Standard tuning on a guitar, bass to treble, is E-A-D-G-B-E, and typically you buy one set of strings, of which each one is successively thinner and lighter, from bass to treble. When you take the strings out of the package, they’re labeled with the particular open note of that string–E, A, and so on.
A few months ago, I downloaded an RTE radio documentary about Tony Sheridan, who hired the Beatles as a recording backup band in 1962. At one point, Sheridan recalls asking some visiting American guitarists, with whom he was on a tour, and asking them how they managed to bend the mid-range strings on their instruments so easily. And what they told him was this: Instead of putting on a single set of strings, you get two sets and mount them as follows:
[ul]
[li] First string (sold as/Tuned to): E/E[/li][li] Second string: E/B[/li][li] Third String: B/G[/li][li] Fourth String B/D[/li][li] Fifth and sixth strings–I’m not sure, but I think those were left alone.[/li][/ul]
So what I’d like to ask is whether any of the guitarists on here have tried this, or even heard of it. It’s a tempting idea, because as long as I’ve been playing I haven’t been able to develop the control I would like when doing bends and vibratos. But is it even possible? For instance, if you use a designated E string for your second string, will it even hold its pitch at B? I’m skeptical.
Or maybe I should just succumb and put a set of .009s on my axe, and rely on its hollow body to give my sound some meat on its bones.
The only thing I’ve heard of that’s maybe similar to this is “Nashville” tuning, typically done using the plain octave strings from a 12-string set - BUT the low E, A, D, and G strings are tuned an octave up from standard, giving an overall higher pitch and different effect.
I’d also be skeptical of the sort of detuning you’re talking about working well, though you could try it I suppose - as far as going to an overall lighter set remember plenty of great players use .008s (reportedly Billy Gibbons, Tony Iommi, Brian May, Jimmy Page, etc.)
From what I understand strings were fairly heavy gauged back in the 40’s. Martin reinforced the bracing on their guitars in 1945 because a move to heavier-gauged strings. Also it is my understanding that part of what enabled Claptom to get his sound / bends / vibrato was buying a set, dropping the low E, shifting the rest of the strings down and dropping in a lighter-gauged banjo string. It led to a shift to really light strings through the classic rock era until Stevie Ray talked about using .13’s.
So yeah, there are no rules - a high E can be as thin as a .08’s or bigger than .13’s or even .15’s for jazzers or Dick Dale. Try a variety and see what works for you.
Sounds like what you could use is a set of hybrid strings… when I had an electric guitar, I used to use Ernie Ball hybrid slinky strings.
A standard set has, from high e to low E; 10, 13, 17, 26, 36, 46
The Hybrid set has, from high e to low E; 8, 11, 16, 26, 36, 46
What that’ll give you is the lightness needed for easy bending on the little strings, with the power and volume associated with thicker strings, on the low end.
Back in the sixties they had to go to all that trouble because the light sets of strings we use these days just weren’t available. Nowadays, a regulars set of nines or tens will have the unwound G string, like Eric Clapton’s banjo string.
I tried a set of .08s back in the day when they were a fad. It felt really weird – kind of spongy – and it was hard to play chords without bending the notes out of tune. I use .10s these days.
Nashville tuning is its own thing. They do that on acoustic guitars to get a bright, shiny sound with no bottom end.