Why I Prefer 'Heavier' Strings 10s vs 9s - It's Not About Tone

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Do you use heavier or lighter strings? Obviously it's totally personal thing, for me I have settled on 10s for now for stability and intonation reasons...But I could see moving to 9s as I get older?1
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[@tbluesboye]

Interesting discussion John. I've used 10's most of my life but I've discovered as I've aged and arthritis became an issue, 9's were the best alternative! Great playing as always!

[@AmericanNationalist852]

Ivplayed 9s for 20 years until i discovered YJM's 8-46s

[@mikeller]

I am in the middle - been using 9.5-44 for as long as I can remember. Largely because 10's feel to heavy and 9's too light ! Its minor, but there is a difference

[@kunkmiceter]

Yep 👍👍

[@alexbustamante2827]

Agreed. Used 10s for several decades but 9.5 hits the sweet spot.

[@tallkien2250]

And they really are worth it.

[@Wadey1960CS]

I'll refer to Billy gibbons conversation with B.B. King in the dressing room - ""I remember, I was about 22. I was sharing a dressing room with B.B. King, and he said, 'Hey, can I play your guitar?'. I said 'Sure, man.' "And I had these heavy, heavy strings, thinking that was the way to get the big sound. He handed me the guitar back and he looked at me kind of frowny. He said, 'Why are you working so hard?'. And I said, 'What do you mean?'. And he said, 'Man, you gotta get you some light-gauge strings.' "And that's what started it. When B.B. King says, 'Go light' - get heavy and go light." Billy Gibbons Dunlop Signature set Gauges are: 7, 9, 11, 20, 30, 38 they are also Nickel Wound Currently I use a hybrid set from StringJoy and love them (.008, .011, .016, .026w, .030, .040) Cheers John! 🤜🏼🤛🏼

[@Angel-fz8dr]

Stringjoys are 💩, but it's convenient to choose the gauges.

[@rocknrollboise]

"And I had these heavy, heavy strings, thinking that was the way to get the big sound. He handed me the guitar back and he looked at me kind of frowny. He said, 'Why are you working so hard?'. And I said, 'What do you mean?'. And he said, 'Man, you gotta get you some light-gauge strings.' "And that's what started it. When B.B. King says, 'Go light' - get heavy and go light." --for those of use who were confused...

[@pharmerdavid1432]

Last time I checked BB King was using a 10-52 set on his semi-hollow Lucille - not what I call "light", while BG went to extremely light gauges! EDIT: Ahahaha, I did a quick search and found this - his strings even heavier than I thought: "B.B. King played a set of mixed gauge strings, which ran as follows: .010, .013, .017, .030, .044. .054. So he had his guitar set up with a medium gauge on his top strings and a heavy gauge on his bottom strings."

[@ehsanhaq155]

​@@Angel-fz8dr thank you for saying that. I literally find them to be crap. Just my personal opinion. Once I went NYXL, there was no going back for me.

[@89digits59]

I have played 10's most of my life, but after 45 I switched to 9's, I guess it's the same with most here after reading a few comments, age has an effect.

[@BeefNEggs057]

Dang at 45 age is getting you? I wanna be 70 with 10s being just fine. Don’t surrender to frailty of age. Eat more beef and eggs and stop eating all sugar and all grains. Tough ask since that’s all bread off the menu. You’ll feel 20 again though. No frailty and no dementia. Play with 11s for a set and 10s will feel easy again.

[@RobCowie]

I played 10s for a long time, and last year after that Beato video on 8s, I've been 'struggling' with those being to light...so I'm on 9s now and this is where I'll live moving forward I think.

[@mathmusicstructure]

Light strings and jumbo frets really teach you to press down with exactly the right amount of pressure.

[@Jonw8222]

I rarely see this mentioned, but if one has multiple guitars.. I recommend slightly different neck shapes and different string guages, and developing the ability to jump from one to the other in a seamless way, rather than being stuck feeling comfortable only with one guage, or one neck. It works for certain players, but over the years it's seemed to benefit the hands in a way that's hard to describe with words. I guess you could say that getting out of your comfort zone sometimes has it's benefits and over time everything becomes easier. Also.. learning how to set the guitar up to how you like it and having your hands adjust to that over time. You can set up 9's to feel stiffer, or 10's to be slinkier.. there are many factors that go into it.

[@Arch_Stanton.]

I like to use a set of 9.5-44 strings. The standard 9-42 set feels a bit too wobbly for fast picking or heavier down picking, but I still prefer them for bending compared to a set of 10s. The 9.5-44 string set is a good compromise

[@christianwilliams1136]

Have you tried 9.5 gauge? Daddario makes them and Earny ball as well.

[@nabilnouasria]

Yes they’re great. It is of course a matter of personal preference but I find them to strike the right balance. Ernie Ball Primo Slinky : 9.5, 12, 16, 24, 34, 44

[@jopppsss]

I've been using 10-46 on my guitars, and last month I got my PRS SE Custom 24 in 9-42. And I'm loving it. It feels lighter and easier on my fingers. Will probably change my other giutars to 9-42 too.

[@lyricbread]

For me, it’s all about scale length, tuning, and string tension.

[@THEItchybruddah]

Ding ding ding…

[@chrisgmurray3622]

Yeah ,but it depends on single coils on strats a lot rather than say, a Les Paul.

[@CinderB]

True. I've been playing 10s all my playing life. Until iI got a gretsch and for some reason 10s felt like noodles so I installed 11s and they feel like 10s. 😂

[@DeadReckoner]

Me too. I go as far as using a tension calculator for each guitar :)

[@jfo3000]

And bridge height...and nut height. Nut height plays a huge role. Not many folks talk about this spec.

[@davidsummerville351]

I use both, depends guitar. I fell in love with the D'addario NYXL Experimenting with different gauges is a lot of fun.

[@musiccreation1198]

I use Stringjoy's 9.5 :) . As a beginner, this was very educational..thanks John

[@andrewbecker3700]

I've always used regular EB Slinkys.10's on everything. I've always preferred them over anything else for the perfect balance they have. They play like 9's but feel like 10's. I've tried using 9's on the longer scale guitars I have, and for me the added tension makes the strings harder to get a grip on with my fingertips. The bigger physically, 10 set of Slinkys has a distinct feel, and sound, that no other strings I've tried has. The gold standard.

[@eukariootti1]

Overall String tension depends heavily on: - *Scale length:* 24", 25.5", 27.5"... - *String cauge* and type (wound/unwound) - *Tuning:* E Standard, G (high), Drop C, C# (low), DADGAD... Locking nut or regular nut where Stings extend a little/a lot pass the nut might have some effect, too. Just like Bridge (Floating/Dive only or Fixed). High action makes guitar harder to play. Sometimes too low action, at least for slide playing. What ever "wrong size according to internet" you choose, there are propably amazing musicians using even "more wrong" size. For whatever reason. For example, Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) has used 9-42 set for low C# tuning and 8-32 for D# tuning, with his SG(-like) guitar. Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) has used 7-38 set for years, except 8's for slide guitar in Open E (or something). Also, his guitars are superlight.

[@iankenny1089]

Played 9’s all my life…found 9.5’s about 6 months ago…I like ‘em 🖖

[@taylornutt]

I generally play .11s on all my guitars. I have several shortcales (Mustang, Bronco, and Jaguars) that play better with heavier strings. I recently bought a Gretsch and decided to leave .10s on it because I like the way it plays.

[@Pantalooj]

Had been hopping between gauges for many years, to accommodate different scale lengths, my own changing ability, soreness in finger tips after playing (what a wimp!) and lately, aging fingers with what might be a combination of RSI and mild arthritis. I have used 9s through to 11s. I believe for now I've landed on a custom set from Curt Mangan, being 9.5 12.5 16.5 24 34 44 and have successfully rationalized to this set across LP, PRS and Strat scale lengths. I bend quite a bit, commonly by a tone, occasionally by 1.5 tones and very rarely by 2 tones. For intonation, enabling me to comfortably play what I like playing, having very similar tension across all strings and for finger/hand/wrist health, this set is just right. I was most surprised at the difference this set made to finger/hand/wrist health vs 10s ... small on paper difference, but a total Goldilocks reality for me at least.

[@joefalchetto94]

John you're a true musical inspiration, I love your taste, thank you for sharing everything!

[@jackprice7828]

Great video John. I had played nines for 25 years. A year ago I decided to try 10's starting with my Strat. It did take awhile for my fingers to get conditioned to the 10's tension and size but wow, I am never going back to 9's. I like the added tension especially with pulls and vibrato. I have two Strat style guitars and the 10's worked out great. Not quite as good on my PRS which has a longer scale length. I tried going to a larger string gauge on my Taylor acoustic, going from 11's to 12's. However after using the 12's on my acoustic for a year, although it was louder, my fingers could not adjust especially with finger picking stuff.

[@rolandguilford8301]

Paul Gilbert is on 8.5's now. Mateus Asato has moved to 9's. Josh Smith & John Schofield use 12's. Matt Schofield is on 11's. I guess what ever works for your own style is best, however one thing I have learned recently is thicker doesn't always mean better tone. Killer playing in this video John and sublime tones! What amp are you using here? Thanks.

[@samwheeler-brown7458]

I played 9s for years, but after trying 10s about 2 years ago I enjoyed the extra fight on the bends more than I thought and got better intonation across the neck. But mostly I think it’s a right hand thing for me, the lighter high E doesn’t have the same pop off the pick or even hybrid picked and my picking has to change that bit more to deal with it

[@kunkmiceter]

I went back and forth from 9's and 10's for years till I found out they make 9.5's. 😅

[@dannyllerenatv8635]

I like pretty low action. I feel like I can get the action to a place I prefer with 10s than with 9s at least in standard tuning. Likewise, I do a lot of fingerstyle/hybrid picking and tapping. Both feel much easier to me with 10s than with 9s. It's not always about tone.

[@ChrisLau90]

10-52 is where it's at for me. Playing a lot of metal it's nice to not have the lower strings flapping about when chugging away.

[@Thevanquisherrr]

Man that’s awesome how you switch guitars so fast and don’t miss a note

[@alxmrls1]

I’ve enjoyed and learned so much from your playing! Thank you for making such great music

[@sonnyblu6299]

The more I played... the more resistance I wanted from my strings. I needed a little bit of a fight... but always had jumbo frets. .011's on both a Strat and a DGT... which feels like butter.

[@luketylerguitar]

9-46 are my favourite overall for standard/drop D. Best compromise for being able to do the big bends on the high strings and being able to hit hard(ish) on the lower strings

[@findingtheFOOT]

Intro was very "Cry for You" by Andy Timmons. Would love to see you break down some of his licks. Anything from Resolution would be amazing. My favorite "melodic" shredder for sure

[@johnnathancordy]

His TrueFire actually has some really cool licks!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmqmmaenes56edk - I broke down the tune he played that made Dan cry here!

[@findingtheFOOT]

@@johnnathancordy of course, that video you did was great! Thanks for everything man, you've really unlocked the HX stomp for a lot of us.

[@THEItchybruddah]

As @lyricbread mentioned: “scale length…gauge..tension…” Thus, in my dotage, I’ve found Fenders get 9.5 to 44, Gretsch & Gibby up to PRS scale get 10/46 and Jag gets the 11/48 batch. The tension stays pretty similar throughout. YMMV but werks fer me.

[@NickGranville]

Agree - for me heavier strings aren’t about tone. I’ve been using 11-49’s for years now. I play with a light touch but the reason I like the heavier strings is if I choose to dig in I can and won’t have tuning issues or string breakages.

[@johnplaystheguitar123]

String break issues aren't caused by string gauge in my experience. It's usually the string contact points like tuning pegs, nut, bridge, trem block etc. I use 8s and on one of my guitars it's practically impossible to break strings without wire cutters. This includes playing as hard and wild as I can with a 7mm pick. They ain't breaking.

[@spikeafrican8797]

Use to play 9s on my fenders and 10s on the gibsons. The balance between action and guage was a little weird so I switched to 10s on everything. Im used to it now and prefer the 10s on the fenders as well.

[@griffsimcox9459]

my reasoning for switching to 10s (keep in mind we are talking 30 years ago) was, 9s broke way too often and i only had one guitar. it was more of a choice of trying to extend the longevity of the strings. over the years i don't play as hard as i used to so i am intrigued by the idea of a 9.5 set what are your thoughts?

[@SirSendys]

I also use 10s and made the switch a little less than a year ago. I definitely had issues with intonation when using 9s, although if I can be honest it was more of a playing problem than anything else. I worked very hard on my touch and I feel like I play 9s pretty well now, but my bends are very out of tune. And I haven't yet broken a 10 gauge E, where as I broke 9s almost weekly, so I've just stuck with 10s as I feel they are still very capable of being expressive. In some ways 10s are more fun to play, and in some ways 9s are more satisfying to play. Either way, I'm not sure I could ever listen to someone on stage and know what gauge they use.

[@Jonw8222]

I pretty much guessed everything you were going to say and mirrors my own experiences. I jump between 9's and 10's for different guitars. I now fret and pick a lot lighter than I used to many years ago. Rick Graham would still say that I pick and fret too hard though. I do think digging in sounds better but only for certain styles. It's also important for dynamics to be able to do it lighter, and also having better intonation like you said. I also like higher than average action, and have generally always trended towards liking players who are similar in that way. As I get older, the strings will get lighter and the action will get lower. But only up to a certain point. All of my guitars are 25.5" scale, so I find it hard to relate to LP players for example.

[@icarusi]

I standardised on 9s for convenience. Most guitars came with 9s fitted as standard. I'm ok with 10s and 11s, but can't do some of the bends, other than for 2-3 tunes without it starting to pull the skin away from the finger nails. I used to use 8,10,15 thou, when I used the banjo 1st trick. AFAIK you can't get an 8 thou banjo 1st now. Some of the heavy gauge users were also tuning down a half or whole tone, so it wasn't like-for-like. Some players use 9s for Fender scale and 10s for Gibson scale for similar feel. I do some multiple hammer-on, then pull off, to open string, banjo style moves, and string tension and action are more critical for those. It's difficult to get the bounce back timing right, if the tension and action don't work together. One faux steel bend I've recently started using, is a held bend of 1 or 2 halftones on the G string using the 2nd finger, then playing a line on the E & B strings with the other fingers, using the 'held bend' note as a pedal tone. It's tricky for me to keep the note 'held', if playing any note more than a fret lower than the held-bend position, without adding extra pressure to the held note to keep it in tune. I wouldn't want to do much of that on more than 9s!

[@JohnWiku]

Inlove heavier strings, my standard E guitars are always strung with 10-52 set!

[@jfo3000]

9.5 -44 D'Addario nickel on 24.75", extra jumbo SS frets std tuning. 10.5 on identical guitar tuned to Eb. Great for wide/fast vibrato, but legato requires much precision and control. Using (almost) all hammer-on legato helps tremendously with control. No pulls means you don't need excessive pressure to avoid dragging the string out from under the next finger when descending. Holdsworth figured it all out.

[@outermarker5801]

For lead stuff I have no issue with 10s or heavier. But my thumb joint hurts with a lot of rhythm/chording. Past the age of forcing my body, so I just do 9s, low action and the lightest touch possible for everything. "Let the amp do the work" we said with bass, so I just do that with guitar too. I'm in good company it seems. No less a lead/rhythm master than EVH himself used the same buttery setup and a feather light touch.

[@limpeacock573]

I’ve used 9’s for ever, but I recently bought a new guitar that came with 10’s. I felt like my intonnation was better with the 10’s, so I’m going to experiment and weigh the pros & cons. Thanks for the video and discussion.

[@basildog007]

I play 9 1/2 from Ernie Ball. Although I saw today that they exist in D'Adario NYXL, which is good news.

[@MyBestNameHere]

8s here. I started using them because they go sharp when you press too hard. I was trying to stop the habit I had of using a "death grip" while fretting. Worked well enough, but I think I still press too hard. I just stuck with them ever since. Maybe try going up again? One thing that won't change... exclusive StringJoy user here!

[@johnnathancordy]

Stringjoy sent me some to check out - definitely dig their in house set up!!

[@jwright8838]

Its definitely 9's for me. Back in the 90's I used 11s because I was playing blues and lots of SRV covers. It chewed up frets like crazy. Eventually I tried 10's and the continued down to 9's. Its where I've been for some time. Maybe I should try 8s?

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

I find 009's heavy to be honest, prefer 008's or even 007's. Back in the day Picato used to make a set of 006's.

[@picksalot1]

For me, it's all about getting a balanced tension across all the strings, as this makes the strings feel more even, and it makes string bends more accurate. Different headstock designs affect string tension based on String Length, so it matters how the tuners are arranged: 3x3, 6 on a side, reverse headstock. The longer the "string length" (not scale length), the higher the tension is needed to bring it up to a standard pitch. Here is a simple test to determine how much "string length" affects string tension explained using a typical Strat-type guitar. Since the 6th string has the shortest string length, replace it with the same gauge as your 1st string (an old one should work if it's long enough). Tune it to the same pitch as the high E string. Do some bends on each string with the guitar sitting on your lap. Rotate the guitar around so all bends are done towards the middle of the fretboard. Do you notice a difference? The only significant difference in this test is the total length of the string from the Ball End to the Tuner. Just make sure you're not using a locking bridge/tremolo and a locking nut.

[@ronmc3]

I’m sorry, but with the greatest respect, you are confusing two different things. The tension required to tune to pitch is only dependent on the sounding length, ie the length between the nut and bridge. It really doesn’t matter how much further the string has to go from the nut to the tuner. You mentioned a locking nut at the end; consider what happens when you tune. The locking nut is loosened and the string is tuned. If the nut is then tightened, nothing is going to happen to change the tension and the pitch doesn’t change. By your reasoning, the pitch should be different as the free length of the string has changed. What your experiment shows is that the amount of bend required to change by, say a half-tone, does indeed depend on the length of string beyond the nut. Without a locking nut, you have to push the string further because you’re stretching a longer length of string. It’s the sounding length that matters, which is why a Strat has more tension in the strings than a Gibson with the same gauge strings.

[@picksalot1]

@@ronmc3 Here are a few online articles that should help clarify the physics: "Guitar Scale Length Explained: String Tension & Playability" from StringJoy. "Acoustic Soundboard: Scale Length and String Tension" from PemierGuitar. "Reverse Headstock Guitars - UPDATED 2023 - A Complete Guide" from GuitarPickReviews.

[@ronmc3]

@@picksalot1 Thanks for those links. Yes, the first two articles confirm that string tension for a given gauge depends on scale length. Premier Guitar mentions string length but then they go to define that as the distance from the nut to the bridge. This is always slightly longer that the scale length to allow for the slight increase in string tension when fretting notes. No mention of the length from the nut to the tuner. The third article confuses the resistance that the player experiences when bending notes with the tension required to tune to pitch in the same way as your original post. Not everything on the internet is reliable I’m afraid.

[@picksalot1]

@@ronmc3 Fortunately, we have Physics and testing to solve the discrepancies. There are are number of subtle variables, which is why I came up with a simple test that anyone can do at essentially no cost and in a few minutes to determine for themselves if it makes any significant difference on their guitar.

[@clouds5]

If I was just a shredder and noodling and bending my way through guitar life I would have 9s or even 8s on all the time. But a lot of times I play chords and rhythm parts as well as solos and having thin strings makes it a lot harder to keep chords in tune. Especially high up on the fretboard. That's why I use 10s. Makes everything more stable and I can still do bends without too much effort. What I also learned is that string gauge is not the same thing on different guitars. Scale length, fret material, neck tension, string height etc. all play a role in how "heavy" the strings feel.

[@chrisgmurray3622]

When I started lead in the early 70's, 008's had just become available so I got a set, but I couldn't get a good power chord or get them to sustain at all through a strat, so I went up yo 9's, then 10's where I've stayed forever, because in the average pub, you end up doing a variety of stuff ,for which the 10's are more versatile in a variety of material, but lately I've been playing mostly acoustic ,which has 12's, so as I do more low volume stuff in general I think it would be good to use 9's where the repetoire is not as sonically dense. But I may experiment with lighter tops and 10 type bottom strings to try and get the best of both worlds. The Hendrix guages are quite interesting, can't remember what they were but they were, I think heavier on the G and D strings and lighter on top. Then again, I could be wrong but, I think Yngvei uses lighter strings as well.

[@PTCrucial]

I too use 9.5 - 44. Worth a try.?

[@chryzis8322]

I used 09 - 42 for years, but also liked the heavier feeling I got from the 10 - 46 sets. Then I switched to a hybrid slinky Set from Ernie Ball which is 09 - 46 and I'm really happy, it's the best of both worlds to me. Don't know if there's a NYXL Set with that gauge, maybe I will try them out next time...

[@TLMuse]

Yum, that blues fusion intro is fantastic! -Tom

[@bottomkitchen250]

I had been playing with 12's for years but switched to 10's not that long ago when learning 'Since I've been loving you' I initially thought I could bend just fine with 12's but some of the bends in the zeppelin song were just too hard with 12's. But what I miss about the 12's is that the action was so low. But another big reason I switched to 10's was that I was hoping it would help me play with a lighter touch to try and put less wear on the frets.

[@malcolmgordon2988]

I’ve played Teles as my primary guitar and most of that time I’ve played 10s. I’m used to the tension and the intonation when bending. About a year ago I started playing a Jaguar (which has now become my main guitar) and have found given the short scale neck, 11s give me a very similar feel. I’ve tried 9s now and again on backup guitars, but always missed that bit of resistance from the strings and always found myself over bending which really pit me off. While I know there are small tonal differences between gauges, for me it’s purely about the feel under the fingers. Having said all this, there’s always been a little bit of me that wants to try those Billy Gibbons 7s… y’know, just for funsies!

[@chinchillax1483]

I had 9’s for a few years, and I just kept overbending just a bit too sharp. I switched to 10’s and all of a sudden bending in tune feels a lot easier and more natural for me. Maybe when I’m older I’ll switch back, but I’m liking the 10’s for now.

[@10sassafras]

I like the ease of adding vibrato with lighter strings. 9s on Fender scale and 10s on Gibson scale.

[@Chris_Nouvelli]

I swapped back to 9s on most of my guitars after having a new one ship to me with size 9 Slinkys. Immediately loved the feel they gave. I still use hybrid Slinkys on my drop-C guitar though.

[@skipneumann1]

I am at the 9’s decision right now.. new guitar strung with 9’s and after a month I still can’t get my usual playing to happen so I am going to put on my xl110s. After 50 years of bending strings, I just can’t make any changes.. timely video- thanks

[@johnplaystheguitar123]

I played mostly 10s. 13s on a guitar in C standard. Then I stopped playing regularly. I started playing more again in 2020. I watched that Rick Beato video and decided to try 8s. Best thing I've ever done. It's like what BB king told Billy gibbons "why you working so hard". 8s are not "wild". SRV just ruined everything. 8s were common. Most of the players in the 60s and 70s in rock were playing 8s or 9s. I don't see why people think 8s are so ridiculous. They're just one gauge down from 9s. 10s are one step up.

[@Johnsormani]

I have many guitars and some are setup with 10s, some with 9s. Mostly depending on scale length but not always. I like both , depending on my mood and different guitar makes me play different anyway. I have a very light touch as I believe in economy of motion, and also my picking is very light as well ( with very heavy picks) .

[@david.cutipa]

for me its tension i play closer to the neck pickup so i can get that fat jazz tone but if the gauge is too light the string will bounce more and fast lines will become harder to play. 12 gauge is great for this but im also starting to incorporate more and more legato so i went to 11. at the end, its not much about the tone but mostly about the feel for me

[@johnnathancordy]

SAME!

[@joemiller9856]

Mostly play with 10’s. I did a stint with 9’s years ago but they felt too slinky and sounded thin , tone-wise , to me. With that said I think it’s worth taking another look at it. Gear has improved as well as my own technique. And yes.. I’m an old guy. Lol😂

[@johnnathancordy]

If it still feels good, I'm sticking with 10s. I reckon if I get some aches and stuff I might drop down? People in the comments are also suggesting 9.5s (which I think are relatively newish?)

[@kyran4238]

yep, "dynamics" and "headroom " are good words for it. For me going to 9s feels like I loose half my dynamic range.

[@DeadReckoner]

I agree. Though I go as far as using a tension calculator to allow for tuning and scale length across my different guitars. I want them all to feel like 10s on a Strat in Eb :) I compared 11s and 12s on my acoustic on my channel.

[@Furtheronmusic]

A long time ago I used to faff about with different gauges based on scale length etc Then just went 10s on everything. Then trigger finger tendinitis in my early 60s. So moved to 9s on 25 and 25.5 scales, I'll probably move to 9s on Gibson scale too.

[@AmericanNationalist852]

YJM 8-46's all day every day. E or Eb standard. Why are you working so hard? Edit: tuning stability is better than any strings I've ever used because of the bullet ends

[@frankcarter6427]

used to use 12s or 13s on my acoustics but my 60 odd yr old hands prefer 10s now - don't sound as good but so much more comfortable to play - still got 10s on my leckies

[@johnnathancordy]

I remember going up to 13s on my acoustic at one point, but yeh by the end of a gig it's knackering right?

[@frankcarter6427]

@@johnnathancordy yeah, used to cope with them but not now - they do make my K Yairi sing

[@plexibreath]

I like playing with 9s, but I use 10s for the tuning stability. Though I use a 10 set, I change only the high E to a 9.

[@danielbell4007]

I've been playing 11-50's on all my guitars for as long time. Lately, I'm trying to play some songs with more bends, and I'm struggling to get the full 1.5 - 2 step bends with the 11's. So now I'm thinking about stepping down to 10's on at least 1 of my guitars. Maybe 9.5's...

[@JohnMcGFrance]

I use 9’s on my Strat and Tele but use hybrid slinkies on my Les Paul which has a mix of 10’s in the bass and 9’s in the treble just to try and not have the bottom end strings seem too loose feeling. Never really thought about the legato side of things or the pressure thing. Certainly food for thought, but as I’m over 60 now I might go find the change difficult for big bends etc.

[@southpaw335]

Like many others i played 11’s back in the day moved down to 10’s and as i got older had a few extra aches and pains to contend with and now generally play 9’s on strat/tele and 10’s on 335/LP. Have been meaning to try 9.5s on the strats, just never got around to it (so far)

[@GitShiddy]

I started on 12s and have been dropping gauges since. Now I'm on 9.5s on a Gibson scale. Which is absolutely because 9s are too light for my hand to keep in tune right now & 10s are too normal. I have to be weird. With regards to John's playing comparison....the 9s sounded better. They sounded more human, more expressive, and less consistent but in a good way. 10s sounded pretty common, kinda mechanical in comparison. Obviously I'd recommend giving 9.5s a spin to anyone who finds 9s too light.

[@dreadnotpop]

I believe Billy Gibbons moved to 8s early on and uses the amp tone stack to dictate the tone. No doubt he has killer tone. What about you? Do you adjust your amp to make up for lighter strings?

[@BParker55]

I tend to be too heavy handed for barre chords specifically with 9s but 10s make my hand cramp after playing for a while lol so I use 9.5s lol they're perfect

[@wiguitar7633]

After playing 9s for over 20 years 10s feel stiff and i like lowering the action a bit and 9s help keep fret buzz in check - regardless the amount of awesome licks this video offers is unreal

[@GM-mv1ch]

what's the radius on the strat? nice one

[@jakeabruzzino3910]

my fav here lately have been the daddario nyxl 9.5s

[@BrentAdams]

I do enjoy "bends"...but I'm also a little heavy handed, so I use 10's on all of my "normal" electrics.

[@azcardinalsletsgoteam6537]

Alas johnny boy if you are like me there is no simple answer. I like the tone of 9's (extra 5% on the attack) but like the feel of heavier strings. Never quite comfortable

[@jasonb2916]

I prefer 10s only because I feel like it's easier to land on the strings with my fingers. I feel like the lighter gage you go the more accurate your landing on strings has to be.

[@Herfinnur]

I possibly have ruined my hands from doing construction work, so I have eights on one of my guitars just for practicing a lighter touch. It's been a tremendous help but I don't enjoy playing them

[@sacredgeometry]

10s or 9s are fine but I favour 9s specifically daddarios because they have higher tension and more elasticity compared to some other 9s. I think 9.5s are perfect but the faff of needing to find those sets is more effort than compromising with 9s.

[@TLMuse]

I've always gravitated towards 10s on my electrics, but I suspect it's because I'm mostly an acoustic player, and maybe 9s are just a little too loose-feeling, coming from acoustic. -Tom

[@plecogod]

I put 9's on my single coil guitars and 10's on my humbucker guitars. That's always worked for me.

[@philipmarsh3522]

I like really light strings on my strat but on a Tele I like a little bit heavier strings, seems to be a bit easier to get the vibrato I like. I haven’t really been able to discern any difference in how they sound in terms of ‘heavier’ sound. I think that’s a myth. Billy Gibbons gets pretty good sound with his super light strings.

[@southernpride2003]

For me when it comes to strings I have to use heavy gauge 11s or two loose to me I have to use 12s and 13s even 14s I've also used a custom set of 17s the strings I use are flatwound strings cuz I prefer the feel of flatwounds and the tone

[@741246]

9s on strat/RG scale length. 10s on Les Paul No idea what you'd put on the prs in between length, I'm not a dentist.

[@johnnathancordy]

LOL - floss?

[@johnplaystheguitar123]

​@@johnnathancordyBernth has probably already done that video

[@ac8704]

I tried 9's, they were too light. Now I'm using 9.5's and its perfect for me.

[@ksharpe10]

What guage did Jake have on that custom shop telecaster 53? and what Guage did he have on the Lez Paul murphy lab 59??

[@jrmcelro]

Yeah, I really just listened to his playing

[@bryanclarke1927]

Shredders and most of the classic era players were and are on the lighter side😮. So 9's or less. That said it is a different sound on 10's. However you have to balance that with how the string vibrates. To that end I'm on primo's which are 9.5 to 44 which I find a perfect compromise

[@ianthomas4568]

All about feel with me!

[@aperezdeal]

I use 10-46 bc someone I know who is endorsed gives me a bunch of 10-46 strings…so free strings are the best gauge.

[@ChristopherOrth]

You have just demonstrated why people trick themselves into thinking 9s and 10s have different tonal characteristics. They don't. But if you usually play 10s and switch to 9s, they will appear to have more punchier tone and more sustain because you are playing them relatively harder. And if you switch from 9's to 10s you will have to attack them stronger and thus get a stronger response, thereby giving yourself the illusion of "better" tone. There are plenty of reasons to pick either gauge, but "tone" is never one of them. FWIW, I have guitars with both string gauges, as well as others. I even found a cool D'Addario set that has 10s on the bottom and 9s on top. I view it all as various ways I want an instrument to feel and need me to play it.

[@keithb5612]

But are 10s or 9s better on stainless steel frets? 10s for me.

[@christianpucciarelli]

I use an hybrid 9.5/52 set because I like tension on the lows 🤷🏻

[@tedmardesich8257]

NYXL 9s on my Fenders and 10s on everything else. Go with what works for you.

[@alwan1414]

I always use elixir 9s, they do feel like 10s on regular uncoated brand, ehh maybe 9.5s -ish

[@thomaschilds8781]

Playing live, I like 10s as they almost never break. I use rotosound yellows

[@97guitarzan]

I find anything lighter than 10 to 46 makes strings wiggle to much for my right hand and can slow down my picking...For me 10 to 46 on a Strat or a Tele is perfect.

[@towardstar]

the sound of classic rock was 8s and 7s sometimes. rick beato has a video on it