[wishiwuzhendrix]

what are some of the characteristics of different string gauges. i am in dire need of som e new strings and i dont know what gauge to go with
light heave or medium.
does one play louder or brighter or mellower than the others? especially elixirs but i also like the martin phosphor bronzes if u no about them then let me know

[guitarstrummin63]

i like elixer 13's on my jumbo sized guitar

i'll use 12's on my drednought sized guitar

[Graeme! Yes, Graeme!]

Heavy gauged strings tend to have a bit of a better tone and a fuller sound. However, they have the downside of being harder to play, especially for bends and speed.

Light gaugesstrings are much easier on the fingers when beinding and speed. However, they can sound tinnier, and I find they are more likely to break.

Medium gauge is kind of in the middle, better tone than light strings, easier playability than heavier strings.

I like to use Elixir 12s, myself. Relatively easy to play, decent tone.

[billy16]

Graeme pretty much hit most of the big points. Probably should buy a few sets to see what you like, 10's, 11's, and 12's might be some to try. I prefer 13's myself because I can get nice sound out of them. I can bend and play fast on those just as I can with lighter strings. Another advantage of heavier strings is that you can play them hard without worry about breakage. Winding them can get a bit hard too.

You may also want to consider what tunings you like to use. If you're tuning down or are using certain open tunings like C, you may want to go with heavier guages. If you're keeping it in standard or A or E open tunings, lighter guages might be better. Possibly, the condition of your guitar may play a role. I used 13's on a guitar I kept in standard. It was a 70's guitar and pretty old. The neck actually snapped because of the tension.

[wishiwuzhendrix]

im thinkin about heavies cuz im gettin a new guitar soon but this one is the one out of the ibanez jumpstart and i dropped it and the headstock broke off but i wood glued it back on really well. so my question is, do you think is will be able to hold the tension of heavy strings on a relatively cheap guitar with a glued on headstock?

[Graeme! Yes, Graeme!]

Depends on the kind of glue, but I wouldn't like to guess, really. I don't know enough about guitar construction. If the headstock broke on my guitar I would certainly be getting a new guitar though. Even if it's glued really well, that's some serious damage.

[billy16]

I wouldn't trust it. I had a guitar break at the neck right by the headstock. It was a clean diagonal break and I glued it and put on 11's and it snapped back off. The neck and headstock are all one piece and even though that piece is glued back on, the glued piece will be under a lot of stress and probably won't hold up.

[adds]

Unless you want to keep setting your guitar up every time you change strings then buy the gauge thats on there.Its all very well people saying by a number of gauges and see what you like but they aint the ones thats got either 1- play a poorly set up guitar or 2- have to make adustments to the set up every string change.If you want to try diffferent gauges fine but your better off trying out someone elses guitar who uses a different gauge.

[dadfad]

I tend to agree with Adam. Once you find a good guage for that guitar stick with them. Not all guitars work best with the same guage of strings either. And while heavier strings generally give more volume that's not always the case. If you're buying a new guitar it's generally best to stay with the manufacturer's suggestions for the guage.

I don't know of any mainstream company that makes a guage called "Heavy" anymore. Generally mediums (.013 to .056) are about as thick as you'll find (except special strings made for Dobros, etc).

Different guitars often work best with different guages. I have some I set up differently for different guages or different styles of playing. On one (an old National) I have pretty thick strings (.014 to .060) using special-order strings, but that's a guitar used purely for slide. Generally I prefer a thickness called "Bluegrass Guage" made by D'Addario which is a hybrid set with slightly thinner treble strings and slightly thicker bass strings (.012 .016 .025 .35 .045 .056). I like a heavier bass response for most stuff I play. For most people (and guitars) medium or light is fine. I have a couple of fairly fragile guitars that I use extra-lights on though.

So generally it's best not to exceed manufacturer's specifications if you know them, and once you find what works best on that guitar it's much easier to stick with them and not deal with constant adjustment and set-up problems.