In my opinion you should stick to the .10s. Bending those thick strings especially flat ones will not work for you especially with sore hands. Tell us about the rest of your signal path in trying to get to the surf tone you like. Other elements may have a bigger impact.

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac'

Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party

Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF

Craig1984 wrote:

Hey everyone,

I've always used the Ernie Ball 10's. All my guitars are setup with the ol trusty green pack of strings.

Now I am reading that heavy gauge strings are the move for getting that classic surf tone.

Two questions:

1) How much difference does it actually make? Is it worth the hassle of adjusting my truss rod etc.

2) Is playing those heavy strings hard on the hands? I've been playing lots lately, to the point of causing pain in my knuckles, and I had to deliberately take a break to let my hands rest for a day. That's never happened to me before, and I don't want to make it worse if heavy strings will further aggrevate it. (I like bending strings, solos etc)

Thanks in advance!

1. In my opinion difference in sound is minor. It mostly lies in your feeling of strings, resistance and resonance. So if you are not comfortable with them you surely should switch to lighter gauge.

2. Yes, it’s hard on hands. Your hands may get used to it and you will be happy with it or you may just only escalate pain and stiffness till the moment you cannot play. I’ve struggled with 13’s for a year or so just because I’ve read somewhere that this is the only way to have right surf sound. But this is complete bullshit. I was probably a half way to tunnel syndrome or something like this before switching to 10’s on strat and 11’s on jag.

Listen to your hands and feelings. Lighter strings do not mean thinner sound, just compare SRV (13’s) and Billy Gibbons (8’s). It’s just your comfort and general response from playing.

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

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

Last edited: Apr 22, 2022 11:57:46

DannySnyder wrote:

Good points Vitaly. Let me add that there's no shame in using thinner picks either. I'm down to a .5mm tortex myself. I find it easier on my hand.

Exactly) no shame anywhere if you approach what you feel for. I’ve found that the combination of 10’s string gauge and 0,88 - 1.00 picks is perfect for me, but you surely should find yours.

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

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

Many many things can make hands hurt. First is to determine what first caused the pain. It’s not necessarily the same as what makes it hurt now.

Where exactly does it hurt and with what motion? Does it hurt at rest or in motion? What kind of pain, sharp, jabbing, uncomfortable, electrifying, paralyzingly painful, achy, throbbing, or just sore? Is bending strings the only thing that makes it hurt? Do you work at a keyboard? Are you typing on the phone for hours every day? Is there any repetitive motion that has happened to your hands ever? There could be an injury that’s so old you don’t remember it, but then suddenly it came back. Is it like arthritis where certain atmospheric pressure and temperature can affect the pain level?

You may be pressing the strings harder than necessary, and may have been doing so since you started playing. Your arm position may be awkward for just your body, whereas everyone else can’t understand what you’re talking about. For example, if I play in the traditional position (bent right elbow), my arm ends up on fire within a minute. If I play like Kurt Cobain with my right arm almost straight, I can play for hours! Hardcore tremolo picking and everything.

Don’t expect a doctor to understand your pain just because they’re an MD. Yes get xrays and MRIs (inflammation does not show up on xrays), but most important is to get a doctor who listens to you. I have been severely injured by doctors who just didn’t listen when I said “hey that exercise you gave me last week hurt for four days.” If they were able to listen, they would have immediately stopped the exercise. Instead my recovery was set back about five months and I missed five months of work. A sports doc is an okay place to start, but a good physiatrist (not psychiatrist!) may be your best shot at getting you better. They are pain doctors. But again, you must find one who listens.

My advice is not to get any injections until you know what caused the condition. And never under any circumstances should you get a cortisone shot. If a doctor actually recommends that - run, don’t walk away. That works by disintegrating your tissue.

My injuries were from a keyboard job, and luckily not guitar playing. Usually playing guitar or drums helped the pain, but sometimes it seemed to increase it. Now I’ve learned if I play through the normal pain (not sharp or throbbing, just sore), within about 20 minutes my arm feels much better, even hours later.

Good luck!! And, don’t trust any doctor who doesn’t listen.

Dan Izen

Daniel Deathtide

BTW - I meant to ask - what guitars are you using, and how high is the action? String tension goes up with increasing scale length, string gauges remaining constant. And higher action can cause as much strain on the hands as comparably heavier strings.

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