These Go To Eleven.

[László]

I have a new DGT I've posted about previously. When I bought it, my dealer offered to change the .011s that the model comes with to my usual .010s.

I wanted to try the guitar with the stock strings before deciding. Seems like as logical a starting point as any.

So I had the guitar set up to my usual preferences with the stock strings. Granted, the thought did cross my mind that the .011s might be a bit too much for my hands, since in recent years my fingers have gotten a little bit reluctant to follow orders!

You know what, the .011s are fine.

Whether it's the DGT's neck, or the fret height and width, or the 'give' in the trem, I hardly noticed the difference between the strings on this guitar and the strings on my other PRS', all equipped with .010s. Bends aren't difficult.

In a way, I'm not surprised, PRS isn't likely to release a guitar that's hard to play.

I like the tone of the .011s. There's a certain solidity that's nice. And I like the way they respond to strumming and arpeggios. They stay in tune a little better.

Speaking only for myself, there's not much reason to find .011s intimidating. If you're thinking about a DGT, they're actually pretty nice.

 

[gush]

I always wondered about that.

If I pick up a dgt I'll definitely try it with the 11s.

 

[John F]

I haven’t tried 11s in an electric, but I admit I do like a little fight in my guitar. I read somewhere that Bonamasa does too.

 

[Simon Says]

I have played 11s for the past several years. Funny enough, I just bought some 10s to see if I will like them better I never really played the 10s for long. The bass strings have too much give to how I play. It was always 10-52 or 11-50 with me.

 

[Andrew Paul]

Sad to say but 11’s won’t work with my hands. I used to I have 13’s on my acoustic guitars with standard tuning and I’m down to 10’s and 12’s for my acoustic tuned a whole step down. My PRS electric guitars… 9’s for 25” scale with trem, 9.5s for wraparound bridge 25” scale, 9.5s for Santana’s and 594

 

[László]

Back in the late 60s when I first got interested in guitars, most of them seemed to come with 'medium gauge' .011s, and the first thing my friends did when they got a guitar was put on .010 lights, or later on, .009 extra-lights when those became widely available.

My guitar was a hand-me-down from my brother, and he had already put light gauge strings on it, so it wasn't a choice on my part. I used what he said to use. I later went to .009s. Then in the late '90s I went back to .010s because the extra-lights began to feel too floppy on rhythm parts.

I haven’t tried 11s in an electric, but I admit I do like a little fight in my guitar. I read somewhere that Bonamasa does too.

My son says the same thing, one reason he likes Telecasters. I'm more of a 'take the path of least resistance' guy.

The interesting thing to me is that this guitar plays pretty much like a guitar with .010s; maybe that's due to the setup and a combination of other factors. I don't feel it's fighting me. Everything I've always done, I do on this guitar without thinking about it with one exception:

I occasionally hit the wrong note because the neck is slimmer toward the 12th fret than I'm used to. However, that's happening less and less as I familiarize myself with the instrument.

 

[László]

Sad to say but 11’s won’t work with my hands. I used to I have 13’s on my acoustic guitars with standard tuning and I’m down to 10’s and 12’s for my acoustic tuned a whole step down. My PRS electric guitars… 9’s for 25” scale with trem, 9.5s for wraparound bridge 25” scale, 9.5s for Santana’s and 594

I kinda took a flyer on the .011s when my DGT was set up. I wasn't sure if I could handle them comfortably. I was surprised they felt as easy to play as they do.

But that doesn't mean they'd work for everyone, or that they ought to. I figure our hands are as unique as our ears, brains, and skills.

I've never tried a set of .095s, simply because I'm fine with the .010s.

On my acoustic I use light tops, medium bottoms in standard tuning; the D'Addario 80/20 'Bluegrass Set', .012-.056 which is what came on the guitar. After trying different strings and formulations, I quickly found the guitar was voiced for the strings it came with, so I've stuck with them for a number of years.

 

[Russ73]

Sad to say but 11’s won’t work with my hands. I used to I have 13’s on my acoustic guitars with standard tuning and I’m down to 10’s and 12’s for my acoustic tuned a whole step down. My PRS electric guitars… 9’s for 25” scale with trem, 9.5s for wraparound bridge 25” scale, 9.5s for Santana’s and 594

9s on 25" and I have 10s on my 25" taylor 300 series...im getting old lol

 

[BigChrisW]

David Grissom talks about how some guitars work better with 11's and some with lighter gauges. I use 11s for all my gig guitars as we tune a half-step but my home guitars are all 10s. Ultimately, doesn't matter if they feel and sound good!

 

[László]

Ultimately, doesn't matter if they feel and sound good!

You hit the nail on the head!

 

[Greywolf]

I'd agree with the it depends on the instrument logic. I'd been playing 10's for decades on electric , 12's on acoustic . Playing bass gives my hand plenty of workout with the big boys . I switched to the 9.5's on my PRS's and while I miss a little of the tension for fast work , and the extra tone is nice , it forced me to lighten my touch up on both hands , and the result was I'm able to play more , and more comfortably . The change has really improved my playing . I went heavier on acoustic , but drop the tuning

 

[JasonE]

I didn't mind the 11s. I just don't like stocking multiple gages of strings. I buy them in quantities of 10 sets or more and I don't want to buy two gages and store them. My DGT and my hollo bodies came with 11s on them. When I wore them out, I moved them over to 10s, since that is what I keep on hand. Using the same strings on all of my guitars provides one point of consistency across my guitars that I like as well. The setup makes all the difference in the world when going up or down a gage on strings. If you bend a lot, you will notice a difference. It may not be huge but it is there.

 

[GADonis]

Looks like the SE comes with 10s. I'm guessing that has to do with appealing to a wider range of players. I've never played a Core or SE, but I would like to. I do 10s on my PRS and G guitars. The F's get 9s. One day I suppose the local shop will get in an SE and I'll have to go play it. Anybody want to lay odds on it staying in the store afterwards?

 

[veinbuster]

DGT is one of 3 guitars I keep 11s on.
I also have them on a piezo HB, because PRS said they were best with the piezo.
I chose them for my rosewood Santana because I wanted to double down on the ballsy tone.

 

[bodia]

I'd have to agree. The .011s on the DGT sure don't seem like .011s on another guitar. Having said that, I still went to .009s on mine.

 

[JasonE]

DGT is one of 3 guitars I keep 11s on.
I also have them on a piezo HB, because PRS said they were best with the piezo.
I chose them for my rosewood Santana because I wanted to double down on the ballsy tone.

I can tell you from experience with 4 Piezo equipped PRS guitars, they work just fine with D'Addario 10's on them. I have been running all of mine that way since the original set of strings were ready to be changed.

 

[László]

I chose them for my rosewood Santana because I wanted to double down on the ballsy tone.

That's a good way of describing what I'm hearing with the .011s.

 

[László]

Using the same strings on all of my guitars provides one point of consistency across my guitars that I like as well.

I certainly see the sense in that, but each of my PRS' has a different neck carve. So I adjust to each one individually as a matter of course.

The setup makes all the difference in the world when going up or down a gage on strings. If you bend a lot, you will notice a difference. It may not be huge but it is there.

So true.

 

[László]

I'm not proselytizing medium gauge strings by any means. I'm not going to be putting them on my other PRS'. Those guitars feel great, and I'm not fixin' what ain't broken.

However, while not being shocked, I'm happy about the DGT/.011s combination.

For those adding a DGT to the woodpile, I'd say don't be afraid to try the .011s. They might work for you once you acclimate to them for a day or two. On the other hand, I have no idea how a DGT feels with .010s - might be great!

 

[DECEMBERmusic.org]

I use 53 37 26 20w 14 11 for drop-D, A=432Hz on a 25" PRS. I think they sound and feel a lot better than lighter strings.