If that's how you spell it.... I'm using a basic set of light guitar strings at the moment and they work fine; however, I was wondering if anyone used specific gauges for their guitar and which gauges to use. (By the was, I like providing counterpoint by slashing on the bass strings, so if you could take that into account it would help a lot). Thank you.
I use a couple of tunings you might like to try - open G which is DGDGBD and C-modal which is CGCGCD.
I prefer medium weight strings as I play fingerstyle and you get more volume and a getter feel with a heavier string.
I find heavy weight strings a bit too heavy though.
I've heard that the idea is to replace the three strings that you are detuning (in DADGAD) so as to compensate for the change in tension which might otherwise lead to intonation problems. I've only recently replaced my low E with a .056 which is already an improvement. I think an even heavier string would give a more beefy bottom end.
Heh... no, it's the way John Doyle plays his counterpoint; he sincopates and plays on the bass strings a lot. It's an effective way to put a new dimension to the music.
Listen to the new John Doyle and Liz Carroll album, "In Play" and you will hear that technique quite clearly. He loves to walk the bass around. Just saw the two of them in concert recently, pretty incredible. From what I have heard, he uses medium gauge strings, but with a real heavy string on the bottom for the added power.
I use lights, but use the bass (low D) a lot and wear it out before the rest of the strings, I play fingerstyle. So sometimes I just replace that string before changing a whole set. I tried a medium string there, but like my light one better. I wear it out the most while backing up, when I am in dropped D. For doing fingerstyle tunes, DADGAD, but am overall more gentle.
Does anyone find if they constantly switch from Dropped D to DADGAD and back during a session that they are prone to breaking the high E string? I have to carry extras. After a while they snap.
I use D'Addario EFT16 Flat-Tops (.053, .032 .032, .024, .016, .012), on my main guitar, Santa cruz OM PW and also on a Lowden 032. The Greven jumbo needs medium Flat-Tops.
They pretty much live in DADGAD, but the Greven goes back and forth to standard a lot.
After years of messing around with different instruments' string combinations, I found that the SC was really satisfying me, and that I was playing too much and traveling too much to be messing with making up odd string sets, so I'm glad to have a regular string set that sounds and feels good to me.
Irisneveins, check where they break, you may have a burr on bridge or nut. I haven't had that problem in years, but when I did it was because of some tiny mechanical anomaly, not just the different tuning tensions. Tuning back and forth seems to shorten the (long, by the way) life of the Flat Tops, but they don't break.
Stv....it breaks after about 10-15 back and forths from D to E. It breaks on ALL my guitars right near the tuner. I think I just wear them out. Maybe it's the strings...Martin Phospor Bronze Lights...the cheap stuff....I like them better than any other, so just carry extras.
When I am backing, I play hard....fingerstyle, really pull on them sort of like Martin Carthy, and play in dropped D, so I will quickly kill a set after a couple of sessions, and from these I pull the leftover high Es. The best is where I have room to have two guitars and don't have to retune back and forth to do a tune, but that's rough at a crowded session. It's really easier to have just one guitar to keep track of. At a gig though....always two guitars.
I agree with stv: it sort of depends on yr guitar and if you strum it.. Playing dadgad (with plectrum) on my machine (a David Lim) the key thing is to have a round-wound second string (I use a 0.20 for that) and a medium (0.13) top, then x-lights all the way down. Paul
Irisnevins, it sounds like maybe you’re just tugging too hard on the strings. There’s only just so much volume and projection you can get out of a guitar, and beyond that the extra effort goes mainly into stressing the strings. It’s a law of sharply diminishing returns.
Do you pick with bare fingers? Nails? Fingerpicks? If you’re using bare fingertips, it’s always going to be harder to get decent volume, projection and clarity, and always tempting to make up for it by pulling harder on the string instead of developing an attack that optimizes the process.
i tune a tone lower in modal C (mentioned above by foot) and use ernie ball 'phospher bronze' medium guage, replacing the 2nd .017 with an .016 ( _an old Wizz Jones trick), which works well for me
DADGAD string gauges?
DADGAD string gauges?
If that's how you spell it.... I'm using a basic set of light guitar strings at the moment and they work fine; however, I was wondering if anyone used specific gauges for their guitar and which gauges to use. (By the was, I like providing counterpoint by slashing on the bass strings, so if you could take that into account it would help a lot). Thank you.
# Posted on November 9th 2005 by Zazzaliss
Re: DADGAD string gauges?
I use a couple of tunings you might like to try - open G which is DGDGBD and C-modal which is CGCGCD.
I prefer medium weight strings as I play fingerstyle and you get more volume and a getter feel with a heavier string.
I find heavy weight strings a bit too heavy though.
# Posted on November 9th 2005 by foot
Re: DADGAD string gauges?
I've heard that the idea is to replace the three strings that you are detuning (in DADGAD) so as to compensate for the change in tension which might otherwise lead to intonation problems. I've only recently replaced my low E with a .056 which is already an improvement. I think an even heavier string would give a more beefy bottom end.
# Posted on November 9th 2005 by Cammy
Re: DADGAD string gauges?
Pierre Bensusan uses a mixed set of Elixerlight and medium .053, .042, .032, .022, .017, and .013
Kevin Ryan Guitars also sells a custom fingerstyle of D'Addario mixed medium/light guages that are .056, .042, .032, .024, .017, .013
I suggest you try one of those mixed sets
# Posted on November 9th 2005 by bobgordon
Re: DADGAD string gauges?
Ideally a set of custom light/medium strings are the way to go but I use mediums and find that quite an economical way to cope.
# Posted on November 9th 2005 by Donough
Re: DADGAD string gauges?
56, 44, 36, 26, 17, 13 works ok on most guitars heavier sets tend to produce better tone
# Posted on November 9th 2005 by Ripthecalico
Re: DADGAD string gauges?
Slashing on the bass strings? Is that some kind of new Goth-Celtic technique?
# Posted on November 9th 2005 by Bob himself
Re: DADGAD string gauges?
Heh... no, it's the way John Doyle plays his counterpoint; he sincopates and plays on the bass strings a lot. It's an effective way to put a new dimension to the music.
# Posted on November 9th 2005 by Zazzaliss
Re: DADGAD string gauges?
Listen to the new John Doyle and Liz Carroll album, "In Play" and you will hear that technique quite clearly. He loves to walk the bass around. Just saw the two of them in concert recently, pretty incredible. From what I have heard, he uses medium gauge strings, but with a real heavy string on the bottom for the added power.
# Posted on November 9th 2005 by AlBrown
Re: DADGAD string gauges?
I use lights, but use the bass (low D) a lot and wear it out before the rest of the strings, I play fingerstyle. So sometimes I just replace that string before changing a whole set. I tried a medium string there, but like my light one better. I wear it out the most while backing up, when I am in dropped D. For doing fingerstyle tunes, DADGAD, but am overall more gentle.
Does anyone find if they constantly switch from Dropped D to DADGAD and back during a session that they are prone to breaking the high E string? I have to carry extras. After a while they snap.
# Posted on November 10th 2005 by irisnevins
Re: DADGAD string gauges?
Different guitars often like different strings...
I use D'Addario EFT16 Flat-Tops (.053, .032 .032, .024, .016, .012), on my main guitar, Santa cruz OM PW and also on a Lowden 032. The Greven jumbo needs medium Flat-Tops.
They pretty much live in DADGAD, but the Greven goes back and forth to standard a lot.
After years of messing around with different instruments' string combinations, I found that the SC was really satisfying me, and that I was playing too much and traveling too much to be messing with making up odd string sets, so I'm glad to have a regular string set that sounds and feels good to me.
Irisneveins, check where they break, you may have a burr on bridge or nut. I haven't had that problem in years, but when I did it was because of some tiny mechanical anomaly, not just the different tuning tensions. Tuning back and forth seems to shorten the (long, by the way) life of the Flat Tops, but they don't break.
All the best,
stv
http://cdbaby.com/Culchies
# Posted on November 10th 2005 by stv culchie
Re: DADGAD string gauges?
Stv....it breaks after about 10-15 back and forths from D to E. It breaks on ALL my guitars right near the tuner. I think I just wear them out. Maybe it's the strings...Martin Phospor Bronze Lights...the cheap stuff....I like them better than any other, so just carry extras.
When I am backing, I play hard....fingerstyle, really pull on them sort of like Martin Carthy, and play in dropped D, so I will quickly kill a set after a couple of sessions, and from these I pull the leftover high Es. The best is where I have room to have two guitars and don't have to retune back and forth to do a tune, but that's rough at a crowded session. It's really easier to have just one guitar to keep track of. At a gig though....always two guitars.
# Posted on November 11th 2005 by irisnevins
Re: DADGAD string gauges?
I agree with stv: it sort of depends on yr guitar and if you strum it.. Playing dadgad (with plectrum) on my machine (a David Lim) the key thing is to have a round-wound second string (I use a 0.20 for that) and a medium (0.13) top, then x-lights all the way down. Paul
# Posted on November 17th 2005 by paul c
Re: DADGAD string gauges?
Irisnevins, it sounds like maybe you’re just tugging too hard on the strings. There’s only just so much volume and projection you can get out of a guitar, and beyond that the extra effort goes mainly into stressing the strings. It’s a law of sharply diminishing returns.
Do you pick with bare fingers? Nails? Fingerpicks? If you’re using bare fingertips, it’s always going to be harder to get decent volume, projection and clarity, and always tempting to make up for it by pulling harder on the string instead of developing an attack that optimizes the process.
# Posted on November 17th 2005 by Bob himself
Re: DADGAD string gauges?
i tune a tone lower in modal C (mentioned above by foot) and use ernie ball 'phospher bronze' medium guage, replacing the 2nd .017 with an .016 ( _an old Wizz Jones trick), which works well for me
# Posted on November 24th 2005 by lisaniska