Just tried 10's on my Axis

[acwild]

Be careful, it's what happened to my SUB : when I bought it, it was with 9-42 strings. After I put 10-46 strings, later on 10-52 strings and now 11-52 ...

I'm starting to think that I should have bought a hard-tail version... Cheers! My guitar really feels alive with the higher gauge strings. The whole body just seems to vibrate more.

 

[wheres my pick?]

When I had just bought my first guitar and had decided to re-string it, I was into very heavy music (metallica, exodus, etc...) so I just put 11's on, not really knowing the difference I went straight from 9's to 11's (in standard tuning). As my music taste has evolved I just kept the 11's, it was difficult at first to pull off some of the crazier things (huge bends, ultra fast runs, tapping) but I just attributed that to learning guitar and gradually worked until I could do it just as well as on 9's. Though you may get some fatigue at first, your hands will quickly strengthen up to a heavier gauge (like all things; with practice). Now whenever I play 9's it just feels like a toy because 11's feel so natural to me, they just sound and feel better to me. If your looking for something really heavy, a lot of jazz guys use 13's . Basically, as far as string gauges go, put me on team heavy. Good luck with the axis as well

 

[acwild]

Though you may get some fatigue at first, your hands will quickly strengthen up to a heavier gauge (like all things; with practice). Now whenever I play 9's it just feels like a toy because 11's feel so natural to me, they just sound and feel better to me. If your looking for something really heavy, a lot of jazz guys use 13's .

It took me about a day to get used to the heavier gauge. I was thinking the same thing about lighter gauges making guitars feel like toys. A jazz guy is trying to get me to try flat-wound 13's but I gotta build my finger biceps a bit more first. Is it even possible to string the Axis up with flat-wounds?
As far as heavier gauge players go, I'm wondering how many of you are also acoustic players.

 

[Eric O'Reilly]

I find that lighter strings are much more articulate for certain sounds, especially high gain, harmonics and squeals are easy and brighter than with heavier strings, but for clean reverby stuff heavy gauge is awesome for me, thats my 2 cents, its all personal preference.

 

[wheres my pick?]

Tone is certainly all about personal preference, but I find that a) when the strings are a little more tense, and b) the gauge is heavier the tone sort of "smooths out". Like you said with the clean reverby stuff it is a super deep, smooth tone and depending on your amp and playing this can also come out in your distortion channels. By the same token, with lighter strings your going to get the wilder distortion but I find that sometimes it sounds thin, but that may be caused by the amp, or the player, guitar, and commonly the tone knob being on 10

 

[mtrejo]

I find that lighter strings are much more articulate for certain sounds, especially high gain, harmonics and squeals are easy and brighter than with heavier strings, but for clean reverby stuff heavy gauge is awesome for me, thats my 2 cents, its all personal preference.

My sentiment exactly!

 

[t_rod]

Those lighter gauges just get "squishier" when you want them to. Of course, to even get squishy overtones you need an EBMM first, then the right string gauge lol. I lost my callouses since switching to 9's but both my tone and my fingers will thank me in the long run

 

[tonelover]

Hybrids here as well for about 6 months now and love them. I too have always used 9's then tried 10's. Liked the better chunk of them but just didn't like the overall feel. Tried a hybrid set of 09-46 and am a happy camper all the way. Better chunk on the low strings while keeping the fluidity and comfort on the high ones.

 

[acwild]

A few of you mentioned about the health aspects of using lighter gauges. Is this really an issue? I don't seem to hear a lot of complaints from acoustic or jazz guitarists and bassists. While I'm sure that they can get carpal tunnel as well I just wonder how much of a risk it really is. I'm about to hit 33 years of playing and my fingers seem to be ok so far. (I'm more manly than ozzyrules so I understand why his puny fingers could only handle 9's ).

 

[mikeller]

been using 9.5 - 44 for many years on all my electrics.

 

[acwild]

been using 9.5 - 44 for many years on all my electrics.

Which 9.5's are you using? I couldn't find any and would really like to try them.

 

[mikeller]

I use daddarios