What string gauges would give tension parity between a JM, Jag and a Strat

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
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Re: What string gauges would give tension parity between a JM, Jag and a Strat

Post by jorri » Wed May 24, 2023 4:23 pm

I think I've heard the argument from tonality before too. Lighter guages having more twang and heavier more bell like harmonics. Not sure how much I'd apply that, but the suggestion I heard was someone using 9s on a Tele and 11s on a Jazzmaster purely from a tonality argument of what suited the sound the guitars did best. Equally, you could use sloppier string on a Jag to get more of a 'detuned' feel and it would seem to suit the sound, so it can be somewhat arbitrary to only think of tension.
I think the difference in scale and break angle might matter for stability though. Break angle doesn't affect tension though, just downward pressure i think.
On a Jag I'd just consider it like a Jazzmaster with a capo on 1st fret, that's then tuned down. The inches line up with that pretty closely. So whatever tension calculator just use what it says on D# as opposed to E. Similarly maybe you'd regard 27, 28.5 and 30" instruments as 1, 2, 3 frets in the other direction although getting down to bass tunings seemed to inherently need more tension.

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Re: What string gauges would give tension parity between a JM, Jag and a Strat

Post by Marc » Fri May 26, 2023 11:07 am

Wow! Been away a few days… what a great conversation!

I just want to throw in that top loader Telecasters have an easier feel than through body. This supports a comment earlier in the thread.

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Re: What string gauges would give tension parity between a JM, Jag and a Strat

Post by JSett » Fri May 26, 2023 11:24 am

Marc wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 11:07 am
Wow! Been away a few days… what a great conversation!

I just want to throw in that top loader Telecasters have an easier feel than through body. This supports a comment earlier in the thread.
I concur with this. I tried something once with a Tele I had that had both through and top loading and I had the EAD strings though-mounted and the GBE top-loaded...this meant there was less string detuning while laying into the lower strings with power chords and the higher strings were easier to bend. It was subtle, but it was there.
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Re: What string gauges would give tension parity between a JM, Jag and a Strat

Post by Marc » Fri May 26, 2023 1:12 pm

JSett wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 11:24 am
Marc wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 11:07 am
Wow! Been away a few days… what a great conversation!

I just want to throw in that top loader Telecasters have an easier feel than through body. This supports a comment earlier in the thread.
I concur with this. I tried something once with a Tele I had that had both through and top loading and I had the EAD strings though-mounted and the GBE top-loaded...this meant there was less string detuning while laying into the lower strings with power chords and the higher strings were easier to bend. It was subtle, but it was there.
Interesting- never heard of that one but makes sense.

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Re: What string gauges would give tension parity between a JM, Jag and a Strat

Post by JSett » Fri May 26, 2023 9:19 pm

Marc wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 1:12 pm
JSett wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 11:24 am
Marc wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 11:07 am
Wow! Been away a few days… what a great conversation!

I just want to throw in that top loader Telecasters have an easier feel than through body. This supports a comment earlier in the thread.
I concur with this. I tried something once with a Tele I had that had both through and top loading and I had the EAD strings though-mounted and the GBE top-loaded...this meant there was less string detuning while laying into the lower strings with power chords and the higher strings were easier to bend. It was subtle, but it was there.
Interesting- never heard of that one but makes sense.
It was was one of those odd ideas that came to me with my old band. We used to play in an oddball C#G#C#F#A#C# tuning and my technique was often big heavy drop-D style riffs combined with 2, or often 3-string, bends (bending the bigger chords into dissonance) so hammering into the looser low strings would keep tighter in tune and the top strings would have that fraction of extra 'looseness' to them - which was nice when you're running 13's!

In the end I just carried on using my JM but blocked off the vibrato for gigs so it was a happy medium with the lower break angle combined with the rigidity of the fixed/locked unit.
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Re: What string gauges would give tension parity between a JM, Jag and a Strat

Post by Marc » Tue May 30, 2023 1:38 pm

JSett wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 9:19 pm
Marc wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 1:12 pm
JSett wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 11:24 am


I concur with this. I tried something once with a Tele I had that had both through and top loading and I had the EAD strings though-mounted and the GBE top-loaded...this meant there was less string detuning while laying into the lower strings with power chords and the higher strings were easier to bend. It was subtle, but it was there.
Interesting- never heard of that one but makes sense.
It was was one of those odd ideas that came to me with my old band. We used to play in an oddball C#G#C#F#A#C# tuning and my technique was often big heavy drop-D style riffs combined with 2, or often 3-string, bends (bending the bigger chords into dissonance) so hammering into the looser low strings would keep tighter in tune and the top strings would have that fraction of extra 'looseness' to them - which was nice when you're running 13's!

In the end I just carried on using my JM but blocked off the vibrato for gigs so it was a happy medium with the lower break angle combined with the rigidity of the fixed/locked unit.
Right. Do you have any links to your stuff it sounds interesting?

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Re: What string gauges would give tension parity between a JM, Jag and a Strat

Post by Mojambo » Tue May 30, 2023 5:28 pm

My Tele is currently strung with .10s and my JM also has .10s on it.

They're pretty close in feel, though the JM is a little harder because I'm a noob at offsets & it doesn't have an optimal setup yet, hence the action is a bit higher than it probably could be.

Strangely enough my LP also has .10s and while it is looser than the Fenders, it's not that drastic of a difference. I can switch between them all pretty easily and the LP makes for a slightly "faster" experience.

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Re: What string gauges would give tension parity between a JM, Jag and a Strat

Post by JSett » Tue May 30, 2023 10:43 pm

Marc wrote:
Tue May 30, 2023 1:38 pm
Right. Do you have any links to your stuff it sounds interesting?
I do. We released 3 proper records, two of which were under a *cough* questionable *cough* band name that started as socio-political commentary but eventually just ended up being perceived as distasteful rather than sartorial, so it got changed. That aside here's a link anyway.
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Re: What string gauges would give tension parity between a JM, Jag and a Strat

Post by JVG » Tue May 30, 2023 11:54 pm

To deviate a little from the original question, i’m not really into the idea of making all my guitars feel the same. I love having different tensions on different guitars - it encourages me to play unique things on each one, and makes them more individual.

Heavy gauges, light gauges, and everything in between; my approach is to find which works best on each guitar, and embrace the variety.

Don’t even get me started on ‘balanced tension’…..

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Re: What string gauges would give tension parity between a JM, Jag and a Strat

Post by whitewatersky » Wed May 31, 2023 12:27 am

JSett wrote:
Tue May 30, 2023 10:43 pm
Marc wrote:
Tue May 30, 2023 1:38 pm
Right. Do you have any links to your stuff it sounds interesting?
I do. We released 3 proper records, two of which were under a *cough* questionable *cough* band name that started as socio-political commentary but eventually just ended up being perceived as distasteful rather than sartorial, so it got changed. That aside here's a link anyway.
i like it.
made me think of The Party Of Helicopters
thanks for the link !

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Re: What string gauges would give tension parity between a JM, Jag and a Strat

Post by BoringPostcards » Wed May 31, 2023 2:43 am

JSett wrote:
Tue May 30, 2023 10:43 pm
Marc wrote:
Tue May 30, 2023 1:38 pm
Right. Do you have any links to your stuff it sounds interesting?
I do. We released 3 proper records, two of which were under a *cough* questionable *cough* band name that started as socio-political commentary but eventually just ended up being perceived as distasteful rather than sartorial, so it got changed. That aside here's a link anyway.
I love it. You often joke about being shit on guitar, but from all the stuff I’ve heard, you ain’t no slouch.
Det er mig der holder traeerne sammen.

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Re: What string gauges would give tension parity between a JM, Jag and a Strat

Post by JSett » Wed May 31, 2023 5:13 am

whitewatersky wrote:
Wed May 31, 2023 12:27 am
i like it.
made me think of The Party Of Helicopters
thanks for the link !
I'll take that comparision. That band were great (although we were considerably less hectic in sound). Also, that dude played one of the wild Epiphone Scroll guitars IIRC...which is punk as fuck.
BoringPostcards wrote:
Wed May 31, 2023 2:43 am
I love it. You often joke about being shit on guitar, but from all the stuff I’ve heard, you ain’t no slouch.
Thanks Judson. Yeah, I love a bit of self-deprecation with my music/art/etc. I do okay at it I guess, but I definitely play within my limits... I suppose I just feel like I'm not very good compared to so many other people out there. I don't know any scales, barely any chord names, zero music theory, I can't shred, I can't tap, I'm finally learning proper fingerpicking at 41 years of age. I know these aren't the indicators of being 'good' or not, but I feel a little inferior compared to those that know it.

But I'm having a good time, so, fuck it.
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Re: What string gauges would give tension parity between a JM, Jag and a Strat

Post by PapaB » Wed May 31, 2023 2:46 pm

41 is YOUNG!!! And besides old is when you stop learning .... (I suspect we all know is not the number of notes one plays, but the right ones, "con corazón.")

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