|
Post by seaking on May 26, 2006 14:00:45 GMT -7
Amen on the 11s. Thanks for discussion guys, i picked up a couple sets on the way home today. I could hear a huge tonal improvement over the 10s and i hadn't even plugged in yet. It got way more noticeable when i fired up the MAZ. I'm sticking with em, der good. Ever since i got my amp I've been giving some thought about what OD pedal to get. But after getting my mini mass yesterday and 11s today, I'm not sure I need a pedal now. In any event, I'm happy with all the rich sounds I'm getting and i still have a set of pickups on order. Can it get any better? I'll have to try those pups and see. Until then, I hope my arm holds out. ;D
|
|
|
Post by ruger9 on May 26, 2006 14:16:18 GMT -7
Oh, PLEASE! Put some 11's on, have a sammitch and TURN IT UP! I'd prefer four fried chickens and a coke. ;D And DRY WHITE TOAST.
|
|
|
Post by billyguitar on May 26, 2006 14:58:41 GMT -7
Pepsi, no Coke!
|
|
|
Post by Lefty on May 26, 2006 18:20:15 GMT -7
You want anything on that? No Ma'am, a coke.
|
|
|
Post by Curt on May 26, 2006 18:54:52 GMT -7
No fries...Chips...... No Coke....Pepsi
Cheese burger cheese burger chip chip......
RIP Mr. Belushi
|
|
|
Post by steveinnashville on May 26, 2006 18:55:25 GMT -7
As someone who in my real life does an enormous amount of data entry, and who subsequently suffers from mild carpal tunel (along with, I suspect, some neuropathy tied to Type II diabetes), those .011s are unfortunately the kiss of death... or at least of a shortened playing career... I have a friend with an EX who's played .008s for years and has to take two days off after a gig because his hands hurt so much... Not to worry too much about tone... Billy Gibbons and B.B. King both use .008s. I know billy used 11s or 12s back in the day, maybe that's why he has to use .008s now... I used to play .012s on an archtop with bigsby (feels like playing hendrix on steel rods- ouch- but it would't sound good with tiny strings)... then I got a PRS, which can sound great with .010s (and is a much nicer instrument than the Guild Starfire III reissue)... I used to do data entry and am a server in a restaurant (5+ years)... my hands are probably going to be shot if I don't get out of restaurant work soon... I have heard that the carpal tunnel corrective surgery can yield amazing results, from a doctor/guitar player who had it performed... he said he could play much better afterwards, so there is always that comfort for those of us who are sure that such a problem is at the very least still lurking about in the realm of plausible probabilities...
|
|
|
Post by tjstrat on May 26, 2006 19:01:05 GMT -7
Boy, I miss my PRSs...
Luckily the ibuprofin and warmups do wonders. I'll lock up for a song or two early every 5 gigs or so, but a 2 second pause in a quiet section or someone else's solo lets me shake 'em out.
|
|
|
Post by Curt on May 26, 2006 19:10:16 GMT -7
Ok..jus went back and read this whole thread, we went from 4 fried chickens to Type II....from FX to strings to straight in tone.....and it all started with a simple statement about FX !!! Too funny... I'm 43 and fighting the CP thang too..sux but is better 'cause my wife sent me to get a lower arm massage, she stripped all the nastyness away..hurt like hell during, but the next day..and since, mucho better, still some stiffness and numbness but better I plan to repeat two to four times a year. FWIW, I play 10's on Fedners, 11's on Gibby's and 12 or 13 on acoustic. Best tone?? For me can't beat straight into a cranked amp !! ride that volume pot.
|
|
|
Post by BW on May 26, 2006 22:00:20 GMT -7
I'd prefer four fried chickens and a coke. ;D And DRY WHITE TOAST. I'll have a piece o' that pecan pie over thar, hon--coffee w/ half and half and some SWEET & LOW.
|
|
|
Post by billyguitar on May 26, 2006 22:33:51 GMT -7
Yea, my dumb a%*! I got the Pepsi Coke quote backwards! Don't get over 50 guys. Weird things start happenin'!
|
|
|
Post by foxx on May 27, 2006 8:49:07 GMT -7
Wait, so I have a 25 3/4" scale LP style guitar that I use 10's on. Isn't my tension a little higher cause of the scale? And would 11's be even a higher tension. I would love a bigger better tone, but my hands are already stiff, at 34 years old. I think I would even need to alter/replace my nut with 11's.
How else can we alter this thread?
|
|
|
Post by billyguitar on May 27, 2006 10:20:48 GMT -7
Your LP type guitar is a 24-3/4" scale. Most Fenders and some Gibsons are 25-1/2". Yes, .011s have more tension than .010s. If you're gigging 50 or more gigs a year you can probably adapt to an .011. If not stick with a .010 if you're cramping. I use to put .012s on my Les Paul when I was playing a lot. If I was going to be doing double string bends I would use a .0105, .012 and a .016. .0105s are hard to find but you can even hear a difference with one of those compared to a .010.
|
|
|
Post by foxx on May 27, 2006 11:23:35 GMT -7
Thanks billyguitar, I don't know if my hands are stiff because of my years of hard work or what. I don't gig, yet, but play almost everyday. I think that I will stay with 10's for now.
|
|
|
Post by seaking on May 27, 2006 12:32:25 GMT -7
ooowww... my arm, wrist and hand hurt While I did get some discomfort from using 10s, the 11s seem to be enhancing the whole pain thing. I'm turning 48 in few weeks and gettin a little paranoid about incurring health issues that could prohibit playing. Think i might recant and go back to the 10s. Guitar playing keeps the Psych police away. ;D Must play guitar...
|
|
|
Post by real oldster on May 27, 2006 14:19:29 GMT -7
Don't get over 50 guys. Weird things start happenin'!
Oh, thank you, very much. Just in time.
NOT.
|
|
|
Post by bustertheboy on May 27, 2006 17:29:31 GMT -7
i'm using 11-50s on my xtone- the scale is gibson like 24 3/4 but with the bigsby the strings being pulled to pitch are even longer than fenders (my tele likes both 10s and 11's but is much ballsier with 11's) so it is quite high tension even with 10's with 11's it sounds like a piano even with humbuckers again, to the point of boredom, what saves it from being unplayable is high frets, straight fretboard (almost zero relief) and quite low action- still feels silky smooth and easily bendable- even though the length of string from ball end to tuner is VERY long, the good set up and high frets equal killer playability do what ever works for you, but unless you have definite health related problems, persist with what is the heaviest gauge you are able to use- i'm no gorilla but i can play legato licks on the xtone with 11s and easily bend the minor thirds mention above and have an pre-existing problem with wrist damage and liver related joint pain so i'm not coming from some (smug) strong fingered rockclimbing background!
|
|
|
Post by Telemanic on May 27, 2006 17:33:11 GMT -7
Foxx, on the tension thing, it seems backwards maybe, but the longer scale length has HIGHER tension, due to the fact of bringing a longer string section up to a given pitch. A shorter string will not have to be pulled so tightly, to achieve that same pitch. You can get away with heavier gauge strings on the Paul, for example, than you would with a fender.
|
|
|
Post by janinedoubly on May 27, 2006 17:46:16 GMT -7
I was a big Dada fan back in the 90's and was so sad to see Michael Gurley having to take a second guitar player on the road with him for a while to cover the lost parts while he recovered. Had to watch him dunk his arm in a vat of ice water for 30 minutes after a gig!! Yikes!!! It hurts just thinking about the ice water, let alone the CTS. I hope I never have to go through that. But, I will say, thankfully, he's still playing and if any of you guys have ever had a chance to see Michael Gurley play, its a treat!! Thankfully, I'm still hammerin' on 11-50's in standard tuning, oh the tone!!!
|
|
|
Post by bustertheboy on May 27, 2006 19:41:00 GMT -7
that's serious commitment janinedoubly! yes to the 11-50's- what sort of guitar?
|
|
|
Post by oldgoat on May 28, 2006 1:16:15 GMT -7
Hey Seaking,
Go easy on the string change. Maybe start with a set of 10.5's and work your self up. I'm suffering from arthritis in the base of my left thumb which was brought about by a big string tone fever a few years ago. Where I had very happily used 10's before, I worked myself up to 13's while using a long scale archtop with baseball bat neck. Tone to die for? Well sort of but my hand was doing the real dying. Bad days were like someone had stuck a knife in my thumb and was twisting it around. Luckily a friend got me in touch with a wonderful Orthopedic surgeon here in New York. He promptly had me start working with a physical therapist who does work at Juilliard. It was one of my luckier days.
So to make a long story short, dropped back down to 10's, traded the archtop for a ES-335 and do my hand exercises and stretches. And have been fairly pain free for the past 2 years. Please, I would never knock someone else's setup or gear. Just be careful out there.
|
|
robt
Full Member
Posts: 138
|
Post by robt on May 28, 2006 5:01:33 GMT -7
I had hand surgery in 1998 on my picking hand for a condition I can't pronounce but commonly known as "trigger finger." The tendons lock the fingers up--damage from repeated motion, often seen in meat packing plants the doc told me. The fretting hand has a touch of arthritis. Let me echo Oldgoat, be careful. It can happen to you, too. I have 10s and 9s and 9.5s on the electrics, 12s on acoustic. Never thought I would go so light, but it's what I have to do. Roy B played 9s, brand didn't matter.
|
|
|
Post by billyguitar on May 28, 2006 5:32:08 GMT -7
Believe me dudes, if I ever had any recurring pain I'd immediately switch to however light it would take to not hurt.
|
|
|
Post by seaking on May 28, 2006 6:14:12 GMT -7
Hey Seaking, Go easy on the string change. Maybe start with a set of 10.5's and work your self up. I'm suffering from arthritis in the base of my left thumb which was brought about by a big string tone fever a few years ago. Where I had very happily used 10's before, I worked myself up to 13's while using a long scale archtop with baseball bat neck. Tone to die for? Well sort of but my hand was doing the real dying. Bad days were like someone had stuck a knife in my thumb and was twisting it around. Luckily a friend got me in touch with a wonderful Orthopedic surgeon here in New York. He promptly had me start working with a physical therapist who does work at Juilliard. It was one of my luckier days. So to make a long story short, dropped back down to 10's, traded the archtop for a ES-335 and do my hand exercises and stretches. And have been fairly pain free for the past 2 years. Please, I would never knock someone else's setup or gear. Just be careful out there. Thanks for advice oldgoat , glad to hear that things have been going better over the past few years. It must have been pretty scary there for awhile. Moderation....hmmm...not really good at that ;D I have my kid a week on... a week off, so I'm forced to moderate when she's here. This is daddy's week off though, so daddy don't moderate too good under the circumstances, but i should make the effort. Last night i was at an acoustic jam which turned out pretty big. Instead of playing along all night, i carefully selected which songs to jump in on. Gave me an opportunity to work on harmonies, if you can call them that. BTW got a Taylor 710 with 11s... mostly do chording...not too much bending...that seems to be working fine. I think I'll take your advice though on the 10.5s for the electric. Otherwise i may have to posse with Robt...get all squintty eyed and exercise my trigger finger. lol ;D good advise too Robt.
|
|
robt
Full Member
Posts: 138
|
Post by robt on May 28, 2006 6:38:40 GMT -7
Well Seaking and Billy, I just know this. I quit drinking 20 years ago, smoking 9 years ago, but you can't have my guitars. Even with hearing loss, tinnitus, doesn't matter. I gotta have a Tele in my hand, so whatever it takes it what it takes. It's not about talent, since I don't have any to offer. It's just about doing what makes me smile. Looking back I wish I had protected the ears better and gone easier on the hands and wrist earlier. The ringing in the ears does tame the voices though.
|
|
|
Post by seaking on May 28, 2006 8:22:10 GMT -7
Well Seaking and Billy, I just know this. I quit drinking 20 years ago, smoking 9 years ago, but you can't have my guitars. Even with hearing loss, tinnitus, doesn't matter. I gotta have a Tele in my hand, so whatever it takes it what it takes. It's not about talent, since I don't have any to offer. It's just about doing what makes me smile. Looking back I wish I had protected the ears better and gone easier on the hands and wrist earlier. The ringing in the ears does tame the voices though. I hear ya brotha! Been off the booze 13 years, the smokes 12 years and god knows how long for the herb. The wife split out almost 5 years ago...never really thanked her for that and i should, life is soo much simpler ;D . These days, its all about raising my daughter and playing some geetar (as bad as i do play). Oh... and caffeine too. And on the limited nice weather days that this north eastern climate can summons up, i like to get the sea kayak out for a couple of hours too. I could give up the kayaking and possibly the caffeine (although it could get rough for awhile), but everything else is as dear as life itself. Guess i kind of took things for granted, but i should look after the playing equipment better. The limbs ain't too bad though, and despite countless hours logged under a running rotor head, the hearing's not too bad either. I look at my dad, who spent a career as a engine room stoker in the days before ear defenders, wouldn't want that kind of hearing loss
|
|
|
Post by tjstrat on May 28, 2006 10:45:43 GMT -7
Good to hear from some fellow recovering alcoholics here...
Strange where these threads lead, innit?
For what it's worth, aside from the RSI and diabetes, I've been clean for nearly 22 years now. It made all the difference in the world for my playing.
|
|
|
Post by seaking on May 28, 2006 14:17:34 GMT -7
Good to hear from some fellow recovering alcoholics here... Strange where these threads lead, innit? For what it's worth, aside from the RSI and diabetes, I've been clean for nearly 22 years now. It made all the difference in the world for my playing. eeewww... you said the "A" word. lol ;D. Yup, it made a difference in my playing too. I now own a guitar again.
|
|
|
Post by bustertheboy on May 28, 2006 14:22:24 GMT -7
hey tjstrat interesting u mention alcohol ... i had hepatitis a couple of years ago- one of the more obscure strains and liver isn't back to normal yet and i still have serious pain any time i drink any amount of alcohol- much worse in cold weather it affects my ribs mostly but also all joints- including fingers and wrists alcohol is a nice loosener before going on stage but not at the price of hurting for a week after! play on
regarding tinnitis- a ghia with an attenuator into greenbacks, miked by the soundman is a great asset!- even then i sometimes use earplugs- abit like a shower in a raincoat though if u know what i mean?
|
|
robt
Full Member
Posts: 138
|
Post by robt on May 28, 2006 16:41:35 GMT -7
I hear ya brotha! Been off the booze 13 years, the smokes 12 years and god knows how long for the herb. The wife split out almost 5 years ago...never really thanked her for that and i should, life is soo much simpler
Seaking--all my exes live in St Louis...I'm happily married now, clean, sober, smoke-free and hard of hearing. Glad to hear that you are doing well. My fav vacation of all time was about ten years ago, all through NS with my fav spot being Lunenburg. You guys know how to live up there, eh? Plus, I love to watch Trailer Park Boys. Bubbles. And the guy can play too.
Bob
|
|
|
Post by seaking on May 28, 2006 17:31:10 GMT -7
Seaking--all my exes live in St Louis...I'm happily married now, clean, sober, smoke-free and hard of hearing. Glad to hear that you are doing well. My fav vacation of all time was about ten years ago, all through NS with my fav spot being Lunenburg. You guys know how to live up there, eh? Plus, I love to watch Trailer Park Boys. Bubbles. And the guy can play too. Bob Thanks Bob, glad things are going well on your end too. Happily married...well... hold onto that, committed relationships seem to be in precious short supply these days. Glad to hear you treated yourself to visit to Lunenburg when you were up. That place gets to me too ( the town has been declared a world heritage site because of its wooden Victorian structures) a picturesque trip back in time for sure. Ha, Bubbles and the trailer park boys, you can't help but laugh when ya see them. They hosted the east coast music awards this year, was a hoot. Bubbles had a controversial hit in the local area recently...Liquor and ......(rymes with tours and begins with wh). Pretty funny, but i always tuned to another station when my daughter was in the truck. You not in St Louis now?
|
|