Is it wrong to strum on lights and extra light strings?

[roylor4]

Originally Posted by LeDave

Wow. Just woke up and checked this thread. Thanks all so much for the overwhelming support. I will stick with 11s it is. Thanks so much!

Hi Dave, I gig (or did before Covid) regularly, 80+ gigs last year. I use 11's almost exclusively on my acoustics. I am plugged in, so the guitar supplies the tone and the pickup supplies the power. FWIW, I am stronger than average and simply do not feel the need to play anything heavier. Anything that makes a 3 hour gig easier is the direction I take.

Ease of play = more play time = increased enjoyment = faster progress. (IMHO)

[bufflehead]

Light is right, even on my dread.

[Everton FC]

I use D'Addario EXP Lights or Martin Life Span Lights on all my guitars. And I'm on the aggressive side, when strumming (50/50 strumming vs. fingerpicking).

[Rixtoy]

Originally Posted by Tico

Proof: Even Yoko Ono . . . made money singing.

This, Sir, is the nuclear option Oxymoron . . . "Yoko Ono" and "singing" in the same sentence.

[Big-E]

I've been using 11's-52 phosphor bronze on my Yamaha dreadnought for years, finger picking, flat picking and strumming. Suits me down to the ground (though recently thinking of putting some 80/20s on). Personally I think when it comes down to choosing lights through to medium, it's whatever you are happy with.

[SprintBob]

Most string makers call light sets the ones with 12-52, 12-53, or 12-54. The 11-50 or 11-52 sets are called called something like extra light or custom light.

I say this because I had an interesting conversation with a very well known and respected luthier about one of my guitars. I told him I liked using 11's (i.e. extra lights) on the guitar and he asked me if I did any alternate tunings. When I told him I played frequently in Dropped D or DADGAD, he told me the tone of the guitar would be severely compromised since he designed the guitar to be played with 12's (i.e. lights). I did not want to debate him on that point and qualifying that I play mostly fingerstyle with what is probably a lighter attack, I have found that has not been the case. I get a bit less volume with the 11's and I have to be careful doing some pull offs on the high E string but in terms of tonal richness, balance, and sustain, I don't really hear any severe degradation compared to when I use 12's (i.e. lights). The lower string tension is certainly nice with the 11's. And most of my guitars have short scales (24.9" or 25").

I go back and forth (11's and 12's). I would like to give a balanced set of 13's a try. I'm talking about something like the John Pearse New Mediums. D'Addario and Elixir have similar offerings.

[FrankHudson]

There is a factor, separate from the arguments about volume and "driving the top." If one is an aggressive strummer with a heavy pick attack, strings that are too light are going to sound out of tune. String breakage can be a problem too with a heavy attack.

To my way of looking at it, this is more of factor with common electric guitar strings. If I was Richie Havens but playing an electric guitar, I don't think I'd want a 08 to 038 set. Even the common electric 09 or 10 set might be marginal.

But Light strings on acoustic guitars by convention are 12 to 53 sets, well into being considered Medium strings on an electric. Moving with my picking hand between electric and acoustic guitars I don't feel that acoustic Light strings are light at all under my picking/strumming hand.

[doublescale1]

I put 11's on my Taylor 322ce because I accompany a vocalist/guitarist and it made it so much easier to play single note leads. Whenever we play out, we're amplified so the actual loudness of the guitar is immaterial. It sounds great with 11 - 52's (lights) plugged in. I'm doing the bulk of the rhythm strumming and the occasional lead with that guitar, I just don't strum it as hard as I would with heavier strings and it's all good.

[Ben M.]

Originally Posted by Rixtoy

This, Sir, is the nuclear option Oxymoron . . . "Yoko Ono" and "singing" in the same sentence.

Yep.

Yoko Ono made money making noise while being married to/the widow of a world famous musician.

If she’d married Ross Pero her only claim to fame would be having a name that rhymes.

Back to the topic of the thread,

If it sounds right it is right.

If it sounds wrong work on it until it sounds right.

[Taylor Ham]

It also depends on the guitar. The extra light strings themselves should hold up fine. Gypsy jazz guitars are plenty responsive to heavier attack and evolved using mandolin string gauges in europe, when guitars were mostly still gut or nylon strung instruments. That means Django Rheinhart used something like 10-47 extra lights.