String gauges and barre chords

Bidley

I'm having real problems playing barre chords on my acoustic. No matter how long I spend practicing my form, I always end up having to contort my fretting hand until I'm actually in pain.

Now, I'm using .13s on it. Would switching down to .12s help with this? I don't have nearly as many issues on an electric with .10s on. I do love how much acoustic sounds with .13s, but I could do with it being a bit more forgiving.

JAYJO

Try using a capo. Maybe tune down and then apply the capo 1st fret this should help. I dont go higher than 12s. The lower action should help with your Barre chords.

ICBM

Yes, try 12s.

bertie

move to 12s and try using F barre if you can

RedRabbit

You could just need the action lowering a bit.  

I'd grown up thinking acoustics had to have a high action and be difficult to play but playing some decent, well set up acoustics changed my mind.  It's never going to be as easy as an electric but it doesn't need to be as far removed as some people think.

That said I personally don't find there to be much difference between 12s and 13s so have been using 12s for years now.  There's no point in making things harder than they need to be.

midlifecrisis

I started this thread because my issue was buzzing and sloppy feeling of the bass strings,, moving from 50 to 56 which I think felt much better but the higher strings moving from 11 to 13 although noticeable wasn't that different in feel or tone.     I think if you are having trouble with barr chords, then lighter strings will help that, and lowering the action.

midlifecrisis

ooops sorry I meant the other thread re string gauges.

bertie

lighter strings AND lowering the action isnt always a good plan..........try the gauge change first then see how you go.

over the years Ive found going from 12s to 13s isnt that noticeable,  until you go back to 12s again.............then you appreciate the difference  

ICBM

I eventually settled on 11s for the same reason - I found there wasn't actually that much difference in tone, but there was a big difference in feel, especially on barre chords. (Although many sets of 11s come with a G string which is too light and does sound thin, so you need to be careful when choosing.)

It is also worth checking the set-up, especially the nut height - this makes a much bigger difference than you'd think even quite a long way up the neck, and is the most often overlooked part of a typical set-up. Fret each string at the third fret and look at the gap between the string and the first fret - if it's any more than a quarter of the string diameter (and preferably not even as much as that), the nut is too high.

Bidley

Thanks gents, I've just ordered a set of .12s. I'll report back once I get them on.

zenzeypher

As everyone said above really.

On my telecoustic thing I set it up like an electric and it still sounds sweet; I ended up using 10s, having the nut cut properly so they were as low as they could go without buzzing,

levelled and filed the frets and adjusted bridge nut by filling it down.. first time I went too far and it buzzed like hell.. replaced the bridge with a bone blank and now it's lovely.

action is low, sounds great and can barre on it all day long and my hands are weaker than a babies

bertie

a telecoustic isnt really a built like a "proper" acoustic,  its made/setup like an electric "off the shelf" and designed to be used plugged in with low gauge strings, like an electric - very easy to play. I very nearly bought one years ago........... great little 'arm-chair' guitars, but a tad lacking on the unplugged sound.................

ESBlonde

It is possible to get a low action on acoustic but to a degree that precludes 'thrash' type strumming to a degree (plectrum technique will help here plenty). Heavy strings are only really required if you have to project the sound somewhat, the tone thing is (IMHO) overplayed but I wouldn't use 9s.
I do find that the neck profile makes a huge difference particularly in prolonged playing of full barre chords, the ache in the thumb syndrome for me after an hour or so.
 

zenzeypher

bertie said:

a telecoustic isnt really a built like a "proper" acoustic,  its made/setup like an electric "off the shelf" and designed to be used plugged in with low gauge strings, like an electric - very easy to play. I very nearly bought one years ago........... great little 'arm-chair' guitars, but a tad lacking on the unplugged sound.................

this is true; i've managed similar on my Ibanez acoustic.. not as nice but not far off.

It can be done

bertie

sweepy

I'd check the neck relief if you are having issues with barre chords ( assuming they are up the fretboard ), too much and it will always be an effort.

tonyrath

There are other ways of voicing chords further up the neck so that full barre is not used  ie drop 2 and drop 3 chords or partial barring or just the thumb over the top. Continual barring on an acoustic will lead to hand problems eventually and 12 is the max I would use. 

matone

Just gone down to 11`s from 13`s and it`s made my acoustic a much more friendly guitar !

Andyjr1515

I know its sacrilege, but I dropped to 10's because, nowadays, I get dreadful cramp with extended use of barre chords (I have a progressive arthritis problem).  To my amazement, it made no noticeable difference to the tone.  I'm sure it would, of course, with some playing styles and/or guitars

Andy

Grunfeld

Bidley said:

Now, I'm using .13s on it. Would switching down to .12s help with this?

For years I had 12s or 13s on my acoustic cos blah blah tone blah blah.

I didn't play it.  Because it was horrible for exactly the reasons you've said.

So I put 10s on it.  And now I play it. 

And I figure playing a guitar is more of a result than having an acoustic with great tone that I never play.

We're all different and I obviously like light gauges, 9s on my electrics.  Just took me a little while to work this out for my acoustic too.

noisepolluter

Andyjr1515 said:

 nowadays, I get dreadfully camp with extended use of barre chords 

"That's your actual F sharp, see… I've terrible trouble with me fingering recently but I had this big butch 'omme on Denmark Street take a varder at it, and now me action's absolutely fantabulosa".

(...Yes, our car is full of old BBC comedy tapes...)