Strings - where to start please?

BigMonka

After years of playing acoustic I'm fairly happy that I buy phosphor bronze in 12gauge (not particularly brand loyal). But I'm playing a bit more electric now and don't know where to start with so many choices.
Any advice on what to put on a tele thinline for a mainly rhythm player coming from an acoustic background. It's currently got 10s (or some description) but I'm wondering about 11s for a more acoustic feel? Brands to look for/avoid? Nickel wound or pure nickel? etc

I don't play the electrics all that often so it's not uncommon to go 6months-year without changing strings, so the idea of trying a few to find out what I like would be a very slow process!!!

Lestratcaster

I use 10's on electrics in standard tuning, used to use 11's which made transition from acoustic a bit more easier as I think I used 12's on acoustic, but I use 11's now (on acoustics).

Good to experiment, if they feel too heavy/light then go up/down a gauge.

I mainly use Ernie Ball on all electrics but there's other good brands out there you might like too.

guitars4you

If you play acoustic and can handle 11's then my hunch is you'll find 10' to slinky - As such I'd suggest 11-49 gauge

Nickel wound is by a large distance the most popular and ditto for Ernie Ball or D'addario - No definitive answer on either gauge or make, so I'd go down the 11-49 for now and keep the packet in the case so you can recall which you had - If you like them then stick with them or adjust accordingly

You might need to adjust the truss rod, action a touch if you go to 11's - and maybe the top nut slots 

Roland

...and if you find 49s too bendy then try 11-52s

HAL9000

Always used to use Ernie Balls but within the last year or so found that, to my ears anyway, D’addarios sound better. I use 10-46 on my Thinline and 9-42 on everything else. If you’re mainly a rhythm player you probably wouldn’t want to go as low as 9-42. However, if you’re thinking of lead playing at some point it could be worth thinking about.

BigMonka

guitars4you said:

If you play acoustic and can handle 11's then my hunch is you'll find 10' to slinky - As such I'd suggest 11-49 gauge

Nickel wound is by a large distance the most popular and ditto for Ernie Ball or D'addario - No definitive answer on either gauge or make, so I'd go down the 11-49 for now and keep the packet in the case so you can recall which you had - If you like them then stick with them or adjust accordingly

You might need to adjust the truss rod, action a touch if you go to 11's - and maybe the top nut slots 

Oooh that last bit probably makes trying 11s out the question as I doubt that I have the right tools to widen the slots without screwing it up!

BigMonka

HAL9000 said:

Always used to use Ernie Balls but within the last year or so found that, to my ears anyway, D’addarios sound better. I use 10-46 on my Thinline and 9-42 on everything else. If you’re mainly a rhythm player you probably wouldn’t want to go as low as 9-42. However, if you’re thinking of lead playing at some point it could be worth thinking about.

D'addario 10-46 seems to be looking like my likely next purchase, thanks :-)

designerseye88

BigMonka said:

HAL9000 said:

Always used to use Ernie Balls but within the last year or so found that, to my ears anyway, D’addarios sound better. I use 10-46 on my Thinline and 9-42 on everything else. If you’re mainly a rhythm player you probably wouldn’t want to go as low as 9-42. However, if you’re thinking of lead playing at some point it could be worth thinking about.

D'addario 10-46 seems to be looking like my likely next purchase, thanks :-)

I transitioned over to D'addarios late last year too. They seem to last much longer and never had one break on me. I wouldn't go back to Ernie Balls since using them. 

DiscoStu

D'Addario EXL110 10-46 for me, and I'm a rhythm player. Great strings and a good starting point for you. Could even be the end point too!

flying_pie

I use 10-52 D'Addarios on my Teles. I like the heavier low strings for riffing and lighter top settings for lead.

I've useed 11s on Teles and they are great for rhythm but become tricky for bendy solos. They might work for you depending on what you play. 

Phil_aka_Pip

d'Addarios are OK. They last a fair while.

I found Ernie Balls tune up almost instantly but are knackered after 1 gig. They're good if you string up every day for a gig in the evening and are writing them down against tax.

Whereas Dean Markleys take a few hours playing-in time before they hold their tune, and will last all week for personal practice plus a band practice and then a gig.

I suspect that if you don't play for a long time every day, especially if you don't do a lot of sweaty stuff, then either d'Addarios or Dean Markleys will suit your usage patterns best.

Gauges. I'm primarily an electric player, started on 9s, now on 10s, and use 11s for acoustics and jazzboxes. As you're coming down from the heavier end of acoustic playing you will probably find that even 10s are a bit on the light side, but they're meant to be, so that you can bend them. I advise not to worry about that: playing electric IS different to playing acoustic and just because you might tune the guitars the same way, and play the same chord shapes or scale and arpeggio patterns doesn't mean the instruments behave the same way. Similarly, piano and organ are not interchangeable despite  having similar keyboard layout.

guitars4you

BigMonka said:

guitars4you said:

If you play acoustic and can handle 11's then my hunch is you'll find 10' to slinky - As such I'd suggest 11-49 gauge

Nickel wound is by a large distance the most popular and ditto for Ernie Ball or D'addario - No definitive answer on either gauge or make, so I'd go down the 11-49 for now and keep the packet in the case so you can recall which you had - If you like them then stick with them or adjust accordingly

You might need to adjust the truss rod, action a touch if you go to 11's - and maybe the top nut slots 

Oooh that last bit probably makes trying 11s out the question as I doubt that I have the right tools to widen the slots without screwing it up!

a bit hit n miss to be honest - many times you don't - you can use the actual wound string as a form of a file if needs be - to n fro a few times just to 'loosen' the slot + graphite paste or similar - Only need to do it if the string is binding in the slot

ESBlonde

The playing possibilities on the Tele may be different and having lighter strings than the acoustic would then pay dividends with bending and slick lead lines. But if you intend to swap between electric and caoustic mid set and several times i would lean toward 11s, otherwise 10s are probably best.
In terms of brands I've tried most and get good results for not much money using Pyramid nickle wound. I don't use them on all my guitars though, I find I experiment with gauges and brands until I discover what suits the guitar and me before settling on that choice.
But the Pyramids seem to be a good catch all and feature on over hald my electric guitars by default.

jimmyguitar

I play 4 to 5 two hour acoustic sets a week and recently noticed that my electric lead playing sounded a bit ‘wobbly’ even though my tuning and intonation were spot on. I thought I’d try a heavier guage with a wound G and I’m loving them so far on all my electrics. D’Addario EJ21 12-52 with wound 3rd. 

Although on paper it looks like they would be far too heavy they actually feel very natural to me and I can still easily bend notes on my les paul. 

BigMonka

jimmyguitar said:

I play 4 to 5 two hour acoustic sets a week and recently noticed that my electric lead playing sounded a bit ‘wobbly’ even though my tuning and intonation were spot on. I thought I’d try a heavier guage with a wound G and I’m loving them so far on all my electrics. D’Addario EJ21 12-52 with wound 3rd. 

Although on paper it looks like they would be far too heavy they actually feel very natural to me and I can still easily bend notes on my les paul. 

Wow that is heavy - although I guess that the shorter scale length of an LP would make it easier over the same on a Fender - right?

jimmyguitar

BigMonka said:

jimmyguitar said:

I play 4 to 5 two hour acoustic sets a week and recently noticed that my electric lead playing sounded a bit ‘wobbly’ even though my tuning and intonation were spot on. I thought I’d try a heavier guage with a wound G and I’m loving them so far on all my electrics. D’Addario EJ21 12-52 with wound 3rd. 

Although on paper it looks like they would be far too heavy they actually feel very natural to me and I can still easily bend notes on my les paul. 

Wow that is heavy - although I guess that the shorter scale length of an LP would make it easier over the same on a Fender - right?

Correct. We’ll soon see as I’ve ordered a whole box of them and going to try them on everything I have. So far they’re fitted to my lp and my jaguar.