String gauge

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

With strings strength is defined as the thickness of a guitar or bass string . The English terms 'tension' and 'gauge' are also common for the string gauge .

specification

For steel strings that are used on the electric guitar , the western guitar , the electric bass and the acoustic bass , the string gauge is given in inches . The designation .010 means 0.01 inch (about 0.25 mm). You can also find information in hundredths of an inch, such as 10 or 010 for 0.01 inches. With nylon strings like those used for concert guitars , such a precise specification of the string size is not possible for technical reasons. One restricts oneself to general terms like low, medium and high tension, whereby the term low tension stands for the thinnest strings.

The following tables provide an overview of the string sizes used for electric guitars and acoustic guitars as well as for electric basses and acoustic basses. A minimum and a maximum as well as a common mean value are given. The minimum and maximum values ​​are again only guidelines. As listed below, guitarists can occasionally be found who exceed or fall below these values.

The tables show that acoustic guitars generally use stronger strings than electric guitars.

  • Electric guitar
string Min. normal Max.
e string .008 .010 .013
h-string .010 .011 .017
g string .014 .016 .026
D string .020 .026 .036
A string .028 .036 .046
E string .038 .046 .056
(H-string) .052 .062 .070
  • Acoustic guitar
string Min. normal Max.
e string .009 .012 .017 (especially resonator guitar)
h-string .012 .016 .018
g string .015 .024 .028
D string .025 .032 .038
A string .035 .042 .048
E string .045 .053 .058
  • Electric bass
Seven- string Santander -retless bass in F # -BEADGC tuning
string Min. normal Max.
(F string) .018 .023
(C-string) .020 .035
G string .030 .040 .055
D string .050 .060 .075
A string .065 .080 .095
E string .085 .100 .118
(H-string) .120 .145
(F # string) .145 .175

B and C strings are common on five and six-string instruments, with seven-strings a high F or a low F # string is added. Four strings are usually tuned in E – A – D – G or (less often) B – E – A – D.

  • Acoustic bass
string Min. normal Max.
G string .040 .040 .047
D string .060 .060 .065
A string .080
E string .100

There are various ways of specifying the string strength of an entire set of strings (i.e. all six strings for a guitar and all four strings that belong together for a bass): On the one hand, the string strength of the highest string is used. A .010 set for the guitar is a set in which the high e-string has the strength .010 and the other strings a matching (medium) strength. Analogously, one speaks of a .040 sentence for bass.

On the other hand, there are a number of other designations that are used by different manufacturers in a non-strictly standardized way:

  • for thin strings: ultra light, extra light, xx light, x light, regular slinky. regular, custom light, light
  • for medium strings: medium, true medium
  • for thick strings: heavy, extra heavy, jazz

The term “jazz” for thick strings is explained by the fact that jazz guitarists mostly use strings with a relatively high string strength. In addition to the terms mentioned, the term light (or skinny) top - heavy bottom is also used for guitars . This stands for a set of strings with relatively thin treble and thick bass strings, which in a certain way is supposed to combine the advantages of both types of strings (see below).

Advantages and disadvantages of different string gauges

Thin strings have the advantage that they can be grasped with less effort and that they can therefore be played more easily and quickly. Certain playing techniques cannot be performed at all or only with difficulty with thick strings. On the guitar, for example, pulling the string (English: bending ) up a whole tone can hardly be performed in a .011 movement. Similarly, a low string strength supports the technique of slapping on the electric bass.

F # string with thinning

However, the easy playability of thin strings can also be a disadvantage. On the guitar, especially with chords, care must be taken to ensure that the fingers touch the strings horizontally, otherwise the strings will be involuntarily pulled and the guitar will sound out of tune. This effect is reinforced if the guitar is tuned down a semitone or whole tone (as is the case with many heavy metal bands) . If the guitar is tuned down, you should use a thicker set of strings.

Strings with higher string strengths have the advantage that they sound more voluminous, have a longer lasting tone (more sustain ) and allow greater volume differences (stronger dynamics ). In terms of the overall character, a thicker set of strings sounds more bass-heavy, “fat”, a thinner one more treble-focused, “silvery”. Thick strings also have the advantage that they break less often and keep the mood better. On the electric bass, the B and F # strings are usually made thinner at the ends in order to allow them to pass through the tailpiece and wrap the pegs at all, while they are thickened between the tailpiece and bridge (often 3 times Diameter) so as not to sag.

Guitarists like Eddie Van Halen and Tony Iommi are known for using very light string sizes (Van Halen: .009 - .042, Iommi: .008 - .032). Conversely, Stevie Ray Vaughan produced his blues tone with strings that were thicker than average (.013 - .058). Also, Rick Parfitt , rhythm guitarist of Status Quo , used exclusively thick strings (.014 - .056). As an extreme example, Dick Dale can be cited, who strung his guitar with .016 to 0.60 strong strings for his extreme tremolo playing.

Among the bassists, Stanley Clarke should be mentioned as a user of lighter string sizes (.030 - .090).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ cf. VanHalen biography
  2. ↑ cf. Tony Iommi equipment (Engl.) ( Memento of 2 December 2010 at the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ cf. Stevie Ray Vaughan (Eng.)
  4. ↑ cf. Rick Parfitt (Engl.) ( Memento of 5 June 2000 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ cf. Funk Master Strings