I play a USA 57 strat reissue ( Surf Green )and have tried just about everything. I threw a set of flat wounds on and it was too peggy sounding. Having grown up in the surf music era the sound is forever etched in my brain so I knew the sound I wanted. I also play a Gretsch which I use DR Pure Blues. I got pissed off buying strings and not getting the sound I wanted so I just threw on DR Pure blue 11's hoping for a little more sustain and figuring I'd just be content with what I got....... WOW! that did it. Just what I was looking for. The Strat came alive (after and hour of setup, dang) It just has a great sound along with the upgraded 5 position switch. I'm a happy camper. I now use DR Blues strings on all my guitars...love the pure nickle....

let me start by saying that my ideal setup is a strat with .10-.46 daddarioss. i figured the thicker gauges would be the norm for getting the infamous thundering dick dale tone but i was a bit shocked at first when i saw that a lot of you are using flatwounds but then again ive never played a jag or jazz.

And just once again, a post from Kyle below. Kyle gets absolutely amazing tone, he really nails a very wide variety of surf tones more accurately than any other surf guitarist I've seen/heard.

WaimeaBay
you 10 & 11 guys (or gals) really gotta step it up a notch. Your tone wll thank you

Kyle

I use Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkys 46's to 9's for so many years on my Jaguars I don't belive in piano strings or Bridge Cables and bass strings it's all on how you play your axe, technique and the voice of your guitar amp and good speakers
Play with what ever strings you desire any guage any style any brand
blow the small and technical stuff off just have fun and surf it up and remember why were all playing guitar in the 1st place, its a love a passion and an art.
Here's a sample that you don't need 11's or higher
Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkys 46's to 9's , 62 Jaguar, 64 Bassman, 65 Reverb tank
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qYP6iB5rXEU

Last edited: Feb 02, 2012 09:33:32

I guess if I had a Jaguar again I'd string it with flatwound 12s and just play the double picking style surf on that.

Aside from that my main hero Nokie Edwards used light strings on some of my favorite Ventures recordings. I used 9s on my Mosrite(sold) and now I've got 10s on my Jazzmaster but I'm tempted to try 9s on it.

"as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there"

https://www.facebook.com/reluctantaquanauts/
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I love DR Blues Pure Nickel! I have them on my 6120 and used them on my Teles and Strats.

I haven't changed my stock 10s that came on the Jazzmaster. I like the feel. I thought of going to 9s but I'm playing a lot of rhythm guitar in this band and I think I'll stick with 10s. I'm thinking about getting a backup and putting 9s on it just to see if I can make it work.

I had 9s on my Excellents but those are gone now.

"as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there"

https://www.facebook.com/reluctantaquanauts/
https://www.facebook.com/TheDragstripVipers/

Wow, I've been hearing a lot of positive feedback about DR Pure Blues nickel strings lately. I think I'll try them out on my Strat next string change.

-Nick

Gypsy Moonshine on Reverbnation
Gypsy Moonshine on Facebook

I had tried DR Pure blues 11's, don't get me wrong, they're good strings, but for me I needed thicker strings with a much phat tone. I had asked several people their brand of strings and Billy Woods sparked an interest in me. He uses Ernie Ball Not Even Slinky which are 12/16/24P/32/44/56. So I looked at EB Beefy Slinky 11/15/22P/30/42/54, but the 54 wouldn't fit in the nut slot, so I a found a different set with 52 and fit like a glove. Went through the whole setup with my 83 Fender strat and these strings are fantastic through the reverb tank. Thanks Billy!

ColtsSurf wrote:

For you Strat players that use heavier strings (say, 12s instead of the standard 10s), do you do so strictly for improved tone or is there also some staying-in-tune benefit when using the trem bar?

I do it primarily for tone and playing feel (makes double picking, muting, etc., much easier and somehow more 'right'), but I think it's quite possible it also better stabilizes the trem system and stays in tune better. I certainly have very minimal tuning problems with all my Strats, quite opposite of their normal reputation.

Ivan
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ColtsSurf wrote:

Thanks Ivan, that's good insight.

My Strats have always had 10s, but I am intrigued by the heavier strings. I just bought some of those Roto Purples you suggested.

Very cool, Paul, I hope you like them. Though, I usually recommend going up in string gauge by a single step - 10s to 11s rather than 12s. 10s to 12s is a fairly big step, and I suspect you will find it pretty uncomfortable initially. It's really a matter of strengthening your fingers as well as altering your technique a bit, and that takes time. But I guess you can give it a shot, and see how it works out. If it proves to be a bit too much, try 11s. Good luck!

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube

I am a long time Ernie Ball LTHB set user ...I think thats 10 13 17 30 42 52 roundwound
This year I switched up and tried a bunch of different sets including EB 'BEEFY' Slinky ..I (mostly) liked the gauges but the plain .022 G string was just odd..a big jump from the .017 I was used to.The increased tension wasnt a problem after a while but the sound was ..kinda weird overtones and too much volume ..sounded out of balance.
I just bought a dozen sets of strings in bulk from a popular online 'make your own set' type retailer...the price is nice too so I hope this works for me.I am a fresh string set lover,I want the zing and change before every show or when I feel they have lost some life ( maybe 5 practices ).
here's my custom set(s) 11 14 19 30 42 54

I'll report back once I try them out on a couple of my Fenders