9's to 10's on Strat

Alnico

10 - 52 with a floating 2 point tremolo on 2 HD springs.

Feels perfect for bending and the heavier bottom half means I get a real punch out of those strings and can hit them fairly hard for a Strat. I think my action height is 1.4 - 1.6mm and it sounds full and strong everywhere on the neck.

I think the last set of 9's I tried was 18 months ago and they lasted maybe a week before I went running back to 10's.

Last time I actually played and bought 9's regularly was the late 80's.

Anderz

I have been using 10 - 46 on all electrics since the '90s. It works better for me and also one of the reasons for rarely breaking strings I think.

Lestratcaster

10's on Fender guitars for me, started with 11's but found it hard to bend strings. 9's is too light for my rhythm playing.

TTBZ

I've always used 10-48 on Gibsons so thought I would like 9s on a strat but they just feel so wrong. It's like trying to pedal a bike in the easiest gear downhill.

TTBZ

I've always used 10-48 on Gibsons so thought I would like 9s on a strat but they just feel so wrong. It's like trying to pedal a bike in the easiest gear downhill.

Matt_McG

My preference is generally 9.5 or 10 on Fender scale length. But, a worsening of long-running hand problems means I put 8s on the other day.

Bit of a surprise, as it's been 30 years since I tried 8s. Yes, the tone is a bit thinner, and I don't like the feel when picking. I'd still choose 10s for tone. But it's forcing me to play much lighter with both hands to keep it in tune and the tone right, and that's definitely reinforcing some better habits, and pain levels are down.

Also, great jazz tone from them. My guitar is a T-style and it puts out a LOT of low end. With the 8s, I can roll the tone right off, while retaining some clarity, and without woofiness on the low end. Hilariously, I get a better jazz tone with 8s than I ever did with 10s.

richardhomer

Matt_McG said:

My preference is generally 9.5 or 10 on Fender scale length. But, a worsening of long-running hand problems means I put 8s on the other day.

Bit of a surprise, as it's been 30 years since I tried 8s. Yes, the tone is a bit thinner, and I don't like the feel when picking. I'd still choose 10s for tone. But it's forcing me to play much lighter with both hands to keep it in tune and the tone right, and that's definitely reinforcing some better habits, and pain levels are down.

Also, great jazz tone from them. My guitar is a T-style and it puts out a LOT of low end. With the 8s, I can roll the tone right off, while retaining some clarity, and without woofiness on the low end. Hilariously, I get a better jazz tone with 8s than I ever did with 10s.

I think there’s a point where you learn to use dynamics which suit the gauge. Not that I’m a fan - but I saw an interview with Joe Bonamassa where he talked about ‘over-driving the string’ with too much right hand attack. I think this is right - if you hit any gauge of string too hard, it hits other frets and sounds ‘small’ - the physics of the guitar are adding a poor-sounding compression.

I believe an excessively low action is more harmful to tone, than light strings.

fretfinder

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

9(top) /10(bottom) ie 9-46 works best on my Strat. Everything else used to wear 9s until I got talked into trying 10s. Now everything except the jazzbox (11s) and the aforementioned Strat wears 10s.

why did this get a lol? woss so funny?

It weren’t me guv, but maybe someone found it amusing that your guitars ‘wear’ strings? 

JerkMoans

dazzajl said:

MagicPigDetective said:

Always used 9's...........

Is this how those on 12's start off?

Yup. 10s are just a gateway drug

You’ll be on 11s on a Jazzmaster by September...

thegummy

fretfinder said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

9(top) /10(bottom) ie 9-46 works best on my Strat. Everything else used to wear 9s until I got talked into trying 10s. Now everything except the jazzbox (11s) and the aforementioned Strat wears 10s.

why did this get a lol? woss so funny?

It weren’t me guv, but maybe someone found it amusing that your guitars ‘wear’ strings? 

That's made me think of a guitar looking in a mirror holding a pack of strings up to its neck like women do in clothes shops.

Philtre

JerkMoans said:

dazzajl said:

MagicPigDetective said:

Always used 9's...........

Is this how those on 12's start off?

Yup. 10s are just a gateway drug

You’ll be on 11s on a Jazzmaster by September...

I did this. Flat wound 11s. I liked the novelty factor for a while, but realised soon after that it wasn't for me. Went back down to 10s. After that, 10s seemed thin.

Schnozz

I still like 9's on Fender scales and 10's on Gibson scales, but I'll make do with 10's on the former.

Phil_aka_Pip

@thegummy genuine lol for that

lovestrat74

I've got 9s on my strat but 10s on my Tele. Strat plays easier dispite it being 7.25 radius vs 9.5 on my Tele. Thinking 9.5 is the way to go across the board tho.

JMP220478

Devils advocate here but ...

Billy Gibbons 7's to 38's ( known to drop tune ) ; Yngwie 8's- 46's ( Eb scalloped board ) etc etc

ToneControl

You just need to find a gauge that works for you as part of the instrument:

• Are you more expressive with the higher/lower gauge?
• Do you make more/less mistakes?
• does the pitch wobble when hitting the string improve?
• is your fingering more accurate?
• are your bends better or worse?

The idea about tone quality being proportional to gauge has been debunked many times, just google it

mburekenge

I'd like a strings thicker at the bridge to compensate for my hamfisted  picking technique, and thinner at the nut for my limp wristed bending.