Other popular brands include D’Addario, Elixir, Rotosound, Fender, Dunlop and relative newcomers Curt Mangan. Each company has a different take on string gauge combinations. It’s down to you to test them out and work out your favourites. After all, string gauge is 90% preference. The Best String Gauge For You We hope this has given you a better understanding of how your guitar can react to a change in string gauge. It’s often difficult to give a definitive answer and say “this will definitely happen” but it’s not as easy as that as all instruments are different and the jump in gauge will be different from player to player. For some years now, some string manufacturers have been manufacturing what are known as half gauged strings. These are sets where the manufacturer has carefully chosen ‘in-between’ gauges to help make the step up in gauge less of a drastic one both for the player and their guitar, with little to no adjustments necessary. The important thing to bear in mind is that it’s not until you put the new strings on that you will get to see just how much or how little adjustment the guitar needs as a result of the extra tension. With this in mind, this blog is simply meant as a primer on what you “might” see or “feel” happen. Also it’s worth pointing out that it’s not meant as an exhaustive guide on DIY repair so if you don’t feel comfortable carrying out any changes to your guitar yourself, we’d always recommend seeking the help of a qualified guitar technician or luthier... some shoddy work can often prove costly to repair afterwards.

Beefy Slinky 11-54 Electric Guitar Strings Ernie Ball Paradigm Beefy Slinky 11-54 Electric Guitar Strings

The wrap wire on the Paradigm wound strings is plasma-enhanced for corrosion resistance and Everlast treated for unparalleled repellency of oils, sweat and gunk & debris build-up. Experience the first set of longer lasting strings that are worth playing with all benefits and no compromises. Heavier gauge strings naturally have more tension in them when they are tuned to pitch. This means greater effort is required to play them in the form of fretting and bending, but it’s not just the player that feels the extra strain, the guitar is affected by the heavier gauge too. For example, if you’re changing strings from 9-42 to 10-46 gauge, it may not sound like a big deal, but the heavier 10-46 strings set carries over 20% more tension across the entire set. That’s a huge jump in tension! Your guitar will inevitably react to this extra tension and as a result you may notice changes in its playability. Below we’ve compiled a list of some of the effects that may occur. We say “may” occur as not all guitars are the same. For instance, some older guitars are more delicate so could have a bigger reaction to even a small change in gauge whilst other guitars made from harder woods may show no signs of movement at all.i was used to other brands, however since i started tuning my guitar on C standard, i found these to be the perfect gauge strings for my requirements. Ernie Ball’s Paradigm strings are the most break resistant strings on the planet - they’ll even guarantee it! Providing an industry leading level of strength and longer life, Paradigm strings demonstrate an unprecedented advance in string technology while still retaining 100% of the Slinky tone and feel that the top players of the last 40 years and come to love and demand.

Ernie Ball Beefy Slinky 11-54 Guitar strings - Andertons

Guitar strings determine more in your music and how you approach the instrument than you might think. Different gauges provide a variety of sounds and affect both fretting and strumming hands. Let’s compare two sets of strings:

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Supplying musicians since '97. We're guitar players and string fanatics, and we're here to help you discover your favourite set from the widest range of acoustic, electric, and bass guitar strings anywhere in the UK. The first set is thinner across every string than the first. That means, in general, they’ll be “easier” to play for many beginner guitarists, because they require less finger strength to fret and bend. On the other hand, they do require more precision to really add flavour to your playing and master techniques like a delicate vibrato, legato or arpeggios. Truss rod adjustments are one of those things that should be adjusted incrementally and can prove a little bit daunting. If done incorrectly it can prove costly so we’d always recommend consulting a qualified guitar technician or luthier to help give you some guidance or carry out the work for you. How Does String Gauge Affect The Bridge? For instance, if you are making a change from a 10-46 to 11-49 gauged set, you may wish to select a gauge of 10.5’s. This smaller step-up in gauge will not only help the player but your guitar will be thankful too! These sets are readily available nowadays with many big name manufacturers such as D’Addario, DR, GHS, PRS and Pyramid Strings all making their own version of a half gauged set. What To Expect When Trying Custom Strings Sets Always used Ernie ball strings for over 30 years my go to and won't be Changing brands anytime soon.

Beefy Slinky – Thomann UK Ernie Ball 2627 Beefy Slinky – Thomann UK

As you can see there’s a significant difference between the tension in the sets so you can start to get an idea of the level of extra strain placed on the guitar. If you would like any further guidance, please feel free to get in touch and we’d be happy to offer any advice we can. Happy stringing, and we’ll see you all next time!

The Best String Gauge For You

Many great guitarists have been known to prefer light gauge strings such as Jimi Hendrix, Brian May, Billy Gibbons, and B.B. King. Choosing a set of guitar strings is simple when you know what you’re looking for, and you probably won’t change much once you’ve settled on the right ones. Until then, all the various combinations of string gauges and brands can be a headache – but we can cure it! Here’s everything you need to know in a nutshell: If your guitar is equipped with a tremolo bridge such as a Strat or if you have a Floyd Rose setup, you may find that there are some changes needed at that end too. The extra tension found in heavier gauge strings can cause a floating bridge to pull up/forward and tilt up away from the body. An example of the bridge lifting under string tension Here’s a rundown of some of the various tensions from some of the most popular electric and acoustic gauges, pay attention to the difference of electric guitar strings 9-42 vs 10-46: Electric Guitar Strings Tension: