Gauges at a Glance: find the right strings for you. Nov 30 '00    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet The early blues players cut their chops, and their fingers on very heavy strings. Back then, there were very few companies manufactured guitar strings, and there was not much variation: Heavy and heavier. A guitar player back then needed physical finger stamina and will power to play everynight without screaming. A lot of the soulful pain you hear in blues singers' voices comes from trying to pull of riffs using gauge .012 or even .013 strings. Sore fingers ruled the land. Today the world is much different. The variety of string brands and styles out their is hard to keep up with. The question is, what kind of strings should I use? What are the differences? Does it really matter? Yes. It does. But only if you're serious about guitar. The gauge refers to the thickness of the strings. the higher the number the thicker/heavier the string. the number refers to the thickness of the high e string. Many of todays players prefer lighter strings. When you buy a new Fender or Gibson at your favorite guitar store, they come factory equipped with .009's. This makes the guitar feel easier to play, and is great for beginners. Some playing styles absolutely require light strings. If you want to play lightning fast, virtuoso Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, or Malmsteen licks, then light strings are probably your best bet. I even know a guy who uses gauge .008 strings. The big problem with this is this is that these players usually want the lowest action possible as well. Low action and super light strings are not the best combination. That cocktail can cause buzzing frets, particularly higher on the neck, and intonation problems, where the guitar sounds out of tune. I do freelance guitar repair for friends and aquaintances, and I see this all the time, especially when it comes to wannabe blues virtuosos. I keep telling them, you can have action as low as you want it if you just go one string gauge heavier. My brother had a semi-hollow body guitar equipped with flat wound gauge .012 strings. The action was the lowest I've ever seen, I swear the strings were practically part of the fretboard. Not a single fret buzz, the strings were not hard to bend, and the intonation was flawless. In theory this is the ultimate setup for a guitar. But it is best for playing jazz, and for most players, it just won't deliver for hard rock, punk rock, metal or blues styles. Flatwound strings are not reccomended for these styles. Another thing I have to tell my wannabe blues virtuosos is that their favoeite guitarists played on heavy strings. Hendrix played .010's and .011's. Stevie Ray Vaughn played .011's and .012's. B.B. King only recently switched to .010's, still relatively heavy strings. Bends sound better on heavier strings, once you get used to them. There's less intonation difficulty, and no fret buzz. They also have better sustain. but if the strings are too heavy, they might be hard to play. I am not reccomending that you players out there who are using .009's run out and grab .012's. That's not a smart idea. You need to work your way up, or you won't be able to play. You need to develop the finger strength. So does your guitar. Such a drastic change in tension could plausibly be bad for your guitar. Same goes for moving to lighter strings. If you move to far down too quickly you'll feel like you are playing a toy, and might rule out lighter strings for the rest of your life. For me, gauge .010 is perfect for my electric guitar. It's a perfect compromise between playability (speed),and good sound (no fret buzz, good sustain and intonation). Some people consider these to be heavy strings. I don't. They're perfect for me. What's perfect for you might be very different. Find out for yourself. Try as many strings as possible. You won't regret it when you come to your final decision. And remember, players evolve. Don't be afraid to change.

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