Balanced string tension / ideal pounds per string

[nolegsfngrpickn]

After doing a bunch of reading on the specifics and looking at reviews, I want to give this a shot.

I've been using standard string sets for the entire time I've played guitar; Elixir Lights on the Taylor GCs I have, Elixir Mediums on my GS Mini.

I'm going to start dropping my guitar down a half-step to make it easier on my vocals, and because I do like the sound of it.

It made me think: what is the optimum pounds of tension per string, or is it just a preference? I know there comes a point where a string will bend out of pitch too easily, or become very stable tonally but too hard to manage. Is 20-30lb an established range, but anything within that player preference?

I threw my current gauge/scale length into one of the tension calculators. If I plan to drop a half-step, should I simply adjust gauges to match the current poundages, instead of opting for the next heavy set?

Some people swear by the balanced tension. It makes sense logically, especially for fingerstyle. Just another thing to obsess over

[ChalkLitIScream]

I should really try the balanced tension strings from SCGC...

Anyway, I think the limiting factors are volume (too less tension can’t drive the top) and playability/structural integrity (too much tension that it’s a pain to fret notes, or it Causes the saddle to crack the bridge, or the bridge itself lifts)

You bring up an interesting point as I don’t really know what would be optimal for me. My guess: somewhere around the 11-52 mark as a fingerstyle player. I currently use lights as I thought I found my brand of choice and was done with. My have to start experimenting again

[Alan Carruth]

It seems that there are three things you need to think about here: 1)intonation/bending,
2) 'feel' (technically, 'compliance') which is partly a function of tension, and 3)'impedance'; how hard the string pushes on the bridge at a given vibration amplitude.

#1 relates in some part to the 'percentage of Tension' (%T) of the core of the strings: how close it is to breaking at pitch. A good example of this is the plain nylon G string on many classical guitars. It's the same material (usually) as the high E string, which means that it could also be tuned to E without breaking, if the bridge and top would withstand the load. It's made thicker to have more mass, and tune lower at a given tension. The problem is that the added thickness makes it less easy to stretch when it's fretted, so the pitch rises more than it does on the thinner high E string: the plain nylon G 'bends' more than the high E, and has worse intonation, requiring more compensation at both the bridge and the nut. There are other problems as well. Wound strings use wire (or something like) wrapped around the core to add mass. Since it's the core that takes the tension a wound string can have a core at a high %T, which minimizes the problems. Sadly, it's hard to make a wound G string for classical guitars: wire thin enough is fragile, and plastic wraps are not much better. Besides, the players complain about the 'zip' (which they could get rid of with better technique, but you can't tell them that) .

#2, compliance, is partly a function of string tension, partly relates to %T, and may have other things in it as well. The higher the tension, and the more it changes as the string is depressed, the harder the string is to push aside. Many players simply say 'tension' when they're talking about this, and wonder why the same gauge of string can have different 'tension' on two similar guitars. Action height and relief can alter this, and some have suggested that a stiffer top or bridge can as well. Anyway, a 'stretchier' string will tend to be more compliant, all else equal. Again, going to out bad example of the classical G string, one reason you might want to have it at a lower tension than the high E is that the lack of stretch would make the G harder to fret, all else equal, and be a distraction for the left hand.

#3, impedance, is a measure of how hard it is to get something moving at a particular frequency. It's also, in a sense, a measure of how hard a string pushes on the bridge at a given amplitude. It's proportional to the square root of the mass of the string times the tension. If that 'bad boy' classical G string had the same tension as the E it would actually be pushing harder on the bridge at a given amplitude, making that note louder. This would present the player with a balance problem for the right hand; they would need to back off a bit on the G string.

In short, then, as with so much related to the guitar, we're looking at a balance problem here. Equalizing the tension of all the strings seems, on it's face, to be a good idea, but it turns out that doing so doesn't accomplish the uniformity of either feel or sound that you're after. In fact, you need to adjust things a bit to get what you want. As is so often the case, most of this has already been worked out over time by trial and error. You can 'tweak' things a bit, particularly if you make small adjustments that add up over the span of all six strings, if you want, say, more bass or whatever. One tactic that is widely used when a large adjustment is wanted is to shift all the strings up or down by one, and then find the low/high string that compliments the one next to it to complete the set

[rick-slo]

I think the string manufacturer's have pretty well figured this out over the decades. That and what the maker of a guitar recommends
for how they built the guitar (light or medium gauge sets typically). Beyond that I doubt you will get a clear, widely agreed upon, answer
as to what minor personal preferences are "correct".

[brandall10]

Originally Posted by ChalkLitIScream

I should really try the balanced tension strings from SCGC...

Keep in mind the balance between the low and mid tension is totally different -the low-tensions are more bottom heavy (they even use the same low e string).

SUS talks about torque load on the saddle but even that's kinda silly considering it changes based on saddle height.

My attitude is each guitar is different and you need to experiment to find the optimum balance.

[yellowesty]

Insightful and well-presented -- as ever. Thanks, Alan.