9s or 10s on your Les Paul?

[kevs]

I had 9s loved it buy maybe a bit too loose, so put 10s on. 10s feel more right, for double stops, chords, and ok with most bends, but I do miss bending beyond one whole stop. What rest think of this? Thanks.

 

[Bruce R]

I can relate! After using .0010 gauge strings for many decades I found myself in the same dilemma. I have always felt I should play as heavy gauge strings as I could handle, so 10's were a good compromise. A year or so ago I was watching a video of a gig we had just played and could hear that I seemed to be straining on my vibrato to hold the note, and decided to go to 9's. Yes, it was so much easier to bend the extra half step above the whole note, but the strings felt like rubber bands and I felt the tone had diminished a bit. On doing some research I discovered that D'Addario (my choice of strings anyway) produced a set of strings between the 9's and 10's, starting with a .00095! I tried them out and have been using them ever since. Ideally I'd still be using 10's, but this in-between gauge is perfect for my style of playing. Give them a try!

 

[Iguana]

10’s here. To me 10’s are easy but they let me get what I want from my Les Paul. My Strats are a whole different ball game.

 

[metropolis]

It's all personal preference, playing style and to some extent the guitar. I have 11-56 on 3 of mine and 10-48/52 on the others. I might switch one more to 10s.

 

[Reddart]

11’s on a Les Paul, 10’s on a fender scale guitar.

 

[mdubya]

D'Addario 9-41 Pure Nickel not only sound the best, but they are much friendlier to my fingers, allowing me to play for longer with next to zero pain.

Caveat: Gibson Vintage Reissue strings are consistently the best strings I have ever used. However, I prefer the slightly thinner gauge wound strings on the D'Addario Pure Nickel sets (41, 31, 23).

 

[jrgtr42]

I've used .010s on all my (electric) guitars all along (well, except one that I usually keep a half-step low, I put .011s on that.)
I've never had an issue that I can't bend high enough.

 

[kevs]

Thanks all and BG just heard also mixed set with 9s of upper three 10s bottom three, and Ernie Ball also makes a 9.5 so will try.

 

[Blackjack30]

.011 to .056

 

[Bob Womack]

I've used .009s on my LPs for forty-two years. Eventually Gibson began shipping the Standards with them.

Bob

 

[powdermnky007]

My 2017 LP Standard came with Ernie Ball Hybrids 9's on the small strings and 10's on the wound strings. I'm so used to that I can't change now. Trying to find a set of strings on my Strat to match. 9's are too stiff on a Strat and 8's are like playing human hair lol. Going to try 8.5's next.

 

[Musicman]

10's are perfect for me!:hank

 

[Atlas 82]

10s but wanna try 11s

 

[c_wester]

None of the rocknroll is played on thick strings.
It is all 8 and 9s.

Please show me a good thicked string song.




I did not understand that magazines had this much impact.


Jimmy
Peter
Frank
Jimi


No more fat tone killer strings!

 

[vlxerdon]

9's on my Strats 10's on my Mustangs and LP's. Just seems to work for me.

 

[kevs]

Thanks guys, will try 9.5 and Hybrid.. But don't Gibson generally ship with 10s?

 

[Bruce R]

...None of the rocknroll is played on thick strings.
It is all 8 and 9s.... Please show me a good thicked string song.

Free's "All Right Now" sold a bizzilion records and can be still heard all over the world. Paul Kossoff would be the most obvious exception. He regularly used 11's and some say he went to 12's at times. Joe Bonamassa uses 11's and seems to do OK these days.

 

[c_wester]

Free's "All Right Now" sold a bizzilion records and can be still heard all over the world. Paul Kossoff would be the most obvious exception. He regularly used 11's and some say he went to 12's at times. Joe Bonamassa uses 11's and seems to do OK these days.

True,

But you heard how he struggled with those pointless strings.
I don't now Bonamassas music.


I don't think Free sold that much albums.... at least no bazziolonatoes.

 

[bern1]

9.5

 

[lespaul1970]

Used 9's for as long as I can remember. We've all heard the story about Billy Gibbons seeing B.B. use 8's, now Billy uses 7's and what a tone! But- SRV went the other direction. It's all in the individual. No one can say what 1 thing is right for everyone.