Alright – as promised, here is another post. Hey, that’s two in a month – I may be on a streak, so let’s get to it while it lasts.

In this installment of cheap ‘n’ easy experimentation, we’ll discuss string selection as another tone shaping option for an electric guitar with a good setup. Let’s start with string gauge, which makes a huge difference. The heavier the gauge, the  better tone you’ll get but it will affect playability, so you’ll have to come up with a good compromise that suits you. I  play a standard D’Addario EXL110 .010 set, which works well for me – for  rockabilly, .010 or .011 (plain g-string) will work pretty good. If I’m going to be doing heavy machine-like pedal steel bending stuff, I’ll stick with .010. Some  purists like to use a .012 gauge flatwound set… very traditional and  ‘correct’ tone, but I think they sound too soft for me, the string doesn’t have enough snappy attack,  and the string  gauge does not lend itself to easy string bending.

Here’s how I would approach selecting a string in a logical and systematic manner. First, buy 3 sets of nickelwound strings in the following gauges: .009, .010, and .011 – go all the way up to .012 if you feel daring – but you may need to cut the nut slots wider(1)  to accomodate the .012 set, so consider yourself warned. Play all 4 sets over time, and take good notes on what you like about them, keeping in mind that we’re trying to evaluate playability first, essentially trying to find your preferred string gauge and not overall sound. What did you like about them – did they sustain more? Were they easy to bend? Did they feel too stiff or too slinky? How long did they last, etc, how well did they stay in tune, etc. Try to narrow it down to one gauge, which will eliminate this variable when we select the string material and form factor.

Alright, so we’ve selected our string gauge – now here’s where the fun begins. Start buying strings from your local music store selection, but ONLY purchase your selected gauge; for example, If you like the .010 set, only buy that gauge to keep your experimentation consistent. I’ve used with great success(2) strings from D’Addario (EXL110), GHS (Boomers), DR, and Ernie Ball. Most string manufacturers also have different string compositions and form factors, so for now stick with the roundwound sets until you narrow it down. I really like nickel-plated steel (the most common) for all around use, or pure nickel wound for a vintage tone. Once you’ve done that, the possibilities are endless: roundwounds, halfwounds, stainless steel, etc. Another neat tip on string gauges – some manufacturers offer a light top/heavy bottom compound set, for example the E-B-G string of a .010 set and the D-A-E of a .011 set. Give that a try as a great setup for a meaty rhythm sound for both rock and country.

Finally, change the strings frequently – I’m getting about 10 hours out of a  set, before they start to sound lifeless. However, I’ve been known to  leave them on for over a month, especially if I’m not hammering them a  lot, or the guitar is set aside for practicing around the house. On tours with a heavy schedule, I may change them every night. The one thing I wouldn’t recommend is replacing only one string, unless they’re very new. If you break a high E and the set has been on there for a month, replace the whole set. In some cases, you can boil guitar strings to bring a little life back into them – the boiling water removes the grease and grime in between the windings – but they will lack the original brilliance and elasticity that they had when freshly removed from their envelope. Don’t forget to remove the strings from the guitar first – yeah, I know. I’ve seen stranger things, believe me.

As usual, my banter is what works for me, so your mileage may vary, and I welcome your comments. Good twangin’!

(1) if you don’t know how to do it, take the instrument to your friendly neighborhood guitar repairman

(2) I’m telling you from personal experience, I’m not a paid spokesperson or endorsee