Has anyone switched down to a set of .11s on your acoustic guitar? If so, what tonal/sound differences did you notice?

[Boreas]

I know ( 45+ years playing) when things get busy with gigs, my fingertips feel ( always!) like they are touching an iron.
And getting through the end/ 3rd set of of a heavy-hitting acoustic gig is murder.
It's weird but I have really sensitive nerve endings behind thick calluses...
( plus knuckles, elbows, wrists all hurt)

But 10 minutes after getting home, the Martin is in the lap- Can't stop playing!

Ever tried Epsoms salts rubs or baths? Even CBD seems to help with me. Recently am trying Voltaren gel with some success. I think part of the relief is simply the massage and placebo. But adding one of the above seems to EXTEND relief time.

 

[1stpitch]

I put Earthwood 10s on my one token acoustic right after I bought it. I don't have anything to compare it to, but it sounds plenty full to me.

 

[schmee]

I'm getting older and getting some arthritis in my fingers. I really don't want to go to .11s, but it is becoming difficult to fret .12s cleanly for an extended period of time. What are your experiences with going to a lighter gauge string on an acoustic guitar? Thanks.

I've used 11-50 or 11-52 for years now due to age. It's fine, but you lose some punch and a little volume if you are playing in a circle of bluegrasss players etc. For acoustic/electrics it's just fine.

Dunlop 80/20 Bronze are about the same $ as a set of electric strings and are a good workhorse string set.

 

[Fiesta Red]

I didn’t read every response, but…

I found 11’s got lost in the mix if I played with other people—whether live or on a recording.

I went back to 12’s.

If they hurt you hands too much, it may be time to stick with 12’s and tune down a whole step.

Maybe your playing style will not get swallowed up with the 11’s…

Give it a shot and let us know.

 

[telemnemonics]

Yeah aging is a drag, spent all those years gaining strength and skills then they start diminishing.
After I put an .011 set on one of my six string acoustics I pretty much did not care for it any more, tone and power loss was more than I could be happy with.
Oddly though I still liked 12 string with a .010 set and tuned down Kottke style, way more harmonic delight there, sound is a BIG part of playing guitar for me.

If youre a poet with guitar backup it should not be a bother at all.

 

[LowCaster]

I'm getting older and getting some arthritis in my fingers. I really don't want to go to .11s, but it is becoming difficult to fret .12s cleanly for an extended period of time. What are your experiences with going to a lighter gauge string on an acoustic guitar? Thanks.

Lighter string gauge=>
-less mass=less volume (slight difference)
-less tension=easier to play and less neck relief (adjust trussrod),
-and something that many people forget: a different intonation.

If your acoustic was made and setup for 12’s you can try 11’s. I find that going up or down more than one step produces a noticeable intonation change, and it may be difficult to correct this. So if your guitar was made and setup for 13’s and you go down to 10’s it will certainly mess the intonation of the guitar (if I’m correct it should be playing flat around the 12th fret ?).

So the answer is to try and see if it works for you regarding playability, volume and tone, and then if you notice an intonation problem go to a luthier and see what can be done about the setup.

 

[Orpheum]

I've never been able to get used to 11s on an acoustic...
You can't press the strings for a big ringing tone, the sound immediately gets slamming.
With a good setting on a good guitar, I continue to play with 13/56s despite my 62 years!

 

[Freeman Keller]

Yes, exactly. I can still go with .12s on my short scale dred, but on my 25.5 scale Larrivee, I am seriously considering going to .11s.

A very quick test is to tune a standard set of "lights" (12-54) down one semi tone and put a capo on it at the first fret. That will reduce the tension to almost exactly the same as 11's at concert.

As far as your first question, assuming they are the same composition and coating, lighter gauges strings should be slightly less loud and should be easier to fret and bend. They might be slightly more buzzy but usually one string gauge shouldn't require a setup unless it was marginal before. I don't like real light gauge strings on my acoustics - I do a lot of down tuning and want the extra tension of slightly heavier strings.

Some other things to think about is optimizing your setup for your style of play and using round core strings instead of hex (DR makes them).

 

[MickM]

I've been using .011-.052 Martin Monels for the last couple years. I don't notice any real volume drop but I've never been a hard bluegrass/ 60's Folk type strummer.

 

[chezdeluxe]

11-52 D’Addario PB on all my acoustics that include 000-28 short scale and standard dreadnought scale as well as long scale Gibson SJ200 and acoustic archtops.

The wound strings are only slightly lighter than 12-53 set but the proportionately much lighter first and second strings suit my playing style

 

[Masmus]

I switched to Ernie Ball 9's and I'm just not going to worry about it. Being able to play is more important to me than tone. I would also bet that trying strings made of different materials will have more effect on the sound than changing from 12's to 11's.

 

[Cali Dude]

A very quick test is to tune a standard set of "lights" (12-54) down one semi tone and put a capo on it at the first fret. That will reduce the tension to almost exactly the same as 11's at concert.

As far as your first question, assuming they are the same composition and coating, lighter gauges strings should be slightly less loud and should be easier to fret and bend. They might be slightly more buzzy but usually one string gauge shouldn't require a setup unless it was marginal before. I don't like real light gauge strings on my acoustics - I do a lot of down tuning and want the extra tension of slightly heavier strings.

Some other things to think about is optimizing your setup for your style of play and using round core strings instead of hex (DR makes them).

Wow! Thanks. That was really helpful. Appreciate it!

 

[Freeman Keller]

Wow! Thanks. That was really helpful. Appreciate it!

A few things to remember about string tension

Most manufactures list the tension of their strings for long Martin scale (25.4) or Fender scale (25.5). Changing scale length changes tension by the square of the difference. Therefore going from long Martin scale to short Martin scale reduces the tension by (24.9/25.4)^2 or 96% By the same token, the difference between Fender scale and Gibson scale is 94%

One semi tone is about 0.059 change in frequency and tension varies with the square of frequency. Therefore tuning down one semi tone would change the tension by (1/1.059)^2 or 89% Tuned down two semi tones is about 79.5% of concert. Applying a capo does not change the tension.

A set of D'Addario EJ16 light gauge strings (0.012 to 0.053) have 160 pounds of tension at concert tuning
A set of D'Addario EJ26 super light gauge strings (0.011 to 0.052) have 148 pounds of tension at concert

 

[kuch]

My acoustics:
Martin 000-28EC
Martin 000-18E Retro
Martin D28

I've used 11's on all my acoustics for 10 years or so. I just play at home so to me the slight loss of "richness" in sound is well worth the comfort and ease of playing. just my $0.02

you should try it

 

[NoTeleBob]

I've tried 10's and 11's instead of the usual 12's. You get a little less volume and ring with 11's. Otherwise I find them just easier to play.

When I used 10's they seemed a but floppy for an acoustic. Since I use 9's and 10's on electrics with the same scale, that seems odd to me. But it is what it is. Maybe it's the way I play an acoustic, without noticing.

I went with the 11's.

 

[aging_rocker]

I've been using D'Addario EJ26 11's on my acoustic for ages, but recently bought some 10's, just to see how I got on with them.

I haven't fitted them yet though...watch this space.

 

[USian Pie]

I'm always trying different gauges, materials, and tensions on acoustics. I've had a pleasant surprise or two and some "Don't do that again" experiences.

Both D'Addarrio and GHS provide tension information for their acoustic sets using a 25.5" scale. This helps for making relative comparisons.

I had phosphor bronze 11s on my Taylor 314ce for a long time. I thought they felt good and sounded fine until I started recording with them. My right hand technique is just too heavy. The strings sounded weak and choked in my hands. Instead of getting a nice, clear tone, it was... whatever the opposite of nice and clear is. It had a little of the "solid body electric guitar with a mic on it" quality -- like you hear in amateur Youtube videos.

I have some GHS thin core strings inbound to try out. They have less tension but are full-size light gauge strings. For now, D'Addario 80/20 .012s are feeling about right and sounding pretty good.

 

[redhouse_ca]

I'm getting older and getting some arthritis in my fingers. I really don't want to go to .11s, but it is becoming difficult to fret .12s cleanly for an extended period of time. What are your experiences with going to a lighter gauge string on an acoustic guitar? Thanks.

I never liked 13s on any acoustic I've owned. I play .11s on electric and on one acoustic I have (another one is .10s and another .12s). I never understood the orthodoxy of .13s. I know luthiers build for them, retailers string for them, everything I read assumes them, but I don't like em.

 

[Ron C]

This older gent has been getting a nice sound with 11-50's for quite some time.

 

[redhouse_ca]

I put Earthwood 10s on my one token acoustic right after I bought it. I don't have anything to compare it to, but it sounds plenty full to me.

This is interesting for me to read. I got a 3 pack of those and I wasn't happy with the sound on the two guitars I tried them with. I will saw that for thinner gage strong the make and material seem to matter a lot more (to my ears, anyhow).