Electric Strings for an Acoustic Guitar?

I use the same strings - Daddario 9's - for all my electrics and acoustics. As there's no truss rod in your "cheapie," you might be as well going for the lightest strings - to suit YOU, of course - you can possibly get away with.

I can honestly say I've never worried about putting electric strings on my acoustic - I get a nice enough tone out of it, despite the light gauge. Hand strength, though, is a factor in my case - had a nasty accident a couple of years back (severed tendon in the back of my left - fretting - hand) that left my hand noticeably weaker. I also use a "Woody" acoustic pick-up that clips in the soundhole and the strings sound fine amplified or not.

:D :D :D

Vic

I like electric strings on acoustics. Nice bright tone from the "nickel" strings, and they just about last forever. If you have a magnetic pickup they'll give better string balance than bronze strings.

Hey Vic & Ric:

Thanks for the replies! Let's just pretend I am pretty dense [ because I am sometimes, alright!? ] and tell me what you think about your string recommendations in regard to my fingertips. Will those strings allow me to play longer? Or is the issue with the guitar, not the strings. Is it something inherent in the design of an acoustic guitar that means they have to be wound to a higher tension - therefore ANY sting on an acoustic will be harder on my fingertips than the same string on an electric?

OH! by the way - this guitar has no tuning/truss adjustment!

Are you sure? Acoustic guitars often have the truss rod adjustment on the body end of the neck. You get access to it through the sound hole.

Acoustic guitars usually - though not always - have a higher action than electrics, meaning you have to exert more pressure to hold the strings down. If there's no truss rod, it's possible that heavy-ish strings (the heavier the string, the higher the tension...) will bow the neck, making the action even higher. If there IS a truss rod, it's possible that it may need adjusting to bring the strings to a comfortable height - for you.

:D :D :D

Vic

Again, thanks for the helpful replies.

Hyp: I didn't know that some acoustic guitars had an adjustment through the sound hole. I will check mine for that!

Vic: Now, I AM a noob, so I can be very off-base in my thinking sometimes, but I was thinking that if I put lighter / less tensioned / thinner / more flexible stings on, as replacements for the seemingly heavy bronze colored strings that are on it now, that potentially it might allow the neck to bend further backwards, lowering the action, maybe too much. Which is only an issue if you don't have a truss adjustment.

I think I will just have to try some out and see what happens. In the worst case senario, other strings don't workout and I use the extra set of identical strings that came with it to begin with.

F/B

And you can get a set of electric 9's for $3-$5, so you could still say you have less than $20 in the whole thing.

Hyperborea: You had the right hunch - there is a truss adjustment nut just inside the sound hole! I wouldn't have looked there.

My strat came with an extra set of Gibson Vintage Reissue nickel wound 9's. I put them on the acoustic today.

The good news: The do seem to be better/easier on the fingertips.
The bad news: Promptly busted the high E on install. So I had to use the extra steel string I had

Oh well, for the cost of a set of strings I learned the hard way. Also figured out mostly how to wind all the others. A peg winder would be worth the cost!

Now I just have a tuning issue, which I will start in a new thread.

Thanks for all the help and recommendations.

F/B

This reply also goes with my thread titled, "trouble tuning" See that thread at: http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=40233

After installing the Vintage Gibson 9's I had a problem tuning - then someone pointed out that my electric guitar tuner has a microphone. Ok, so I tried out the electronic tuner with mixed results. It seemed to vary the responce with each pluck. With a variety of electonic and by-ear tuning I got it to where I liked the results except for a crazy ringing I was getting out of the B. And in the mean time I still have a replacement original heavy string on the high-E because I broke the Gibson on the change. All-in-all I'm thinking it's time to visit the music store.

The guitar tech - an guy about 50(?) who has obviously been working on instruments forever - sure gave my Wal-Mart special a good eyeballing, checking a few measurements, sighting down the neck, plucking here and there, while listening to my reasoning for putting the vintage Gibson strings on it - then declare, of course they don't sound right!

After a brief albiet gruff start, he recommended some strings that would be appropriate for my accoustic, and yet be lighter than what was previously installed. Martin 80/20 Bronze "Light" .012 - .054 strings. I also got a $2 peg winder - another cheap but wonderful must-have accessory.

I was going to pluck at a few new guitars at the shop, but as I started to brouse he says, if I would like to play one let him know and he will get it down off the wall and tune if for me. Well, that was too much spotlight for a green beginner. After just looking for a bit more - gee, bet those 12 string guitars sound sweet - I asked the tech about winding the B and high-E strings, as I had some problems with them. Well that was the start of it . . .

To make a long story short, he stopped his day and spent the next 45 minutes with me, installing the first few strings I purchased, tutoring me on proper techniques and tips, then watching me do a few and guiding me. We sanded a beveled edge on the bottoms of the bridge pegs (he the first two, me the last 4) so the ring at the end of the string would seat easier. More about tuning and using my electronic tuner, then as he is plucking a bit during tuning he can't stand how they seat in the nut and he starts moving strings aside and filing them properly. We also reviewed cleaning the guitar and treating the fretboard.

I could not have paid for better advise and hands-on instruction. He mentioned he didn't like installing strings - that he charges $12 to install strings - but will teach users to install strings for free. Quite a guy.

A excellent visit. Got replacement strings. I am happy with the new strings. The action is now lower on my guitar. Most importantly, I am again happy with the sound from my acoustic.

F/B in beautiful Wentzville, MO

That sounds like an "A Number 1" guy! That is definitely the kind of person you want to buy from in the future, when you are ready. Keep that shoppe in mind for your strings, picks, guitar stands, straps and all other things if he was that cool.

I would have to second what 97reb says there. Sounds like you've stumbled upon something that doesn't happen very often, finding someone in a shop who cares for more than the $$$$.

I was into car audio systems in my 20's (no, not the boomboom monstrosities that you see today) and visited a shop. The salesman/owner there never once tried to sell me anything, but sat for 3 hours talking about amps with me. Guess where I spent $5000 on audio equipment at? To top things off, for what I was looking for (mostly listening to Pink Floyd) he refused to sell me any of the huge wattage $500+ amps, but instead talked me into a small 16 watt/channel $189 amp. 15 years and 5 vehicles later, I still have that amp (as well as most of the rest of the equipment), and only removed it from my truck last year when I traded the truck in for something different.

When you find someone like that, you keep in touch! You've found someone special.

Michael Hedges used them often because they supported a better signal, so the story is told......

Fender-Bender, sounds like you found a good techie there - it's pretty rare to find one who gives a toss, let alone one who'll go out of his way to help you. I'd keep his name and number pretty close, if I were you!

:D :D :D

Vic