Do luthiers compromise on string gauges ?

[wuzzo]

Originally Posted by J-F C

I recently commissioned a guitar to be custom built by FRED TELLIER (member fetellier) and one of the first question he asked was the string gauge I usually play and forsesee to play on this next guitar. Make sense to me.

Yes, I feel I should get that info. to the luthier early.

[Bruce Sexauer]

Originally Posted by wuzzo

Sure, but - specifically- if my chosen gauges end up in the region of;

11/14/20/33/42/53

...would that be an ' imbalanced ' range of tensions requiring any special build considerations ?

Of course, I realise that different manufacturers' strings have different tensions at pitch so I'm assuming ' normal ' tensions across the range.

I think I said earlier that it's not a matter of the individual strings, but the over all tension. I will add that a change of a pound or two would be too subtle for me to address, but twenty pounds is another thing.

[wuzzo]

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

I think I said earlier that it's not a matter of the individual strings, but the over all tension. I will add that a change of a pound or two would be too subtle for me to address, but twenty pounds is another thing.

Looking at the tension chart for the ESP 16 set, Bruce;

Tension Chart
Diameter --- Tension
Item # Note Inches --- mm lbs kg
PL012 E 0.0120 --- 0.3000 -- 23.300 ---10.570
PL016 B 0.0160 --- 0.4060 -- 23.300 ---10.570
EXPPB024G 0.0240 --- 0.6096 -- 30.200--- 13.700
EXPPB032D 0.0320 --- 0.8128 -- 30.500 ---13.830
EXPPB042A 0.0420 ---1.0668 -- 29.900 ---13.560
EXPPB053E 0.0530 ---1.3462 -- 26.000 ---11.790

...I'm surprised to see that the greatest tension exists in the mid-range. I assumed- wrongly- that it would be in the bass end. So I don't really have to worry about any special structural considerations as my ideal set won't even come close to the increase you mention.
Thanks for the info.

[Running Dog]

I believe that most custom builders will want to know the client's preferences for string gauge as well as playing style. I make different recommendations and then build differently for a blues player than for a new age-y fingerstylist even though they may choose the same set of strings.

That said, most guitars should be able to handle slight gauge and tension differences without structural problems. Using "mixed" set of lights and mediums -- or whatever -- shouldn't cause any problems other than set-up and intonation, which can (and should) be easily addressed.

[dneal]

Originally Posted by wuzzo

...So I don't really have to worry about any special structural considerations as my ideal set won't even come close to the increase you mention.
Thanks for the info.

To give you more food for thought...

My Froggy P12 is very lightly braced. Before I owned this guitar, I played low action (6/64 low E - 4/64 high E) and heavier strings (.12's usually and .13's on shorter scale guitars like the Larrivee Parlor and Taylor GS Mini). My experience is it increases volume and adds bass.

The Froggy is an exception and I have come to understand about "choking" the top. .12's give a thick, fat tone; but .11's really shine in the area of string / note separation when fingerpicking.

I like the stiffer feel of the .12's, and using .11's with the lower action can result in some buzz if you play too hard. I made a 2nd saddle (8/64 - 6/64) for the .11's, which lets me add a little height to the action, which is slightly increasing the break angle and raising the height off the top (I don't know which is making the difference...). It really increases the sustain, harmonics, overtones and overall tone of the guitar.

I haven't decided which I like better, but lately have been leaning toward the .11's with the higher action. Both have their benefits in tonal quality.

I'm using Pearse 600L and 550SL, which vary a little from D'addario EJ 16 and EJ 26.

[wuzzo]

Well, I'm currently looking around for a manufacturer's set close to;
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Otherwise I'll have to adapt a little or, preferably, use single strings. It's an adventure, isn't it ?
Thanks for the input.