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Topic: String gauge |
Matthew Roguskie
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2015 5:42 am |
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| I'm new to the site and a relative rookie to the pedal steel. I have a lot of questions but for right now I'm gonna ask about strings. I'm sure I need a heavier gauge to get the sound I want but I would think that heavier strings would break more easily than a lighter gauge, is this the case? |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 2 Nov 2015 6:02 am
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They won't really break much sooner, but they won't pull the same.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 2 Nov 2015 7:27 am
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There are lots of things that affect the sound. Strings are just one.
The gauge of strings, generally, that many string brands come in are the old Sho-Bud or Nashville gauges. George L's, GHS, D'Addario, for example stock gauges are the "Nashville" gauges. |
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John Sluszny
From:
Brussels, Belgium
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Posted 2 Nov 2015 9:59 am
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| What guitar do you play? |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 2 Nov 2015 10:15 am
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Are the Nashville gauges the lighter ones with .010 for string 3 and .017 and .020 for 5 & 6? The strings I always buy are standard sets from most brands that have an .011 for 3 and .018 and .022 for strings 5 & 6.
Id the OP talking about switching from the lighter gauge set to the heavier set? The difference between those 2 sets are noticeable.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Steve Lipsey
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2015 10:28 am
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OP- Although "heavier strings" is a typically good answer to tone on a 6-string guitar, a pedal steel isn't the same at all...the answer is found more in picking style (pick like you mean it all the time, use the volume pedal to play quieter) and other factors...there is a reason why "standard gauge set" is called that!
Also - remember that a pedal steel is like a 6-string with a whammy bar set up to raise and lower - it is just springs holding the strings in position. You don't want to have to change all your springs to heavy ones and make your action too stiff to play...
I do use the Nashville set, slightly lighter gauge on a few strings, because my pedal steel just seems to work better with it (springs seem to like it)
_________________
https://www.lostsailorspdx.com
Williams S10s, Milkman Pedal Steel Mini & "The Amp"
Ben Bonham Resos, 1954 Oahu Diana, 1936 Oahu Parlor |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 2 Nov 2015 10:34 am
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The "Nashville" E9th gauges are
1 - .013
2 - .015
3 - .011
4 - .014
5 - .017
6 - .020 Plain
7 - .026 Wound
8 - .030 Wound
9 - .034 Wound
10 - .036 Wound |
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Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2015 10:45 am
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Instead of me or anyone suggesting what you should use; here is the best well-written LEARNING description of what you eventually want to know.
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String Gauges
To aid in understanding the gauges in common use today, I’ve constructed an analysis of each string of the standard tuning. It’s worth noting that some famous players like Paul Franklin and Russ Hicks gravitate toward heavier strings for richer tone.
The scale length of a pedal steel is the distance from the center of the changer finger to the the center of the nut roller – the full vibrating string length. Most pedal steels have a scale length in the range of 24†to 24.5â€, though a few are 25†or longer. Generally speaking, a shorter scale will take a slightly heavier string than a long scale.
The most common E9th gauges in use today are: .013 .015 .011 .014 .017 .020p .026w .030 .034 .038
F# – .012 or .013 plain. The most common choice is .013. Players who raise the string to G# and have a long scale are sometimes more comfortable with a .012.
D# – .015 plain. Few players use anything different.
G# – .011, .0115 or .012 plain. The traditional choice is .011, but you’ll get a better tone if your guitar can hold a heavier string without breaking. Many short scale players now use a .012, and the .0115 from Jagwire or GHS works on almost any guitar. Still, .011 is the safest choice if your guitar is prone to string breakage.
E – .014 or .015 plain. Almost everyone uses .014. The only exception I know of is Paul Franklin who uses .015 Jagwire. People have been buying his signature set, so maybe this is a forward-thinking trend. All new guitars are set up by the builders for .014.
B – .017 or .018. The most common choice is .017 because it gives you a longer, more sensitive pedal pull. The .018 has a stronger tone, it pulls more quickly and takes more effort on the pedal. Some players switch to .018 after years of using .017 because of the tone or for the shorter pull.
G# – .020, .021, .022 plain or .022 wound. The modern standard is .020 plain. Older players (or players with older guitars) often prefer the .022 wound for its rich tone and long travel on the B pedal. Most modern guitars have a lever that lowers G# to F#, and a plain string makes that change work better. The .021 or .022 are used by players who want even shorter knee lever travel.
F# – .024 or .026 wound. The standard gauge is .026. The only exceptions are John Hughey and his disciples who use .024 wound. I don’t know why.
E – .028 or .030 wound. The standard gauge is .030. Again, John Hughey’s variation is .028 and I don’t know why he went lighter than the standard. Virtually everyone else uses .030.
D – .034 wound. Few players use anything different.
B – .036 or .038 wound. There is very little difference between .036 and .038. Players who have a short scale prefer the .038. Also, players who lower the string to A on a “Franklin pedal†prefer the .038.
Alloys:
The plain strings from any given manufacturer are all the same alloy. It’s usually called plain steel. The differences between sets from a manufacturer are in the alloys used for the wound strings, and in the gauges.
Nickel wound strings are the traditional choice. Nickel wounds sound almost too bright when you first put them on, but they mellow in a few hours of playing time to a long-lasting, consistently rich tone.
Stainless steel wound strings are the choice of many contemporary steel guitarists. They are much brighter sounding than nickel, and they maintain that brightness for their entire life cycle.
Both nickel and stainless wounds develop false harmonics at the end of their life cycle, which is why it’s hard to tune old strings. Nickel strings also sound “dead†– lose their brightness – when they are very old. Stainless strings stay bright and just sound out of tune when they’re old. A lot of “tuning problems†can be solved by installing a fresh set of strings.
Jagwire and S.I.T. both offer a choice between nickel and stainless steel wound sets for pedal steel. Black Diamond sets are nickel wound. GHS Boomers are similar to nickel wound strings (I think they are nickel wound, but I have no proof). GHS also offers stainless wound sets.
GHS Progressive wound strings fall between nickel and stainless on the brightness scale. They are available only by the gauge (no pedal steel sets), but they have been proven to be very good strings for E9th pedal steel. I have them on my own guitar as of this writing and I’m very happy with them.
Pure nickel is the name given by the industry to the nickel alloy used in the ’50s and early ’60s. Pure nickel is not as bright sounding as modern nickel wound strings. John Pearse strings for pedal steel are pure nickel wound, as are the GHS Rollerwound (semi-flat) strings.
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This is in b0b's string link at the top here in the catalog for the E9 string section.
http://www.steelguitarshopper.com/categories/Strings/E9th-pedal-steel/
_________________
Ricky Davis
Email Ricky: sshawaiian2362@gmail.com |
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Steve Lipsey
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2015 11:04 am
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...and to re-emphasize - tone is truly something found in the hands with this instrument - there are whole courses dedicated just to the right hand (right Hand Alpha, from Jeffran) - hand position, picking, blocking - even how you shape your finger picks - all are worth a lot of work before you start trying to see what string gauge changes would do...you can't measure the effect of other changes until you have this stuff at least somewhat under control
If you want to see what I mean, have an experienced player play YOUR pedal steel and compare their tone to yours...
Then have them watch you and listen to what they say. Lessons (even just a few) in person are a great way to get going.
_________________
https://www.lostsailorspdx.com
Williams S10s, Milkman Pedal Steel Mini & "The Amp"
Ben Bonham Resos, 1954 Oahu Diana, 1936 Oahu Parlor |
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