Light vs. Medium gauge string question 2

[Andromeda]

I didn’t want to hijack the other thread because my question is a little different.

I have three dreads I am going to take in for adjustments and I’m considering going with light gauge strings instead of mediums.

I’m not a real heavy strummer or finger style player...my touch is on the lighter side. Would the lighter gauge strings affect the tone and volume that much (I like my action as low as possible) or should I stick with mediums because I play more lightly.....or should I just experiment and see?

[BoneDigger]

Some tops require medium strings to reach their potential. Others don't. Adjusting string height is fairly simple. Try them with light gauge and if you feel that it's not sounding good, move up to mediums.

[jzach46]

Don't forget the option of the so-called "Bluegrass" sets: medium on the bass strings, light on the trebles.

Jon Z.

[Andromeda]

Originally Posted by jzach46

Don't forget the option of the so-called "Bluegrass" sets: medium on the bass strings, light on the trebles.

Jon Z.

Thanks that a real good idea!

[Rev Roy]

As I said in the other thread, I’ve always used lights or medium/lights (Bluegrass) on all of my dreads. Any loss of volume is minimal. At least to my ears. My favorite by far are Santa Cruz Mid Tension strings. Gets the top moving like mediums but play like lights.

[Dru Edwards]

Hi Andromeda, I put lights on my Martin D-16 a few years ago. I liked the feel and the guitar still sounded good except that it did have less low end that it did with mediums. I went back to mediums but I wouldn't hesitate to go to lights for ergonomic reasons if I needed to. I use the D-16 mostly for strumming.

I say experiment.

[rokdog49]

What guitar are you using?
Knowing that may enable another player who has used or uses light strings on the same guitar and has a similar playing approach give you a better answer don’t you think?
I use low tension lights on my J15 and it produces plenty of volume with a light touch. Doesn’t matter much to you unless you’re using a J15 though.

[vindibona1]

How string guage affects sound is going to vary from guitar to guitar. My Martin D35 sounded great with DR Sunbeam lights. So I thought, "If lights are good, mediums should be better, no?". NO. The heavier gauge killed the sound.

And then I have three Taylors. I tried lights. I tried mediums. All sorts of different brands. Different bridge pins. Then one day I experimented with light/medium Elixir (12-56, aka bluegrass) and found the right balance.

Something else that allowed me to find the right sound with the the right strings is changing TUSQ and Micart saddles for bone. I think that put me on the right path.

[ChrisE]

Different question, same answer.


I used to use mediums, then lights, then bluegrass (medium light? Light medium?) and they all sounded great and didn’t require any adjustments to the guitars.

I think I’ve finally settled on lights for my D-18 and my HD-28; they play great and sound great. They seem to be easier on my fingers and still sound great.

[brencat]

Then there is also the "New Medium" gauge from John Pearse. Santa Cruz Mid tension strings work under the same concept:

Mediums for the Low E, B, and high e strings
Light for the A, D, and G strings

I like these sets because drop D tunings sound strong and you get the power of a medium low E string for flatpicking and other firm playing when at normal pitch.

[Lillis]

You could also try the Martin MA 545 Med/lt 12.5-55.5 and adjust up/down from there.

[guitararmy]

Or you could split the difference between light and medium strings:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[LakewoodM32Fan]

Honestly, since I've recently acquired quite a few guitars (for me, I know it pales compared to many here on AGF), I've learned that guitars can react very differently to different strings (manufacturers, materials and gauges). One of my guitars love EXP16s. Another sounds meh with it.

If I were OP, I'd take the time to spend maybe $50-$75 to buy a bunch of different light gauge strings (do you like 80/20? PB? coated?) and try them all out. Keep a notebook (or recordings!) where you document each one and what you like/don't like about it. It may take you a few months to go through all of them, but in the end, you'll know what your guitar pairs best with and then you'll know what to buy from here on out when you need a string change...and it also allows you to potentially save money if you can find a place that sells your preferred string in bulk!

[RoyBoy]

Originally Posted by brencat

Then there is also the "New Medium" gauge from John Pearse. Santa Cruz Mid tension strings work under the same concept:

Mediums for the Low E, B, and high e strings
Light for the A, D, and G strings

I like these sets because drop D tunings sound strong and you get the power of a medium low E string for flatpicking and other firm playing when at normal pitch.

This is the gauge I use also. All the major manufacturers make them, many label them "true medium". They were originally designed for DADGAD players because those are the 3 strings you detune. For me, the trebles in light gauge don't have enough meat in the tone. True mediums solve that and give you that nice big bottom with the 0.056" low e. I don't miss the medium gauge on the middle 3 strings and they don't pull the neck up as much.

[donlyn]

Light vs. Medium gauge string question 2

Originally Posted by Andromeda

I didn’t want to hijack the other thread because my question is a little different.

I have three dreads I am going to take in for adjustments and I’m considering going with light gauge strings instead of mediums.

I’m not a real heavy strummer or finger style player...my touch is on the lighter side. Would the lighter gauge strings affect the tone and volume that much (I like my action as low as possible) or should I stick with mediums because I play more lightly.....or should I just experiment and see?

Andromeda,

Skipping an obvious question, many players like dreads for bass and loudness. If you want to play lightly on them but really like dreads, may I suggest something different.

Elixir PB HD Light gauge: .013 / 27, .017 / 26, .025 / 34, .032 / 31, .042 / 30, .053 / 26 174

Read as gauge / tension, and 174 as total tension. Details taken from Elixir's website.

These are in the ballpark with bluegrass or light mediums with overall tension, but are reversed in emphasis, as they use Light bass strings, a tweener G string, and Medium B and E treble strings.

My smaller Taylor Grand Concert 412 was shipped with this set, and I found that they work excellently with that guitar. I also found that my Taylor Grand Orchestra 818 likes them too. That guitar has a tendency for a heavy bass presence much like a dread. In fact the large bout body is nearly 17" across and the overall shape is similar to a jumbo with a less narrow waist (or a dread with a bit of a waist). Point being that I like the medium trebles a lot, and I didn't need such a booming bass.

I fingerpick everything using my nails as picks. The overall tone I get with this string gauge is very balanced and suits me very well. And it suits the 818 guitar very well too, or so my ears tell me. I also use this gauge on my J-200 size guitars, which I tend to not to play that hard either.

Might be worth a shot to try this HD gauge out, maybe on one guitar, before you commit to adjustments. I'm guessing you may be pleased with the results. By the way, Gibson used to ship all or most all of their guitars with Lights. And I like jumboes for their balance as well as the extra headroom.

Don
.