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Post by Phil on Jan 15, 2015 16:58:09 GMT -6
No, I'm not uploading a recording of this today (or anytime soon).  I just want to make a few comments about it since I started it today. This is a beautiful tune, but it is also an exercise in medieval torture. Way back John G. recommended that I use 11 gauge strings. I tried them for a while and stepped down to 10's as the 11's where just too much for me. After starting this study I now wish I had gone down to 9's. There is a 1 1/2 step bend on the 10th fret of the 1st string! It's hard enough to get a good full bend on the high E and now I have to do a 1 1/2 step bend. John G. must have some big, powerful, Albert King-like hands to be able to do this with 11's.  I think Billy Gibbons' specially made 7's are now on the market. They are looking more and more tempting.  Seriously, I still have 9 more sets of 10's left (minus a few E strings) before I make the decision to drop to 9's or stick with 10's. Jack1982 - what gauge strings are you using? You did a nice job on "Big Bends." In fact, what are most of you guys using? I know we had this discussion before, but it's been a long time. |
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Post by jack1982 on Jan 15, 2015 19:23:19 GMT -6
Thanks Phil, I use 10's. Ya know I used to use 9's but then somebody...can't remember who it was...told me I needed to go to 10's  That 1 1/2 step bend didn't bother me at all, it was all those 6th fret B string bends that you hold forever and put vibrato on that tired my hand out. And we're expecting a very expressive and very consistent vibrato from you Phil You wanna know medieval torture, get a bass and put a set of 50's on it and get going on Bass Aerobics. You'll be bending steel bars with your pinky by the time you're halfway through it  |
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Post by bluesbruce on Jan 15, 2015 21:06:26 GMT -6
10's on my semi-hollow body, 9's on my strat here. When I first started BYCU and bending for the first time, I actually put 8's on my strat. I think this is one of those personal preference things. I challenge you to listen to a recording and tell me what gauge strings somebody was playing... just sayin' Those 8's I actually found were so light, you'd bend even when you weren't trying to.
Bruce
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Post by joachim on Jan 16, 2015 1:11:04 GMT -6
I had 10s on my Epiphone Les Paul and Epiphone Riviera. The LP was almost too easy to bend, so I switched to 11s on both of them. Even though the two guitars have similar necks and the same scale-length, the Riviera seemed much stiffer to play and harder to bend - perhaps the Bigsby tailpiece makes it so.
I later traded the Riviera for a strat with 10s, and on that guitar 10s seem just perfect.
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Post by Phil on Jan 16, 2015 3:50:43 GMT -6
Thanks Phil, I use 10's. Ya know I used to use 9's but then somebody...can't remember who it was...told me I needed to go to 10's That 1 1/2 step bend didn't bother me at all, it was all those 6th fret B string bends that you hold forever and put vibrato on that tired my hand out. And we're expecting a very expressive and very consistent vibrato from you Phil You wanna know medieval torture, get a bass and put a set of 50's on it and get going on Bass Aerobics. You'll be bending steel bars with your pinky by the time you're halfway through it I have small hands with skinny, soon to be 63 year old fingers. and that 1 1/2 step bend is a bear for me. I think I'm just going to buy just some 9 gauge E strings, since I need to buy some anyway, and use them in place of the 10's instead of changing the whole set. I'll let you know how it works out. Now, who could have possibly told you that you NEEDED to change from 9's to 10's? |
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Post by Phil on Jan 16, 2015 4:16:29 GMT -6
10's on my semi-hollow body, 9's on my strat here. When I first started BYCU and bending for the first time, I actually put 8's on my strat. I think this is one of those personal preference things. I challenge you to listen to a recording and tell me what gauge strings somebody was playing... just sayin' Those 8's I actually found were so light, you'd bend even when you weren't trying to. Bruce That's a good point. The conventional wisdom is - fat strings = fat sound and thin strings = thin sound. Jazz guys like John G. seem to have a preference for heavier strings. Of course, I have to respect the opinions of good, experienced guitarists like John, but I don't think Billy Gibbons has a "thin" sound and he's using the thinnest strings known to man. Those are so thin that I don't even think I'd like the feel of them, but I question the adverse effect on tone argument. Like I said above, I'm going to give 9's a shot. |
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Post by cunningr on Jan 16, 2015 10:12:22 GMT -6
You know I was reading some theory concerning string gauge and vibrato. Theoretically a higher gauge string should be easier to bend to pitch because you have bend it less because it has more tension, sound like it should be easier but my fingers don't agree. I dropped to nines then went back to 10's. The 9's felt to slinky so my chords wouldn't be in tune.
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Post by Phil on Jan 16, 2015 10:33:52 GMT -6
You know I was reading some theory concerning string gauge and vibrato. Theoretically a higher gauge string should be easier to bend to pitch because you have bend it less because it has more tension, sound like it should be easier but my fingers don't agree. I dropped to nines then went back to 10's. The 9's felt to slinky so my chords wouldn't be in tune. For me to get a 1 1/2 step bend at the 10th fret on the high E the string has to be bent to about half the width of the fingerboard at the 10th fret. From what you are saying that means that a 9 would have to be bent even farther - crossing the mid-line of the fretboard. I don't see how some guys are able to bend 2 whole tones. You eventually run out of fretboard. |
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I just want to make a few comments about it since I started it today. This is a beautiful tune, but it is also an exercise in medieval torture. Way back John G. recommended that I use 11 gauge strings. I tried them for a while and stepped down to 10's as the 11's where just too much for me. After starting this study I now wish I had gone down to 9's. There is a 1 1/2 step bend on the 10th fret of the 1st string! It's hard enough to get a good full bend on the high E and now I have to do a 1 1/2 step bend. John G. must have some big, powerful, Albert King-like hands to be able to do this with 11's. 
Seriously, I still have 9 more sets of 10's left (minus a few E strings) before I make the decision to drop to 9's or stick with 10's.
