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Thread starter General_Specific
Start date Sep 25, 2018

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rollingdam

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Joined Nov 25, 2006 Messages 188 Reaction score 21 Location Ottawa Ontario Canada Norman Blake makes up his own sets starts at 0.10 on the high E down to .059 on the lowE D

dinnerpartynoise

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Joined Mar 9, 2014 Messages 146 Reaction score 179 I’d look at a short scale guitar and kill two birds with one stone - easier to transport and lower string tension. I have a Santa Cruz firefly what plays like an electric and sounds unbelievable.

Tomo El Gato

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Joined Aug 4, 2013 Messages 2,985 Reaction score 5,771 Location San Francisco You can use any type or gauge of string on acoustic. Especially if you're just using one to mess around with and practice. Unless you play bluegrass, do some heavy strumming, there's really no big advantage to using .12 or .13 sets. And there's no rule that says you have to use bronze strings either. There are actually traditional acoustic guitar sets which are pure nickel wound - no different than electric guitar strings.

TheGuildedAge

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Joined Sep 11, 2005 Messages 13,059 Reaction score 14,502 I wanted to report some interesting findings. I put a set of Pyramid 10-50 Roundwounds on a Tayor 210E and they sounded ok. The guitar was snappy and bright to begin with. But I put a set on my Gibson Songwriter and the guitar sounds noticeably weaker and less full. No body or thump. J

jcs

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Joined Sep 15, 2002 Messages 8,099 Reaction score 1,701 Location on a hill I use Martin flex core 11 - 47 set as a guideline for all of my acoustics as i am 59 with hand issues. If this set is too floppy or light sounding etc, i switch to a plain 11 or 12 bronze set depending on that particular guitar. Any guitar with bridge or belly issues from heavy strings no way do i use a 12 set or heavier strings unless i tune down. My old flat tops with high action get 11s or 12s for slide only unless they are floppy. i use rubber bands to warm up my fingers (stretching outwards) before any guitar (or bass) with heavy action gets played.

Oscar Stern

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Joined Apr 3, 2020 Messages 1,017 Reaction score 206 Location Jacksonville Florida

ceanat said: I don't like thin strings on an acoustic . But I guess it depends what genre your playing. For instance I play Bluegrass in an acoustic band so i need a big sounding guitar and the strings take a pounding. I generally go for 13-56. The guitar I use for finger style I run 12-53. My electrics 11-50 telecaster ,10-49 on my Strat Depends on what your going for. Depends on the instrument too some like a particular gauge so I would say play as heavy as you can stand and see how your acoustic sounds. You don't have to have a high action you might need a good luthier to give you a setup. Click to expand...

Why not use 10s but cut the braces down?

Oscar Stern

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Joined Apr 3, 2020 Messages 1,017 Reaction score 206 Location Jacksonville Florida

General_Specific said: I just picked up an acoustic to take on business trips. The strings are thicker than I am used to as I primarily play electric. I am tempted to put lower gauge strings in it like I did with other acoustics I have owned. Part of me thinks I should tough it out with the bigger strings. Anyone here put thin strings on their acoustic, or think that I should retain the essence of the beast and learn to appreciate the thick strings and high action? Click to expand...

Use Magma Ultra-Light Acoustic Strings, so you can use lower action, it's designed to make transitioning from Electric to Acoustic Guitar easier.

JERZEY BOB

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Joined Jan 3, 2024 Messages 4,628 Reaction score 10,869 Location North Jersey If it's more comfortable, go for it, but... you're gonna miss that bottom.

Boomstick0

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Joined Jan 2, 2021 Messages 1,027 Reaction score 806

General_Specific said: Anyone here put thin strings on their acoustic, or think that I should retain the essence of the beast and learn to appreciate the thick strings and high action? Click to expand...

So I can relate to your dilemma. At one point, I would put 13s on an electric and be able to bend them like I'm SRV, but I had an issue with my left hand where I couldn't make a fist or play at all for three years. When it finally improved, I was playing more electric than acoustic. I could play a few songs on acoustic and it improved over time, but after a while, it would kill my fingers. I always refused to go below 12s on an acoustic. There are some guitars that can run lighter strings and sound almost as good as heavier strings, but in my honest opinion those guitars never sounded great with the higher strings to begin with. What really changed it for me, was I found a local open mic that I can play two songs a week and started learning two new songs a week so I was playing all the time. I pretty quickly got my finger strength and calicuses back. I played a gig on Friday, played every song I currently know and no issues with my fingers. On top of that, I now run mediums on all three of my higher end guitars. Now I'm not saying to run mediums either, it might not even suite your playing style but I'd try to work through what sounds good. I'm somewhat of a traditional acoustic player, playing a cross between folk and bluegrass (fingerstyle and pick). Guys playing 80s/90s pop songs might not care as much over tone loss of lighter gauges.

Salfordlad

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Joined Jan 18, 2016 Messages 1,630 Reaction score 4,922 Location San Carlos, CA.

Oscar Stern said: Why not use 10s but cut the braces down? Click to expand...

He's back... slooky

slooky

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Joined Jan 3, 2015 Messages 1,515 Reaction score 3,354 Location Niagara

Irving Pye said: If you use a pick to strum, the lighter the gauge, the sound becomes distorted. Click to expand...

I guess it will save you from buying a distortion pedal. :rolleyes:

I use 10-47 and a light gauge pick. I've never heard distortion.

YsbeidiauHeulog

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Joined Jan 3, 2020 Messages 96 Reaction score 76 Location North I use 11s on a Guild 00, as I've always used 11s when playing electric for years. I don't have any complaints in terms of playability or sound, but I do wonder if going up a gauge might help intonation. E

erniecaster

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Joined Nov 5, 2007 Messages 2,884 Reaction score 5,130 Location Germany Hi, first of all get a good setup for your acoustic guitar. You can play every string gauge you want and there is nothing heroic in using heavy strings. I play 11 because I like the sound of them best. cu erniecaster

Lars Petersen

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Joined Mar 17, 2025 Messages 6 Reaction score 3 Depends a lot on the scale length, but I have a tough time with anything under 11s on an acoustic, with preferences towards 13s

Billyzoom1

Gold Supporting Member Joined Jul 9, 2011 Messages 2,480 Reaction score 5,629 Location Bay Area, CA IMO, and coming from a similar background, go with 12s with a good setup and get used to it. It isn’t that bad, just play it regularly to build up calluses and strength. jamjam

jamjam

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Joined Dec 8, 2023 Messages 1,668 Reaction score 6,385 I like 11s. Podicle

Podicle

Gold Supporting Member Joined Dec 12, 2010 Messages 681 Reaction score 2,228 I have a bunch of nice acoustics of different types/woods. Over the years, I've extensively experimented with string gauge (13s to 11s) and type and have come to the following conclusions:

13s sound the best on most acoustics, but the gap between 13s and 12s is far less than the gap between 12s and 11s. With my style of playing (lots of pick and fingers, very little straight strumming), 11s just don't seem to hit the critical mass needed to get the top moving.
This difference is more noticeable on nicer guitars (solid tops, lighter construction).
Round core strings feel a gauge lighter than hex core, but carry the tonal benefits of the thicker string. So round-core 13s feel more like 12s but sound like 13s.

My recommendation? 12s are optimal for most players. Don't go to 11s unless you have finger issues that prevent you playing 12s. Or try some round-core 12s. I just use the D'Addario Phosphor Bronze 12s most of the time. Note that I play 9s on my electrics and actually think they sound better than the heavier strings (I played 11s on my electrics for years).

Jazzbox47

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Joined Jul 25, 2005 Messages 17,510 Reaction score 17,759 I don't dislike .012 on my acoustics, but there's a set of D'Addario .011 80/20 sitting on the table where I practice, and they're calling my name. I'm surely tempted to give them a spin...

rockabilly69

Silver Supporting Member Joined Nov 2, 2008 Messages 3,354 Reaction score 5,941 Location Ogden, Utah I use 11's on two acoustic guitars and with a light touch they sound fine. Maguch!

Maguch!

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Joined May 9, 2025 Messages 402 Reaction score 1,252

General_Specific said: I just picked up an acoustic to take on business trips. The strings are thicker than I am used to as I primarily play electric. I am tempted to put lower gauge strings in it like I did with other acoustics I have owned. Part of me thinks I should tough it out with the bigger strings. Anyone here put thin strings on their acoustic, or think that I should retain the essence of the beast and learn to appreciate the thick strings and high action? Click to expand...

11s and 12s feel pretty good to me on a acoustic and they sound great. I tried 10s a couple of times and they just felt too light on a acoustic. I never play 13s no more. I been playing 48 or 49 years now and I want my fretting hand to last a couple more decades. Last edited: Jun 16, 2025 Prev

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rollingdam

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dinnerpartynoise

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TheGuildedAge

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jcs

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Oscar Stern

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JERZEY BOB

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Boomstick0

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Salfordlad

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slooky

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YsbeidiauHeulog

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erniecaster

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jamjam

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