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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink String Gauges Poll

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I've been experimenting with different gauges on my Strat, and I think I've settled on a modified 12-52 set.

.012 .014 .018p .032 .044 .056

I swapped out the B and G to lighter strings to keep bends possible for me. It's a compromise I suppose, but a necessary one. I liked the feel of the wound .024 G, but there was just no stretching it. Would a .020w G stretch as easy as a .018 plain?

I use a modified Dick Dale set that won’t kill my hands as easily

image

I just had my strat set up for Daddario 12-54 with a .20 plain G. I have no problem playing these, I love it and don’t wanna go back. In fact the only thing I might want to change is going to a heavier low E, like a 56 or 58

Just started my guitar journey, coming over from the low end. My basses are all using 50-105s. The little JM has 9-42s from the factory. I grabbed some 12-54 Beefy EBs on my way out the door. Probably get to them in a few weeks

I put 13-54 pyramid gold flatwounds on my JM and it warped the neck pretty good until I tightened the truss rod. I’m thinking about going lighter. Sounds great though

My surf guitars are strung up just like my "regular" guitars - roundwound Ernie Ball 10s.

I keep one guitar tuned down a full step, it gets 11s - that's my only anomaly.

--
Project: MAYHEM by Hypersonic Secret now available!

AndrewTesta wrote:

I put 13-54 pyramid gold flatwounds on my JM and it warped the neck pretty good until I tightened the truss rod. I’m thinking about going lighter. Sounds great though

I'm soooo happy with the custom .0135 - .060 D'Addario's nickel wound set, on a jag though not a JM. I've never had such balance, every string feels the same and is as loud as each other. It's only on the Squier jag now. All I had to do was run the .060 back and forth a few times in its nut slot, the other strings fit perfectly. Didn't even need to mess with the truss rod. What a difference! I'll be doing this on the AVRI jag and eventually on the real '65 jag.

Daniel Deathtide

I put 9s on all my guitars and tune to Eb these days.

Squink Out!

D'Addario 9.5 - 44 on my Strat.

-John

"...enjoy every sandwich." -Warren Zevon

Fender Stratocaster American Pro II
Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue

15 22 30 40 50 65 Flatwound. Jaguar. Whole tone down.

Ran schooled me.

Last edited: Nov 12, 2022 16:11:51

SandBug wrote:

15 22 30 40 50 65 Flatwound. Jaguar. Whole tone down.

Ran schooled me.

WOW. That's... amazing. Tuned to D standard? I'm super impressed and I would love to hear that set.

Daniel Deathtide

Strat 10-52 and it’s perfect.
Jazzmaster 11-50 flatwound, want to go to 12-52 but will need some nut filing

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

New Single is out!

https://waikikimakaki.bandcamp.com/album/rhino-blues-full-contact-surf-single

Waikiki Makaki

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin

-

Last edited: Feb 02, 2024 15:42:12

String Joy 10-48

DeathTide wrote:

SandBug wrote:

15 22 30 40 50 65 Flatwound. Jaguar. Whole tone down.

Ran schooled me.

WOW. That's... amazing. Tuned to D standard? I'm super impressed and I would love to hear that set.

D standard is correct. The main reason i went up in gauge is because they make it easier for me to get closer to what my bandmates are doing rhythmically. Besides fast "micro rhythms" (hard to explain) i can do fast parts easier overall, and with more power, ya know, like really dig in, yet maintain a solid speed and output. In my effort to economize my playing technique over the years i found my playing a bit wimpy when playing along-side Ran.

There should eventually be some videos with my Jag with 15s, i'll let you know.

Flat 12s on my Jazzmasters (GHS or D’Addario), Ernie Ball 10s on Mosrites and Ernie Ball 11s on the Jaguars. The Ernie Balls are the only strings I’ve used that don’t unravel in a Mosrite tailpiece. I love flatwounds, but roundwounds are cheap and I can bend the 3rd.

Standard tuning.

image

image

MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale.

Dang that's a nice looking set. Did you use the calculator to match the tensions? I tried to make a perfectly balanced set and with the low E at 60, behind it was at 13.5. Which is fine because I think those strings are too loud anyway. I would love to put significantly lower gauges on those two plain strings, but I like a balanced feel and a not-warped neck.

Daniel Deathtide

Still using 48-10 chromes (flatwound) until hand surgery, then maybe I'll up the guage again.

Surfcat

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From Atlantis with Love - Released - July 2023
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Reverb Galaxy - Angle of Attack CD - BANDCAMP

Surf, the most dangerous of all musical genres...

Last edited: Jul 07, 2023 17:37:46

Posted a couple years ago, saying I was building custom sets, but for the sake of simplicity in my life I've moved to Burly Slinkys. It's basically 11's on the plain strings, 12's for the wrapped strings. 11, 14, 18p, 30, 42, 52 to be exact. Makes the lower strings easy to pick out sustained 16th notes, and the higher strings let me bend them for solo type stuff, but still hold up for tremolo picking (though I admit to sort of wanted to swap the high E out for a 12 gauge).

Last edited: Nov 01, 2023 11:46:52

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