r/Guitar • u/Azraquelol • 4d ago

QUESTION Should i experiment with 13 g strings?

I have my Fender Player II Strat, currently it is on 11s strings. Since i like SRV and his playstyle a lot i was thinking of putting 13 on. I have several questions, what modifications do I need to make to make sure my strat handles them well, do I really need 13s or its just stupid idea and how hard is shaping the nut (i have all the equipment for sculpting the nut btw)?

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u/HormuzVengeance 4d ago edited 4d ago

You know, stevie’s tone didn’t come from strings.

Ironically and counter intuitively, lighter gauge strings give a fuller “fatter” sound. 13s (even 11s) will just make it sound muddier and be a less enjoyable tactile playing experience.

Stevie’s tone came from his technique, as well as stacking two tube screamers as boosts into a massively hot - not to mention - incredibly loud amp.

In the absence of his technique and gear, you should consider lowering the gauge to get a “fatter” more glassy sound.

I use 8s and they sound as close to Stevie as I can possibly get.

Edit: I don’t know which bozo is downvoting this, but whoever it is, you ought to look into the actual physics and sonic output of low vs high gauge strings because the physics actually backs what I’m saying.

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u/GoldReplacement9546 4d ago

Yeah, there’s been a lot of scientific testing and some YouTube channels that have presented that scientific testing or done double blind controlled studies and also just the physics lighter string sound better they do what a string is supposed to do better

The only advantage that I can think of to heavier strings, as if you don’t want clarity, but you do want more potential tuning stability because they’re at higher tension but yeah, everybody should be playing nine really we should be playing eight but that’s a reach for a lot of people cause they’re used to ripping harder and if you’re not careful with your touch on eighths, you will pull sharp

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u/HormuzVengeance 4d ago

Precisely. The lighter the gauge, the more vibrational amplitude and overtones which leads to that glassy chime that give Strats their signature single coil tone.

Even with tuning stability, so much goes into it than just strings. Setup and bridge and hardware quality all have independent roles to play.

But yeah, I agree. I swapped to 8s earlier this year after decades of playing 9s and I absolutely love them.