I don't attribute my affinity for 10s to any type of macho motivation. I have big hands and tend to squeeze hard. That means I pull a lot of stuff sharp. 10s strike the balance for me, 8 and 9s I'm way outta tune, especially on chords and rhythm playing. 11s and 12s are too hard for me to chord around on, I'm talking particularly about Barre and partial chords further on up the neck.