I like light strings and I cannot lie!!!
By Strings Direct – 29 August, 2023
Guitar playing can be a lot like going to the gym. Hear me out!
The guitar world can be quite ego driven. Let’s face it, it’s nice to flex those muscles sometimes, lift heavier than the next guy, play faster than the next player and string gauge can fall into that category for some people too. There can be a misconception that better players should play heavier gauge strings….so the heavier the strings I use, the better I am at guitar, right!?
We’ve all heard the infamous story about Stevie Ray Vaughan and his 13 gauge strings (I also read recently that at one point he’d opted for a set of 18-72 gauge….what a nutter!), my eyes are watering just typing those numbers.
The scientific information is all there too. The more steel there is in the string, the greater the mass and the more magnetic pull there is from the pickups giving more output, thus a better tone. All evidence suggests we should be striving to use those 13-60 gauge strings. The truth is, I probably couldn’t even bend that 13 gauge a whole step without breaking into a sweat. I’m more of a 9-gauge kind of guy and not ashamed to say so. Rest assured, I’m under no illusion that playing heavier gauge strings can offer more projection of tone, more bottom end and all the trimmings that go with them. If I liked using them then I most certainly would, but alas, they’re just not for me.
There’s something nice and comforting in the knowledge that I can make the bends I need to without worrying if my blues gurn will turn from “I’m absolutely lovin’ this man!” to “I want my mummy!” There’re so many other things that make guitar playing hard, there shouldn’t be a reason to add to the challenge for me!
"I’m more of a 9-gauge kind of guy and not ashamed to say so."
In the past, I’ve felt a bit “Arnie-like” and ventured into using “big boys” strings. In fact, I could feel my balls getting bigger just stringing them up. However, I soon came to realise, I actually find a heavy gauge strings bloody tough work. I’m not a big guy, and wasn’t blessed with Hendrix’ shovel sized hands. But more so than anything, playing the guitar for me is pleasurable. It’s supposed to be fun and when I’ve experimented with heavier gauge strings in the past, at times, it really took its toll on my hands and some of the joy out of playing. Ahhh diddums! Enough about that…. what we all really care about is “was your tone better Lee?” Surely that’s all that matters right?! Well, perhaps I did achieve a bit more oomph, but in reality I think my technique suffered as a result. I can put peoples’ ears on edge with my playing at the best of times, let alone without making life more difficult for myself. For me, better technique should trump your ego every time! In fact, some of the world’s most famous players have used light gauge strings; Yngwie Malmsteen, Albert Lee, James Burton, Santana, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, & Tony IommiLet me just throw a spanner in the works that might twist your melon a little!
Back in the early days of ZZ Top, Billy Gibbons played heavier gauge strings. That was until he had a backstage conversation with BB King after picking up Lucille and discovering BB strung her up with light gauge strings. BB King asked Billy Gibbons why he felt the need to play such heavy strings and said; “Why you workin’ so hard?” [caption id="attachment_575" align="alignleft" width="323"]