Dropping a string gauge or two for the sake of my playing

Axe2Grind · October 1

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has dropped down a string gauge or two to help their playing?
At the moment when I bend a string (only seems to be when I bend a lot) I am getting this horrible sharp pain in my ring finger mainly (which is my main finger used for bending and vibrato - supported by other fingers of course). I have experienced this off and on now for the past few years and initially put it down to using coated strings, thinking maybe it was the coating that was coming off and causing the pain as it feels like being stabbed in the finger tip with something sharp.

Anyhow, I'm thinking of dropping from my usual 10-46's (I pay LPs with 24.75 scale necks) to either 9-46's or even thought about the 8.5-40. Has anybody else gone through this and come out the other side with less pain after going to a lighter string set?
Obviously the years are piling on now at 55, I do have a medical condition which I'm thinking is contributing too which is a blood problem and seems my fingers are getting softer and the rock hard calluses I once had have gone a bit whoopsy on me lol.
My fear is that my playing days could be over soon and I'll have to go back to tickling the ivories again

stickyfiddle · October 1

There is no possibly upside in causing yourself injuries or pain in the name of using “manly thick strings”

Half the old guard were using 8s on Gibsons until SRV came along and made people feel inadequate. Don’t sweat it!

axisus · October 1

I always used 9s, mostly due to finger problems. I tried 8s once many years ago, they felt way too skinny so they came off the next day!

Roll forward many years, more finger probs so I tried 8s again and this time I LOVED them! eliminated my finger probs plus my playing felt more nuanced. I'd never go back from 8s.

I wasn't sure at first whether to go there as there is this 'macho heavy strings' thing going on in the guitar world, but then I looked up and lots of famous guitarists have used 8s. Also, this Beato video was most interesting.

CoffeeAndTV · October 1

I’ve been thinking the same, it’s taking longer to warm the hands up as I’m getting older. I like having a bit of a fight with the guitar, but I need to win occasionally.

fretmeister · October 1

I have 8-40 on my 24.75 scales and on 25.5 when in E flat.

In E-E standard I have 7-38 on 25.5 scales.

I'm using Dunlop Rev Willy (Billy Gibbons) signature strings.

PSA: They can be a bit expensive compared to EB and D'addario, but the 3 packs are often a lot cheaper, making each pack cheaper than the other two.

I love them. Easy to play, great sound and I haven't broken a string yet.

Axe2Grind · October 1

Thanks guys, I think I will be going down the 8.5-40 route then. It certainly takes a while to warm up these days. My hands are always ice cold and by the sounds from your experiences, lighter strings will certainly help.

Really good Beto video as well. Thanks for posting @axisus ;

digitalkettle · October 1

Axe2Grind said:

Thanks guys, I think I will be going down the 8.5-40 route then. It certainly takes a while to warm up these days. My hands are always ice cold and by the sounds from your experiences, lighter strings will certainly help.

Really good Beto video as well. Thanks for posting @axisus ;

...and nothing faster than sixteenth notes, y'hear?!!

ICBM · October 1

Why make things more difficult than necessary by choosing odd gauges? Start with a standard set of 9-42s and see how that works.

(And I say that even though I dislike standard sets of 9s because the B is a gauge too light.)

vasselmeyer · October 1

I'm in my late 50s and have often idly considered if I should move off the 11-48 I've used for nearly thirty years, purely so I'm not having to put so much effort into playing. Then I get to a gig, jump around like an idiot, and smack the shit out of them and they feel like nothing under my fingers. I suppose if you're having finger trouble, it really can't hurt to try them out.

digitalkettle · October 1

9-46 seems fairly standard these days...a logical step if coming down from 10-46.

My variations:
25.5" = 9-46 in standard / 10-46 in Eb standard
25" = 10-46 in Eb standard / 11-48 in D standard (a one-off)
24.75-ish" = 10-46 in standard and Eb standard (they're mostly in Eb standard tuning, tbh)

Roland · October 1

Axe2Grind said: … the rock hard calluses I once had have gone a…

Surely that’s a measure of competence rather than frailty. You’re not pressing as hard as you used to in your adolescence.

I have thought about dropping a string gauge from 10-52 to 10-46 or even 9s, but haven’t done it yet. Like @vasselmeyer I’m a bit heavy handed

joeW · October 1

Am thinking of back off from 13-56’s on my archtops to make them easier as I age. On electrics I’d be dropping to 9’s without any hesitation- at least to try them out.

Axe2Grind · October 1

Roland said:

Axe2Grind said: … the rock hard calluses I once had have gone a…

Surely that’s a measure of competence rather than frailty. You’re not pressing as hard as you used to in your adolescence.

I have thought about dropping a string gauge from 10-52 to 10-46 or even 9s, but haven’t done it yet. Like @vasselmeyer I’m a bit heavy handed

You know what, I didn't think of that. I've always played 10-46's and to this day I don't have any issues with finger strength, its the searing pain when I bend, especially really high up on the fretboard. I've had 9-46's before but ended going back to 10s. I'm thinking 9s will still be too much but 8s would be ridiculous so 8.5's seems the logical choice.

Roland · October 1

Is this pain caused by arthritis or something else? You really ought to get a medical opinion.

Axe2Grind · October 2

Roland said:

Is this pain caused by arthritis or something else? You really ought to get a medical opinion.

Well, it only happens when I bend a string on the upper frets where the tension is high, like a pinched nerve pain when the string digs into the skin at the tip of my finger, if it starts occurring anytime else then I think I will seek medical advice.
For now though, I think minimising tension in my guitar would help. Thanks

Kebabkid · October 2

I dropped from 10s and even 11s when I had a PRS DGT for the same reason as the pain started shooting up to my left shoulder. I'm now on 9-46 on my guitars and 9.5-46 for my Les Paul - it helped, but I also had 2 rounds of steroid injections. As has been said, if there's pain, change things up or rest more or seek medical advice.

digitalkettle · October 2

It may not be entirely appropriate here but I'm a big avocado advocate of using the Powerball gyro 'exercise ball thingy' for general conditioning/maintaining/warm-ups, etc.

axisus · October 2

digitalkettle said:

It may not be entirely appropriate here but I'm a big avocado advocate of using the Powerball gyro 'exercise ball thingy' for general conditioning/maintaining/warm-ups, etc.

Interesting. I have one in a drawer somewhere, bought it about 20 years ago!

Blueingreen · October 2

In early days of playing I played 8s. I had difficulty bending which I now realise had a lot to do with my guitar, a "fretless wonder" Les Paul Custom - there was a lot of friction between fingertips and wood. Once I realised bigger wire made bending easier I moved to 9s or 10s eventually settling on 9s.

But I've never believed lighter strings sound thinner. I have old recordings of me using 8s where the guitar sounds huge.

I also have some hand issues and if Elixir made 8s I'd probably have switched back to 8s by now. I'm just reluctant to go back to uncoated strings I have to change 4 times as often.

Yorkie · October 2

I used to play finger style only, and 8s were my go-to gauge on longer scale guitars. I've more recently started using a pick, boosted by some good advice from the chaps here, and I find 8s have become more difficult for me to control. They'll go out of tune if I fret too hard, which for some reason I do when holding a plastic prosthesis, and they'll buzz against the frets if I pick too hard. I've gone up to 10s on the Strat in response to this.

Light strings do not have to sound tiny. I think some people go into lighter gauges holding unrealistic expectations: they want easy three-string bends with super low action and tuning stability while also hitting the strings like a caveman and it just doesn't work that way –you have to drop the caveman act for it to work.

Axe2Grind · October 2

Blueingreen said:

In early days of playing I played 8s. I had difficulty bending which I now realise had a lot to do with my guitar, a "fretless wonder" Les Paul Custom - there was a lot of friction between fingertips and wood. Once I realised bigger wire made bending easier I moved to 9s or 10s eventually settling on 9s.

But I've never believed lighter strings sound thinner. I have old recordings of me using 8s where the guitar sounds huge.

I also have some hand issues and if Elixir made 8s I'd probably have switched back to 8s by now. I'm just reluctant to go back to uncoated strings I have to change 4 times as often.

That's good to know about the 8s not sounding thinner. When I played 9s, I always thought they sounded less meatier than 10s but its one of those guitarist things where its probably all in your head lol. Regarding coated strings with longevity, my current strings of choice are the Ernie Ball Slinky RPS Titanium coated strings, they last a very long time, I haven't changed my strings in about 8 months and they still sound great and don't get crusty like the uncoated normal slink's, they do an 8's set. I'd recommend if you don't want to be changing your strings often

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Dropping a string gauge or two for the sake of my playing

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