tried Elixir nano web strings

[Armistice]

What do you all think (apart from that it's our mate Beato saying it) about the theory that lighter strings are better (at least for recording)...

Total horseshit.

The best string gauge is the one you like and can play the best.

Yeah, sort of what I thought. I can certainly hear the difference, but in a mix, I could probably just get the same result, if I thought it necessary, with some EQing. I just think I'd snap 8s with bends. Had enough trouble with 9s - and maybe it's the particular guitar bridge piece that's actually the issue, but I always end up back with 10s it seems.

[Greg_L]

Yeah, sort of what I thought. I can certainly hear the difference, but in a mix, I could probably just get the same result, if I thought it necessary, with some EQing. I just think I'd snap 8s with bends. Had enough trouble with 9s - and maybe it's the particular guitar bridge piece that's actually the issue, but I always end up back with 10s it seems.

I think SRV used 12s on a Strat? Billy Gibbons uses 8s? Neither one of those guys have tone problems, so Rick Beato can go eat another pile of dicks. That guy is the worst.

[WhiskeyJack]

Oh! This is more what I'm expecting strings to cost.

Those are pricey. double what you'd pay for a regular pair of their bass strings. But if you need the steinberger kind then that's what you need. I still stand in their corner. Would be money well spent. And if you like heavy strings then you'd love the feel of these.

[Lt. Bob]

What do you all think (apart from that it's our mate Beato saying it) about the theory that lighter strings are better (at least for recording)...

Total horseshit.

The best string gauge is the one you like and can play the best.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ thi ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[JD01]

Total horseshit.

The best string gauge is the one you like and can play the best.

Yeah, sort of what I thought. I can certainly hear the difference, but in a mix, I could probably just get the same result, if I thought it necessary, with some EQing. I just think I'd snap 8s with bends. Had enough trouble with 9s - and maybe it's the particular guitar bridge piece that's actually the issue, but I always end up back with 10s it seems.

I used to play 8s all the time on my Ibanez - never snapped a string. Sounded fine. I play 10s on my Crimson 'cos 10-46 are ubiquitous and easy to get hold of and its the only guitar that I regularly restring. 10s also seem to have a good balance between flex and resistance for me on this guitar.

The reason I use 10 - 52 on my tele is mainly 'cos I accidentally bought 10 packs of them and 'cos I didn't want to fuck with the intonation on my Crimson I just started using them on my tele.

I don't think string gauge makes much difference to tone really, its also really hard to judge unless you set up some sort of controlled experiment 'cos as a normal player, your guitar always sounds different when you restring it. Normal people don't stick a new set of 8s on a guitar, play, record and then restring with a set of 11s, play and record before comparing the recordings. You just stick them on and then go with what you like the feel of.

Its gotta be over 10 years since I snapped a string though and I play a fair bit and I pick quite aggressively with a 2mm pick!

[Greg_L]

I'm not a string breaker either. It's been years and years since I've broken a string under normal use. I was just talking to a buddy yesterday about strings and how he always breaks them and I never break them. He keeps thinking he needs to use heavier strings. I know what the problem is though - he's a filthy sweaty grimy guitar player that never cleans his shit. I once grabbed his guitar to goof around with after we were done at band practice and I damn near threw up. It was so gross. He even sweat through the strap. A leather strap damp and juicy with sweat. Ugh. So nasty. Anyway, he sweats and grimes all over his shit and just tosses it into the case not to be seen again until the next time he sweats all over it. No wonder his strings break - sweat is salty liquid, strings are metal, you don't have to be a chemist or a sea captain to know what happens there.

[vomitHatSteve]

I'm not a string breaker either. It's been years and years since I've broken a string under normal use. I was just talking to a buddy yesterday about strings and how he always breaks them and I never break them. He keeps thinking he needs to use heavier strings. I know what the problem is though - he's a filthy sweaty grimy guitar player that never cleans his shit. I once grabbed his guitar to goof around with after we were done at band practice and I damn near threw up. It was so gross. He even sweat through the strap. A leather strap damp and juicy with sweat. Ugh. So nasty. Anyway, he sweats and grimes all over his shit and just tosses it into the case not to be seen again until the next time he sweats all over it. No wonder his strings break - sweat is salty liquid, strings are metal, you don't have to be a chemist or a sea captain to know what happens there.

I probably break a bass string about every other year. I should probably clean my shit.

The best string gauge is the one you like and can play the best.

This is probably about as flagrant as "tone is in the hands" can be. In that video, I was able to hear the tiniest difference in tone between the gauges, but way more difference from the players. Plus your pickup, its placement, amp, micing, etc. Any influence your strings have on tone is gonna be completely lost.

[JD01]

I'm not a string breaker either. It's been years and years since I've broken a string under normal use. I was just talking to a buddy yesterday about strings and how he always breaks them and I never break them. He keeps thinking he needs to use heavier strings. I know what the problem is though - he's a filthy sweaty grimy guitar player that never cleans his shit. I once grabbed his guitar to goof around with after we were done at band practice and I damn near threw up. It was so gross. He even sweat through the strap. A leather strap damp and juicy with sweat. Ugh. So nasty. Anyway, he sweats and grimes all over his shit and just tosses it into the case not to be seen again until the next time he sweats all over it. No wonder his strings break - sweat is salty liquid, strings are metal, you don't have to be a chemist or a sea captain to know what happens there.

Juicy with sweat... fuck, he sounds grim.

I don't think I have particularly sweaty hands which helps... shit, the hardest thing for me is getting a bit of temperature into my hands to the point where I feel like I can play well.

[Greg_L]

Juicy with sweat... fuck, he sounds grim.

I don't think I have particularly sweaty hands which helps... shit, the hardest thing for me is getting a bit of temperature into my hands to the point where I feel like I can play well.

You don't play guitar live though. You wouldn't be sweating all over your shit while sitting in a chair dinking around at home. I hope not anyway.

I'm not a particularly sweaty guy either. Even live, even if I'm drumming, I don't get all saturated like some people do. I finish a gig with maybe a little sweat on my forehead if the stage lights are hot but I'm not dripping or anything. I can pack up and mingle without grossing anyone out.

[JD01]

Juicy with sweat... fuck, he sounds grim.

I don't think I have particularly sweaty hands which helps... shit, the hardest thing for me is getting a bit of temperature into my hands to the point where I feel like I can play well.

You don't play guitar live though. You wouldn't be sweating all over your shit while sitting in a chair dinking around at home. I hope not anyway.

I'm not a particularly sweaty guy either. Even live, even if I'm drumming, I don't get all saturated like some people do. I finish a gig with maybe a little sweat on my forehead if the stage lights are hot but I'm not dripping or anything. I can pack up and mingle without grossing anyone out.

That's true... but even live I've usually ended up with vaguely sweaty pits and I've still had to spend 20 mins running up and down scales in the dressing room before going on just to stop my hands feeling like claws!

I think the point we're both making though is... sweat, or in Bob's case, moist sea air, is what fucks strings up which is why neither of us breaks strings. Its horrible being handed a wet guitar.

[Greg_L]

That's true... but even live I've usually ended up with vaguely sweaty pits and I've still had to spend 20 mins running up and down scales in the dressing room before going on just to stop my hands feeling like claws!

Lol that's one thing I've never done or had to do - warm up. My warm up is digging picks out of my pocket.

Another point to Greg for being a fucking simpleton!

[JD01]

haha, the last gig I had was really fucking complicated! I remember moaning about it at the time and you said to me something along the lines of "have you bitten off more than you can chew" when I was practicing.

[vomitHatSteve]

I don't remember the last time I really felt like I had to warm up for a gig.

I think that probably just indicates that I've gotten lazier about writing my parts! My old alt rock band had some complex bass lines that I couldn't just jump into cold.