How To Choose The RIGHT String Gauge For Alt/Indie Guitar
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- čas přidán 1. 08. 2024
- Finding the right string gauge can feel like navigating a minefield! But, In this video, we're going to demystify the process and help you find the perfect strings for Alt playing styles.
Well, i've spent a whole lot of time using the wrong string gauges, but through trial and error i've found the perfect strings for the Alt/Indie/Shoegaze guitar styles i play. Hopefully this video will help you choose the strings that suit you best.
As always, let me know what you think in the comments and please like and subscribe!
If you enjoyed this video take a look at these other videos below!
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#stringgauge #guitarstrings #shoegazestrings - Hudba
Hey dan idk if your gonna see this but I love your videos there so helpful for tones, and your band is so awesome your first album has been on repeat for me. Your band has really inspired me to do my own shoegaze project thank you for inspiring me.
Ahh that’s so awesome that it’s inspired you mate! Good luck making some awesome music
@@thesethingsmakenoises thanks man I appreciate it
@@weptmallard1348OMG I KNOW YOU
@@bleedwoodwinter really?
@@weptmallard1348 you're in a server i'm in i think, right?
We're stoked that you chose our Roto Reds as your favourite Alt-Rock strings 🤘 Loved hearing them on your fab Jaguar (and through the Big Muff 💪)
Thanks guys! Stoked to play your awesome strings.
10-52 for me is the GOAT strings, I use Rotosound Blues and no complains!
I'm with you on this. My guitars are in E flat standard and I quite often drop The bottom E flat. But also I do like to dig in, combination of the two means I've gone to Mondo slinkies which are 10.5-52
Also regarding bottom end, if you've got a preamp pedal or a fuzz pedal or anything like that where you can roll the bottom end off having the bottom go into it still affects the behaviour of it and I prefer the way it sounds having it go in and then roll off on the pedal then lighter gauge strings
love these videos
Cheers!
Proud member of the slinky top heavy bottom gang🤘
thanks for the other perspective haha. i play 10s on all my guitars and they always break or pop out of the saddles. great video dan!
I know right! Thanks mate!
Bought roto red 11's after watching this video, they're great! on my second set already
Legend!! Great strings
Really helpful, i have been trying various string gauges and its always been a bit hit and miss with my Jazzmaster and Partcaster. I tried what i always used on the Les Paul (Dean Markley Blue Steel) and that didnt work, then mixed strings from a set of Ernie ball Slinky's and Power Slinky's -top from the Power and bottom from the Slinky's - but that was never quite right either - going to try your suggestion - love the sound and tone of your guitars btw
Yeah give it a go! Hope you like them.
I use d’addario flat wound 12s on my jazzmaster, but I also keep it tuned to D standard and occasionally drop C. Love the low end I can get out of those strings and the flats have a great feel to them
Ooo nice. How are the flat wounds?
good video, man! personally, I use 10-52's, try them on a strat, and make sure to set it up right. gives an amazing bottom end and especially on my neck pickup with a fender blender.
Yeah that does sound awesome actually! Will give it a go on my strat
@@thesethingsmakenoises you will not regret it!
I’m going to try them. Any videos on how you set your Jazzmaster up ….. pickup height , action etc ? Cheers man
Not at the mo, but I plan to do that for sure!
11s are super underrated but are really good for light drop tuning like drop D. And this is a perfect video to understand it
🤘🤘 legend.
I always play 10's and I just got a guitar that happened to be set up with 11's. I have to admit 11's do sound very nice on the low strings, but I hate the feeling of the high strings. So I guess I'll have to find a hybrid pack of strings somewhere
I'm using Ernie Ball 2213 (Mega Slinky) on one of my 25.5" scale guitars. They are 10.5 to 48. For Standard and Drop D they are perfect for me.
Ahh fair play mate!
I got 10-52 on my Jazzmaster and it's awesome
Nice!! 👌
Try these strings...they go to eleven. Where have I heard that before? 😉 I'm all over the place on strings, 9s, 10s, 11s and custom sets depending on the guitar and the tuning. Don't even get me started on guitar picks. Great video as usual! Cheers!
Hahhaa I missed a trick there didn’t I! Wow that’s really interesting, sounds like you’ve got some awesome setups there. Re picks- for me it’s the yellow tortex or nothing haha. They just feel perfect for me!
Hey man, I just want to say how much I appreciate your videos. As a realistic guitar player and gear aficionado, I truly relate to your style and presentation. I love 90’s alt rock and am much more focused as a player on tone, sound scapes, and feel/vibe than pristine technique. Too many guitar CZcamsrs are all about the “widdly diddlies” and showing off their solo skills. In my opinion, you cannot at all get a feel for a pedal sound of all you get are the same demos with the same minor pentatonic solos being wailed by guys with too much time to practice. I love your rhythm tones and feel that your videos much more accurately and realistically portray the way an effect should sound when played by a workin man’s guitar player.
As an aside, I would love to see some videos related to full rig rundowns of your setup as well as your band mates. I also think it would be rad to see some videos profiling your thoughts, feelings and analysis on some artist that you admire or have inspired your playing and style. Kind of a deep dive on what about the artist you’ve tried to work into your creative processes.
Lastly, I’m curious what you think of the band Dinosaur Jr.? I think you might like the guitar tones. Check out the song “Sludgefeast,” that one’s pretty rad.
Thanks for the lovely comment. It really means a lot! That’s pretty much the whole reason I made this channel as I didn’t see that much stuff sharing this kind of playing online.
That’s a good shout. I’m on tour at the mo, and I thought about doing a live stream breaking down my touring gear when I get back in a couple weeks as I don’t want to miss a weeks upload.
That’s a really cool idea about deep diving different artists. I’ll have a think about how to package it. Thanks!
I absolutely love them. Such an awesome band. I love how they combine so many different styles and make it all sound cool!
I like Rotosound 11 Pure Nickels on my Jaguar - The tension feels right, and to my ears, the nickel helps cut the highs of the Jaguar without cutting its jangle - if that makes sense (and, like most things guitarist, is probably psycho acoustic delusion anyway 😁)
That makes loads of sense. Haha I’m sure there’s some element of that, but I think that’s probably in everything we do 😂
id flip that bridge and re check the intonation might clear the tail piece better or maybe its just a wore out saddle i use 11s 54 and they clear the tail piece that will cause your strings to break as well ..i just started using the newer paradigms super non breakers..but i think youd love the M steels louder output and strong.
I’ve done that exact thing today (I swapped the saddle rather than the whole bridge) seems to be ok at the mo!
Ooooo nice, that sounds awesome.
I usually stick in the beefy slinky camp (11-54) purely because they handle drop tuning well, I’ve gone as far as drop B, but don’t feel like bridge cables to play. I’d highly recommend them
Yeah fair play. They’re beasts haha!
Back in my mid-20s (thirty effing years ago) I would have played guitar 40 hours a week. A set of strings rarely lasted longer than a fortnight and I went through several gauges and brands (there was a type of Dean Markleys I loved but we're discontinued around this time), eventually settling in Daddario 10s. They had/have a 10 set with lighter bottoms which I thought were great. But then I never played David Gilmour style wide bends or returned more than Drop-D. Slinkies were always too bendy when I just played chords.
40 hrs a week is awesome. Great practise time that! Yeah that’s the same whenever I play someone’s guitar that has 9’s on it always feels really weird.
I use 9 to 46 for my string gage
Fair play!
I should try getting some 11s, I've really only played 10s on every guitar I have. Never really liked how new strings sounded, I really like a lot of treble, but new strings sound too "clank-y"
Ahh maybe 11’s would be good for you then!
have you ever looked into the boss heavy metal ? i heard kevin shields used one . i know for a fact other shoegaze bands use one . could make an interesting video !
No, but well worth a look! Thank you.
Could you do one on different strings for different genres? Brit mod rock, nin rock, new wave, cure style. I know nothing.
I reckon these would work for all of them mate!
This is funny, a few months ago i randomly decided to try out 11 gauge strings (i always used 10's) cause i, as well play Alt rock/grungegaze etc... and they blew me away. And after that i started noticing that most guitarists online that play this style, and specifically own a Jazzmaster, use 11 gauge strings as well. It really is the perfect gauge on a JM and various different tunings
Haha no way! Weird isn’t it? Just wish I’d found that years before 😂
The scale length difference does matter between the shorter ( Gibson) scale of the Jaguar, and the standard longer Fender scale of the JM.You might think that the shorter scale would require a heavier string to increase tension, but I haven't found that to be the case.With dropped tunings ,the lighter strings seem to work better with the shorter scale; I beleive that it is just a fluke of the applied physics involved; the longer the scale, the more room for the axis of the string vibration to become a problem.
As much as I hate to acknowledge it, the Gibson scale is all around superior.
Yeah, thicker guage for a lower tuning. I have 10-46 in standard. Though 9-42 on my E standard PRS Custom 24 SE 25th Anniversary. Offset guitar's need thicker string, says Mike Adams (Puisheen), the offset guitar expert.
🤘🤘
What about flatwound strings? Ever try those? I heard Peter Buck of REM used those at some point (though not sure if that is true).
Na, but the bassist in our band had them before and they do sound cool. Much more muted to my ears. Would love to try them on guitar!
@@thesethingsmakenoises I generally use flatwounds on my basses - but have yet to try them on my guitar. I'd imagine they aren't as bright. Might give them a try, though.
I always use skinny top heavy bottom
Ahh yeah fair play. Can be an awesome shout!
Not an expert on this but... Thinner strings result in less output in your pu's. Could it be the difference in tone is this output with maybe a higher volume on guitar or volume/gain on amp? Just wondering.
Ahhh maybe! That makes sense actually.
Actually after years of using a tube screamer into an amp I stopped doing that full stop to actually get that bottom end in my recordings. For metal and super saturated amps though...
Yeah can be really useful for those genres for sure.
I like 9s and I'm not ashamed to say it.
Haha fair enough mate!
9s are the perfect gauge unless you are tuning down or using a short scale guitar
Thicker gauges are also better for short scale guitars like mustangs and Jaguars (what I play)
Good point!
it's funny how on this channel videos can be named differently or have a different thumbnail on the next day
i know of course why, but, funny
Guilty!!!
hey whats the name of your band?
Hey it’s called October Drift!
11 to 52👍
Awesome!
I personally use Ernie Ball Not Even Slinkies but thats probably because I play in drop B and C# all the time
Also does anyone know any good budget reverbs I prefer a nice plate if possible
They are absolutely solid to be fair!
The holy grail is always a winner!
Thanks captain obvious.
I thought it could help some people not have to try out every string gauge going before settling on something, but no probs if you’ve already got it nailed down ✌️
@@thesethingsmakenoises I appreciated it. I'm using D'addario 10s and Ernie Ball 10s. I had used 11s for years but this year started getting more serious about learning to play better (I've been "playing" for over 40 years but never felt like I "knew how to play"). I found the 10s were easier for learning scales and being able to move more quickly around the fretboard. I only started playing around with alternate tunings in the past month or so and am finding that the Ernie Ball 10s on my "Strat" don't stay in tune as well as they did in standard so I'm really glad you mentioned the heavier strings staying in tune better in the lower tunings. I'll pick up some 11s next time I change strings on my strat and see how they work. Thanks!
🤘🙌
Too much talk.