String Tension/Guage

[Casper]

I have been using SIT Power Wounds 10-46 for about the last 8 mos. My tech doesn't like the strings and advised me to go back to D'adarrioXLs. He says that even though both strings are 10-46, they have different tensions and will possibly affect the action? Anybody agree/disagree? He said he had a hard time setting up my HDT with SITs. Your thoughts...
Shaun

[Barry]

I have been using SIT Power Wounds 10-46 for about the last 8 mos. My tech doesn't like the strings and advised me to go back to D'adarrioXLs. He says that even though both strings are 10-46, they have different tensions and will possibly affect the action? Anybody agree/disagree? He said he had a hard time setting up my HDT with SITs. Your thoughts...
Shaun

I think the XLs have a different size core wire . I find the Daddarios to be more limber than say Elixrs of the same guage . Im taking my guitars over to my tech this morning as weve recently gone to Eb tuning and they are now needing a tweak as far as intonation . My tech said the same thing Tom did , that tension is related to intonation . I would think that the different brand strings could possibly effect the action . I prefer Daddario XLs . I never have a problem with them .

[dannopelli]

I have been using XL's for 20 years. Everytime I try something different it is just not right, or my guitar goes screwy.

Shaun, I have lived in NYC area, Central Texas, South Ohio and South Florida. Until I moved to Richmond I never was comfortable with how my guitars played. Never. The guy who works on your guitars sets them up and knows more about guitars, amps, and tone than anyone I have ever met. I would trust him.

[Casper]

Danno, I think you misunderstood. I do not doubt our mutual friend, nor was I questioning his judgement. I also agree that he's probably the best tech on the east coast. No one else touches my axes but him. The reason for this post is that I went ahead and went back to XLs per his advice and I wanted further explanation as to why one company's 10-46 guage was different from the other and if so, how drastically different do they vary company to company.

He did explain some of his reasoning to me, and told me he might have to reset my action again once I made the switch back to XLs, which made me nervous about trying other brands and there are many good ones on the market imo. (ie: Ernie Ball, Elixr, etc.) If changing brands makes differences in action/intonation..you see where I'm going...? I have used XLs on and off, but have had just as good experience with SIT and some others.
Are guitars THAT sensitive?

I guess I was also hoping to avoid another set up fee...which I have had to do alot recently with our itinerary and outdoor gigs and screwy Richmond weather. Plus, I was curious as to why he has a harder time with one string brand over another. Why are they so radically different? He couldn't put his finger on why he had a hard time with an SIT setup, but said it was much easier with XLs? I thought some people here might find it interesting..Hope that better explains my post-I think our fellow guitar players in this forum would fly here all the time if they saw our friend's work and attention to detail.
Shaun

[Barry]

I have to chime in . Im lucky that i also have a great tech here in Columbia, SC . He been working on my guitars for 25 years . he's also a builder . If you are ever in the area with a problem I highly reccomend him . In reference to to string brands . I wonder if the tension is the same amongst the different brands ? If thats different then I assume it will effect the intonation . Just a thought .

[dannopelli]

Well I checked with my wife, who has two engineering degrees from Penn State, one a Physics degree, to get a technical explanation. I am probably not doing this explanation as much justice as she would, but here we go:


1.) If the metallurgical properties of the strings were different, for example, slightly different amounts of iron, different levels of heat in the manufacturing process, or different hardness to the components, there would certainly be a different tension requirement to acheive the same pitch. Think of the screwdriver you buy at Sears or Lowes vs. the one you buy at the grocery store. They might both be stainless steel, but the tip on the grocery store model will bend much sooner than the one from Sears or Lowes. That
same ability to not bend applies to the tensile strength differences in strings.

2.) Assuming the manufacturing process creates metallurgical properties of the stings that are identical, if the core of the wound strings is a different diameter, and the winding of the outside is a different diameter but the overall diameter of the combination of the strings is the same, there would certainly be a different tension requirement to acheive the same pitch. Think of a thick rubber band vs a thin one.

The strings on modern guitars, (read 20th century) impart tremendous force on the neck. What might seem like infinitely small differences in diameter or formulation, when stretched over 24-25.5 inches create a significant difference. They will also have different magnetic qualities which will impact intonation due to string pull differences at the pickups. The point here is not all intonation issues are due to neck or saddle issues.

Finally, the variations in metallurgical propeties are the reason that strings sound different.

So when you go about experimenting, you will likely need to do some adjusting.

Bottom line: Stick to Daddarios or Elixers.

[Barry]

Well in my experience with Daddarios versus Elixirs I noticed definite difference in the feel of the two brands . I found the Daddarios (same exact guage as Elixirs) were definately more limber feeling . When i quized my tech on this it was then that he mentioned that different string manafacturers used different size core wires . Ive never put Elixirs back on my Cobra once i changed the originals it came with . Its all preference but I like Daddarios over Elixirs . As a side note , when my band recently went to Eb tuning I went up a string guage to equal out the tension but mainly to make the guitar feel closer to how it did before the change . Some of my guitars reacted differently to the change . My tech tweaked up one of my strats and a Tele today . The tele needed intonation tweaking and the strat was still "on the money" .

[ckofahl]

I like the D's over the elixers. I still use elixers on my Accustics and on my Crowdster, but on the electrics I have found that I like the the tone of the D's in the studio. The D's do have a more relaxed feel to me. Has anyone tried the Clear Tone strings? I've heard good things about them, but have yet to try them.

[mbrown3]

Wow, I'm always amazed when this conversation comes up here or at the Gear Page, how many people say they like D's over Elixirs. To me it's not even close, in strong favor of the Elixirs. I like the way they feel, they sound great, and they last forever.

To me, D'Addarios are like the cheap throwaway brand (I'm not meaning this as an insult to those who use them, rather this is how I tend to think of them...my own bias), where Elixirs are like the cream of the crop. I have great guitars, great amps, great pedals and great cables, so for me, to go with D'Addario strings would be like going backwards.

But what's really interesting is that, for me, the Elixirs are so much better that I'm always surprised when people say they like D'Addarios (or whatever) better. I guess I shouldn't be, by now, but I always am.

[ckofahl]

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like elixers, it's just that I favor the d's. It's kind of like the state question here in Albuquerque, "do you want green or red chili", I like them both, but most often go with green. Now I'm starting to get hungry!!!!!!

[Barry]

I dont mind saying it . I didnt like Elixirs at all . I certainly didnt find them to be any sort of surperior string either . I also have lots of upper line gear as well but certainly dont regard Daddarios as "throwaway" strings . Its all preference anyhow . Glad you like the Elixirs MBrown but they are'nt my cup of tea

[Mister T]

D'addario has an awful lot of high end endorsers to be called a throwaway string. I do prefer Elixir and Fender strings...I find they h ave a little more tension than D'Addario or DR and I like that. I met Buzz Feiten and he said that he feels that D'Addario are the best strings on the market.....he says they are the most consistent string maker.

To be honest I just play with what is available. I use Elixir most of the time but as long as I can get a quality string (Ernie Ball, DR, Daddario, GHS) I am just fine.

[mbrown3]

I really didn't mean to offend anyone with my throwaway strings comment. It's a throwback to when I was a kid and all I could afford were the "cheap" strings...D'Addarios. I also had lots of intonation and consistency problems with them, but maybe they've solved those issues in recent years. I tried a set a couple of years ago, though, and found that they had almost a sticky feel to them, and they just felt somehow 'loose' to me. I've used and loved Elixirs for so long that maybe it's just that they were different, but I guess if it aint broke, don't fix it.

[Casper]

I love spirited conversation. I didn't mean to start a string conflagration, it just boggles my mind about having to adjust the guitar if you change brands.
I also must say this. I have been playing guitar for 30 years, 20 of them semi-pro and I have never been able to tell a "tone difference" on brand new sets of strings...and I string my axes almost every week. You guys must have great ears. Now feel, thats a different story. Yes the SITs do feel a bit rougher, but to me have every bit of "tone" and playability and actually fewer tuning issues than XLs and there was a time when SIT was standard on all TAs. Luke uses Slinkys and swears by them, has for years even before the endorsements. Zakk Wylde is a GHS nut as I was 15 years ago (although GHS broke alot for me)
There used to be a rumor that there were only 3 actual string comapnies in the US and they sold to everyone else, never heard the truth about that.

I even tried the new B52s from Everly Music and they weren't bad...again. if you would have blind folded me, I couldn't tell if it was a quality string or not.
Honestly, if it makes life easier for my tech, it really doesn't matter to me what brand, but I guess I'll stick to the same thing..whatever I choose..Thanks all--Shaun

[Barry]

I love this banter . Doesnt bother me that anyone doesnt approve of my string of choice . I can certainly tell a big difference when i have a new set of strings on though . Sustains longer, more ring to them as well . Hate old strings , they lose their properties and just have a thud sound to them .

[bud]

Everyone must play the same string, same guitar, same amp, otherwise my preferences are invalid :D

viva la difference

[Ray K.]

I haven't tried Elixir's, yet. Maybe I'll get around to it...maybe not now. :)

See, I've used D'Addario XL's for, oh, probably at least 25 of my 35 years of playing. Before that it was Ernie Ball. Anyway, someone mentioned consistency. I like being able to string any of my guitars up and know what to expect. I've found that to be true with D'Addario's.

I also never...okay, rarely break a string! I bought a Bulk Shop pack sometime last year. Couldn't figure out why I suddenly was breaking mostly high E strings while stringing up or shortly after. Several even unraveled from the ball end. I contacted D'Addario and they quickly sent me enough replacements to take care of that problem. First time I've ever needed to contact them. They definitely wanted to know why also, and requested I send in any broken strings if there is a next time, which I'll gladly do.

Ray K.

[Rupe]

I played either D's or Boomers for most of my guitar playing tenure until '97 when I became aware of and tried DR Tite-Fits (10's). I can't really play anything else now...they are so much more "alive" than other strings. I have never played another brand that sounds as "big" or keep their tone as well DR's. They also seem to have a smoother feeling to me when bending but that's probably a mental thing.

[iTwang]

Hi,

let me chime in for a moment. I'm an Elixir user .010-.046 om my fantastic electric "mongrel" TAG strat and .011 on my Epi Zephyr Regent. The reason? IMO they do last longer and they have a more defined string balance that is very noticable on the low E-string which is always crisp and well defined - which is surely a charecteristic of a good guitar IMO and on my strat it is fantastic.

I've had some problems with SIT strings a couple of years ago when several sest had a faulty A-string - all of them really out of tune - it drove me nuts.... and it was on a strat with a Floyd Rose.... 'nuff said....

However, they do not sound as great in the treble registers when the strings are new and fresh. So I think D'Addario is agreat string as well and to me they just sound "bluesier"...:cool: