed the strings. My guitar stills sounds great IMO. I like to play hard rock and metal and want a great tone. 1. What are the differences between thin and thick strings? 2. If my low e string was 68 gauge, how would that sound? 3. Can you tell me more about strings in general?
The note depends on the thickness…..
Thicker the string lower the note…. Banz
Banz has got it pretty much, If the strings are thicker they’ll retain decent tension at lower notes.
if you’ve got 65s tuned to concert pitch then they’re probably really really tight like a cheesecutter.
I have my guitar tuned to D and they’re 11s (top string). 10s are best for concert pitch (9s are flimsy)
I don’t know what the top string is if the bottom is 65.
I imagine you’ll want heavier strings for metal so you can tune it lower, to B or C or something. Just get some more the same of what you have…
you might want to change them more often than once a year though! Matt H
Just read this article ceritis
Haha
I got a white BC Rich Warlock. im trying to sell it.
Good strings would be De-Darios.
Since Earny-Ball is over rated, and their low E string cant take a punch ; since they snap so got damn easily.
If their gauge is thinner you can bend it more easier and wont hurt your fingers as much.
If its thicker is mostly to get a deep sound. (( good for playing metal ))
or just make it easy for yourself and buy yourself the expenside A$S ones name brand Cleartone.
never bought them, but always wanted to, I hear their the best at every type of genre you want to play in. Ulices a.k.a “Fast fingers&
Yeah, simple concept:
-as the gauge increases so does the size.
-if they are thicker (higher gauge) they can handle lower tunings better than thinner strings.
-However, if you want to tune back up to a standard E tuning with the thicker strings, it is really tough on the guitar and the strings. Put simply, the tension on the string is meant for lower tunings, but if the tension is increased to get a higher tuning, it puts strain on the strings and it can screw up your neck.
-If you had a 68 gauge string for your low e, you would look at playing really freaking low. Like thats a bigger gauge than most 7 strings, more like an 8 string.
My experience with larger strings than 52 is that, if you dont have good pickups and a good amp to balance the tone, the strings dampen some dynamic ranges, especially the high ones.
I am not saying that you shouldnt try them, quite the opposite actually, Im saying that you should look into what kind of tunings you are shooting for and see which string gauge corresponds to that specific tuning. Gale
I can’t believe people are seriously speaking of a .68 guage low E string as a normal situation?!
Bass guitars are designed to handle these heavier guages, but a 6 string guitar?
The potential to destroy your guitar with this heavy of a guage is significant.
I guess you never plan on doing a blues bend?
For God’s sake…take it from a semi-pro who has been playing for years, and get your guitar set up with a 10-46 guage, or even a 9-42.
One additional note no one has mentioned…check out the average price of a new set of bass strings in comparison to a new set of 9-42’s, and tell me if you think draining your account is worth it?
You want a great tone? 99.9% of the tone will come from your fingers and years of practice. Stan