Why Do Most PRS Guitars Ship with 10-Gauge Strings?

[flatfeed611]

I’ve noticed that most PRS guitars come equipped with 10-gauge strings as the factory standard. Is there a specific reason for this?

It seems like 9s, being easier to play, might be a more attractive option for players seeking a comfortable playing experience. Wouldn’t that make the guitars more appealing and potentially boost sales?

Does PRS believe 10s offer the best balance between tone and playability, or is it more about aligning with the preferences of most players? I’m curious if there’s a practical advantage to this choice, or if it’s simply a long-standing tradition for the brand.

What are your thoughts? Do you stick with the 10s, or do you prefer switching to a different gauge?

 

[dmatthews]

Did 9s for a long while, then 10s because that's what was shipped with PRS. Now back on 9s for the last 5 years or so.
Doubt I'll go back to 10s.

 

[FatFingerBlues]

10s are a good gauge
if you use 9's you can go down without nut issues
The more people play the stronger their fingers get
many professional guitarists go up in gauge as the Tour gets longer and the fingers get stronger

10s are just a good compromise

for what it's worth I use 9's and 9.5's with 10s on my HB

 

[Faded]

Because they are the generally accepted norm and as such, most popular.

 

[RickP]

It’s a good middle ground. I would guess that’s as good a reason as any.

 

[Rider1260]

First thing I do to a new guitar ( or a new used guitar ) is change the strings and set it up for me.
25" scale 10s , I would go 11s if I could play long enough easier to control ( for me ) heavier strings .
I don't think the string gauge a guitar ships with effects sales one bit.
In Fact most dealers used install the string gauge of your choice.

 

[Greywolf]

I used 10's for decades , they were "standard" guage for a long time. I switched to the 9.5-44 's on most of my herd. The DGT stays with the 11-49s and is just as easy to play. Put on what works and adjust as needed.

 

[DISTORT6]

Their market research probably says the majority of new guitar buyers prefer 10's.

 

[Juan Luis Vidal]

In the end it really doesn't matter (aside for noodling with the guitar at the store): as soon as you buy a new guitar, string change and a proper setup.

But yes, 10s are my default string gauge. Even when I go for lower tunings my unwound strings will remain 10s.

 

[littlebadboy]

9s are too floppy for me on the PRS scale. 10s is a bit tight, but works. I think a 9.5 would be great.

I'm on drop c tuning with .0115 - .015 - .019p - .030 - .042 - .058 on it. I love Stringjoy because I can customize a set.

 

[Maertl513]

In the bicycle industry (especially triathlon, road racer, mountain bikes) a good amount of bikes were shipped to the dealer w/o pedals. And the customer decides - with being extra charged for pedals - for his proper foot platform.
Custom order guitars were manufactured to the demand of the customer.
Guitars - other than bikes - need strings very much in the production process in production line process guitar building to ensure a good output. To prevent from extra costs, producers decide for gauges, which the majority of the abstract customers would agree an, too.

Why Do Most PRS Guitars Ship with 10-Gauge Strings?​

Because PRS set it that way.

 

[BrianC]

prefer 9's here

I get that 10 may be more popular and add to tone.

 

[xxxadixxx]

To the point of "more appealing and potentially boost sales", I doubt that has any impact. Strings are disposable and thus not a likely factor in anyone's purchasing decision. I cannot remember many guitars where I did not change the strings within a week of receiving the guitar, thus my comment about the shipping strings not likely impacting the purchasing decision.

With regards to the actual gauge, 10's always seemed to be the "standard" for E-standard tuning for as long as I can remember (back to the mid 90's), at least for the type of music/Player I listened to. Few of my guitars are currently strung with 10's as most have 11-52's now given I prefer to tune to D-standard or Drop-C.

 

[László]

I suspect that most of us can hear the difference between gauges, especially clean - if they take the trouble to listen for themselves instead of taking someone else's advice. I certainly can. But ignore my advice because I posted a link you can listen to with your very own ears.

Most experienced players who don't only buy 'em for looks will go into a store and play several guitars. Chances are, they'll buy the one that both looks great and sounds best to them.

If you're going to sell guitars, then, you want them to sound good without putting off the customer by using a gauge that's hard to play.

The reason that .010s are used is most likely because they are reasonably easy to play, and PRS wants the guitars to sound their best in the showroom - without installing the .011s that most players would find off-putting.

Some internet experts claim that they can't hear it (Rick Beato, anyone? BTW, I love the guy but he's just f#cking wrong on this one). You can hear differences between various alloys and brands, but you can't hear the gauge differences? Give me a break.

Hearing is believing.

If you have halfway decent speakers or headphones, you'll hear differences between string gauges by the same manufacturer with the same alloy type, as demonstrated in the video clip.

Go to about 36 minutes into the video, and you'll find the A/B tests. The thicker strings have a little more fullness on the bottom, and there are upper midrange differences that are noticeable as well.

 

[JasonE]

PRS used to ship with 9's years ago. Many of us would cut the 9's off and touch up the nut slots to accept 10's with no issues and move to the heavier gage because that is what we play. I have been on 10's for decades now. There are a few reasons I like and stick with 10's but I doubt that any of those reasons are why PRS is shipping with 10's now. I think it is because it is a more common gage for players. I also took the 11's off of my DGT and put 10's on it when I got it. I use the same strings on all of my electric guitars, regardless of scale length.

 

[Monahan]

...It seems like 9s, being easier to play, might be a more attractive option for players seeking a comfortable playing experience. Wouldn’t that make the guitars more appealing and potentially boost sales?

...What are your thoughts? Do you stick with the 10s, or do you prefer switching to a different gauge?

It's a good question, one that marketing folks at PRS must have given a bit of thought to as well

Remember, there are two distinct offerings at PRS: Overseas (SE) and American made.

Generally speaking, a beginner or intermediate player would likely as you mentioned, find the 9s to be a more attractive option. SE's ship with 9s

Again, generally speaking, a buyer of the American made PRS guitars is more likely to be playing 10s, because presumably those are the most popular. There was a time when the American made models shipped with 9s-- because again, they were very popular.

In the end, they've gotta put something on there, so unless it's a specific artist model/spec (i.e. DGTs ship with 11s) it makes sense to use whatever is most popular.

My thoughts on strings?
- Pure Nickel round-wound sound and feel better
- 10s Are fine, and have been my go-to for decades. Also pretty good at breaking in a guitar (much like you would do a good speaker)
- 9s Are becoming my preferred gauge (25.5" PRS Teles)
- 8s Are my favorite due to FEEL. And yes, my sound can be as big as I like, as my amps have at least volume, bass, and treble controls. And they work wonderfully

Okay, back to playing

 

[JasonE]

Another thing to note is that music has changed a lot since PRS hit the market. When they were putting 9's on them it was all about 24 fret guitars and everyone was playing 9's. They made a conscious turn towards a vintage inspired instrument. That is around the time the moved to putting 10's on them. I believe that was also influenced by what most players were using on these types of guitars.

 

[Moondog Wily]

220, 221, whatever it takes!

 

[Prina]

10's on the Cores for clean/EOB. 8/8.5's on the SE's for higher gain.

The SE's don't lose as much as the Cores do going to lighter strings. At higher gain it's mostly the amp and like BB King and Billy Gibbons have said, why work that hard?

 

[BobbyBe]

At the risk of embarrassing myself Ill share my experience.

I ran an informal experiment with my DGT and Custom 24 for a year. Every string change received a new gauge and factory spec setup. In order (8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, 11) (Stringjoy on all gauges except PRS Grissom 11's)). My personal experience taught me that the harmonic content of my guitar expanded when I got to the 9.5 set on both guitars. From 9.5-11 I noticed an eq shift towards the low mids from the mid mids.

My conclusions:
1) The lighter the gauge the thinner the sound (confirmed by the video above).

2) If the gauge provides inadequate tension, the guitars neck/body seems to become a bystander watching the string flop. This appears to minimize harmonic content. Neck/body resonance seems to have a tension threshold/sweet spot. Once the tension is adequate the neck and body get involved and vibrate. You can feel/hear it when its unplugged.

3) Playability: My Custom24, has a pattern thin neck with standard sized frets. I love the light gauge playability. On the DGT (tall stainless frets) I had a strong dislike of light gauges. The low tension of the strings made it difficult to play the DGT because each fretted note was easily bent out of tune by fretting the note. This problem improved on the DGT at 9.5 and went away altogether at 10.5. To me, it seems easier to play the DGT with 10.5's and 11's than it is to play with 9.5's and below. Ill gladly trade off a little bend pressure for the ability to not have too think about finger pressure.

4 Bends: 10's on my custom 24 seem to bend as easily as 11's on the DGT.

Today, I play 10's on the Custom 24 and 11's on the DGT.