Your Acoustic Guitar String Gauge Guide (AT86)

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Featured in This Episode...
#4 String Guage Selection Guide
#3 This week's featured artist has been on constant repeat for the entire Acoustic Life team. I'm talking about Phoebe Bridgers.
#2 A Hockey, Bourbon, Guitar Collision
#1 Jason Momoa and Colter Wall

[@eddiesguitars]

BEST EPISODE EVER!!! Guitars and hockey - two beautiful worlds colliding into happiness!

[@guyvishnu]

Ok, Tony. Just an idea I'd like to see on Acoustic life. We guitar geeks often lust after certain guitars. How 'bout each episode having a Guitar Pin-up picture of a special guitar.

[@calebbhawkins]

guyvishnu yes!!!!!!

[@jrvierra]

On Bridgers - Noah! Wow. You are amazing. You nailed it on noticing the "spaces". I have always thought that art is mostly about the "negative space" defined by the artist. Phoebe paints with negative space. You explained it brilliantly. The banter between Tony and Noah was excellent.

[@boydbc]

Awwww....cute pup! I've had dogs in my life since I was born. I can't imagine life without man's best friend.

[@sharontiano1348]

Congrats Noah.. your daughter (and the rest of the family) are going to discover a whole new kind of love .. your daughter is beautiful

[@philthomas4471]

Happy Acoustic Tuesday from Vinton, IA. Loving the show and catching up on previous installments of your show. Have a ways to go in order to get caught up!

[@pickerdad8402]

A big THANK YOU to Tony for the segment on string gauge! I've been playing and studying guitar for a very long time, and most of what Tony said about string gauge I had never heard before. That's pretty rare. As a fingerstyler, I had really never given any thought to medium strings, but thanks to this show, I realized that I have one guitar tuned to open C, where the low E is tuned down 4 semitones (frets), and I have been struggling with buzz. Actually I describe it more as string "rattle" against the frets. Now I'm inspired to try medium gauge on that guitar. Also, I had never considered scale length in my string gauge decision, and now I can make some more intelligent string choices. Thanks again Tony. Acoustic Tuesday is a treasure

[@blakewicklein8571]

Hello from Bellville, TX. Hope y'all are having a great Acoustic Tuesday! I'm playing electric guitar on Easter Sunday and 300 people will be there at the minimum! Wish me luck.

[@vwbeetle72jellybeen]

Wow! Very Cool! Break a leg and drink plenty of coffee for a very full day of worship!

[@colakeith1]

Love the great guitar geekness emanating throughout! Great tips and fun today!! Phoebe Bridgers will be a wonderful addition to my music compilation. Thank you, Tony and Noah. Our guides through the dark forest to the light of illumination of the land of Acoustic Life!

[@stupiddooley2140]

Great show, and yes I do watch the Acoustic Tuesday show on my 50" plasma T.V..

[@vwbeetle72jellybeen]

?WOW? LifeSize Tony and Noah! Very cool!

[@LyleStyle87]

75" 4k for me. Now that's a little bigger than life size lol

[@wushu3162]

Tuning in from singapore! As always great show and so informative! Loving it!😬

[@DrFearCo]

I run an oasis and a humidipak and it works perfectly. You also never need to re hydrate the boveda packs since the oasis releases enough humidity that the humidipak stays hydrated. It will add humidity in the winter and remove humidity in the summer. Works great

[@voucherboy8588]

Happy Tuesday from Cardiff, Wales!

[@tedr.]

Saw Phoebe Bridgers with Better Oblivion Community Center in Providence RI a few weeks ago. Very cool!

[@sp1kline]

I like the artists that you mention and how you put out some of their work. Conversation about Bridgers was very good.

[@paulhudson7719]

Tuning in today from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Travel is great, but even better with a dose of home in the form of Acoustic Tuesday. Thanks to the entire TAC/AT team. Paul H

[@kerrif6414]

And interesting trivia about hockey and guitar - thanks!

[@jeteye97]

Good grief. What perfect timing! Just what I’ve been doing by trial and error on my new J-45 Studio model. I found Elixer phosphor bronze HD lights to my liking, so far. All the best to all of y’all!

[@kjgas6945]

Another great show. My favorite guitar is my seagull S6 original I've had a lot more expensive guitars but the seagull is the best for me.

[@lilycat1694]

kj gas I recently purchased an S6 Original guitar, and I am so pleased with it. Amazing playing and sounds great, too!!!!! I am trying to find the right strings for it.

[@ASPEDBUSDRIVER1]

I didn't enjoy mine. Cedar sounded like plywood for fingerpicking. Action was a little high. I would have been happier even with a GS mini for the same money. Not a horrible instrument, but disappointing and not much "wow" impression

[@kjgas6945]

Sad to say I have not stuck with that guitar! Yes the GS mini is wonderful guitar! I went and picked up a Epiphone EJ 200 coupe guitar! And after that, I sold almost everything else! I like the shorter scale! It is a very forgiving guitar if that makes any sense to you. I think it was somewhere around $600! I feel so much in love with it that I got rid of everything. Accept my first early to late 70s early 80s whatever it was sigma guitar that I started playing , and my sixties Epiphone Les Paul Standard inspired by Gibson! That I recently purchased and usually gig with! I realized that , sad as it sound Epiphone is my brand! Because I think Gibson prices are ridiculous,!!!! But I digress, that little Epiphone Coupe is about concert sized! And my body fell in love with it. Lot of sound! And the best playability I've ever had! Due to an exceptional set up job by Sweetwater ! Play on brothers, and sisters!👍👍🤠🤠🎸🎸

[@arvedbohn6133]

Talking about string gauges: What I like to do is going with really heavy strings to go very low (I don't own a bass, so I'm tuning very low to still be able to get some of those low notes while playing). I'm tuning my acoustic guitar to ADADAD, I'm using a 7-string electric set without the G-string to accomodate the low A string (013-074). It's awesome for being able to get some bass into your guitar playing, especially while holding a bar chord and playing the melody over it (the low A comes in really handy for this) and, of course, for doing what I love to do: Playing medieval/folky tunes and using the low strings as drones! ;) Greetings from Fridingen an der Donau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany! :D

[@lilycat1694]

I am so glad you mentioned Seagull guitars. I recently traded in a 2011 Seagull Entourage rustic dread for a 2019 Seagull S6 original. Great guitars considering their low cost. I have been experimenting with strings and am ready to try some Marin retro strings... I enjoy this channel!!!

[@eperez4040]

Great show, always learn something, keep on keeping on. #small win - Just picked up my Ovation Legend Ltd (1651-7), from a refret job done by Don Bell thru Archie's Guitars in Richardson, Tx. I bought the Ovation new in 1982 two months after the birth of our youngest son, who BTW now plays acoustic bass with me in church a couple of times a month(more on fam jam later). The refret job was excellent even tho the fret board had to have new binding, it looks just great and I couldn't really tell it had been done except for the lack of serious notches in the frets. Great to play this old friend again. BTW Laphroaig Quarter Cask is the elixir of life. Sorry Tony, keep the faith Noah!

[@bocabenkolstad]

Hi, Tony, Noah! Tuning in from South Florida, as usual. Love Phoebe Bridgers, and her work with Conor Oberst, and (I imagine) her other stuff as well. Thanks for the primer on string gauge and how its effects differ across different scale lengths and tunings. That's very helpful! PS--in the video, she's wearing my favorite studio monitor headphones!

[@ratherbwalkn]

I hope your dog was a rescue and congrats, there are so many animals in need and you and your family did something wonderful!

[@trollstjerne]

Happy Acoustic Tuesday!! Have a guitaristic week! 😎

[@rayrodriguez8447]

Watching from Wahiawa, Hawaii. I really liked the segment about strings. Another great show, fellas. End of show metaphor: Laid the egg. Kept it warm until it hatched. Fed it worms and watched it grow. Then pushed if from the nest and watched it fly.

[@SdeBurca]

Another awesome episode! We got dogs, Khal Drogo playing the game of tones at a Colter Wall gig, and serious goosebumps for Phoebe Bridgers song! Call me crazy, but I’d love a high speed punk rock cover of Funeral 😂 Grateful for the shoutout about Antoine’s album artwork! Going full circle a few more times... I actually discovered Acoustic Tuesday because of Antoine when he was featured in episode 25! And... Adrian Bellue’s new album arrived here today, as you mentioned Antoine recorded it, and I did the artwork!

[@BaktaBak3]

Happy Tuesday & hello from Boston. :-)

[@pameladiez4933]

Thanks for show #86 very cool.you know you are a guitar geek when you watch Tony's acuastic challenge every week.tony and Noah,makes me crack up alot.noah that is wonderful that you adopted a cute dog.i had the same dog.his name was beamer.tony,i love all the artist you show in your show.thanks.i love seagull guitars very beautiful.but I really am looking forward to looking into Preston's Thompson's guitar.i love that honey sunburst.and what a sound.very beautiful. Thanks see you.# 87 happy Easter and Passover.!!🕎✝️⚜️👍💡😁🎸🥁🎻🎺🎹🎷🎤😂

[@nancyshumway2251]

Yes I started out with heavy gauge then went to medium now I’m playing light now but not so impressed with the sound I have an ovation so any tips would be helpful. Plus where do you get the t shirt I’m addicted to t shirts as well. Any time I go somewhere were they have a t shirt I do.( so I feel you there)

[@eperez4040]

Nancy, I have an Ovation Legend Ltd and have been using Adamas mediums for a long time. I have tried others but keep coming back to them as they seems to me to produce the best sound. These are the recommended strings by Ovation when I bought my Legend. They were a bit hard to find but it seems stringsandbeyond.com now has them for like $6.99. Don't know what model you have but at that price try a set and see what you think.

[@nancyshumway2251]

I also have a ovation celebrity I put on elixir 10 gauge

[@robertcarhartjr6234]

I'm a big fan of Godin , and am a proud owner of one of their made-in-Canada A12 models (slimline acoustic 12-string -- looks a little like a Tele, but is chambered and therefore pretty lightweight). Highly recommend anything by Godin or the related companies/associated brands you cite (esp. Seagull),

[@Mike_B.]

#youknowyoureaguitargeekwhen you end up watching a guy randomly pulling a set of Elixirs out of his beard...

[@DavidHBurkart]

Seagull began in 1982, part of the Godin family of guitars. My first brand-new acoustic guitar purchase is a 2010 Seagull S6 Spruce with Cherry back and sides. Great guitar & the tone has aged nicely, better today than the day I bought it.

[@leftwrite]

Hey Tony - I totally get the goalie connection. I played on the first youth hockey team in Dallas, TX back in 1969 - the Dallas Little Hawks. Chicago had a farm team in Dallas in the old CHL back then and they were my team. My hero was #35 Tony Esposito. I wore his number. Still playing the guitar but hockey not so much. Unfortunately for me, NHL meant Not Hardly Likely. Great show as always. Rick R

[@sbolfing]

Living on the 3rd coast (Texas Gulf Coast), I really don't watch hockey except during the Olympics LOL! But - it is always cool to see people who are well-known in other professions, also be guitar geeks!!!

[@jamesmorrison2063]

This gotta be the longest Acoustic Tuesday Show ever.

[@vwbeetle72jellybeen]

And chock full of content, for sure!

[@kennewton5877]

Look forward to your next show at the very moment the show I’m watching is over. I wish that there was a Acoustic Tuesday on Monday,Wed.,Thursday,Friday. I guess we could take a break for the Weekend.

[@robertjustiana683]

Living my best Acoustic Life in sunny Florida. 😎

[@jeromybrinkman425]

South Alabama 👍

[@jgrainger8056]

Hi from Atlanta! Happy Tuesday!

[@cheryllakin3077]

Hockey fan here!!!! Hockey segment and trivia very cool😎. My team got their clock cleaned, so they're out😭. The Blue Jackets deserved their win. Always a fun show to enjoy when I'm bummed out.......thanks guys💕😘

[@robertjustiana683]

Cool. I just bought my first set of medium strings to try out, Elixir Polyweb. 😎

[@maverickpanda]

Robert Justiana i also just got some polywebs and my nails that are longer for finger style have scraped off the coating within a couple days :/ tone sounds nice tho

[@vwbeetle72jellybeen]

Good strings @Robert, especially after they've been through their paces for a little while. They mellow out a little.

[@Whitehawkvisionfilms]

I was working in MT last week and was in Bozo 2 days and wanted to look y'all up, but time didn't allow :-( Went to Music Villa and they were sold out of Gibsons... double sad! Hopefully I'll get to see y'all next time!

[@jonathanmeyer1164]

Greetings guys from Gloucester Va. I was half expecting Tony to end the show with NHL refrences.

[@duffermod1]

Guitar's /Fun /Family. And Geekness. Love Love it. Only problem shows not long enough. Cheers guys.

[@mikebowers5909]

I love my Seagull S6 Original. Sounds and feels way better than its price point. Oh, by the way watching this episode made me trade in an Ibanez electric for a La Patrie Presentation.... Small win I suppose.

[@don6538]

Watching belatedly on acoustic Wednesday from Boston, Massachusetts. #smallwin After getting beat on CSNY question last week, started another trivia run, now at 1. Liked Phoebe Bridgers and will investigate further. As always thanks for doing the show, and see you next week.

[@jonathansipe3616]

Didn’t have to wait for the choices to answer when Seagull started. Love my S6’s!

[@kerrif6414]

Tony, any chance you’ll talk about arch top guitars at some point? I love the sound - know it’s more associated with jazz but would love your perspective.

[@vwbeetle72jellybeen]

Yes! Especially Benedetto Archtop Jazz Guitars! Family and I spent the week after Christmas in Savannah, GA and Howard Paul, CEO and AMAZING Jazz guitarist, spent 4 HOURS WITH US. From the history of guitars to the finishing room, then back to his office. He grabbed a couple of his professional series guitars, handed them to my daughter and I and the 3 of us jammed for a little while! Then he invited us to Good Times Jazz Bar & Restaurant to listen to his quartet that night. Just amazing.

[@jrharrelson]

1982! I have one from 1988 I love it!

[@stevenshockley4237]

#smallwin Got my first acoustic-electric, which is also my first jumbo, and I love it. Washburn HJ40SCE, gonna get a Fishman Loudbox Mini for it in July.

[@iCaribsailor]

Flames rule Tony! Cheers Caribsailor

[@mikeblue385]

i let my guitar pick the string gauge. try a couple and see which sounds best.

[@vwbeetle72jellybeen]

Hello from Chesapeake, VA!

[@jamesmorrison2063]

Hi, again from Dover Pa. On strings: If you plan on bending your strings during songs, a lighter gauge works better for obvious reasons.

[@raymondweaver9341]

Hi, T, thx for all you do. I also collect calaveras. Where can I find the green cup on your desk?

[@KaukTim]

Take a listen to Phoebe Bridgers' 'Steamroller'...I listened to it non-stop for about 2 weeks last year and it still grabs me each time. Highly recommended!

[@patcross5799]

Great job again, and Alf is back where he belongs... thank you.

[@loubehrman9609]

#smallwin Got sucked in to your Native Sons addiction (?) and ordered up one of the 3" Byzantine straps. Well, it showed up last week just in time for the arrival of my brand new Seagull S6 Original (Burnt Umber). Well, I'd planned on using that strap with my 314ce, but it looked so good on the S6, it ended up going there. So now I've got to find another one to go with the Taylor. Thanks...

[@stevenretuta8223]

What string should I use if I want to change tune often without breaking the string?

[@jonathanmeyer1164]

HOLTBEAST!!! Happy Caps fan to know that Holtby is a guitar geek.

[@boydbc]

Tony, I have a question for you: back in episode AT10 you covered Pre-War Guitar company and mentioned you were considering buying one. Did you ever get a chance to play one? If so which one and did you end up buying it?

[@chrishopkin9273]

If I keep my 12s and tune down my guitar half a step, do I need a new setup? Really like how it feels:)

[@boydbc]

Great episode as always. I have a Simon & Patrick Wild Cherry from 1991 that is still a beast. I have great respect for Godin guitars and what they do on their intermediate instruments. Also #BeardedGuitarGeeks. It's a pity that my job requires me to keep my beard under 2 inches long. The struggle is real.

[@canetesterlingjr.l.1862]

Goodevening from Philippines.

[@dongadal2686]

As an owner of a Seagull myself I really interest in your connection to Seagull.

[@don6538]

Oh yeah, about the hockey, that's OK, since it's important for you. Was a huge Bruins fan when Bobby Orr came up, and still watch me some Bruins to keep current. Stanley Cup first round as I write this, tied at 2 with the Maple Leafs. Only 'original 6' teams in the playoffs this year.

[@scoggers1628]

Interesting to highlight the crossover and complementary relationship between hockey and guitar playing. On that note, playing a musical instrument also helps your brain from ageing prematurely as it activates a range of receptors across its various areas. The same is true of learning another language. As a guitar geek someone who's also learning Chinese, may brain should be in a great state in another 35 years' time, unless the bourbon drinking' evens thing out! Ha ha ha!

[@genew1567]

Good morning from Tacoma,Washington

[@vwbeetle72jellybeen]

#TonTalk - Hey, Tony, can you explain some of the widths and shapes of fretboards and necks, please? Seems that every luthier has their own favorite playing width and shape in the back of the fretboard and just interested in knowing which type or style is better for various styles of playing. Thanks!

[@marshallmiller5019]

# small win - Went to a Tony Fortado Concert and shared the slide lesson I got from TAC- AH MAZE ZING - Then Tony and all on the insight to THE Acoustic Guitar World and the Great People

[@scottyhester1]

#smallwin just ordered my first set of Santa Cruz parabolic low tension strings. Can't wait to see how they sound on my Martin GPCPA5. Great show guys

[@duffermod1]

By the way. My Ice Hockey Team The Belfast Giants won the UK Championship just recently. Well done guys.

[@thecainer64]

What percentage humidifier packs do you use?

[@loubehrman9609]

What I want to know is, is the guitar playing going to help my golf game?

[@vwbeetle72jellybeen]

Unequivocally yes! I'm a guitar player and I'm breaking 100 finally after a couple of months of running some of Tony's exercise routines!

[@timothymonks6913]

#youknowyouareaguitargeekwhen you are a feeling a little chilly in your house. You think you should put your guitar down and go in the other room to check the thermostat, but then you remember you have a D’Addario Humiditrak in your case (which is open since you are playing that guitar) and that device tells you the temperature on your phone. So you switch from the metronome app to the Humiditrak app to check the temperature and discover it is a few degrees too cold. Still not wanting to stop practicing you create a song about the temperature and call your daughter in to play/sing it for her hoping she gets the hint. She does and fixes the situation. She then sings a few songs with dear ole dad. Great times were had by all.

[@natersonjones]

#youknowyoureaguitargeekwhen you go into a guitar store and you can make a guitar sales pitch better than the person working there and make the sale.

[@vwbeetle72jellybeen]

Usually because you've been memorizing some of Tony's colorful description of the guitars he reviews and can spit out almost verbatim his colorful phrasing! LOL

[@dannymeegan8478]

#youknowyoureaguitargeekwhen you go to the Lowden factory and the girl at reception recognizes your name from the fan page and says "it's like meeting a celebrity" - I'm both ashamed and delighted in equal measure. Buy a Lowden Tony!

[@gnsheehan]

@Noah, yes! re: don’t play PB in front of your kids! I played Alps in the car with my 4 year old a few months ago and she picked up on adult content. Not cool. But the album is really that good.

[@leascaart]

@AcousticLife Fleet Fox's first Full Length album is absolutely amazing. I hope you have heard it.

[@sharontiano1348]

I tend to favor light strings only because my fingers fatigue easily otherwise.

[@sharontiano1348]

Argos and Koda..

[@daddio307]

#youknowyoureaguitargeekwhen you bought a Tee shirt in honor of the last season of Game of Thrones that says 'That's what I do I play guitar, drink beer and I know things'.

[@loubehrman9609]

Astronentor? Astronomist? Dude!!! Being an ASTRONOMER am somewhat taken aback...

[@vwbeetle72jellybeen]

LOL

[@gingerbeer914]

15:00 The best acoustic guitar strap ON THE MARKET? There are so many good guitar straps (and so many bad ones) that nobody could have tried all of them, let alone know which of them is the best. For quite some time I thought that Stephi were the best, because they were the most expensive ones in our local guitar shop, and they were 100% stitched and padded leather and I still love them, but meanwhile I've come to know so many other straps that are also very good and much more affordable. What they have in common is that they are made of genuine leather and WIDE (or padded, or both) and not too stiff. If you know where to look, you can find some really nice genuine leather straps from China under 15 bucks. Some European dealers are now selling them too under the Fazley label, just like they do with Chibson guitars that we know from AliExpress. The ideal width is 7-9 cm (an inch is 2.54 cm) for a nice pressure relieve, but to be honest this mainly really matters for heavy solid body electric guitars and less for acoustics. What's important is that the ENDS are genuine leather and not PU, because PU will eventually get torn apart at the endpin hole and your guitar might suddenly drop to the ground. The part in between can be leather or woven fabric, whatever you're comfortable with. I even have two that were made of some elastic neopren (als very nice for bass players). Anyway, the market is HUGE and I'm open to any innovation as long as the price is reasonable, because I have so many guitars.

[@cnoel190]

Still want Jason......with or without the beard? Put that in the 'Small Loss' section!

[@lilycat1694]

Where is the S6 guitar segment?

[@davidcroteau5866]

Enjoyed the hockey mentions. More on Braden Holtby's playing here: www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/02/08/six-strings-no-five-hole-how-music-helps-capitals-goaltender-braden-holtby/

[@nancyshumway2251]

Go Caps!

[@maxherron1376]

Let's change the name of the show to Dog Life. Who needs guitars when we have dogs?

[@Jess_Jones]

More Phoebe Bridgers fans! 👍

[@MrCapitaoHank]

Hi, Noah and Tony! I'm glad to see some indie folk refs here. While I'm only learning to like country and similar styles, today's feature resonated deeply here. Looking forward to dive into Ms. Bridgers' work While I'm at it, I'd love to recommend to you one of my favourite artists today, Emma Ruth Rundle. She writes and sings beautiful and melancholic songs, playing mostly in weird tunings such as dropped-down DADGAD (that is, CGCFGC). Her earlier albums are mostly acoustic and gorgeous. Here's a taste: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaDKXpSdrKagoZY First comment after several programs, now I few a bit more part of the crew. Cheers.

[@sammaynard822]

What position does Tony play, is he a goalie?, if so, is he supernaturally talented?

[@erinescence2095]

He looks tall, so he would have good reach at the very least!

[@vwbeetle72jellybeen]

#SageadvicefromNoah - Yes, the moon is closer than the stars. Namaste!

[@plumiegirl47]

Late but here from Anaheim

[@dhbdhb123]

Great show as usual boys. And I've watched them all. Got a question. I've been playing for many years and I just can't get that right hand moving fast enough to play bluegrass or even more fast-paced songs. Maybe I hold the pick incorrectly...which would be unfortunate because I have 40 years of habit built into that one. Got a lesson for the tight hand quick strum? Slowhand.

[@williamroyturney3012]

Seagulls guitar was 1976.

[@worldsigh1788]

#Tony You should absolutely end each episode playing a different tune on a different guitar from your guitarsonal! I don’t know exactly how large your guitarsonal is, but I’m guessing you could do this for several years with zero repetition!

[@danboeshans9580]

#youknowyoureaguitargeekwhen. You are seriously considering having the circle of 5ths tattooed on your left forearm. It’s sketched out and I just need to convince my wife it would be awesome!!

[@sbolfing]

#youknowyouraguitargeek when you sit in long meetings at work, doodling your list of "dream guitars" instead of listening to the CEO...

[@Kabayoth]

#sageadvicewithNoah Noah will wear more hats if the rest of us know his hat size.