9s on a 594. Show of hands

After decades using 010s, I recently tried 095s on one of my PRSs, a CE22.

Slight difference in tone I think (hard to tell on an unfamiliar Laney in the backline provided) but seemed noticeably harder to get touch harmonics from the upper two strings. Also, to me the 095s were almost useless for slide work. They might work fine on a guitar set up with higher action for slide, but attempting it with my normal action was not pretty. And I keep my action medium-high, not super low.

Going lighter didn't work well for me, but I'm pretty set in my ways. I might try 'em on a Fender scale axe someday, maybe with the stiffer feel they'd suit me better.

Of course every player is different; YMMV.
 
I feel like 9's would be a touch too slinky for me on the 594. 9.5's feel perfect to me and I didn't find any difference in tone compared to 10's.
 
Folks should play what they’re comfortable with.

My only problem with .009s is that for rhythm playing, they now feel a little too floppy for accurate picking. But I used them for years and years, and never thought they were too floppy!

It’s your instrument - do what makes you feel good!
 
in the 80s i saw a bass with gummy strings that rolled across the fingerboard on bends. this was in the same store where a salesman came over and removed the first prs i ever saw from my hands (i was 18 and not yet an gastroenterologist).
 
I feel like 9's would be a touch too slinky for me on the 594. 9.5's feel perfect to me and I didn't find any difference in tone compared to 10's.

I tried stepping down to a .0095 set once but prefer the feel of .010s, and went back. Just a personal thing, and as stated above, no discernible tonal change.
 
you won't hear a difference with 9s until you downtune. The tension seems to change the attack and sustain of the notes a bit. I used to prefer it. I've played D standard on a 245 with 9s just fine previously
 
I put a set of 9.5s DRs on it last night. It feels a little better. Going to adjust a bit more. The action just seemed to be higher from the factory than any other PRS I have owned.
 
I had a friend ask me to set up his Floyd Rose for 0.008s in D-standard tuning.

It was... delicate.

I play 0.010s because I am a Hamfisted String Banger, but then you knew that.
 
I used to play 9’s, but since i got back into playing a year and a half ago, I’ve had 10’s on everything - they just feel right to me. But there are NO RULES! BB King got all that amazing tone with 8’s and when he played a guitar of Billy Gibbons (with 11’s or 12’s) one night is reputed to have told Billy, ‘son, youre working too hard’ or words to that effect. Billy claims he now uses 7’s, which he may not be lying about. And hes no tone slouch himself... For me, lighter than 10 just doesnt feel right. But if i could play like either of those guys, I’d play 7’s or 8’s too...
 
Last edited:
I tried a set of 9's on my 594. I didn't care much for the feel - too floppy as was stated above. Tone wise, not much different with distortion, but sounded kind of plinky clean. I went back to 10's.

I run 10-46 on all my 24.X and 25 inch scale guitars, and a half and half set of 9-46 on 25.5 inch scale guitars.
 
Back
Top