Hello

A question popped into my head today in regards to strings and neck sizes.

Is it light gauge strings for chunkier necks and heavier gauge strings for lighter necks?

Could be down to personal preference or. could just be complete bulls**t, but want your opinion

 

Really down to personal preference and not something based on neck sizes in my experience.

 

No, string gauge and neck size have nothing to do with each other. What changes with gauge is the possible setup of your guitar. Heavier gauge strings will pull the neck more, lighter of course less so. Depending on your guitar it will make a lessor or greater difference in how the guitar plays from my experience. For instance, when I went from .13 medium gauge strings to .12 on my acoustic guitars I needed to set up them all after the change. I haven't found it as relevant on my electrics though I guess because the strings are at less a tension on the neck and the pull is less because the wound strings are not as strong. 11 - 49 has a significantly less effect than 12 - 53 pound for pound although it differs from brand to brand.

 

I always use .9 strings on electric guitars with Fender scale lenght (25.5 inches), and .10 strings on Gibson like guitars (24.75). To put it simply: Shorter scale = thicker strings. I think .9 strings are too wobbly on shorter scale lenght. For my shortscale guitars I even used .11 strings some time ago, and that worked really well, but now I'm too lazy to buy them, so .10 strings for my Mustang, too xD

But it's just my preference.

I want to try flatwounds soon.

 

Scale lenght influences your string tension the most.
Longer scale lenght obviously means more tension.
The neck doesn't really influence your string tension at all

If you tune lower I would probably recommend a longer scale length multiscale guitar.
Most guitars are not designed well when it comes to lower string tension.
When recording the tension in the lower strings was always extremely low for me and caused the pitch to change.
I tried to counter this by buying very thick strings but this also changes the sound of your tone.
This can also be fixed with a Evertune bridge but buying a decent long scale guitar was the best option for me

 

The only thing in the hardware of a guitar, affected by string size is the NUT, larger strings will require retooling or replacing your nut, or strings will bind making your guitar go in and out of tune as they stick and then slip.

the shape and heft of the neck is totally about playability or not, depending on the human playing it, different hands need different necks, nothing to do with strings at all, except they happen to run over top of the neck, making it a handy (pun) place to fret notes.

Strings come in different gauges, and materials, because they change the sound, nothing whatsoever to do with the mechanics of guitar design - except the bigger the gauge, the lower the sound, the bigger the fret spacing - see bass guitar for example.

 

The Brian May Red Special is even 2cm shorter than a Les Paul. I play 0.9, Brian May uses 0.8. So you have to be very, very careful with fretting and picking. All in all it's just a preference. There is no science to it.

 

0.8 are like rubberbands.. if you are playing rock they are great, if you play clean I always have problems with the G string sounding like a sitar. prefer a wound 3rd, never seen a wound 3rd on .8s
but you can bend them til next tuesday...

 

btw the Red Special is proof of divine intervention, I mean whats the chance 2 newbie not even luthiers could build a guitar that fantastic on the first time behind the wheel?

 

Bill Gibbons ZZTOP use 7 38
Yes : you read right
https://www.jimdunlop.com/billy-gibbons-custom-rev-willys-guitar-strings-07-38/
And he use it on anything from telecaster to Les Paul.

If you want a real variable, scale length is a real factor : to get the same tension than 25.5 scale (Fender ...) on a 24.75 (Les Paul ...), you need one gauge up.
example: 9 42 on Fender "feel" the same than 10 46 on LP

 

i've never had a problem adjusting to scale or tension, I can in fact play almost any guitar equally poorly....

 

Bonjour pour info j'ai déjà fissuré un manche en essayant d'accorder et pourtant monter sur floyd rose
C'était une ibanez gerodyne donc peut être que certains disent qu'il n'y a pas de lien entre le tirant et le manche mais ce qu'il y a de sur c'est que quand on connaît pas il vaut mieux faire attention et demander conseil ...
J'étais jeune et ignorant et j'ai fissuré ma première guitare achetée avec mes première paies j'espère que mon témoignage évitera au moin à une personne d'éviter la même bêtise cordialement..

 

String gauge size and penis size have more correlation than you think.

 

@Rolnight .. You must have done something absolutely, terribly wrong to have done that or the neck was faulty to begin witj when you did whatever you did. Beside yourself I've never nor do I know anybod
hy that "cracked" a neck while installing a Floyd Rose.

When I was 12 and my dad found me a very, very cool used Teisco electric guitar at a flea market in NYC about the same model as in the foto underneath. About a week later my 9 year old brother got it into his head to tighten the strings until the neck ripped out of the guitar. I cried.

 

Last edited: Jun 10, 2024

My daddy on his deathbed drew me near, and with his last breath whispered, "Son, never sing into a microphone smaller than your penis". Thank you Audio Technica.

 

Jamais entendu parler de tirant élevé cassant un manche.
Tout au plus, il se tord vers l'avant.
Et heureusement, sinon aucun vendeur de cordes ne vendrait du tirant 12-52 a la pelle.

De plus, un floyd rose en accordage standard, c'est probablement limité a 10-46 (11-50 peut-être ? jamais vu) dû au logement des bloque corde et des réglages limités du diapason du floyd rose.
Et pour casser un manche en 10-46, il faut vraiment avoir dépassé la hauteur standard... ou un défaut de manche bien sûr.

A titre indicatif, un manche de guitare c'est plus de 100 kilos de résistance dans le sens des cordes.
Et dans l'autre sens, voici une vidéo :

Osez me dire maintenant que c'est fragile
Ce type doit peser 80 kilos ... et il saute dessus.

A titre d'anecdote, j'ai reçu une Shorty avec le manche cassé pendant le transport.
Probablement broyée par la trieuse de colis ou une chute du haut du camion.

Recollé à la Elmer Glue, les fissures restantes rebouchées a la super glue.
Et hop ! Une guitare qui repart

Déjà testé en tension : tout fonctionne

Photo AVANT ci jointe

 

J'ai pas envie de me justifier mais peut être que le manche avait un défaut et c'est au niveau des vis que ça a fissuré pour info la guitare était neuves et j'avais deja fait remplacer le manche car les touches s'usai a vu d'oeil et la aussi le vendeur n'avais jamais vu ca et me disait que j'avais du nettoyer avec un produit !?! Bien sur guitare neuve je vais laver les touches avec du diluant ahhhhh apres avoir récupéré la gratte qui d'ailleurs les touches du nouveau manvhe s'use toujours tres vite et 1er changement de corde boom fissure derrière le manche sur le corps de la gratte ..

 

I just saw your comment. OK. I am an atheist. But your argument - the first that makes sense in 30 years or so - makes me think again ... ))

 

Jonction corps / manche ?

En effet, un gros problème de conception ... car c'est la partie la plus solide.
J'ai vu des guitaristes massacrer des guitares en s'en servant de batte de baseball : tout a cassé (tête, corps fissuré)... sauf la jonction corps/manche.

Vraiment désolé de cette première expérience désastreuse ... la probabilité était vraiment faible.

J'ai toutefois eu un ami qui avait acheté une signature Nuno Bettencourt ... et le manche s'est vrillé en quelques semaines.
Prix : 4500 euros +
https://www.algam-webstore.fr/washburn-signature-nuno-bettencourt-us-n4-authentic-544152.html

Personne n'est à l'abri d'une mauvaise guitare, même à 4500 euros.