I've seen that a million times where players say "heavier strings give me better tone." Tone is a word used way too much. Anyway, let me know if you think that statement is true or just another silly thing passed down as fact over the years.
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
Well, the phrase is somewhat true, i put heavy strings on my acoustic and it sounds alot better. Rather than say "tone", I would say that it definitly gives a better low end and heavy sound while still retaining the properties in the treble string. A pair of lighter strings, which are great for bending and won't hurt your fingers as much, have a more treble sound too them, however that doesn't mean they can't be heavy. For example, Metallica uses 0.09's or 0.10's i think, which are pretty light.
Steve-0
I personally don't think this is true, especially for people who are still new to the instrument...its harder to get a good sound of out of it for them. And as said before, plenty of guitarists get great tone without heavier strings. :?
Somnium Dulcis.
High school physics class taught me that energy = mass x acceleration (or something like that). Heavier strings have more mass, so once you get 'em moving, they'll have more energy, all other things being equal - they'll vibrate with more volume, and hold it a longer time... so heavier strings have 'more' tone.
As far as 'better' tone, I think that's got more to do with what you do with the strings than the strings themselves :)
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
when jimmy page was aked during an interview, "what is one tip you have for aspiring guitarists?" his response..."use lighter strings"
and ol' jimmy page could play!
"I got a woman, stay drunk all the time!"
-Led Zeppelin-
Just wanted to help out with the Physics thing:
Energy = Force * Distance
Force = Mass * Acceleration
so,
Energy = Mass * Acceleration * Distance
The volume of the note being played is directly related to the amplitude of the string vibration. The amplitude of the string vibration is a direct consequence of the picked string displacement or distance the string was moved before it was let free to vibrate.
So, Noteboat is right in that the heavier string has more energy than the lighter string at the same level of volume, which effects the note decay time. The tone is a different story.
Tone refers to the harmonics, in addition to the fundamental frequency, that are present in the sound being generated. Due to it's higher mass, a heavier string will be less likely to generate higher frequency harmonics (noise), but will accentuate the harmonics at the lower frequencies. And that is what Daddy likes!
Thanks for the physics lesson guys. The physics of the guitar always interest me. :D
Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life...
What is better tone though, thats the question.
I'd think taht would be different depending on your tastes. If you like the sound of 11's, then yes, it gives u better tone... If you like the sound of 9's, then no, it doesn't. I prefer the middle myself.
I'd have to agree with Taso. It's all about personal taste. I don't know about the tone issue, but there IS a difference in sound between guages. I have 2 electrics strung with 11's, one with 10's and one with 9's, and I can tell a distinct difference between guages. Now I almost go with 12's on the acoustic because they seem to give me more volume, and I don't have to play with the low end near as much after recording. AND for some reason, I just feel more comfortable playing a heavier guage string.
What is better tone though, thats the question.
I'd think that would be different depending on your tastes. If you like the sound of 11's, then yes, it gives u better tone... If you like the sound of 9's, then no, it doesn't. I prefer the middle myself.
I'm with you on that point. What size strings to use really just comes down to how each induvidual player likes the tone variation and his comfort while playing them. I've read that SRV has used guages as high as .018-.074, though probably not all the time. It's a personal thing that you would probably be somthing worth experimenting with.
-Metaellihead
I can only add that mere mortals can't play with .18-.74 with standard tuning unless they drop down a few steps. That's self-abuse. Yikes!
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
Newbie Guy® says:
I'm still on a quest for the strings I like the most for both my acoustic and my electric. I think I may have finally settled on the acoustic though - I have much love for the Elixir Polyweb strings, and I'm specifically using 12's now rather than the 13's that came on the guitar in the first place. The Elixirs have a nice bright tone and they last a darn good long time with that whole plastic coaty-deal they have. I'll still try some others out, I'm sure, but I like these ones pretty OK. :)
For my electric, I do like EB Super Slinkies, although they do seem to go dead rather quickly. I tried some D'Addarios and just didn't like them that much (seemed a lot more "twangy" than the EB's for some reason, not the sound I'm looking for) and now I've got a set of Elixir Polyweb electric strings I'm going to put on tomorrow for a test-drive. 9's for me on the electric...it's what Ibanez recommends for the guitar, and it's what I'm used to.
My only gripe is that the Elixirs are just about twice the price of the "regular" strings I've bought so far...although if I end up getting at least twice the life out of them, I guess the point is kind of moot. :D
The effect of thicker strings is quite obvious on an accoustic, but if it is better or not is a matter of taste. On electrics the effect is less obvious, and IMHO should only be done when you prefere the playabillity of heavier strings.
Hi I used to use light guage strings (8 guage)... now I use 10
the 10 guage , though thicker & harded to get a note out of...
I mean since it's thicker, you have to use more pressure on your
ingers a little. To me, I notice a sound difference, especially when
playing clean ( i use electric) The lighter guage strings are
Tinny sounding and the fatter strings are...fatter(?) sounding
I'm sorry. I know that I described it all wrong, but I think that way
about the strings. I wouldn't be surprised if it was my imagination.
Because go to an arean and hear a band you don't know...
can you tell by sound what guage strings the guitar player has?
I dunno... I like 10 guage
I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but when
you're a 22lb sledge, do you really have to be?
It's possible to get a lot more dynamic range from an acoustic strung with heavier strings for a simple reason: It can be played louder without buzzing, compressing (happens in mechanical systems, as well as electrical) and getting muddy. The muddy part is partially due to the difference in the overtone (harmonic) series created by heavier strings under higher tension versus lighter under lower tension. The heavier strings have a more attenuated set of harmonics, making them sound a little cleaner. This works well for heavy strummers and those playing more complex jazz chords, where musicality is hurt by harmonics, as they are not usually in perfect multiples of the fundamental. This is because the effective string length is different at different frequencies.
OTOH, a lighter strings, having more harmonic character will sometimes sound very sweet for fingerstyle.
What one uses depends on the sound and playability one desires. And the more experienced one gets, the less variations in playability will affect one (within reason, of course). At that point, GAS takes over and it "makes sense" to own many guitars strung all sorts of ways.
-=tension & release=-
