String brands and tension

  • Thread starter Thread starter notCardio
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notCardio

I walk the line
Does anyone have any opinions on the tension between different electric string brands given the same size?

In othe words, is an 8 hig E from brand A esiaer to bend than an 8 from brand B?

And what about different materials? Is nickel easier to bend than steel or chrome? And what about coated strings?

I'm just looking for the easiest to play until I get built back up. Right now I don't care about tone.
 
PS It won't let me edit the title and it won't let me delete the post!
 
I have no info regarding tension between different brands of the same gauge. Not sure there isn't a difference but I've never even heard anyone mention such a thing. The only strings of the same gauge that feel and seem to bend differently IMO are flat wounds.....but that's not about brand.

Mick
 
If there was a big difference, I’m sure there would be plenty of information about it on the internet. I wouldn’t fret over it to much (pun intended).
 
If i were to guess , i might think that wind type and possibly formulation(carbon content, nickel and chrome content, etc)would effect the bend-i-ness of two strings that are otherwise the same. Not enough to matter. Also check out Rick Beato's video about tonal differences due to string gauge. It's an eye opener. The tension is going to be more or less dependent on the scale length. For instance a Les Paul's shorter scale compared to Fender's.
 
Gtoboy said:
If i were to guess , i might think that wind type and possibly formulation(carbon content, nickel and chrome content, etc)would effect the bend-i-ness of two strings that are otherwise the same. Not enough to matter. Also check out Rick Beato's video about tonal differences due to string gauge. It's an eye opener. The tension is going to be more or less dependent on the scale length. For instance a Les Paul's shorter scale compared to Fender's.
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Yeah, I've seen that one. And I'm thinking mostly of the plain (non-wound) strings. Formularion was what I thought might be the big factor, and different maufacturers have different formulations of the same type of material.

And am I correct in thinking that the shorter scale would have less tension?
 
A shorter scale requires less string tension to bring it to pitch. I have a Ric 325 and that's a VERY short scale length guitar. If I put a set of 9's on it they feel very loose....which may seem like a great way to play.....but the strings are EXTREMELY sensitive to small variations in pressure....flop around....and play out of tune much of the time.....no matter the set up. The 325 plays fine with 12's.

Mick
 
No...sorry Lazer....but you're not correct on this one. First of all........and I bought it new directly from Rickebacker.....it did come with 12's. The strings recommended are also 12's and Ric has their own brand...which I use.....that are 12's. They actually tell you that lighter strings will cause intonation and playability problems.

No...it's not the setup at all. The loose tension of the strings does not mean it's out of tune in the setup at the nut or the 12th fret. All measurements at the nut and 12th are perfect. All other setup measurements are perfect too. The Ric has a double truss rod and the neck is infinitely adjustable and is set perfectly. The physics of strings and scale length are science....not opinion. I'm not saying you can't play it with 9's....but you HAVE to be SO careful as to make it difficult to play and sound right. I have owned the Ric 325 for a number of years and may not be an expert on it....but I'm darn close to it. The Ric 325 scale is VERY short. It's 20 3/4 inches. That's shorter than most short scale models of any brand....and shorter than what some brands call their "student" models.

I love my 325. And I use it with a Vox amp. And yes......it's kind of a one trick pony.....but you can't get that sound any other way. I've tried....you can't. Unless you have one or have used one for any length of time.......you can't really comment on it's value to someone else. I assume you don't have one....right?

Mick
 
Anything after like 1994' is garbage..

Anything made in China is garbage.
 
Mine was made in the USA........as are all genuine Rics as far as I know.

So...you don't have one......correct? And you're not speaking from personal experience......correct?

Well...since I know your predilection for being right.....along with your strong need to be so......OK......SURE.....whatever you say. Feel better now? "God like" as you say? Good. That makes me happy.

Mick
 
Where I found the larger gauge strings are better , is drop tuning.

Ric's have narrow necks. Like toothpicks to me. They don't feel right. The whole instrument does not work well for me. Not modern. Not 1985 perfect.
 
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I have very limited experience with the Ric 325, but shorter scale has less tension so it makes sense to me that 20 3/4 scale could be fine with 12's. I'll defer to those with experience.

The Ric 650 guitars are different animals. 24 3/4 scale. They're around 2 1/8 wide at the 12th fret, which to me feels quite wide. 1/8 wider at the nut and 3/16 wider at the 12th fret than the 325. Plus they sound totally different.
 
I've noticed the strangeness on some guitars with light strings and I'm pretty sure it's down to the height of the frets. I've some guitars that have very low actions and buzz free, but when my clumsy playing has me fret a note the bend of the string to it's maximum when my finger touches the fingerboard is quite low. On a guitar with higher frets, pressing a string down till it hits the woodwork sharpens it more and it becomes out of tune. with thicker strings my stumpy fingers stop pressing when the string hits the fret. with lighter strings it goes down further. As a consequence, I use heavier gauge strings in higher fretted guitars and the lighter ones only on low fretted ones. This could be what is happening here maybe?
 
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