What's the LIGHTEST gauge string your would play on an acoustic?

[bobster7]

11’s are the lightest I’ve used, I usually use 12-54 and occasionally a 13-57 set.

[Charlie Bernstein]

I like twelves, a.k.a. light or medium light. Lighter than twelve sounds too thin and weak.

If I were setting up an acoustic to play like an electric, I'd go lighter and use an unwound G string. But I'm not.

[stormin1155]

I have a couple of antique parlor guitars that don't have truss rods. I run 10s on them. I normally run 12s on everything, but I did try 11s on my OM Martin once, and it performed just fine.

[L50EF15]

Nothing lighter than 12s on my acoustics. Actually, I have 13s on two (L50 and EF 15) and 12s on the others (000X and L Jr.).

[Earl49]

53-12 light gauge on my acoustics. I once mistakenly put on a set of 50-11's extra-lights, but they did not last long. I even put 54-12's on my Taylor T5 because I wanted it to feel more like my acoustics. I'm not an electric player.

[JackC1]

12-53 Lights.

I like to play mediums and lights. I don't like my son's custom lights (11-52).

[Monty Christo]

12s on acoustic, 11s on electric. No lighter, no heavier.

[EZYPIKINS]

When I was in Highschool I put the same strings on both acoustic and electric.

Ernie Ball Super Slinkey .008-.048

Then again, I was learning, so people really didn't want me to have allot of volume.

Today I play .011's on acoustic .010's on electric.

[steelvibe]

HD Lights or a set of 12s with at least a 13 for the high e.

[Guitarplayer_PR]

Originally Posted by tomtetom

After some months of Monelle 0.010s (and a fretting hand injury), I've gone down to 0.009s on a Martin 00-18v.

I can still feel the guitar resonating and there's an adjustment in the Right Hand needed to stop banging them out of tune- but aside from that they sound and feel really good.

There's a pickup in the guitar; it projects pretty well but the pickup does the lifting.

What's the lightest gauge string you would use on your acoustic guitars?

I will ALWAYS play one gauge: 12s

[Mandobart]

I like 13's on my archtop, resonator and dread. I like 12's on my OM and 000. My gypsy jazz grande bouche Sel-Mac copy is a lightly built guitar; 11's are the heaviest gage recommended for it. And my early 80's Ovation 12 string has 10's.

Honestly they all feel about the same to me when I play them.

[colins]

Originally Posted by tomtetom

After some months of Monelle 0.010s (and a fretting hand injury), I've gone down to 0.009s on a Martin 00-18v.

I can still feel the guitar resonating and there's an adjustment in the Right Hand needed to stop banging them out of tune- but aside from that they sound and feel really good.

There's a pickup in the guitar; it projects pretty well but the pickup does the lifting.

What's the lightest gauge string you would use on your acoustic guitars?

We vary in our string choices according to what music we play, playing style, the environment (quiet or noisy), our hands (I have an injury too) and the responsiveness of our guitars.

I play 11 or 12 to 50 or 51 on several guitars, including one string you might wish to consider: the Heritage line of low tension strings by Newtone (a great UK company!). They do several gauges and they are noticeably lower tension than equivalent “normal” strings. To my ears they sound great and they are less than half the price of some more upmarket low tension offerings.

[donlyn]

What's the LIGHTEST gauge string your would play on an acoustic?

This is way too broad a question to have just one answer. Variations would include hand health of player, size of guitar, et cetera.

Simple answers are .013 for six string and .010 for twelve string.

For full size six string guitars, my answer is coated Elixir HD Light Gauge, including 17" Jumboes,
{.013, .017, .025, .032, .042, .053}.

For full size twelve string guitars, my answer is coated Elixir 12 String Light Gauge or coated D'Addario XS 12 String Light Gauge,
{.010, . . . .047}.

All my 12 Strings are 17" Jumboes, to include a Grand Orchestra.
I also tune my 12 strings down a semi-tone to 'D#'.

I fingerpick all my instruments using my nails as picks.
Been playing for over 60 years, and 12 string guitars for just shy of that.

Be well and play well,

Don
.

[koko61]

I have always used 0.12 strings on my guitars. I have never used calibers smaller than that.

[The Bard Rocks]

11s and12s are basically what I use. Never went thinner. I do have 13s on resonators but am thinking of lowering that to 12 as it feels harder to play than needed - and not any better sound.

Were I injured, I'd go as low as I needed in order to keep playing.