Will switching from lights to custom light give me more volume?

[Jannie]

I've filed down my nails, put away the picks and playing with just my fingers which is a much gentler/lighter sound which I like a lot. I'm playing Elixer Lights (.12-.53) on my GC3 and was wondering if I might pick up a little volume with this change by switching to Elixer Custom Lights (.11-.52)? I know they make Extra Lights but I doubt I want to go that far.

Is there also a chance by going to a slightly lighter string that I might get buzzing?

I found this on my classical that when I switched from high tension to medium tension the guitar really came alive with the way I play. Most had offered that you needed to go to high tension to get more sound out of a guitar that might have been primarily designed for medium tension strings but it really came down to what ever balances with the guitar and your attack on the strings.

[Edward]

You're asking two questions that I see:

1. Can going to a lighter gauge result in buzzing?  Yes, that possibility definitely exists.  A string of lower tension will arc wider than a string of higher tension.  Depending on your string height and neck relief (what is commonly termed "action"), you may be fine when you change gauge, or you may find you got buzz where there was none before.  You can compensate for this by adjusting the action, or adjusting your attack.  Only you can decide whether the overall changes are "worth it."

2. Volume changes and/or "coming alive" with a gauge change?  There is a definite dynamic between a guitar top, which is the soundboard carrying the lion's share of the guitar's intrinsic tone, and the tension it is placed under by the strings.  But generally speaking, less tension yields lower volume: by how much differs from case to case so don't take that as gospel.  Further, increasing or decreasing tension on that soundboard will affect the tone: for better or worse is your call.  I don't mean that to be a cop out, but no one can predict what a given guitar top will sound like when you change the tension placed upon it.  Tension, by the way, that is a designed-in parameter when being built. 

Taylor's GS, Dred, and Jumbo bodies, for example, are designed with mediums in the mix, so switching to lights will result in a deviation from its initial mission.  Only the owner can decide whether said "deviation" is a plus or minus.  Likewise, the GA and GC bods are designed with lights.  As they say with cars, your mileage may vary. 

Like which string brand, which string gauge is an integral component of the tone the guitar produces.  The right string is the one that sounds and feels best to you.  Though some things can be adjusted for (like the aforementioned "action"), the tonal results are what they are.  And you can move on to other strings/gauges to try and achieve what you're looking for.  But whether you can achieve it is something only you can determine after trial.  Hope that helps ya a bit

Edward

[Ed422]

Typically, on steel string guitars, heavier strings result in more volume. 

Also typically, or maybe more accurately, very often (and especially true on Taylor's), a change in string gauge will change the relief of the neck due to the change in tension. 

Ed

[S MS Picker]

I just got a GC4, I switched to D'Addario EJ-19--.012,.016,.025,.035,.045,.056.
I play these on all my Taylors.This set,combined w/the shorter scale resulted in a marked increase in tone & volume..The slightly increased tension did require a small neck relief adjustment.It also raised the action a tad.I lowered the action, by sanding the bottom of the saddle.
I set my guitars up at about 5/64" @12  +/- to where they sound & play the best for me.
Instructions can be found in the "Tech Sheets" section on the Taylor website.
Action & tone are strictly personal preferences.Good luck.
Steve

[S MS Picker]

Ooops.Mine is a 412 CE.Came w/ a pick guard

[michaelw]

hi Jannie,
your GC3 has a short scale (24 7/8") & the standard Elixir 80/20 NanoWeb strings
are considered to be 'lower tension' than some of the other 80/20 strings available -
D'addario has string tensions listed on their site (when tuned to concert pitch on a 25.5" scale)

select the string from the pull-down menu & click on 'Family Tension Chart'
http://www.daddario.com/DADProductFamily.Page?ActiveID=3768&familyid=8
typically, 80/20 strings are usually lower in tension than PB (Phosphor Bronze)

there are other companies, such as
DR Strings that offer round core lower tension strings (SunBeams) &
http://www.drstrings.com/catalog/sunbeam-wound-round-cores

Martin offers a Flex Core line of strings as well
http://www.martinguitar.com/strings/choosing.php?typ=Martin FX

or, you may want to consider Elixir PB NanoWeb strings in the Custom Lite gauge,
as they may have the desired combination of further reduced tension, depth & warmth

a slight truss rod adjustment (to add neck relief) may be required -
i would suggest installing your strings of choice & tuning them to pitch first

with mosr roundcore strings as well as NewTones & Rohrbacher strings (sheathed ends),
it is recommended to install, tune, stretch & retune until the strings hold their pitch &
then cut off the excess afterwards, as precutting the slack strings may cause the windings
on the wound strings to 'recoil', which could result in a 'dead string' from the beginning

hope this info is helpful

[Gary0319]

I've used Custom Lights on all my Taylor GC/12 and my other OM guitars. I use the Elixir 80/20 Custom Lights on my Taylors, and the D'Addario P/B Custom Lights on the non-Taylors. I've had a lot of Grand Concert Taylors and on about half of them the volume has increases with the C/L strings, the others not. It just depends on the guitar. However, I did notice a diminished volume on the  GC5 I had when I went to the Custom Lights, maybe the cedar top??

Give them a try and if you get some string buzz, simply give your truss rod a little tweak and that should take care of it without affecting your overall playability.

[darylcrisp]

Jannie
 

shortscale offers reduced tension to achieve whatever tuning you are setting versus a standard 25.4" scale.
as others have mentioned, going to a lighter gauge most often results in less volume.

some things i have done with GC's in the past are:
1)using DR Rare Mediums (12-54), these tend to work very well with Taylor guitars and usually give added boost to the bass and thickening of the trebles-there usually is a perceived sense of volume increase irregardless if its real or not(i have never measured). The DR Rare in Medium are almost similar in measure to other brands who label the same gauge sizing as Light.
2)drop your tuning 1/2 step and install a Medium gauge set-you'll have more perceived volume, bark, and rumble, and the same or less tension than a set of light gauge would be at standard tuning.
3)try uncoated strings-to my ear uncoated tend to have a touch more volume and sparkle than Elixirs(i like Elixir Nanowebs a lot btw). Martin SP's come to mind. Try the phosphur bronze and the 80/20 in Light gauges.
4)try some daddario EJ24's. This is a light gauge set(EJ16) with heavier gauge low and high E, and the B string is brought up a step to a 17(versus 16 for typical Light gauge set)-these were made up for folks who play DADGAD tuning a lot(fingerstyle). Very nice volume and ease of fretting overall.

all the above is going the opposite direction of what you inquired about(installing lighter gauge), but things we've found that work very well with the GC size.
My wife plays a Martin OMJM and tends to not like my above advice and always runs Xlights on her Martin(John Pearse and Ernie Ball coated acoustic is what she likes, 11-52 gauge). The above Medium strings fret easy with the way i have her action set up, she doesn't care for the thicker feel of the strings. So i've probably wasted your time with all this.

a few more thoughts on volume/feel. a proper setup goes a long way in making any guitar-irregardless of string gauge, play much easier and better. proper nut slot depth and adjusted first fret action will make your playing extremely easy with even a standard medium gauge set(you will not have stiffness while fretting), along with a low relief(if the frets are well cut as taylors usually are, you can easily achieve .004" or .003" with no buzz), followed by 12th fret action aimed around 2/32" or less for the low E and 1/32" or less for the high E. With a polished setup like this, you can achieve easy play with nice volume.

i play with no pick and no nail, just flesh tips, and for me the right set of strings can bring back that sparkle. I tend to like Martin SP's lately for that.

have fun-enjoy the experience and different sounds you can get from your GC
d