15 or 16 gauge high e strings

[pauln]

I have read of people testing how high plain strings may be tuned. I think I recall the results were something like:

- at a major third above specified frequency of intended use, they broke with playing in hours to days
- above a major third they broke with playing in minutes to hours

After looking at the tension calculator, a peculiar question comes to mind...

Is there a difference between a 15 meant to be a G string and a 15 meant to be an E string? "Meant" meaning the packages specify so:

- package set A has a 15 intended for use as the G string
- package set B has a 15 intended for use as the E string

If it is true that tuning the 15 in set B a major sixth higher than the 15 in set A is going to work?
Are these strings the same (subject to the same "breaking past major third" thing)?
Do the other strings in the set provide some kind of mitigating context that allows this to work?

[Tal_175]

Is there a difference between a 15 meant to be a G string and a 15 meant to be an E string? "Meant" meaning the packages specify so:

It's the same string tuned to different tensions. D'addario tension chart below lists for each type and gauge of string, the tension it'll acquire in different pitches. Note different ranges are given for different gauges. Those are the ranges the string is meant to be used. Even within a range, some extreme values are left blank. That means the string is not meant to be used for that pitch (presumably because it won't handle the tension):


https://www.daddario.com/globalasset...hart_13934.pdf

[Peter C]

The D'Addario chart comes in handy, but there's also some weird sfuff. They don't give the tension for a .014 tuned to E (probably around the 30lb. mark), but they do for a plain .026 tuned to "A", for example: 48lbs!! Pat Martino used a 15 or 16 for an E precisely, I believe, because his picking technique was causing string breakage with lighter gauges. That's gonna be around 40lbs+ of tension (?), so I don't know about manufacturers' recommendations...

I'm personally happy in the 25-30lb. range for all strings, YMMV