Re: Thicker strings: Do they really beef up your tone?
- From: "Nobody" <wontonstudios@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 29 Jun 2006 16:30:49 -0700
Really Happy Jack wrote:
I quibble with the "beef" part. But to the extent that I can overlook
that, the answer is unequivocally yes. Try it and see for yourself.
Beef is not always what you want to cut through a mix or to mix well
with the soundscape.Tone is a delicate business and very small changes
are always a big deal.
Amen.
You need to match the strings to the instrument. You need to match
them to your playing style as well and what you need out of the
combination of strings (brand and composition), string gauges, amp,
effects equipment, pickups, *picks* and so on and on. All these parts
come together to make the whole.
I SAY AGAIN.....AMEN!
I have an acoustic guitar on which Dean Markley strings make it sound
like what I paid for it (a lot) and D'Addario's make it sound like a
wet blob of cardboard. I thought I'd found the holy grail with Dean
Markleys, but put them on other guitars, and they just don't work the
same. I've literally over the years worked out individual combinations
for each instrument I own. I can tell listening to past recordings
even exactly what I had on what at which time and why I changed etc.
etc.
Again....perfect example and well said.
My Les Paul likes 10s only, pure nickel wrap, with a 46 on the top.
Just tried 9s and 11s, and they sound thin/phasey, and too bassy/thick,
respectively.
In general, I seem to have settled on Rotosounds and Les Paul Vintage
Re-Issues...they are extremely similar tone wise, and seem to be
consistent with their quality. I have put brand new DRs on, for
example, and thought my intonation was shot somehow...changed it back
to a Gibson string and the intonation was fine...it was the wound
string. Thats a liitle known fact it seems that can make your guitar
sound like ass if you don't pay attention to whether or not the guitar
still intonates correctly after string changes.
D'Addarios and DRs all sound like ASS to my ears, IMHO. EB Pure Nickel
wraps sound good too, but their consistency sucks and can do what I
just described.
Not to mention that intonation is a skill and can all depend on your
fretting pressure, for example.
Sometimes I think people make too much out of the production of tone
and tone in abstract. But it depends on what kind of musician you are
and what your requirements are. I couldn't care less who I sound like.
I just want what I'm doing to sound good.
And one more Amen.
But I'm not blind to the
fact either that that puts a limit on what I can do for this or that
situation.
Perhaps, but fug it.
It seems to me you can find success stories for almost any combination
of strings and gauges there are.
Thats really true..but I bet if looked at closer, all the factors you
described above would actually account for a majority of that tone.
One of my students left behind a telecaster with .09s on it. I played
around with it for a couple of days. I was amazed at how nimbly I
could get through things because the action is a little lower and the
strings are lighter than what I normally play with. This afternoon, I
picked up my strat, strung with .11s, and tone wise I felt I had
instantly graduated from kiddie land to the realm of grownups -- even
accounting for differences in the axes themselves.
I want to like 9s sooo bad I can't tell you....especially for the
bending. But theyu sound like ass on my Les Paul to my ears....or maybe
its just that 10s sound best.
My Les Paul Custom doesn't seem to like .11s.
So you obviously know what I mean.
I can play with .10s on
it and even be happy with cleaner jazz styles on it without missing
the weight of heavier strings.
Keep in mind you can't change string gauges willy nilly without likely
changing your "neck dip," and thus messing up your intonation.
That depends a lot too on the string height, IMHO. What changing guages
can do I found obviously is change the straightness of the neck. Then
again, that can further be affected by the tuning. You can make a
slightly curved neck straighter by simply tuning down lower.
And if you have a floating tremolo, the tension will need to be adjusted
there also.
Thats a big one.
You may find that it will also mess with your notions of
high and low action -- another area that we have yet to venture into.
Exactly what I was just saying...agreed.
Again, the more sensitive you are to the subtleties, every little
thing can be a big deal.
Yup.
But, you also have to at some point simply
play the cards you've got. Take whatever piece of crap set up you've
got and learn to play it and make it sound good no matter what it is.
Sometimes you really can't though.
You don't want to fall into the trap of the weekend/hobbyist golfer
who can't hit the center of the club every time under any conditions
-- which all makes his very expensive tweaking of his equipment and
all his complaining and analysis of it as though he were a real
professional absolutely silly, sick, and foolish -- that is if you
actually cared about golf and not merely being able to talk about it
with the other members of the club.
Heh.
Jason
.
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