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Do you prefer 12's or 13's (string gauge) If the action is set for easy fingering and you don't do any bending why would you choose one over the other? Do you hear much difference in tone between the two? When I play acoustic dreadnought I really like '013's better for more volume and bass. Therefore I naturally put 13's on my jazzbox when I started learning jazz. Just curious what you other guys think.
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02-02-2016 04:59 AM
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I find that each of my guitars likes certain gauges of strings.
My carvetop, for example, came with D'Addario Chromes .012. I've used those, various .012s and then went up to .013s. It didn't like those, seemed to choke the sound. I tried .011s for a while and that was OK but lacked something. Now I have TI BB 13s on there and it really seems to like thise.
My Ibanez GB10, though, doesn't like the TI BB .013s. It likes Pyramid pure nickle rounds in .011.
Too light and the string doesn't activate the guitar enough; too heavy and it chokes the sound (too much pressure on the top, I think). This seems to matter more with archtops, my Teles seem to care a lot less.
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It is simply personal preference and that will change just as your playing style and skills evolve. Only one way to find out what your preference is.
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Yeah, it really depends on the guitar--gauge, material, etc.
Originally Posted by Cunamara
Generally, I don't see much benefit tonally on my guitars with bass strings over the size of those in a .012 gauge set. The trebles, however, are a different story.
Currently, I go with a full set of .012 gauge strings on my 25.5" scale guitars, and I do .012's on my 24.75" scale guitars but replace the E and B with those from a set of .013's-- balances better to my ear.
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.015 flats!!!
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I currently have 13's on my jimmy bruno and ive always used 12's on my L4..think im going to try 12's on the brunothese 13s are a little to big for me i think, i can notice it in the bass strings forsure
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I used 13s almost exclusively on archtops but these days I use 12s it's easier on my hands.
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I have recently changed from 13s to 12s, bass is less boomy and I like to bend the strings a little more than the 13s allowed. Don't feel as though I've compromised good jazz tone in the lighter gauge.
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I asked Pete Bernstein once what gauge he used and he said 14-52.
that's a good balanced set that cuts down on the boominess of the bass strings.
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12s seem to be my favourite all round gauge. My Godin 5th Avenue however seems to sound better with 13s. My other guitars (Tele, Gibson L6-S, and Gretsch G400 Synchromatic) sound better with 12s.
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I recently tried TI Swing 13s and then TI Swing 12s on an Eastman AR503CE. My perception was that if I wanted a higher energy percussive response with shorter sustain it was best to use the 13s. For longer sustain it was best to use the 12s.
I used to play a 71 Martin D18. I would agree that it always sounded best with 13s. I bet some dreadnoughts with lighter tops / scalloped braces, would sound better with 12s.
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I am using a GHS Pat Martino set on my Eastman T386:
1st E Plain Steel .015
2nd B Plain Steel .017
3rd G Stainless Steel Flatwound .024
4th D Stainless Steel Flatwound .032
5th A Stainless Steel Flatwound .042
6th E Stainless Steel Flatwound .052
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where do you get a set that's 14-52
thomastik don' t do one
pb uses rounds i imagine
which is out for us benson pickers
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You buy TI singles for the low end. TI 14's have that umph, and they feel no heftier than Chrome 12's Originally Posted by Groyniad
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Thomastik Infeld JS113 13-53. Toss out 13p, 17p; substitute with 14p, 18p. Originally Posted by Groyniad
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Cheap hollowbody or archtop recommendations?
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