Various string gauges at the same time?

[deeaa]

For years I have used a set that has 9 top i.e. 9, 11, 17 but a heavy bottom 32 42 50. Now I switched on a few guitars to normal 9 to 48 sets and they're very light to play for a change. Especially with gibson scale they are instant Angus :-)

On one guitar I have even thinner 9 to 42 ultralights and that's fine too. Those are the lightest I can find.

Now, I'm thinking I'll have one guitar with .10 set, a few with 9 to 50 and a couple with ultralights for recording and gigs. I figure when I practice with thicker ones most of the time, when I play the light ones I can really rip it then.

Anubody do that? Of course I play some acoustic as well and bass rarely too...but do you see any problems in the approach, as long as the thin ones are controlled as well and not too wobbily played :-)

[Eric]

For years I have used a set that has 9 top i.e. 9, 11, 17 but a heavy bottom 32 42 50. Now I switched on a few guitars to normal 9 to 48 sets and they're very light to play for a change. Especially with gibson scale they are instant Angus :-)

On one guitar I have even thinner 9 to 42 ultralights and that's fine too. Those are the lightest I can find.

Now, I'm thinking I'll have one guitar with .10 set, a few with 9 to 50 and a couple with ultralights for recording and gigs. I figure when I practice with thicker ones most of the time, when I play the light ones I can really rip it then.

Anubody do that? Of course I play some acoustic as well and bass rarely too...but do you see any problems in the approach, as long as the thin ones are controlled as well and not too wobbily played :-)
You're asking if using different gauges on your various guitars would cause any problems?

I do that -- I have 8s on a practice guitar and 10s on everything else. Seems alright, but I don't know if I'd want to go the other way and have the thinner strings on the gigging guitar. I feel like it might be a recipe for a tone you don't like when it's go time. I can understand your point though: train harder, then perform better.

[progrmr]

I prefer to keep the same sets on all my guitars with the exception of acoustic and classical. Always EB Slinky 10's for everything. Moving from on axe to the next means I just have the different neck feel rather than neck and strings.

Just my .02 - YMMV.

[deeaa]

Are all your axes the same scale lenght, then, progrmmr?

I find that a 9 normal set on a strat feels roughly the same as tens on gibson scale.

I can't find any 8 sets nearby anywhere...I guess no demand really.
And yeah, idea is to train a bit harder than have to play when it counts. Makes for much smoother playing, IMo.

[Eric]

Are all your axes the same scale lenght, then, progrmmr?

I find that a 9 normal set on a strat feels roughly the same as tens on gibson scale.

I can't find any 8 sets nearby anywhere...I guess no demand really.
And yeah, idea is to train a bit harder than have to play when it counts. Makes for much smoother playing, IMo.
I guess that's a good idea. I will say, however, that I'm usually surprised by how tinny thin-gauge strings sound. I like the heavier gauges better, but if you're only talking about 1 gauge difference, I think it would be fine. Someone on here once said that Jimmy Page routinely used 8s on his Les Paul.

I've also had that same thought about Gibson/Fender scale length, that it's a difference of about one string size. Interesting.

[deeaa]

I guess that's a good idea. I will say, however, that I'm usually surprised by how tinny thin-gauge strings sound. I like the heavier gauges better, but if you're only talking about 1 gauge difference, I think it would be fine. Someone on here once said that Jimmy Page routinely used 8s on his Les Paul.

Yeah, and Angus also uses 8's... I find with active pups the string gauge makes very little difference in the sound...about as much as lowering the pickup a millimetre or two. At least in my setup it does - I mean, the Ceria pumps out so much low end even with just .38 A string thumping it's more than enough oomph.

But I used to use .11-58 sets for a decade, just because anything thinner sounded weak to me, plus I had trouble playing while singing and not pressing the strings too hard.

But since I went actives the sound is no longer an issue really, and it seems I've developed a much lighter touch too for my left hand.

Still, I don't know yet how much time I'll put into playing with thicker and thinner sets...I guess we'll see. Using such different gauges is new to me too, hence the question whether people do that often.

[progrmr]

Are all your axes the same scale lenght, then, progrmmr?

I find that a 9 normal set on a strat feels roughly the same as tens on gibson scale.

I can't find any 8 sets nearby anywhere...I guess no demand really.
And yeah, idea is to train a bit harder than have to play when it counts. Makes for much smoother playing, IMo.

Hmmmmm....good question - I've got a wide variety of guitars and they all feel pretty much the same with the exception of the Agile Harm which is a 24.7" scale. The strings are almost a bit too comfortable on it - like I wouldn't want to bend them too far else the come off the TOM saddle.

But my Epi's, Peavey Predator, Arbor Tele, and the Electra LP all feel very similar. Probably very close in scale length.