9's

[Rick]

i switched back from 10's to 9's about 3 or 4 months back after a few years of playing with 10's
they are obviously easier to play with right but why do i break so many.
im not heavy handed with them, is it just because they are thinner?
or am i heavy handed i don't know!

[jammy]

Is it always a particular string that breaks - also, does it break in the same place each time?

[Rick]

no, i bust one on that charvel last night.
1st one on that but more will follow

im just a string masher i guess.
feet hands rick :D

[Blueroomstudios]

if they are breaking at the saddle, check to see if there is a burr or irregularity where the string actually makes contact. SRV's tech would take short little pieces of the plastic sheathing used for very thin speaker wire and thread the strings through then, these would then be positioned at the contact on the saddle, eliminating string breaks. He also often played 13's!!!! on top.

[Rick]

i've seen that srv plastic thing, think it might wreak havok on my variax though with the piezo pickups.
the strings just tend to break where im playing, the last right on the 13th fret.
i can't even say its a particular brand of strings because i've swapped.
it's either im heavy handed or i rot the strings.
i do change strings often which helps of course.
:wall:

[R/2e]

Real men play 10's. They're not so easy for the ham fisted to break. 9's are for girlies (male or female, there is no intention to be sexist and be derogatory to girlies of only one sex).

[jammy]

Ive tried 8's in my time - now THEY are for girlies

[R/2e]

Ive tried 8's in my time - now THEY are for girlies
Ive tried 8's in my time - now THEY are for girlies

8's - you're right. But only girlies up to 6 years old with little pink 3/4 scale Squiers

[jammy]

Im back up to 10-52 now. The perfect gauge :)

[Rick]

it doesn't matter what strings women use anyway.
because they only play open chords :D

[jammy]

it doesn't matter what strings women use anyway.
because they only play open chords :D

*sniggers* its funny cus its true! :P

[R/2e]

it doesn't matter what strings women use anyway.
because they only play open chords :DWe are not talking about 'women', we are talking about girlies of either sex. I'm told Ernie Ball now supplies a pink ribbon for your hair (to go with your pretty party dress) in all packets of 9's. 10's come with a condom with a hole in, ten pints of lager and a chicken vindaloo enema. Quite how you can admit on a public forum that you use 9's I cannot imagine unless it is an attempt to come out of the wardrobe (tallboy? Chest of drawers? Whatever......) or you wish people from Yorkshire to come round and spit on you and kick sand in your face. Next you'll be admitting that you use....................I can hardly say it.................plectrums (more correctly "plectra"). How sad is that? 9's and plectrums?????!!!!!!!!!!

[R/2e]

Bet I'm right!!

[Rick]

:eh: err possibly i think!!
hmmm i'll have to print that and get it translated!

[Rick]

tony4552 uses 9's and he was in the army....
i dare you to call him a girlieeeeeee
:wall:

[Tony4552]

Right u mo-fo's I use 9's and I am a 6ft 17stone ex Army Paratrooper and I battered 50 lads on my own cause I am that hard so if u wanna make something of it acoustic strummer bring it on :twisted:

[Rick]

Right u mo-fo's I use 9's and I am a 6ft 17stone ex Army Paratrooper and I battered 50 lads on my own cause I am that hard so if u wanna make something of it acoustic strummer bring it on :twisted:


Well actually he's 5'2" weighs 7 stone and well, "hands that do dishes are as soft as your face" :D
I'll fight yah, cos i just put some 10,s back on my strat.

[R/2e]

Right u mo-fo's I use 9's and I am a 6ft 17stone ex Army Paratrooper and I battered 50 lads on my own cause I am that hard so if u wanna make something of it acoustic strummer bring it on :twisted:And I am a 5ft 6inch weakling, but a) you wouldn't hit an old man, and b) I was trained in unarmed combat by the Rhodesian Air Force, and c) I have mates who've done Kung Fu, and d) anyone who uses 9's would be too girlie to fight. I think the 'ex' is the key here. I bet when you were an Army Paratrooper you strung your guitar with power cables from pylons and laughed in the face of bass players. Now THAT would be what I'd call hard.

Bet you wouldn't call Jeff Beck an acoustic strummer to his face either. Or Mark Knofler.

[R/2e]

Right u mo-fo's I use 9's and I am a 6ft 17stone ex Army Paratrooper and I battered 50 lads on my own cause I am that hard so if u wanna make something of it acoustic strummer bring it on :twisted:And I am a 5ft 6inch weakling, but a) you wouldn't hit an old man, and b) I was trained in unarmed combat by the Rhodesian Air Force, and c) I have mates who've done Kung Fu, and d) anyone who uses 9's would be too girlie to fight. I think the 'ex' is the key here. I bet when you were an Army Paratrooper you strung your guitar with power cables from pylons and laughed in the face of bass players. Now THAT would be what I'd call hard.

Bet you wouldn't call Jeff Beck an acoustic strummer to his face either. Or Mark Knofler.Glad to hear about the 10's. And no need to fight, you're not a girlie any more now you're using real men's tens. But for goodness sake, do get that pink ribbon out of your hair before anyone notices!!

[R/2e]

oops, copied the wrong message. Should have been Rick's

[R/2e]

But that's nothing to do with being girlie, that's just Alzheimers.......

[Blueroomstudios]

Sound like Rick sweats acid from his left hand and a new set of piano wire is in order.

[Mr Smith]

I use 9's mainly for bending, I've never used 10's but maybe it's worth a go. My chest is too hairy to be called girly and I don't suit pink, so I'll have the red hair ribbon please.. :nervous:

Tomahawk

[Phlame]

I exclusively use D'addario 10-52. They are simply the best strings I have ever used 8) I wouldn't call somebody "girly" for using 9's, bacause afterall Joe Satriani uses 9's (d'addario btw)

[R/2e]

I exclusively use D'addario 10-52. They are simply the best strings I have ever used 8) I wouldn't call somebody "girly" for using 9's, bacause afterall Joe Satriani uses 9's (d'addario btw)Well I always did think Joe was a bit suspect. But being an American it's sometimes difficult for us Brits to tell. (Just as it's difficults for Americans to understand Brit humour sometimes :D )

Glad to hear about the 10-52's though, heavy bottom eh, that's almost retired Green Beret manly.

I have to admit, having used Ernie Balls since 1969 until around '94 when my source ran out and I changed to D'Addarios, I wouldn't use anything else than D'Addarios now, not even if I was offered TWO packs of Daz..............

[Phlame]

I used to play Ernie Ball 11-68 on my 7 string, but I have come to the conclusion that D'addario 10's are the best :lol:

[Mr Smith]

I must try D'addario 10's to see what the rave is all about.. I didn't even know Pom's had a sense of humour (I am constantly learning new things all the time). Satch owns ju! (as the speach challenged would say).

Tomahawk

[R/2e]

Oh we have a sense of humour, no doubt. Unfortunately it's sometimes too subtle for colonials like those from the US and the Antipodes.

What's the difference between Australia and New Zealand?

NZ have better looking sheep.

Or so I'm told by Kiwis who should know after all...........

[Rick]

Sound like Rick sweats acid from his left hand and a new set of piano wire is in order.

when i play for a while, the ends of my fingers are like a shiney silver/black.
now i though this was the same for everybody until tony4552 pointed out that it was kinda freakish
so i guess you may be right BRS.
I must be melting them maybe i don't break the 10's so much because i have to change them so often and they just have that bit more strength.

looks like im destined for a life of nylon strung acoustics :(

[wahwah]

I once got a made up set of 12's to 56 to try the SRV thing...I put my arm out and have tennis elbow to this day. I think I made a pipe cleaner out of the g-string and a new handle for the frying pan out of the 56! :shock:

I use 9-46...hybrid slinky I think they're called?

[R/2e]

I once got a made up set of 12's to 56 to try the SRV thing...I put my arm out and have tennis elbow to this day. I think I made a pipe cleaner out of the g-string and a new handle for the frying pan out of the 56! :shock:

I use 9-46...hybrid slinky I think they're called?And do you play better than Stevie?



I thought not................................... :nono:

[wahwah]

where'd that come from??? Nope, I consider him a master and one of my fave players-my point being how difficult it is to even bend the fuckers...thought we were yacking about strings! :twisted:

[Rick]

where'd that come from??? Nope, I consider him a master and one of my fave players-my point being how difficult it is to even bend the fuckers...thought we were yacking about strings! :twisted:

it's kinda hard to tell what ron yacks about these days :D
ever since he found the combination to his cell door he's been a changed man.
prolly because he doesn't have to stare at rubber wallpaper all day!

[R/2e]

where'd that come from??? Nope, I consider him a master and one of my fave players-my point being how difficult it is to even bend the fuckers...thought we were yacking about strings! :twisted:No insult intended, just badly put. Point being Stevie got a boost to his tone and a lot of his technique from the heavy strings (and impossible action!), 9's (aka 'girlie strings') are too light to generate the same power IMNSHO.

I sometimes wonder if the modern techniques as taught with the thumb straight across the back of the neck, actually require fairly light strings. I learned on an old acoustic with a high action and the standard ship's hawsers as were the norm in the sixties, didn't hear about what was then known as 'slack stringing' (moving all the strings down one and putting a banjo string on the top E), till I'd been playing for four years and by then I'd mastered a lot of Chuck Berry type stuff as played by the Stones with lots of bends. I've been all the way down to 8's and back up to 10's on a Strat, 11's on a Gibson scale length, which is where I'm happy at the moment.

[wahwah]

I found that with the 46 bottom I got more tone but the 9's are needed for a lot of the rock stuff. I got an old Squier that I put 11's on and got this tone for an SRV song...

[Mr Smith]

Oh we have a sense of humour, no doubt. Unfortunately it's sometimes too subtle for colonials like those from the US and the Antipodes.

What's the difference between Australia and New Zealand?

NZ have better looking sheep.

Or so I'm told by Kiwis who should know after all...........

There was a Pom an Aussie and a Kiwi (New Zealander) touring a Kiwi farm..
They stumbled accross a sheep with it's head stuck in the fence.
The Kiwi ran up and mounted the poor animal from the rear.. fut fut fut..
Then the Aussie said - "ok mate let me have a go" and mounted the sheep.. fut fut fut..
Then the Pom said "it must be my turn chaps" and stuck his head in the fence.. the moon came out early that day.. (then the Aussie mounted the Pom.. fut fut fut..) :wink:

Tomahawk

[Mr Smith]

I once got a made up set of 12's to 56 to try the SRV thing...I put my arm out and have tennis elbow to this day. I think I made a pipe cleaner out of the g-string and a new handle for the frying pan out of the 56! :shock:

I use 9-46...hybrid slinky I think they're called?And do you play better than Stevie?



I thought not................................... :nono:

I'm sure you play much better than Stevie :huh: Please post a demo, I can't speak for everyone but I'd really like to here it.. :wink:

PS Rick we need some more smiley's, I'd like to suggest - Poke in eye, Kick in the goonies, Dunce hat, and Foot in mouth. :mrgreen:

Tomahawk

[R/2e]

I'm sure you play much better than Stevie Please post a demo, I can't speak for everyone but I'd really like to here it..

Sorry to disappoint, but no I'm nowhere near as good, nor would I dare to post a demo of my playing. However, I have been gigging for over thirty years and still get a buzz out of it, that's good enough for me.

Like the joke, but what happened to the last line? You're surely not leaving us with the impression that the Kiwi was a voyeur............ :D

[Mr Smith]

I'm sure you play much better than Stevie Please post a demo, I can't speak for everyone but I'd really like to here it..

Sorry to disappoint, but no I'm nowhere near as good, nor would I dare to post a demo of my playing. However, I have been gigging for over thirty years and still get a buzz out of it, that's good enough for me.

Like the joke, but what happened to the last line? You're surely not leaving us with the impression that the Kiwi was a voyeur............ :D

I've personally taken the time to learn a few SRV songs note for note using Transcribe (do a google). Stevie definately new what he was doing when it came to phrasing and speed. Very hard to emulate IMOO.
I don't mind posting a couple of my own ad-libbed versions but I am using a double mic'd deck for my recording and it sounds like the bath running. If I can clean out the background noise I'll post a few tracks.

Pom, Aussie, Kiwi joke continued..
then the Kiwi pulled out a box of Tui (beer), the Aussie lit the barbie (outdoor cooker) and the Pom did a cum fart..(dirty fart resulting from anal sex) to be continued..??

Disclaimer:
I could be wrong, I often am, but then again.. who really knows..

Tomahawk

[fused]

8s and proud of it

[bloodandtears]

9s and very happy (but I have got long hair and a pink guitar)
:oops:

[Rick]

8s and proud of it


:shock: 8's
is that like 8,10,11,13,20,32?

[khaos]

9's for my sixers and 10's for my 7 stringer.....

[Phlame]

10's all day on every guitar (D'addario's). My accoustic gets 12's though (Elixer Polywebs).

[Rick]

hey we still have this post

[Phlame]

Most of it...

[Highway Star]

Shame about R/2e though. Even I miss him! where the hell is he??
Farl :huh:
________
RHODE ISLAND DISPENSARY (http://rhodeisland.dispensaries.org/)

[Rick]

that spandex t-shirt was just to much for his old fragile eyes...

[Highway Star]

that spandex t-shirt was just to much for his old fragile eyes...
That "Tee" was a hoot!
Farl
________
New Jersey Dispensary (http://newjersey.dispensaries.org/)

[Rick]

that spandex t-shirt was just to much for his old fragile eyes...
That "Tee" was a hoot!
Farl

yeh but no but yeh but no but farl


http://www.6stringheaven.com/forum/phpbb2plus/viewtopic.php?t=1060

:lol:

[guitarzone]

Oh Bugger! Not only do I play with 9's, but I've just spent the last hour setting up an order of Daisy Rock guitars I've just had delivered! I've taken a particular shine to a Champagne Pink one! What will the wife say when I have to confess? Still, perhaps it means I can keep the Pink "Rock Candy" guitar! :oops:

I do have a guitar strung with 10's so maybe I'm just confused?!

I'll get me coat.... (after I've done my hair!)

[R/2e]

Daisy Rock, huh? You don;t drive an MG or an MX5 do you guitarzone?

Don't feel bad about it, you're in good company here, a goodly number of the forum members use 9's and obviously are a perfect market for pink Daisy Rock guitars. You don't have a wool finish one do you. There's a certain Kiwi I can think of who might well be interested...............

[Phlame]

Daisy Rock, huh? You don;t drive an MG or an MX5 do you guitarzone?




That one's gotta hurt :lol:

[Rick]

has anybody tried 8's?

[bloodandtears]

of course I have...

[fused]

Some things to consider...

If you're breaking 8s, your picking WAY too hard and/or you're fretting WAY too hard in which case, you're not playing as well as you could be.

You shouldn't need to but a death grip on the strings to get the notes to sound and you certainly shouldn't need to smack the strings with the force of a 12 pound sledge hammer to get the thing to behave.

If the above is required, you're doing something wrong.

And if something about your playing requires you to go to 9s just so you don't break strings or so that you can keep your ax in tune, its for the wrong reasons.

A properly setup ax with 8s is an awesome beast. It will outrun, out bend, outperform just about anything with the battery cable strings...and not even break out into a sweat.

I own guitars setup with 8s and I own some setup with 9s.
I like both. But when its time to really cut loose...I prefer the 8s.

There was a time when I had rock ax's loaded up with 7s. LiveWires used to sell them. Now that was just too thin for me...but they didn't break and they were really nice....I just needed to know there were strings under my fingers.

I do believe that I gigged with a guy who actually claimed to run 6s.
He was faster than most shredders you run across today and ya know what, he didn't break strings, they stayed in tune but he did change them every night.

Now I've played 13s....the action was really low so it was still ok....but I just didn't like the heavey stuff quite as much...

Girly man? If you say so. Bring it on :)

fused

[zombo]

Fair comment mate I used 8,s at some time in my playing its ok dont worry about what others say ! I use 9,s now from Daddario the mixed set XL125 they have 46 on the top E !!

[guitarzone]

Check out my site for great deals on the mighty D'Addario strings!! Special deals for you forum guys!

Sorry - can't resist occasional shameful publicity! Blame Rick - he invited me to your site!! :oops:

[zombo]

Oooooh you are very naughty shift the blame on others but it is tempting isn't it good price !!!
:drunk: :drunk: :drunk:

[R/2e]

I was in my local guitar shop yesterday, he was showing me some 15's he'd got in for a local kid (detuning no doubt!), but them's REAL men's strings, so macho they've got chest hair.

[snavecire]

just noticed my new cort came with rotosound superlight 9's, the name on the package "roto pinks", no comments please the top e makes a fantastic garrot, :nono:

[R/2e]

just noticed my new cort came with rotosound superlight 9's, the name on the package "roto pinks", no comments please the top e makes a fantastic garrot, :nono:That's about all the top e's good for.

Hallo Roto..................

[Rick]

I just read in an australian guitar mag, Angus Young Uses 9's
so thats eddie van halen, randy rhoades, and angus my 3 fave guitarists.
i guess this settles this argument.
by the way i haven't snapped a string for a month, however i haven't had a guitar for 3 weeks of it.

[Rick]

hey im back to my string snapping ways again!
2 this week :(

[guitarzone]

Good job you have access to good priced strings! :lol:

You bend them buggers too far - try bending them like me - i.e. hardly at all!! Ouch - me fingers.......

[Meqz]

I use 9s on my Ibanez and 10s on my sucky Squier.

I've come to the conclusion that heavier strings give you a much brighter and fuller tone, but lighter strings, such as 8s, 7s, give you much more speed, specially for shredders.

Different strings have different behaviour and work differently for everyone, and it also depends on what you're aiming at. If you wanna be a rocker, a shredder, a rythm guitar... My advice: try heavy and light, try as much as you can, find your tone, find what suits you, don't think its not macho to play with 8s, don't be afraid to try new strings, new sounds, whatever you feel like. That's the fun of it.

-Meqz

[Highway Star]

Well, It really hurts to admit it but, I've just put a new set of 10's on the Gibson ( D'addario's courtesy of Chris, thanks) and it sounds and feels great! I'll stick with 9's on the PRS though!
Farl
________
Honda ST series (minibike) (http://www.honda-wiki.org/wiki/Honda_ST_series_(minibike))

[sm2t]

what happened to the rest of that aussie/kiwi/pom joke ??

malmsteen uses 8's (i think), nuno bettencourt uses 9's and tunes down a half step, jimmy page uses 9s

I use 10s on a start but I actually think 11's sound the best but my fingers just canna take it - got 11's on my jazz box thou (time for a guitarzone plug :wink: )

[guitarzone]

Okay guys! Let's settle this once & for all (okay - fat chance i know!)

Just got in some D'Addario XL 120+ which, wait for it, are 9.5's!!! 0.0095 - 0.044.
The fact that they come in a pink coloured packet is, well,neither here nor there!

[sm2t]

Okay guys! Let's settle this once & for all (okay - fat chance i know!)

Just got in some D'Addario XL 120+ which, wait for it, are 9.5's!!! 0.0095 - 0.044.
The fact that they come in a pink coloured packet is, well,neither here nor there!

ahhh, now I've used those. Very good and completely half way between 9s & 10s in everyway (feel, sound, tention etc)
although a lot of guitarists use hybrid strings i.e. 9 - 46 (top 3 from 9s bottom 3 from 10s) these are great for rippin up some lead while maintain tension and strength for grinding riffs.

[khaos]

has anybody tried 8's?

I tried them on the JS the 1st time I got it. Did not like it.So I am still sticking to my 9's .I swear by them and they also gotta be only D'adds... :wink:

[Stew]

got 9s on my Ibanez I think they are 9--52 (7th string ouch) but 10s on my Les Paul. Agree with Khaos got to be D'Addarios...in saying that the Les Paul has Gibson Britewires on it...at loeast i think that what they were called...got them from www.stringsdirect.co.uk before I knew about the guitarzone!!! still got a stack of packets to get through before I put in an order ....sorry Chris!! I'll trying breaking them haha!

[guitarzone]

please check out strings direct - they are more expensive than guitarzone! Guitarzone = £3.50 1 packet Strings direct = £3.95 + £1
Guitarzone = £3.20 (10 packets) S Direct = £3.50 (20 packets!)

Even saved you all the bother!! :lol:

D'Add's certainly very popular now - seem very consistent.

[sm2t]

Ive bought from strings direct before and they tried to rip me off! I wont go into details but its got something to do with being naughty with numbers :evil:

[zombo]

I use D'Addario EXL125 009-0.46 works great for me !!