Re: String gauge and sustain?

Tony Done <tonydone@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I do a lot of mucking with different electric string gauges,
everything from 9-42 to 14-58, due to my interest in slide guitar. My
current impression is that light gauges sustain better than heavier
and are less prone to hot and cold spots. This might be because they
don't lose as much to the guitar body by resonance. Any experiences,
opinions?

Tony D

not sure about string gauge thing. I use 009's and 010's sets
and I don't notice any difference. But it might be because of
the 'electric' in electric guitar. from the fingers to the strings
to the pickups all the way
down through any effects and then the amp and the speakers... out it comes.. sound.

So I think a better way is to judge playing through acoustic guitar
that is not mic'd up.

But I do notice that wound strings seems to sustain much longer
than unwound strings. There's probably a mile (slight exageration)
of wound string around a core string in a wound string as compared to
a straight away unwound string. So it seems you are energizing a lot
more string into motion/energy in a wound string versus a plain string.

So I would say that gauges might not make much difference as
compared to wound and unwound. I know some that uses a wound G string
(instead of the usual plain G string) and it really makes a difference
in the tones and overall sustain of the G string in chords and single notes.
Much more difference than using a slightly larger or smaller size set
that would still use a plain G string. So to me it's all about wound
and plain strings when it comes to tones and sustain and how to use each
type for benefit for what you are playing. Sometimes I'd rather go up or
down for a note on a wound string then come across the fretboard to play
the same note on the unwound G string... and vice versa.. etc.

ah..ok.. I am getting OT here... sorry.
.

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