String guage opinion.

Mototech

I have 2 Les Paul's,  one in standard  tuning, the other I have got to keep in E flat, for Thin Lizzy vibes. I use 9-42 on all my guitars, but am open to opinions as to whether I should go slightly heavier on this one.

Boromedic

I've always had 10's on Les Pauls and could alternate tunings between standard and half step down with the same gauge and no adjustments. Recently I've switched to 11-49 and could easily go down a whole step. I love em but it is harder work bending, with my hamfisted efforts that's actually a good thing!

Mototech

Boromedic said:

I've always had 10's on Les Pauls and could alternate tunings between standard and half step down with the same gauge and no adjustments. Recently I've switched to 11-49 and could easily go down a whole step. I love em but it is harder work bending, with my hamfisted efforts that's actually a good thing!

Thank for your input. I actually use 9-42 as I have arthritis & find bending hard at the best of times.

Dan_Halen

For the sake of 5 quid, just buy a pack and try it. No one can really tell you if they’ll be comfortable to you or not. However, 9s on a Les Paul dropped to Eb is generally considered pretty light.

Also, don’t buy into the heavier is better BS. People confuse what they personally prefer with what is better. Although that goes way beyond just string gauge.

Lestratcaster

I have two Les Paul's too, but one is in a drop tuning (drop c and lower) so I use 12-56's which holds up just about esp when going down to A#!

The other I use 10-52's and its enough for most stuff down to c#. Anything lower and I use the other one. I don't really do much lead work on them though so could probably go to 11-52...

skullfunkerry

Dan_Halen said:

For the sake of 5 quid, just buy a pack and try it. No one can really tell you if they’ll be comfortable to you or not. However, 9s on a Les Paul dropped to Eb is generally considered pretty light.

Also, don’t buy into the heavier is better BS. People confuse what they personally prefer with what is better. Although that goes way beyond just string gauge.

I said this in another thread recently. All that "proper men use heavy strings" stuff is just bollocks in my opinion. My guitars are Fender scale, tuned to drop C and I use 10-52... my strings feel pretty slinky; I could probably live with a heavier gauge, but I don't want to!

Boromedic

Mototech said:

Boromedic said:

I've always had 10's on Les Pauls and could alternate tunings between standard and half step down with the same gauge and no adjustments. Recently I've switched to 11-49 and could easily go down a whole step. I love em but it is harder work bending, with my hamfisted efforts that's actually a good thing!

Thank for your input. I actually use 9-42 as I have arthritis & find bending hard at the best of times.

No worries, sorry I didn't realise you had that awful disease, glad it doesn't stop you playing though! Yeah I'd avoid the 11's for sure, maybe try a hybrid set on the drop tuning guitar, I've used 9-46 with no issues before.

Dan_Halen

Mototech said:

Boromedic said:

I've always had 10's on Les Pauls and could alternate tunings between standard and half step down with the same gauge and no adjustments. Recently I've switched to 11-49 and could easily go down a whole step. I love em but it is harder work bending, with my hamfisted efforts that's actually a good thing!

Thank for your input. I actually use 9-42 as I have arthritis & find bending hard at the best of times.

Sorry to hear that mate. I’ve got pretty bad hands for someone of my age and prefer to go lighter as it’s just so much more enjoyable to play. If I enjoy playing, I play better and therefore sound better.

I’d give 9.5s a go if I were you. Ernie Ball now do them in a silvery blue pack (primo slinky I think) and are a really nice compromise. Got them on a couple of mine. 

Musicwolf

Boromedic said:

 maybe try a hybrid set on the drop tuning guitar, I've used 9-46 with no issues before.

I recently discovered Hybrids (9 - 46) and I've been switching more and more of my guitars to them.  They're basically a set of 9's on the unwound and 10's on the wound.  I've not tried them a shorter, Gibson type, scale length yet but I use them on Fenders and PRS.  I also drop a semitone in one of my bands and I gave up having different gauges for the two tunings a long while ago.

thegummy

I've always used 10s because I looked around at what my favourite players play and most of them seemed to use 10s and I got used to them so 9s felt too loose.

However, I've been ill lately and for about a month have only played the guitar a very few times (usually play for hours every day) so I'm considering trying 9s now that my fingers might be rusty.

ICBM

A good rule of thumb is that one semitone down and one gauge up gives roughly the same feel. 

dcg

11-49 on my 2016 R8, in standard tuning - and I bend like crazy

Dan_Halen

dcg said:

11-49 on my 2016 R8, in standard tuning - and I bend like crazy

Good for you...