You're STILL Using The WRONG Guitar Strings! (2024)

[@charvlim5159]

you should have done this test with a Floyd rose guitar., that would have made the string change more fun 100x 😁

[@AlexGichevMusic]

Ahahahaa. Yea, maybe even an 8 string for extra ✨fun✨

[@LRHutch]

I'm 71 and have been playing guitar for 66 years. I started with 12s, in my 20s I went to 11s, my 30s I went with 10s and stayed with them until I was 60 then it was 9s, last year I went to 8s. I use them on all of my guitars for all the different styles of music.

[@privateer2584]

Excellent video! I did a similar thing back in 2020 and found the same thing. The tone varies slightly. The feel is the real difference. I settled on 8s for some guitars and 9s for others.

[@JacubWhite38]

Not really related to strings but I really like your playing. It's not quite what I'm used to from KZbinrs so it felt a bit fresh and different comparatively. Keep up the good work!!

[@AlexGichevMusic]

Thank you! Comments like this really do mean a lot! Will do

[@CluntEstwode]

I only use 10-52s and I have my guitars in different tunings based on the scale length. My short scale guitars I keep in standard, and the longer scale lengths I keep in either D standard or drop C. Based on my playing style, lighter strings can get in the way when playing fast and technical riff stuff because I pick hard but I move the pick as little as possible, leading to the strings getting caught on the pick on the next pick stroke. I also like my treble strings with a little bit more tension but not a lot. With 9s I often have it where my fingers will slip off when I'm doing some widdly diddlies. The 10-52s are just in the right spot on both the wound and plain strings for me to be comfortable.

[@AlexGichevMusic]

Yeah, when widly didling I also like tension, it makes it way easier to play. But for boomer bending, I prefer a bit more of a loose feel. Thanks for writing!

[@rishavzzz]

There's a big difference in the metal chugs 8:58 9:48 10:26 The 12s sound completely dead This is really helpful. I've been struggling with my tone and now I know it's because I'm using 12s. I never would have guessed since I thought heavier strings chugged better

[@AlexGichevMusic]

So glad I could help! Thanks for writing!

[@johnplaystheguitar123]

8-38 ernie ball is the only correct answer. everyone is wrong and i am right. this is guitar youtube comments law.

[@OfficialDreamTheater]

Especially for downtuning. I love drop Baritone tuning with 8-38s.

[@AlexGichevMusic]

It is the law…

[@johnplaystheguitar123]

@@OfficialDreamTheater yes. People automatically assume if down tuning need to go heavy. But gotta remember Tony iomi had a 24.75 scale guitars top wrapped the bridge used 8s in D# and 9s in C#. There is something about the sound of strings flapping about like rubber bands that is awesome. And all the pitch variations.

[@vintageswiss9096]

You forgot the Custom Slinky Meyer 10.5s... Time to redo the experiment... 😊

[@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers]

Alex, I can’t really tell much difference, but I want to say I got so caught up in your full Jazz mix segment, I put it on repeat. I’d love to see the tabs. It’s so lovely and evocative!

[@AlexGichevMusic]

Hey! Thanks you so much for writing, I'm glad you liked it! It is simply the chord of "Autumn Leaves" over a loop I made. You can find the chord chart here: standardrepertoire.com/autumn-leaves.html and I rendered you just the loop for a few minutes, if you wanna play over it: mega.nz/file/Qz9QQJ6C#EifaayajHvp2JRr4GCPMsar7wNHl6arhlnFtQyGjHAg Take care!

[@nicolasreveco3748]

I would like to try a set that's basically the three thinnest strings from a pack of 9's with the three thickest of a pack of 11's

[@AlexGichevMusic]

You can order the individual strings, if you order Ernie Ball ones I think it comes out to pretty much the same price as a regular pack, but you gotta buy a few sets. At least as far as I remember, don’t quote me on that. Thanks for commenting!

[@damienalvarez2957]

Stringjoy has a set that goes from 9.5-48. There’s also Heavy Bottom sets from EB and SJ that may catch your interest, as well.

[@brimill1980]

Ernie ball 9.5… they just feel right to me 👌

[@gearViewmirror]

Primo Slinky work best for me!🎸🤘🏼🎸

[@lsu1992]

9.5-46. Metal chug AF, with tone retention, and no tuh-wang.

[@paulbradshawguitar]

a quick kudos on the production values and work put into this, really cool stuff🙌 not sure if you mentioned it, what pick were you using ? i'm asking as using different pick gauges really makes a difference as well especially combined with the different gauge strings, e.g using a .73mm pick on all the different sets of strings will be a very different experience to using a 1.14mm or above, sound wise as well as an example, Ty from King's X plays 9s even on their low tunings (D standard) , however part of the magic is with the super light pick (something like 0.5 or 0.6mm i can't remember) i find there's usually a sweet spot which can also depend on the guitar, i have one telecaster that sounds its best with 10-46 in standard tuning, anything else doesn't work as well,

[@AlexGichevMusic]

Thank you 🙏! I use a 1.5mm ernie ball prodigy. Now that you mention it, it rally makes sense that the gauge of the pick would make difference in its interaction with the strings. I think I wanna do a pick shootout as well, but tbh I’m so familiar with the 1.5 prodigy, that I fund it hard playing with any other pick. Thanks so much for taking the time to write!

[@paulbradshawguitar]

@@AlexGichevMusic thanks , i know the feeling, i used a 2mm delrin for ages and then BHL 1.16mm i think pick (slightly larger wizard shape) but have recently migrated to a .88mm The Wedge Dunlop pick for pretty much everything, although I sometimes switch up a thicker pick for either the telecaster/strat depending on tones i want sorry to give you another rabbit hole to explore 😄 but the results are worth it, the .88mm pick on a 26.5" scale Ibanez tuned to drop B/metal has been really good, i actually get more dynamic range out of a lighter pick, given that picking much lighter equates to a much lighter touch on the string than a thicker pick would, and hitting harder because of the flex of a pick gives a nice sort of compression, hard to explain, but give it a go

[@AlexGichevMusic]

@@paulbradshawguitar Yeah, the compression thing with the lighter pick actually makes sense. I'm definitely exploring this rabbit hole. Thanks!

[@MAX96MENDES]

I also have that Harley Benton TE-62cc Telecaster in LPB. It is a very fine guitar for its price range. Amazing sound too. I have two but on one of them I have changed the pickups to Fender Tex-Mex pickups. More grungy, gritty and louder sound. I would vote for the Slinky 09-42 strings (pink pack). I use them on all my guitars, including my EVH-Wolfgang Special, Fender and Squier Stratocasters, Jackson Adrian Smith SDX , Les Paul´s and the 1960s ES-345. You can get a much versatile and balanced sound for many types of songs. Some times I use 10-46 strings (green pack) on the Les Paul´s to get a much more deeper bluesy sound. They are Also great for Metallica and AC-DC songs and just rocking out to punk/metal stuff. But of course, this all depends on YOUR personal playing style and what music you play. Ernie Ball strings brand is the best for me.

[@AlexGichevMusic]

@@MAX96MENDES Hey! Thanks so much for writing! That’s actually a TE-20, not a 62, so it’s even more affordable and yes, it plays and sounds amazing! I would like to get a TE-62 as well. I put a DiMarizo chopper in the bridge of mine. Yea, the 9s are a great middle ground, but I like a little bit less tension for noodling and a bit more for chugging, the little low end boost also helps the metal riffs imo. As you said, it’s all just a matter of personal preference. Once again, thanks for writing!

[@the-fog-is-here]

What chords where u playing for the jazz portion?

[@AlexGichevMusic]

Autumn Leaves in E Min

[@caknut]

i

[@dimejoe2621]

I always liked the feel of 9's it's not hard on your fingers, tried 8's but too thin for me I can barely feel the low e string, 10/11 best for full step down (D standard/ drop C)

[@AlexGichevMusic]

Yeah, pretty much same. I like the 8's for leads, but for chugging and rifing, they don't really do the job

[@dimejoe2621]

@AlexGichevMusic hybrid is the best option I guess 😬

[@Shadowman-1960]

The only right gauge of strings are Regular Slinky 10-46.

[@irishRocker1]

I just bought a new Les Paul and it came with 10s and I hate them. so stiff and uncomfortable. I always used 9s in the past and tried 8s after rick beatos vid where they sounded way better. I never really used 10s and I never will

[@redcomn]

I used cobalt ultra slinky on both of my prs One on standard one on half standard

[@JustSomeGuy]

If you haven't yet, you should try the Hendrix set: 10, 13, 15, 26, 32, 38. GHS and Fender make packs of them.

[@AlexGichevMusic]

Huh, didn't know such a thing existed. Tbh that sound very backwards to me, having the bottom string be thin and the top thick, but I definitely wanna give that a try! Thanks for commenting!

[@JustSomeGuy]

@@AlexGichevMusic Since Hendrix played a guitar upside down, the string tension is different. If you've got any reverse headstock guitars, try the set on that one. It does feel different.

[@danielbarbieri8199]

They are good with reverse headstocks.

[@ldfox11]

8"s come standard on on Fenders (Squire) guitars. 10's come standard on most Gibson (Epiphone) guitars.

[@AlexGichevMusic]

Huh, didn't know that. Cool. Thanks for writing!

[@ggrows3601]

@@AlexGichevMusic 9s are standard on brand new fenders *squires as well) not 8s

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

Through years of experimenting ive found that anything beyond a .52 gauge just doesnt feel or sound like a guitar string anymore. This is for drop c, drop b. Occasionally I'll try a 54 or 56, but come straight back to a 52.

[@AlexGichevMusic]

Yeah, it feels like bridge cables at that point. I never thought about this, but I actually agree with you. Even for drop c on my 24.75 inch guitar, a 54 starts feeling too chunky and tight. Thanks for writing!

[@MrTabasham1990]

Regular slinky cause that's what I've always used.

[@1-eye-willy]

ive been using those regular slinkys for my seven and eight string guitars for a long time.

[@rodbelding9523]

Maybe I'm just deaf but they all pretty much sounded the same, so it basically comes down to whatever feels the best to you. Just have to experiment with different gauges and find what you're comfortable with.

[@AlexGichevMusic]

Nope, your ears are fine. There’s very little difference in the sounds, the feel is where string gauge really counts imo. Thanks for writing!

[@danielbarbieri8199]

You can also change pickups height...

[@KoMarBgGaming]

I use elexir strings 9-48 sometimes 10-52

[@AlexGichevMusic]

I've heard a lot of good stuff about the Elixir stuff, as far as I know they last longer. Is that true? Thanks for writing!

[@KoMarBgGaming]

@ yes it is true

[@painfreeremedy5609]

@@AlexGichevMusic I got 3 guitar, all use Elixir and play them equally, wipe the sweat off with cloth everytime I play, change the strings after 9 months, feels like it could hold longer than that.

[@irishRocker1]

I just bought a new Les Paul and it came with 10s and I hate them. so stiff and uncomfortable. And I feel the lose a bit of high end too. I always used hybrid slinky in the past based on the theory they are more versatile having 9s for lead and 10s for rhythm and tried 8s after rick beatos vid where they sounded way better than 10s and 11s. I never really used 10s and I never will. It'll be 8s on a les paul, or 9s on a longer scale jackson/fender.

[@AlexGichevMusic]

Hm. That’s interesting choosing 8s for a les paul and 9s for a longer scale length. But yeah, Rick’s video did change my mind as well

[@dougb3854]

17 lbs.of tension every string

[@AlexGichevMusic]

Damn, that's light!

[@dougb3854]

@@AlexGichevMusic It's actually 17.5 but yep works for me. A# tuning

[@SerpentsBane1995]

@@AlexGichevMusic Taylor Danley stated in a recent budget guitar review that he uses a custom StringJoy set of 12 lbs. of tension for all the strings in Standard C tuning! That is close to playing 8 gauge strings in Standard E! \m/

[@jimicunningable]

More paraphilia.

[@za4310]

"jazz"

[@AlexGichevMusic]

I didn’t know what else to call it tbh. It’s obviously not actual jazz, it’s just if I had to make that disclaimer every time I referenced these examples it would’ve gotten annoying to watch. But yeah, I know that playing the chords of Autumn Leaves over a drum loop is not really jazz ahaha

[@za4310]

@AlexGichevMusic I actually dig it, I was thinking it's like lofi hip hop. I skipped directed to that part because I thought that would be the one genre where heavy strings would be the clear winner. Any gauge sounds fine for your example though.

[@AlexGichevMusic]

@@za4310 Thanks! I mean neck tele pickup with the tone all the way down does hide the differences in the high end , but that how I usually play this kinda music and that’s how I did the test. Overall apparently strings don’t make as big a difference as I thought

[@za4310]

@@AlexGichevMusic interesting, Im kinda particular about strings so I felt like I heard a really big difference on everything. I thought you played really well with all of them but it sounds kinda like you're not used to using 12s in standard for rock leaning stuff, they sounded like they're resisting your hands too much and some of the finer details get missed. Like they're giving you more resistance than you expect for vibrato and stuff. You've got good control of everything else though including the super light ones. The DI jazz thing at the end sounded like the 12s were a decisive victory, they're nice and round and thumpy and everything else sounds weird to me, like the way they vibrate by default is too unstable. Even the 11s sounded kinda funky to my ears.

[@AlexGichevMusic]

@ Yeah, the 12s felt like playing bridge cables to me. Before this video I was used to playing 8s on this guitar in standart and the 12s felt way off base for my personal tastes, but yeah, they sound the roundest and have the best low end. I’m guessing the huge amount of tension also has a positive effect on pitch drift.

[@JustinDiazJokes]

ernie ball are the wrong strings. NYXL is the only right answer

[@wallofrock6725]

So you do a video on which strings are best, yet you don’t know how to correctly set your pick up height 🤣

[@vu4ea]

I've been using 10 - 52 for E flat and 12 - 62 for drop C. Gibson guitar.