Jimi Hendrix's guitar string gauges

[MarkRhodes]

>>>>n an interview with Guitar World, Roger Mayer recounted Jimi’s custom string gauges:.010 / .013 /.015 / .026 / .032 / .038

Jimi Hendrix's Guitar String Gauges

[neatomic]

considering all jimi's strats would have come from fender factory with 12-52's!!

fender did have a light gauge rock & roll set that was 10-38...(all strings the exact same spec as above)

light strings were very popular around that time..clapton and page used very light strings as well

vinci strings was a popular maker at the time that also made 10-38 set...jimi supposedly used their strings

not as custom as mayer imagined!!

garcia's string case-


cheers

[princeplanet]

>>>>n an interview with Guitar World, Roger Mayer recounted Jimi’s custom string gauges:.010 / .013 /.015 / .026 / .032 / .038


Jimi Hendrix's Guitar String Gauges

No wonder he went out of tune so easily...

[hs40]

I use GHS GBLXLs, which is those gauges (10-38).


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[Rob MacKillop]

Hmm...I'm wondering which strings withstand fire the most? Could be useful to know!

[JFranck]

Floppy strings were common at that time
Do you remember those Picatos in round plastic box :

Attachment 77337
I even tried once a .008 set, never did it again.

[Tal_175]

>>>>n an interview with Guitar World, Roger Mayer recounted Jimi’s custom string gauges:.010 / .013 /.015 / .026 / .032 / .038


Jimi Hendrix's Guitar String Gauges

Another way to look at it is he got a hypothetical 7-38 set and replaced the high e and B stings with 10 and 13 just like us jazz players do but with heavier strings.

[princeplanet]

No wonder he went out of tune so easily...

Not to mention tuning down to Eb and yanking the bejesus out of his wammy bar... Still, I'd rather listen to an out of tune Hendrix than most other Rock players...

[Greentone]

Hendrix was a pioneer. He used down tuned light gauge strings as an effect...he could bend up a fifth or so easily.

He really paid the price in terms of tuning stability though.

[neatomic]

the lighter strings were easier on his teeth...like dental floss! hah




cheers

[Litterick]

While being interviewed in 1992, founder and chairman of RotoSound, James How stated, "When musicians were looking for a specific sound or concept, they would come visit me at the factory. Jimi Hendrix was not pleased with the sounds he would get when he bit his strings, so I developed a gauge which he thought 'tasted' right. The .006 and .007 were the first strings he used to bite that sounded 'right'."

[Rob MacKillop]

Haha.

[MarkRhodes]

Hmm...I'm wondering which strings withstand fire the most? Could be useful to know!

[MarkRhodes]

light strings were very popular around that time..clapton and page used very light strings as well

I think James Burton used banjo strings for his high E. Richie Blackmore may have done the same thing---he developed a very light touch.

[nopedals]

I used the fender 10 38 set decades ago when I played in a rock band. Had no idea of the Hendrix connection at the time. Very comfortable.

[neatomic]

I think James Burton used banjo strings for his high E. Richie Blackmore may have done the same thing---he developed a very light touch.

james burton was doing it in the 50's...eddie cochran learned of it and did it too...when he toured the uk with gene vincent, he showed the young players over there the trick...joe brown who was a fine player and friend of the beatles picked up on it and passed it around...that's where blackmore, who was a bit of a session man early on, got it

ernie ball was a friend of burtons and based on what james did, they released the first slinky strings...thats how ernie ball strings was born!!

james burton is a maestro

cheers

[Alter]

When i was young, inspired from Hendrix, for years i used to play a Gibson Sg custom strung with 8ths, and tuned a half step lower!! Can't imagine how i did that now ... i could do a leslie effect on chords just by moving the fingers on the strings a bit..

[PMB]

Hmm...I'm wondering which strings withstand fire the most? Could be useful to know!

Bernie All.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Judging from the endless "what strings y'all using" threads on the Telecaster forum, 10s are considered medium-light gauge. The cool kids use 9s.

[Lobomov]

Judging from the endless "what strings y'all using" threads on the Telecaster forum, 10s are considered medium-light gauge. The cool kids use 9s.

And why not tbh? ... They're all playing at least slightly hot tube amps, so there is a bit of compression and the thinner strings don't mean much in terms of tone ... The biggest issue is that the right hand looses a bit of bounce


There is a Jim Campilongo clinic (together with Luca Benedetti I think) where he discusses why he uses 9s on his toploader tele. His answer is simply that far to many of his guitar playing colleagues have ended up with injuries in their left wrist and fingers and he does not want to risk that

[Robertkoa]

Read the above title .

Don't worry about what Jimi did.

If you play or when you play one - use locking tuners if possible or a hardtail or both .

And strings that will give you even tones across all strings as heavy as you can easily handle taking advantage of .095 ( 9.5s) or 10.5 s etc ...a little heavier on top etc.

Jimi was out of tune a lot 'live'- you don't need that.