String gauge discussion

[KevinIndiana]

I was leaning toward an 814ce, but ended up buying an 816ce. Didn't realize until later that x14 is strung with Elixir nanoweb 80/20 LIGHTS, while the x16 gets MEDIUMS. Took me a few days (slow learner) to realize why I wasn't as thrilled with the 816ce as I had expected to be: it was harder for me to play than an 814ce I'd been playing in the store, and harder than my wife's 214ce. I know a lot of you have played hours/day for decades, but I've been off and on (more off) with my guitar playing, and my callouses are definitely a work in progress. So maybe someday I'll love mediums, but right now, I really dislike them.

So, I will soon be starting the quest that most of you are way ahead of me on: in search of the "perfect" string.

I'm thinking that it makes sense to take a gradual path through the available choices, rather than just jump all over the place, so I intend to just change one thing at a time so I can easily see the effect of changing just one variable. I'll start with gauge, so that'll mean staying with Elixir 80/20 nanowebs for a while. I know that eventually changing other variables like brand, metal, and coatings (or not) might in some cases make me rethink gauge, but I have to start somewhere, and I need an easier string to play!

I thought I'd be able to find threads devoted to string selection, but either I'm a bad searcher, or there just isn't much here yet on this forum on this topic.

So, I thought it would be of value to me and others to have a thread discussing strings, and for right now, I'd like to keep this topic on gauge only. Not only is that going to help me dial in what I like the best, it might keep the topic of string choices a bit more organized and useful for others, too. We can deal with other variables in another thread later.

What gauges do you use, on what guitar, and for what type of playing? (And if your action is adjusted to accommodate your string gauge, please comment on that.) Why do you prefer this gauge?

Thanks!

[ewalling]

I play fingerstyle more or less exclusively, and if I'm going to use a guitar for standard tuning, I generally use a light gauge - 12-53s. What I often do, as well, is to put a single string 23 on the 3rd. The difference between a 23 and a 24 may sound small, but it is there. On some guitars, I've found that Custom Lights - 11-52s - work well. If I'm thinking of using a guitar for both standard and dropped D, I'll often go with a 12-54 set (GHS or Martin SPs/Marquis). For a guitar that I'm going to use for DADGAD, I use John Pearse New Mediums, which have heavier 1st, 2nd, and 6th strings.

I do agree with you about mediums, though. I bought a Larrivee SD-50 a few years which, despite being a wonderful guitar, was also strung with and built for mediums. It was not fun to play fingerstyle on, but would have been excellent for someone with tougher fingers than mine, picks, and a need to be heard halfway down the street.

[RGtheMusicGuy]

On both my GAce Fall LTD and my 410 I use 12,16,24,32,42,54s.  I usually do 80% strumming.
I've been playing guitar for a long time and have lots of calluses but I do prefer the 12s.  From time to time I try 13s but always go back.  I do think no matter what you use, it's important to set your guitar up for it.

[KevinIndiana]

...  I do think no matter what you use, it's important to set your guitar up for it.

No question about that!

I'm in the early stages of getting the feel for my new guitar, and I started tweaking the neck relief before finally concluding that it's somewhat pointless to concern myself with tiny fret buzz right now when I'm going to go to a lighter gauge. Taylor recommends 6th fret gap of .004-.007 when capoing at 1st fret and pressing down on 14th. I knew my action was low from the store, but when I checked it with feeler gauge, it was .000.  Yeah.  All six strings were just sitting on the 6th fret! Certainly explained why I was buzzing some.  Actually, wasn't nearly as bad as you'd expect with that kind of neck profile, but some fret/strings were significant problems. I raised it to .007-.008 range, and I'm not even sure if that's high enough cuz it still sizzles a tiny bit here and there, but until I get strings I'm pretty sure I want to stick with, no point worrying too much about the setup.

Thanks RG and ewalling for your replies. Looking forward to others.

Anyone else use lighter sets than .012 "lights," i.e., .011 or even .010?

[RGtheMusicGuy]

Anyone else use lighter sets than .012 "lights," i.e., .011 or even .010?

I used to use .011s on a Cedar/Sapele Grand Concert Breedlove that I had.  That guitar was used 100% for fingerstyle, ended up selling it to a student.  Worked great for fingerstyle but was a bit light for strumming.

[Giraku]

GS sized guitar is designed for medium gauge. But I tried light gauge on some GS guitars (816ce, K26ce) and found no significant problem.
Yes, you lose a bit of projection and hear slightly more shimmering with light gauge, but it is much easier to play.
Of course, you need to adjust the truss rod for lower tension of the light gauge.

My assessment is based on my very subjective observation so may not be applicable to all cases.
But it does not hurt much to spend a bit of $$ on a set of light gauge strings and see what happens.
You can always go back to medium or other strings.

[gdeleo]

I would just go ahead and try a set of light guage strings to see what you think.  Like Giraku said it is only a couple $$ to try and you may decide that is the way to go.  I doubt you will loose very much volume by doing so.  You may have to make a slight adjustment to the truss rod.
I use light guage on my GA and once I tried some silk and steel lights which have way less tension.  I didn't have to make any adjustments on my GA to use them.

[egkor]

You could try Elixir 80/20 Nano "Lights" (.012s) and see what you think.

I did that with my 315ce Sapele/Spruce Jumbo (from "Mediums" .013s). It helped playability, and didn't hurt the sound.

I had several flavors of .012s sets I collected (DR Rares, DR Sunbeams, Dean Markley Alchemys, & D'Adarios EXPs and etc.).  I tried them all. What I found is, I believe my ears are so used to the tone signature of the Elixir 80/20 Nanos that nothing else sounded "right" to me. So that's (the Elixirs) what I stick with w/ my Taylors.

-Gary K

[dougboy1970]

Your experience is very similar to mine.  I bought a GS8 and noticed the playability was a little less and of course, the culprit was the medium strings.  Since then I pretty much play elixir nano 80/20 lights or LIGHT-MEDIUMS, which has the high E, B, and G strings as lights while the low E, A and D are mediums.  With the lights-only, you do lose some of the volume and bassiness, so the light-mediums are a nice compromise.  While still not as easy to play as the lights only, they are still easier than the Medium-only strings and you don't lose the low-end that the GS shape projects so well.  Maybe give them a try and see if you find it a nice compromise as well...

[Shark Sandwich]

I would highly encourage you to try dropping your tunning down a half or even a whole step down. I recently purchased a gs8 and had the same issues you had but have reconciled them by tuning down. I firmly believe that it opens the guitar up more and actually accentuates what the gs is built for. The GS is an exceptional model and deserves the big strings and I really think if you try tunning down it will be much easier to play as well as sound better.  Good luck and enjoy!

[Von Beerhofen]

I've been used to playing XL for many years and found the resulting action after tweaking the trussrod very pleasant.
I think I preferred it because of my playing style which is Rock. I use finger picking, strumming and various plectrum styles and mainly used to play electric guitars.
For practising I just liked having the same gauge on my accoustic, so it would allow hammerons, pulloffs and other stuff.
My newly acquired Taylor came with mediums and having been out of the loop for a considerable time I found them a bit stiff at first. This guitar is not meant to be played as the one I first mentioned, I'll addapt my play to it instead. Having played it now for about 3 weeks, practise is starting to pay off and it feels a lot better then at the beginning. The guitar with the XL set doesn't really feel too different anymore either but I do feel I need to be more precise on the medium set to not get some twangy noises or buzz, so this improved my overall accuracy on all my guitars.
Fingerstrength is pretty important, it's like body building with your fingers and will help with any playing style. You'll get used to it pretty quick and it makes playing a lighter gauge a piece of cake. You even may want to get rid of that lighter gauge eventually.

Ludwig

[oatordeal]

it's a matter of getting used to medium strings. give it a couple of weeks to a month, depending on how much time you play. if it still bothers you, then do what others suggested. 

[michaelw]

medium lights (.012 - .056), also called bluegrass, light mediums (depending on the company)
are what i like to use on a 6 string steel string acoustic (GC, GA, DN or GS, 25.5" scale) -
neck relief adjustment (if any) was minimal  & no additional set-up (nut slots, etc) was needed

on the larger DN & GS bodies, i like the depth the medium bass
strings provide & the definition/playability of the light treble strings

for Elixir 80/20 NanoWebs, it would be part # 11077 (light mediums)

i've tried lighter strings (custom lights .011 - .052, extra lights .010 - .047) & custom gauge
sets (.011 - .054 light E, A, D & custom light G, B, e), but in terms of tone, longevity & feel,
it wasn't long until i went to lights (.012 - .054) & then to bluegrass (.012 - .056) -
some finger style, strumming & flat-pick, but i felt that with .010 - .047s, to my ear, all i heard
were the strings (the wood combination made no difference - sitka/sapele to redwood/ziricote)

there is more of a difference in tension felt, imho, between the G, B & e than there is on the
E, A & D on medium & light gauge strings, but one may  feel more of a difference in the larger
diameter of the E, A & D on a medium set - it boils down to personal preference in feel & tone

ymmv

[terrypl]

I have no trouble with mediums on certain guitars that need them to drive the top (a dreadnought, for example), but for my GS, I settled on light-mediums, which range from .012 to .056. (I use Elixirs, but other brands have similar light-mediums). I don't think you'd be disappointed with regular lights, but if you want to get more of the bass and volume the GS can provide, give light-mediums a try. You get more bottom than lights, but less tension than mediums.

[Strumming Fool]

I use light gauge strings on all my GAs, and I'm a full-time strummer/picker. While momentarily taken with the GS upon its introduction, I lost interest shortly after I purchased one. I tried switching to light gauge strings, but the guitar sounded too "anemic". I think that mediums are the best choice for a GS, and if you can adapt to them, it will work well for you. At this point in the game for me, I just stick with what is most comfortable/familiar to me. I don't want to overthink my playing sessions, so I use what feels natural.