Can you tell string guage by eye?

viz

tony99 said:

Fuengi said:

Paul_C said:

You'd be better off using the low E - there's a chance that a 9 might be nearer 9.5 and the same for a 10, but 42 or 46 would be much easier to decide on.

I'm never sure if the low E is the vertically low e or the pitch low E?

A cool trick for remembering is always to say 'low e' in a very, very deep voice

Low - Low voice (lowing, like a cow)

fandango

ICBM said:

Which gauge would you want to use if there were no strings on it now?

Use those.

Except that if one’s tech skills weren’t up to scratch, there’d be an intonation problem. 

ICBM

fandango said:

Except that if one’s tech skills weren’t up to scratch, there’d be an intonation problem. 

Unlikely, if it was set up correctly for any of those three string gauges before - there's usually little or no difference. And if it wasn't then you'd have to do it anyway.

Maybe it seems easy to me because I do this stuff all the time...


No, it really is easy. I'd agree that something like adjusting a truss rod if it's one with the nut in the neck pocket is something better left to someone who knows what they're doing if you're not confident, but anyone who can play an electric guitar can intonate it.

thegummy

ICBM said:

fandango said:

Except that if one’s tech skills weren’t up to scratch, there’d be an intonation problem. 

Unlikely, if it was set up correctly for any of those three string gauges before - there's usually little or no difference. And if it wasn't then you'd have to do it anyway.

Maybe it seems easy to me because I do this stuff all the time...


No, it really is easy. I'd agree that something like adjusting a truss rod if it's one with the nut in the neck pocket is something better left to someone who knows what they're doing if you're not confident, but anyone who can play an electric guitar can intonate it.

As someone who is definitely not a professional I can confirm that both of those things are at least as easy as changing the strings.

prlgmnr

I can't gauge the gauge by eye so I got a gauge to help me gauge the gauge but the gauge only allowed me to gauge that the string whose gauge I was unsure of was either a 9 or a 10

Alnico

Yes, but I see a hell of a lot of strings in all different gauges.

Sometimes I custom order them as singles to make up a set of very specific gauges. When I do this, I do it just from memory of having seen, fitted and used that gauge in the past or if I've already used a plain 0.017 and I'm thinking about making it heavier or lighter, it doesn't take much to imagine what the new one would feel like, lets say a 0.019 or whatever.

It's only familiarity, the same way a mechanic can tell you what size a bolt head is just by a quick glance and be right 99% of the time.

tony99

viz said:

tony99 said:

Fuengi said:

Paul_C said:

You'd be better off using the low E - there's a chance that a 9 might be nearer 9.5 and the same for a 10, but 42 or 46 would be much easier to decide on.

I'm never sure if the low E is the vertically low e or the pitch low E?

A cool trick for remembering is always to say 'low e' in a very, very deep voice

Low - Low voice (lowing, like a cow)

Whether it's deep or low doesn't matter. 

It's a moo point, like a cow's opinion. It's moo.

Lestratcaster

I don't think I can, only by feel.

thegummy

Fuengi said:

Paul_C said:

You'd be better off using the low E - there's a chance that a 9 might be nearer 9.5 and the same for a 10, but 42 or 46 would be much easier to decide on.

I'm never sure if the low E is the vertically low e or the pitch low E?

I think an easy way to remember is just to remember that the vertical height of strings on a guitar in playing position is never mentioned.

Low and high are used all the time in music, you'll never forget that. So just remember there's only one meaning of low and you'll know it's always the one you know definitely exists.

Simon_M

tony99 said:

viz said:

tony99 said:

Fuengi said:

Paul_C said:

You'd be better off using the low E - there's a chance that a 9 might be nearer 9.5 and the same for a 10, but 42 or 46 would be much easier to decide on.

I'm never sure if the low E is the vertically low e or the pitch low E?

A cool trick for remembering is always to say 'low e' in a very, very deep voice

Low - Low voice (lowing, like a cow)

Whether it's deep or low doesn't matter. 

It's a moo point, like a cow's opinion. It's moo.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fLwYpSCrlHU

Simon_M

thegummy said:

Fuengi said:

Paul_C said:

You'd be better off using the low E - there's a chance that a 9 might be nearer 9.5 and the same for a 10, but 42 or 46 would be much easier to decide on.

I'm never sure if the low E is the vertically low e or the pitch low E?

I think an easy way to remember is just to remember that the vertical height of strings on a guitar in playing position is never mentioned.

Low and high are used all the time in music, you'll never forget that. So just remember there's only one meaning of low and you'll know it's always the one you know definitely exists.

Typically called the 6th string, regardless of pitch. 

thegummy

Simon_M said:

thegummy said:

Fuengi said:

Paul_C said:

You'd be better off using the low E - there's a chance that a 9 might be nearer 9.5 and the same for a 10, but 42 or 46 would be much easier to decide on.

I'm never sure if the low E is the vertically low e or the pitch low E?

I think an easy way to remember is just to remember that the vertical height of strings on a guitar in playing position is never mentioned.

Low and high are used all the time in music, you'll never forget that. So just remember there's only one meaning of low and you'll know it's always the one you know definitely exists.

Typically called the 6th string, regardless of pitch. 

See that would actually confuse me, I'd always say the low E or if I was talking to someone who uses different tuning (I don't personally) I'd say something like "the string that's usually the low E".

Don't get me started on "front and back" pickups lol

viz

Remember the phrase high 5; so the 6th must be low. 

thegummy

viz said:

Remember the phrase high 5; so the 6th must be low. 

Nice!

Just need to remember Borat or David Puddy.

High 5!

So the 6 is even higher.

Got it.

Fuengi

It's not coordinated is it? What is standard tuning? EADGBe right? So surely the low E (the highest vertically) is the first string? Nope. It's the high e (the lowest vertically) which is the 6th when reading the tuning. 

Enough for you to want to gauge your own eyes out 

Alnico

Fuengi said:

....
Enough for you to want to gauge your own eyes out 

LOL.

Brilliant !

hotpickups

Probably couldn't tell by looking initially but as soon as I play them I'd know exactly. I usually play 10s but played a guitar set up with 9s recently and I was over bending out of tune like crazy. I could never play 9s, just feels like elastic bands to me now