confessions of an acoustic player

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by rmp

Imagonna say heavier strings too.

you guy realize that Fender is shipping the electrics with 9 gauge strings right?

if you're primary playing platform is an acoustic with 12s or 13s, that's a huge difference in string tension.

They always have.
It’s what sounds best for mere mortals discluding Stevie Ray Vaughan.

[mr. beaumont]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

Uninvited, I want to chime in.
I respectfully disagree with the heavier strings suggestion. It may take a while, but learning to play an electric takes a completely different technique. Disclaimer: “to each his own”.
9-42’s are stock on Teles and Strats for a reason.
I will admit to the having same issues that leeW and most others have transitioning in the beginning, but as in any other endeavor, patience and persistence will prevail.
I’m not claiming perfection here, but I’m light years better than I was a year ago and improving on electric all the time. So much so that I’ve gone from hardly ever playing my Tele and my Strat to playing them daily.
I’m using the wondrous plethora of backing tracks in every key and genre’ available on You Tube to improve my soloing and having a blast.
My unsolicited advice…stay the course.

Totally fine to disagree.

But my tele has worn .012's for about 20 years, and it's doing just fine.

If you want to get into lots of bending, yeah, lighter strings help. I use .011s for that

[FrankHudson]

I keep most electrics with modern string gauges. .009-42, .010 to .038, and .010 to .046 sets.

I think they sound best with those strings, and I'll bend any string at any time with intent.

My acoustics used to be mixed between Medium and Light sets, and now are mix between Light (.012 to .053) and Custom Light (.011 to .052) sets. I don't think I have a set of Elixirs HD strings (.013-053) on anything right now, but I've liked them at times, and might use them again.

Because I move back and forth between guitars quite a bit, I don't have a big issue. I used to bend strings on acoustics all the time in my youth. My old fingers and joints don't like that now, so I don't do that much. I don't play a whole lot of open cowboy chords on electric.

I do have a pet theory, manifested in the Elixir HD gauges and the old-school Fender .010 to .038 sets, that I (and maybe some/many others) don't need heavier low strings, and any extra tension or mass is better expended on the trebles. I've thought about going down to a .010 high E acoustic set and swapping in a set of acoustic light (.012 high E) trebles.

To Steve DeRosa's point: I have a Tele strung about how he likes'em: a flat-wound set with a wound G. And I have one jumbo archtop with similar. And I have another hollow body with a .011 wound G. Because I always have a bunch of electric guitars at hand, I do this to have the different sound and experience, which leads one to play differently. I personally call the electrics I string with heavier wound G sets my "play electric while thinking acoustic" guitars.

The OP can certainly try heavier strings with a wound G. It's a choice. It may fit how they play.

[calvanesebob]

Have you checked the nut action?

fret between the 2nd and 3rd fret on each string, and look at the gap between the bottom of the string and the 1st fret. There should be such a small gap that you should have to tap on the string and listen for the impact with the fret to tell that there even is a gap.

Sweetwater may have done a setup, but may not have adjusted the nut action low enough if at all.

A high nut action will cause the guitar to pull out of tune much more in first position chords. It may not resolve the issue entirely if you play with acoustic "kung fu grip' hands, but it will help.

Also heavier gauge strings and adjusting your playing style will help.

[calvanesebob]

Originally Posted by TBman

I'm still thinking about an electric. I have to try some in GC. I was looking at the 3 single coil Strats that Sweetwater has........ and an amp too,

Hi Barry,

You should check out the D&L Guitars. I stumbled across them on Sweetwater. I have been strictly a Strat player for years, and no other guitar that I have tried has even come close to my Fender American Ultra Strat.

Until I got this...

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...bacco-sunburst

I fell in love with the z-coil pickups.