String gauge dilemma

I'm a big fan of 10s, which I use on most of my guitars (except 11s on 2 Gibson type ones). I recently got this amazing american standard strat that came with 9s from the shop. Love the action, love the sound, I just find the 9s to be a bit flimsy for my playing style (I like the guitar to fight back a bit when I start to really dig in).

Since I already have a bunch of guitars setup with 10s already, should I stick with 9s for just this once to sort of.. broaden the range of my toolset, or should I just go with what feels most natural to me (and risk losing that perfect setup in the process)? I wouldn't mind redoing the setup on most guitars but on a strat, I'm not so sure, what with the floating bridge and all.

What would you guys do?

It's more important with how you feel about it. I always play 10-46's on my Tele's. When I bought an MIM last spring it had a set of .009's on it and I replaced them with very little adjustment to the setup at all.

No truss adjustment was needed. I just lowered the action and intonated it with the new strings. I don't think you'll find the difference in those gauges will create all that much change in your setup.

Put your preferred gauge for that style guitar on it, and make whatever setup necessary, if any.

I say try the 9s for some time and see what you think of it. I use 10s on one guitar and 11s on another and it suits me fine. They both have the shorter scale of 24.75" inches that Gibsons and similar type guitars are known for. Fenders have the longer 25.5" inch scale and it makes any gauge feel somewhat stiffer than a Gibson scale.

There are times when the 10s feel a little bit too slinky but it's good for lead guitar and quite effortless. The 11s are pure tone and hard to live without.

If 10s are your favorite, then you may eventually only prefer 10s on a longer Fender scale, too. I went back and forth on my floating bridge strat between 9s and 10s and had to fool with the springs but that was OK after I got used to it. When I tightened the springs to make it more like a fixed bridge, then it didn't change too much in its feel whether it was 9s or 10s. The American Standard pickups are rather hot so it can bring out the volume of even the slinkier string sets and 9s still have a meaty tone through any amp.

The American Standard pickups are rather hot so it can bring out the volume of even the slinkier string sets and 9s still have a meaty tone through any amp.

The 9s on this particular guitar do indeed have a great tone. That's why I'm tempted to keep em at least for a while. I'm thinking I may get used to the feel after giving them a chance.

In any case, guys, thanks for all the replies so far :)

I generally use 10-52s on all my guitars. An Ebay vendor sent me 10 x sets of 9's by mistake so i've given them a try on a couple of my toys. Incidentally - an Am Std Strat and a Flying V.

It's pretty easy to get used to - much more scope for wide bends, effortless hand vibrato, and it's easier to punch out speedy solos, the low end is a little wilder with the strings flapping a little harder. Laying down recorded tracks I can't hear the tone suffering - but I do like a bit more tension under the fingers... just used to it I guess.

That floating tremolo is easy to set up. After the 10's are on and tuned to pitch, adjust the spring tension on the tremolo to pull the bridge down to where you want it. Retune, adjust again, and repeat until the tremolo sits where it belongs with the guitar in tune. Done.

The 9s on this particular guitar do indeed have a great tone. That's why I'm tempted to keep em at least for a while. I'm thinking I may get used to the feel after giving them a chance.

In any case, guys, thanks for all the replies so far :)

If you want to make a small change, you can go with 9.5s which is a nice string gauge with enough midrange for a lot of tastes. For me, I swapped out my 9.5s for a heavier gauge but many like it well enough instead of full on 10s.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=9.5+string+set&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=1479946294889587904&sa=X&ei=OxB_T7qREsrgiAKCx9G2Aw&ved=0CFcQ8gIwBw

Well I did it. I installed a set or regular slinkys and tweaked the spring tension, played with the truss rod a tiiiny bit and voila. It feels like home but above all, I find it makes a huge difference on the tone as well! It sound steadier, meatier, a bit darker too.

It's weird because I went from 9s to 10s on a blacktop jag in the past and it didn't change the sound at all, only the feel. I guess strat pups, and probably single coils in general, are more transparent that way.

In any case, I'm super happy I did it, it was well worth the re-setup!