This site may earn a commission from merchant links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.
10-52 won't work for C standard tuning. especially the .17 gauge on the 3rd string will have way too little tension and may sound awkward
i'd go AT LEAST with a .11 or .12 set (or higher if you like tight strings)
I have 11-52s on a 24.75" scale guitar tuned to C# standard and I like it, so it's probably what I'd use on a 25.5" scale tuned to C.
That might be light for you since I usually put 9-42s on 25.5" and 9.5-44s on 24.75" guitars for standard tuning.
I haven't tried them yet, but I just got a pack of D'Addario EXL148 (12-60) that I'm hoping I'll like for B standard (24.75"). They're the ones that say "For Drop C Tuning" on the front of the package, so those might be okay for you.
Here's the tension info from the back of the package.
.012 - 14.69 pounds
.016 - 14.66
.020 - 14.44
.034 - 21.12
.046 - 20.99
.060 - 20.46
Those specs are based on a 25.5" scale tuned to C F A# D# G C.
11-52 in C# on a 24.75" scale guitar is like using 14-62 (slight exaggeration, probably) for C standard on a 25.5" scale guitar, from personal experiences. On shorter scale guitars you're free to use smaller strings you usually wouldn't use for the tuning in question. ie if I got myself a Gibson Flying V in vintage whiteyum
I'd use 10-46 for D standard or 8-42 for Eb. Maybe it's just me. Maybe this is off-topic. Maybe.
![]()
11-52 in C# on a 24.75" scale guitar is like using 14-62 (slight exaggeration, probably) for C standard on a 25.5" scale guitar, from personal experiences. On shorter scale guitars you're free to use smaller strings you usually wouldn't use for the tuning in question. ie if I got myself a Gibson Flying V in vintage whiteyum
I'd use 10-46 for D standard or 8-42 for Eb. Maybe it's just me. Maybe this is off-topic. Maybe.
![]()
What?
The shorter the scale, the lower the tension. So 10-52 in C# on a 24.75" would be like 10-52 in C standard on a 25.5" scale. The 25.5" scale guitar has more tension, not less.
I use 11-56 in C standard.
I like Daddario 13's for C standard on 25.5
What?
The shorter the scale, the lower the tension. So 10-52 in C# on a 24.75" would be like 10-52 in C standard on a 25.5" scale. The 25.5" scale guitar has more tension, not less.
Try Ernie Ball. So much better for low tunings. You could easily drop to 12s.![]()
What makes Ernie Balls better in lower tunings?Try Ernie Ball. So much better for low tunings. You could easily drop to 12s.![]()
What makes Ernie Balls better in lower tunings?