Why Does Everyone Like Light Strings?

[Taylor Martin Guild]

I have used medium strings on all my guitars for years.
Now that I have found LTG and I've read a lot of posts, I see that almost everyone here uses light strings. Why?
I love the BIG sound that medium strings give on full sized Dreds and Jumbos.
I can see using lights on small body guitars, but a Dred should sound as full and loud as it was made to sound.
I also see light strings for folks that don't play weekly and get soar fingers.
This doesn't include 12 string guitars unless they are dropped to a lower tunning.
One other reason I use medium guage strings is to keep up with banjos and mandolines.
I don't use a pickup/amp nor do I normally play through a PA.
Medium guage strings just make my guitars ring and sing out loud and clear.
If you don't use mediums, give them a try next change and see if you don't fall in love with your guitar all over again.

 

[FNG]

I have been trying lights lately, and seem to get more playability with only a minor reduction in sound.

 

[Metalman]

I'll go one step further; I have since taken to Extra-light strings for my two 6-string acoustics! I like the feel, for I play a lot of expressive leads, and playing through an acoustic guitar amplifier, it just sounds better, and feels better.
Some people have strong fingers, and can stand the extra tightness of the medium strings, and they, like you said, have to compete with louder instruments, like banjos, mandolins, etc. And that is in an entirely acoustic situation.

More power to ya! It takes a man to play with those extra tight strings - they ain't my bag, nor are they a lot of peoples' .

Now this was long before coated strings came along, but I did try medium strings on once, even trying HEAVY gauge ones. I liked the sound of them right away (the heavy gauge), but after the brightness went away, they were just too dead.

But they sounded fantastic for a few days . . .

Another reason I go for the lighter gauge, is on my gigs, I play sometimes 3 hours of non - stop Chet Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel type finger picking melody, bass, and chord songs and when you are going for that long of time, you need the least amount of resistance for the longest amount of time. After a while, the fingers just get raw, and every note and chord is like needles on your fingers. Another reason I also pack a nylon stringed just for some relief, and get through the night.

 

[West R Lee]

All reasons listed above and less stress on the bridge and top.

West

 

[cjd-player]

I like lights simply because they're easier to play. I play mainly fingerstyle, and if I'm playing for others, I'm almost always through an amp, so volume is not a concern. However, I bought my D-55 mainly as a strumming guitar. It came with mediums, but when they went dead, I put lights on it. Then... I had an opportunity to play some slide guitar for a special song at church. I didn't like the lights with a slide so I tried something really crazy. I made a kind of backwards Bluegrass set. I put medium unwound strings on (for the slide work) and left the wound strings lights. I now actually like the guitar even better this way, even for struming and finger stuff. It makes the treble strings sound just a bit stronger. Obviously, its not as hard to play as a full medium set.

 

[guildzilla]

I agree with everything you said about tone and volume, TMG. I also agree with the observations of the other posters.

I've told this story before. Bought my F-44 in 1987. It came with mediums, and I used mediums - mostly John Pearse PB's for about five years. The guitar sounded fabulous. But it developed a belly, and I was told, by the luthier who had originally told me to go with the mediums to get max tone and volume, to back off to light strings to reduce the likelihood of an eventual neck reset.

So, for the last 15 years, I've used light JP PB's. It still sounds fabulous. The aforementioned benefits of the lighter set balance any nostalgia for the increased power of the mediums. And, without a doubt, it has to be easier on the guitar.

If I was playing Carnegie Hall tomorrow, maybe I'd slap mediums on it, in order to have it at peak performance. But all I'm playing is Zilla's Basement, and I'd like to keep my favorite guitar great and factory original as long as possible.

 

[Jeff]

I started out putting the heaviest strings I figured each guitar would handle.

I Baby the F 20, GF60 & CO1, always use light guage strings & mediums on the rest. Bigger strings do make a tone difference, everything is stronger & bigger sounding with mediums.

Got a mini education when the Starfire I bought came with a new set of Ernie Ball Power Slinkys; 11 to 48.

The light guage strings have a stretchy elastic feel to them. Bends are much easier & I like the way they feel. Slinky is a good description.

 

[Dreadful Knots]

I hear ya' TaylorMartinGuild guy... I'm also a fellow who prefers the Mediums strings for maximum tone and volume on my dreads. Like you, I'm often trying not to be drowned out by the loud banjo player at a bluegrass jam. (those darned things are too loud!!) I've experimented a bit with lights but didn't get the fullness in tone that I do with the Mediums. I think a big old dread guitar needs heavier strings to get the top moving and rumbling. I play everyday and keep my calluses well built-up but admit...after a couple hours of solid play time my fingers start feeling a bit tender. Jamming for 2-days/nights at a weekend bluegrass festival....It hurts to even touch 'em with a powder puff. :? I guess it's just the price one has to pay... a trade off of sorts.

No doubt, if I played plugged in...I'd go with med/lights or something along that line for finger comfort. One thing's for sure, those heavier strings give you some good gripping strength in your left hand. Who knows...maybe it'll someday save your life when the ladder slips and your left to hang there on the rain gutter 'til your wife finally notices that your late for supper.

 

[BluesDan]

TMG, gotta admit......nothing booms like mediums on a Jumbo. After several years of lights on my JF-55 I went back to Medium PB D'Addys and although my fingers are paying the price, I'm not going back to lights any time soon at that guitar. On the dreads, I do compromise for playability and go with lights, 11's or 12's, and even the occasional 10's if I feel like letting the fingers fly. Two weeks ago I put a set of D'Addy extra lights on my 12-string, 9's, HATED them. Way too light, nice to play, but too much jangle. Felt like I was playin' a damn harp. Put GHS Silk and Bronze 11's on last night, got my bass and projection back, much better. (I know your not a fan of the SB's......but they work for me :wink. Oh, and for the record, I don't know how you guys with like 10 12-string guitars deal with string change-outs. As often as I change out strings on my guitars, that would bankrupt me!

 

[Kap'n]

Well, bending is a big part of my electric style. So, I used 0.010's.

But I put 0.012's on my acoustics. I used to use 0.013's, because I'd break the A string, when I gigged (don't ask),

That's what feels comfortable to me, and isn't that really all that matters?

I also think that a lot of modern boutique guitars are braced optimally for 0.012's, and heavier than that may not be good for them in the long run.

 

[sitka_spruce]

I guess most guitars are sold w. .012s and .012s recommended by Guild, I suppose a lot of players would go with them. Note also Guilds usually have long scales, which will sound rather high tension in it-self.

Fast solos with bends are easier on lights, obviously. Those of us who don't fancy the increase of overtone content may prefer lights too. I tend to get back to cryo-hardened strings when ever I talk strings, and I find these a great inbetween in that they feel like mediums but requires the tension of lights.

 

[JerryR]

Used mediums for a long time - but after reading this form, now use extra light D'Ads on the Guild and Light D'Ads on the Epi - and since the recent set-ups with bone saddle and nut, get plenty of volume but more playability. This in quite large rooms (in the Folk Clubs). As for sore fingers, I play practice or in public nearly every day so have quite crusty fingertips on my left hand :mrgreen:

 

[john_kidder]

Mediums for me, JP bronze, sometimes even the Bluegrass sets with a heavier treble.

 

[dreadnut]

I'm with ya all the way, TMG and JK, my dreads crave mediums for the tone. I think they sound kinda tinny with lights and I can't get any volume out of 'em. 'Course, I'm a Bluegrasser too, among other things...

 

[12 string]

Bluesdan:

Let me step up to the plate re your question about string changes for those of us with multiple 12ers. It's not nearly as bad as you think. I have a dealer's inventory of singles in all available guages. I buy them in bulk online, watch for sales, get deals from local merchants, whatever I can do to get the best prices. I keep a paper in each case logging the date, guages, and tuning for each string set. The sets last longer than you might think because the actual playing time is spread out among so many guitars. The real challenge (but a happy one) is finding the time to do all the work. I've also gotten very fast at it. I used to be half fast. :lol: :shock: :roll:

Getting back on topic, I generally use lights on my Taylor 614, mediums on my 6er dreds because that's what seems to work best, to my ears anyway. My 12 string sets are guaged for tuning to anything from a m3 (3 frets) high to a P4 (5 frets) low and all points in between.

 

[chazmo]

All reasons listed above and less stress on the bridge and top.

West

Ditto this, TMG.

Today, I just strung up my 1981 Ibanez 12-string dread with Martin silk and steel extra lights. I've tuned it up from D (previously) to D#, and she sounds pretty good. I did have to crank a 1/4 turn on the truss rod, but I feel it's safe with the extra-lights to do this. Even though the bridge has been reset and glued on this baby, I feel it's best to keep the stress down.

The only mediums I'm running now are on my Taylor GS 6, which is a new guitar and basically designed for medium strings.

One final comment... With modern strings like the 80/20 bronze or phosphor-bronze, these strings are awfully bright to begin with. I feel like lights are just fine.

 

[sitka_spruce]

Some find using mediums a prestige not backed away from easily. However on lightly built instruments like Seagulls and Corts I would not use Mediums. As aforementioned some instruments were not built with mediums in mind.

Bear in mind the 'medium' gauge is the heaviest commonly available gauge on the market today - that's to say there's no 'heavy' gauge being made anymore. These heavier gauges were the reason the belly-bridge was invented by CF Martin Guit Co.

 

[Metalman]

Some find using mediums a prestige not backed away from easily. However on lightly built instruments like Seagulls and Corts I would not use Mediums. As aforementioned some instruments were not built with mediums in mind.

Bear in mind the 'medium' gauge is the heaviest commonly available gauge on the market today - that's to say there's no 'heavy' gauge being made anymore. These heavier gauges were the reason the belly-bridge was invented by CF Martin Guit Co.

Sitka,
I had mentioned earlier on in this post that I had tried heavy gauge strings on my Yamaha one time. That was back in 1972. I have not even looked again for that gauge, after trying it out. It is interesting that you say that Medium is the heaviest gauge one can buy these days in a set, at least.
I suppose if I really wanted to go with a set of medium strings, I could tune down to "D". AND then do "drop - D" tuning - that would bring that bottom E string down to "C". Oh, yeah; that would sound real nice!

A lot of the talk has been concerining the volume one gets from the medium gauge strings. I suppose if I were in an ongoing band situation where I needed the unamplified acoustic volume, and if I could afford another guitar, then I would look for the loudest guitar I could find - using light gauge strings - whether it was a Guild, Martin, Gibson or otherwiise.
I keep going back to a certain GAD 30-CPE, which was really loud when I played it against a Tacoma F-40. Not a real sweet sound, but very loud and focused, especially in the mid range.
Ah, it's just a matter of time before I pick up one . . . .

Think I'll start another post titled, which is the loudest guitar.

 

[sitka_spruce]

Then of course we should not stare ourselves blind on the actual gauge. It's the core-wrap ratio and the choice of alloy that's very much decisive on the tension applied for a certain pitch.

John Pearse strings are for instance known to require lots of tension due to their large cores. The Martin Fingerpicking strings are said to be more flexible than other Mediums, probably due to a less dense wrap wire.