# Guitar players, what gauge strings do you use? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 10, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834 "2006-03-10T15:27:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/1 "2006-03-10T15:27:49Z")
That’s it. I’ve got 009s on the Ibanez (widdly guitar) and the Tele 010s on the Les Paul, PRS and the Fender Performer. 013s om the accoustic. Don’t know what on the bass - medium I suppose. All Rotosound. The reason I ask is that I recently went to 010s on PRS and it transformed the guitar. With 009s it was a bit of a plank and I hardly ever played it, now it’s bright and lively and competes with the LP in the _play me! play me!_ stakes. If my fingers can manage should I try moving up to 011s? What’s your milage? ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/2 "2006-03-10T15:34:30Z")
10s on my Strat, 11s on my ES335, 12s on my Takamine. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/3 "2006-03-10T16:10:46Z")
Standard-set .11’s (.11 - .48 or .49) on my Les Pauls and 335. Beefy-set .11’s (.11 - .54) on my Strat Lights (.12’s) on my acoustic, which I tend to play like an electric. I am a firm believer in the Stevie Ray Vaughn school of “thicker gauge = better tone. Period” school. I play the heaviest gauge I can while still being able to bend aggressively. And I hear a dramatic difference in tone vs. lighter gauge. Also, you can’t do the patented Jimmy Page raking upstroke on a Les Paul with nearly the same tonal results if you use lighter-gauge strings… ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/4 "2006-03-10T16:18:29Z")
.009’s or .010’s on my Strats, though I’ve gone through periods with thicker gauges. I agree with the notion that thicker = better tone, but thinner = more playable. The balance I want isn’t always the same. Plus, I’m a string whore. If there’s a fantastic deal on something, I buy 'em, even if it’s a divergence from what I’m currently playing. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/5 "2006-03-10T16:23:49Z")
Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom ftw 10 13 17 30 42 52 I use them on my SG and my Les Paul I experiment with different strings on my Strat. I don’t play any of the other guitars enough to really care what I have on them, but most have the ST-HBs. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/6 "2006-03-10T16:26:28Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > . . . you can’t do the patented Jimmy Page raking upstroke on a Les Paul with nearly the same tonal results if you use lighter-gauge strings… Curious, I thought Page used 009s (super slinkys). I know about the SRV approach but he used something absurd like 014s which just scared me. I don’t know if I could fret those, let alone bend them. Even Pete Townshend stops at 012s (I think) for his hooliganism. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/7 "2006-03-10T16:58:50Z")
I play acoustic, and I prefer the Earthwood Silk and Steel: EARTHWOOD 2043 SILK & STEEL ACOUSTIC GUITAR SET Roundwound silk & steel, regular gauge, 013 017 026W 034W 046W 056W ---
**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/8 "2006-03-10T17:25:42Z")
I use Elixr medium on my Martin D18, and medium decent-brand-on-sale for my bass. The heavier strings really gives you some volume when you are doing travis style picking, which is pretty much what I tend to do in my band. ---
**Author:** ![THespos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@THespos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/THespos)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/9 "2006-03-10T17:50:43Z")
9s on pretty much all of my electrics - Three Brian Moores and an Ernie Ball/MM VH model. I used to have 10s on my Strat Plus before I got rid of it. I like the tone of 10s, but I can’t bend aggressively or do the Steve Vai happy crap with heavier gauges. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/10 "2006-03-10T17:55:12Z")
Mine go to 11. [/Nigel Tufnel] .011, that is. I play a Rickenbacker 330 and don’t play much lead, so I could probably bump it up to 12s or 13s, but I’m too lazy. ---
**Author:** ![Godfrey\_Daniels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Godfrey\_Daniels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Godfrey_Daniels)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/11 "2006-03-10T18:20:19Z")
.012-.056 on the D28 and .010-.046 on the X175. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/12 "2006-03-10T19:16:43Z")
> [@Small Clanger](#): > > Curious, I thought Page used 009s (super slinkys). > > I know about the SRV approach but he used something absurd like 014s which just scared me. I don’t know if I could fret those, let alone bend them. Even Pete Townshend stops at 012s (I think) for his hooliganism. SRV played with .13’s on his beloved FirstWife - and according to the bio I read, would occasionally downgrade to .12’s at the end of tours when his fingers were just plain worn out. Page, based on this book I got where they summarized all the “specs” of top players from Guitar Player magazine articles - DID/does still(?) use .09’s. Ah, but he is playing through big honkin’ Marshall stacks that go to 11 - huge influence on tone. Playing at ‘normal’ volumes through smaller amps - the heavier gauge strings make up (somewhat, and in a different way) for not having all that horsepower behind you. Also, let’s face it: Page is a fucking brilliant guitarist and can finesse whatever tone he wants out of whatever guitar he wants. I, OTOH, am an experienced hack - and having the heavier-gauged strings means the guitar is much more forgiving when I attempt the ol’ raking upstroke - it is much more likely to deliver a decent Pagey tone, for this hack anyway… Hope this is clearer… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/13 "2006-03-10T20:39:54Z")
I’ve got .011s on the one guitar I have - a Les Paul Jr. Special. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/14 "2006-03-10T20:40:42Z")
Call me a wuss, but I use 8s on my Les Paul. Sometimes I even tune down a half step. I don’t play so often any more, so my callouses are gone, and I can get better vibrato this way. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-players-what-gauge-strings-do-you-use/347834/15 "2006-03-10T20:57:18Z")
Another Earthwoods fan, always have them on my Fender acoustic. I use the medium lights (.12) because I break the .11’s waaaay too often. For whatever reason the actions on my acoustics are insanely high, and while I prefer the heavier strings sound quality, my poor fingers can’t take the strain.