In my electric guitar I have 0.9 now.Should I use 0.11 strings so as to have greater tone for blues and rock?Is it gonna be much more difficult to play with heavier strings?

I think you will find 0.11 strings a little too heavy. I have 0.9 and I think it works fine when playing blues and rock n roll.
I know that jazz guitarists prefer a little heavier strings, but they´re not usually bending the strings when soloing, so it works in that context.

That is a steep step!
I wouldn't recommend going from 0.9 to 0.11 in one go - it will hurt your fingers and you wont have much fun, imo.
Try 0.10 - 46 first, to get a fatter sound.
later on you can still move onto 0.11's.

Thanks for the info.Also I think that my amp has more hum that it had at the begining.Any ideas why that happened?

You shouldn't if your guitar has a tremolo arm. Stick with .09 or .10

10, 13, 17, 26, 36, 46.
i use 'earnie ball') hybrid slinkys (guages above) and get a bit of the best of both worlds. (i had started out with 'reg.' slinkys.)
11, 14, 18p, 28, 38, 48.
these are the guages for 'regular' slinkys, if you want to get a bit more of string in there.

i've been playing tons of acoustic lately, including lead work, which allows me to strengthen my fingers and reall dig deep for vibrato on lead work...
(e- .012
B- .016
G- .024
D- .032
A- .042
E- .053 )
is a typical setup for 'light guage acoustic' strings...

...then when i pick up my electric or acoustic-electric it's amazing how effortless it feels and how thin even the hybrid slinks seem...the acoustic is my not so secret weapon for really being able to almost efforlessly finger any chord on lead figure with authority on my electrics...
(it does feel real good to me, after a period of sustained adjustment, to be able to really wrangle those heavy guage acoustic strings and make everything work...when you've got it on acoustic, you've got it on everything else.

this is the guage for 'extra' slinkys...which is probably similar to your current setup:
9, 11, 16, 24, 32, 42. i used to use 'em but switched to hybrids many many years ago.
they have 'super' slinkys too, starting with the e string at '8' but i like a little more pull personally. and the tone is fatter with heavier strings imo.
as you can see by the various slinky (and other manufacturers' range of guage offereings, it's no crime to customize a guage that works for you...ernie ball usually will sell single strings in various guages in most guitar shops...
you just wouldn't want to radically change your guages as it might affect basic 'setup' and intonation at various frets...or perhaps be a mite too radical a change (in one changing) for the neck in some cases...a pro 'setup' and intonation in these regards never hurts and they are not expensive and well worth it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-05-14 15:14 by Beelyboy.

Just play a lot of acoustic guitar before you switch - it will be OK. Just did it myself. 0.09 is comfortable, but I'm sick and tired of tuning up all the time

yeh my acoustic stays in tune for WEEKS somehow!! and i really dig deep on it!
thanks dandelionpowerman, i hadn'nt considered that...really helps with writing and the 'feel' of the whole experience to dig in and not have to adjust tuning every song or two...or every few minutes...or certainly after a good heavy vibrato or multi-string bend...

sometimes i forget late at night, and leave the capo on a high fret overnight or for days at a time...then i'll take it off and/or move it around to different frets frequently...the strings finally discolored and stained from three and a half months of daily moisture and pulling and strumming...yes, obviously needs a string change now...i like strings that have 'settled' a bit into the guitar with a few hours of playing if i'm to perform or record or do something real critical with the instrument...

then again, proper stretching when changing strings (especially on electrics) usually mitigates, if not totally elimates, the tuning issues with new strings. the kyser capo has some heavy indentations in the rubber from over-use and leaving it on for hours if not days at a time...but it still works fantasically well, totally accuarate and hanging in....as for the guitar...it STILL stays in perfect tune until string change...

that is a great feeling come to think of it...i have chromatic stage tuner pedals and don't even hook 'em up or plug 'em in, once i've got the acoustic properly tuned...

i wonder if i'll go up in guages on the electrics myself, now that i've been strictly acoustic for several months...it's a righeous feeling to really hit a single note with authority, good and hard on the b or g string and dig right deep into the fretboard for your own personal vibrato styling...

such a great feeling, affirming and encouraging, once the pain is gone and the calluses are deep...when the acoustic starts being really responsive to aggressive leads and focused strum-bashing...bleeding overtones...and, staying in perfect tuning. then when switching to electric, it's almost like you just look at the strings and they lie down and just give up the note. and i've got to immediately adjust my touch...i'm kinda used to it...but have been enjoying very, very much the feel of working lead stuff out on the acoustic...which is a fairly new phenemonon for me...once it's ringing true on an acoustic, you've got it on anything else.

Like OpenG said, thry 010. first. Also you don't have to stick with buyin complete sets. Like, if you get a 010 hi E but still prefer a thinner D string than 024. you buy it seperately etc .
Like with a 011 hi E sometimes the lower string get too big.

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-05-14 16:01 by ChelseaDrugstore.

Recently I am reconsidering the equation heavy gauge - fat tone, which seems to be the holy bible in blues guitar set up-

As far as gauge goes, there is no fixed rule.

Recently I realised that the truly important thing is to have a well balanced guitar: correct action and intonation, pickups at the right distance from the strings - and that it is not easy to find someone who can do a good job.

Thys guy I met recently, the Gibson-collector (and big big Taylor fan) re setted all my guitars. I couldn't believe how beautiful they sound now. Believe me: night and day! And, I swear, they all were well kept and received a periodical setting by allegedly top class liuthers. I guess the secret is having a good original to make comparisons ...

Anyway it turned out that my les paul actually plays better with the 09 set instead of the 010. Instead my strat, that I had been using for years with a hybrid / heavy set, works wonderfully with the 010 set.

C

open-g Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That is a steep step!
> I wouldn't recommend going from 0.9 to 0.11 in one
> go - it will hurt your fingers and you wont have
> much fun, imo.
> Try 0.10 - 46 first, to get a fatter sound.
> later on you can still move onto 0.11's.


Couldn't agree more. You will notice a big difference with the set of 10s. Your guitar may need a set-up once it gets used to the heavier strings.

I used to play 0.11s on electric, but moved back down to 0.10s after a while as some of the bends were just too much for me (and I've got quite strong fingers). It's really a question of what feels right for the types of music you play. I currently play as much acoustic as electric and use 0.12's on my acoustic guitars (except the resonator which currently has 0.16's, but can take heavier - really only using it for slide at present).

A lot depends on set up, etc., and some guitars are easier to play than others. If any of your friends play, make sure that you try their guitars and check out their string guages. You will find heavier strings initially a bit painful on the fingertips and with a tendency to pull the skin away from the underside of your nail when making big bends. You will get a fuller tone, though, and break fewer strings when you dig in deep.

I have always used 0.11 on my Tele- don't think I would use any other