String Tension Super Thread (Got a string question? Post it here!)

[Winspear]

Massively massively too loose. A 62 is about matching in B, so 59 is even slightly too loose for that.
My numbers above are mathematically correct - a 70 and 46 in drop relation is equal tension.
Why not buy the sets I suggested? A 6 string D'addario set and one of their single bottoms

 

[Winspear]

Though it is worth noting those singles aren't cheap. I'm certain the Labella set which is correctly tensioned will be cheaper.

 

[DjentIsMyReligion]

You consireded the scale ist 26.5, right? Just to avoid a misunderstanding... ;-)

Just mathematically correct or also experience?

So as u said this one HRS-74 Nickel-Plated Round Wound – 7-String, 10-70 should be perfect, even better sound than a .070 D'addario string?

 

[Winspear]

I did - that'll help the tonal issue quite a bit Yes the tension is more on a longer scale but the string to string relations is still the same. The 46 will be tighter than it would on a 25.5, so will the 70, but they will still match

Both. I am a huge fan of balanced sets that I use math to design - I use them on all my guitars. Many here will agree at least roughly with that gauge suggestion

Yes I would buy that set if you aren't willing to get Circle K strings which will be the best That Labella set is very well put together.

 

[DjentIsMyReligion]

awesome, thanks for your help!

I will try 10-70

 

[InfinityCollision]

I personally consider 27" good for F# at the very lowest..You can try a 90 on there and the tension should be just manageable but the tone will be a bit muddy.

What's your minimum recommended scale for getting a good low E?

 

[Winspear]

It depends what tension you are happy with. Personally I like 47 E's on 25.5 as the basis for my tension, which means a 90 gauge E on 27". Tonally, that just doesn't cut it. Circle K strings help negate that slightly, though.

A 28" scale would translate that to 87 gauge - which wouldn't sound too muddy on that scale at all.
Personally 28.625" 85 gauge would be my choice. Tight and clear.

That's just my preference though - there are guitarists playing with much lower tension such as Tosin who doesn't suffer so much from the muddy tone but (especially on clean) you can hear how loose his string is.


That's an 80 - which is around the same tension on 27" as a 42 E on 25.5". Too loose for me.

 

[InfinityCollision]

He states that the scale on that particular guitar is ~28.5", but there was still some looseness... Things to think about, at any rate. I'm stringing 11-52 in D standard right now on my PRS so your numbers look about right for me.

 

[Winspear]

Pretty sure it's a mistake and it's 27" the same as all his other 8's with 80 gauges
Yeah, you like the same kinda tension as me - so the thing to do after that is decide if you are happy with the tone of the gauge required for that tension on various scales.

 

[Xander]

Many questions that often comes up on the boards are those involving string gauge. This thread will help to create a knowledge base of sorts to help guitarists with their string gauge woes.

To aid me in creating this, I have chosen to use this string tension calculator: String Guage and Tension Calculator - Version 0.1.4 - 26 apr 1998. It's not 110% accurate but it's accurate enough to positively answer MANY, if not most questions involving gauge, scale, etc.

Let's start with some basics involving the factors at play.

Scale Length
This is the estimated distance from the string's two termination points. One being at the nut, the other being at the bridge. What does that measurement have to do with string gauge? Well, look at it like this: say you take a rubber band and stretch it 12" and feel the tension that the rubber band is exerting. Now, stretch that same rubber band to about 18", now feel the tension. You should be able to easily tell a difference in tension. Now, in order to sound a given note, a string of a certain gauge must be under a certain amount of tension. The tighter, the higher the pitch. The looser, the lower the pitch.

Tension
Here, we'll be looking at tension as a measurement in lbs. Thus, for instance, if the scale of the guitar is 25.5" and a .009 gauge string is tuned to a standard 6-string guitar's high E (E4), the tension would be 13.13lbs. If we reduced that tension to 10.42lbs, then the note would ring out as a D, or one step down (D4).

Gauge
The gauge of the string, is it's thickness, or the diameter of the string itself. For instance, the commonly referred to "9s", are .009", or nine one-thousandths of an inch. The thicker the string, the more tension it'll need in order to reach a higher pitch. For instance, where a .009 at E4 is at 13.13lbs of tension, a .010 (just 1/1000 bigger) would have a tension rating of 16.21lbs at E4 on 25.5" scale.

Why is tension so important?
Well, to best illustrate this, lets perform an experiment. Take your guitar and down tune the low E (6th string, E2) and tune it down to B (B1). Notice how loose the string is, and how it buzzes and overall, just doesn't sound so great? That's why having proper tension is so important. It's why all the strings on your guitar aren't the same exact size, but a calculated, ever increasing gauge as the tuning of the strings gets lower.

If we can just keep using bigger strings, why bother with longer scales?
The lower you tune, the thicker the string will need to be to still have that ideal tension (which is different for everyone), eventually the string will have to be so wide around, that it's feel and timbre (tone) will start to suffer.

So why hunt down the proper strings?
To give your self the ideal feel, tension, and timbre on your chosen instrument taking scale and tuning into consideration. Look at it as finding the right sauce to put on your pasta.

Posted from Sevenstring.org App for Android

 

[HeaDdY]

awesome, thanks for your help!

I will try 10-70

yeah, should be perfect

 

[Belial676]

Hi all,

I've owned an Ibanez RG2228 8-str for a while now and have always had problems with tension on the 8th string and getting a crisp sound that stays in tune. I've been trying progressively heavier gauge strings (particularly on the 7th/8th strings) and have ended up with the following:

86 / 80 / 54 / 42 / 30 / 17 / 13 / 10

Even with this, i was still not happy with the level of tension so i have tuned the strings up to G#/C#/F#/C/E/A/C#/F#.

Now the tension is awesome, perhaps a little too much (lol) but the action down the bottom half of the guitar is huge (perhaps 4mm clearance) and this renders it unplayable.... i've tried tightening the screws on the bridge to reduce action but they will not move at all (and the action was not as bad before i tuned the guitar up)... i've also tried tightening the truss rod but then i get fret buzz at the top (there is not much clearance on the top 1-2 frets).

Does anyone have any ideas on what i should try to do?

Thanks

An .080 string is to big for the 7th string an it's pulling your neck out of wack. Try .086 .065 .049 .037 .027 .019p .015p .011p tune to standard

 

[Winspear]

^ Agreed

 

[Mantra46]

An .080 string is to big for the 7th string an it's pulling your neck out of wack. Try .086 .065 .049 .037 .027 .019p .015p .011p tune to standard

.

Thanks heaps, silly question, what does the p stand for on the top 3 strings?

 

[Pedrojoca]

hi guys. I'm building a 5 string electric rajão (local instrument) and intend to use guitar strings in it. After going through many tension calculators where you could change the scale, I ended up using this one: String Guage and Tension Calculator - Version 0.1.4 - 26 apr 1998

I want a string tension similar to the guitar, so I made some calculations.

A 24.75" guitar tuned to E standard has 6.93 kg on the first string, and I wanted the same feel on the first string of the rajão (16.50" scale) so I thought that what I wanted on its first string would be the same 6.93 kg, is this right? Does the same string tension feel the same on different scale lenghts?

 

[Winspear]

P stands for plain, usually used in heavier sets to indicate that the 3rd is still plain and not wound. wouldn't recommend plains over 19 or 20, tonally. 19 as suggested is fine.

 

[Winspear]

hi guys. I'm building a 5 string electric rajão (local instrument) and intend to use guitar strings in it. After going through many tension calculators where you could change the scale, I ended up using this one: String Guage and Tension Calculator - Version 0.1.4 - 26 apr 1998

I want a string tension similar to the guitar, so I made some calculations.

A 24.75" guitar tuned to E standard has 6.93 kg on the first string, and I wanted the same feel on the first string of the rajão (16.50" scale) so I thought that what I wanted on its first string would be the same 6.93 kg, is this right? Does the same string tension feel the same on different scale lenghts?

For the most part, yes.

There are discussions with regards to changes in perceived tension, for the most part that a longer scale makes a string seem looser even though it isn't.
Try tuning a bass guitar to the same tension as a guitar..you'll never believe you could play an instrument with such tension.

The 16.5" scale might feel a touch tighter - an easy way to test this is fret around 15 on a guitar and see how it feels compared to the open strings. Remember it's not different, but you may feel it is.

I would perhaps settle for 6kg instead.
But then you need to remember that different instruments perform at entirely different tensions anyway - for example I was very surprised to find classical guitars using a mere 11-15lbs vs the 15-25 of electrics.

 

[Noremac]

Hey everybody, I'm new to the site and I was just wondering if anybody knows what the thickest gauge I can on a Ibby RGD7421 for the B-string (Yes I know they're meant to be down tuned, just using that as a reference point) without drilling out the tuning pegs? Currently using 11 -60 and I would like to put a little more beef on the low end, a .64 or .66 preferably. Any help or input is greatly appreciated!

 

[Winspear]

They aren't 'meant to be' downtuned - that's just how they come The baritone scale will give better low end performance in any tuning.
I don't own one of those but I fit a 68 in my 7321 before drilling. If you like 11's the 66 should be rockin!

 

[HeaDdY]

Hey everybody, I'm new to the site and I was just wondering if anybody knows what the thickest gauge I can on a Ibby RGD7421 for the B-string (Yes I know they're meant to be down tuned, just using that as a reference point) without drilling out the tuning pegs? Currently using 11 -60 and I would like to put a little more beef on the low end, a .64 or .66 preferably. Any help or input is greatly appreciated!

I use 11- 72, 72 for the low B on my Ibanez RG 7420 and on my Ibanez K7 which are both 25.5" scale without drilling out the tuning pegs. (unwind the string until it meets the tuning peg)