11's on LP Feel A lot bigger than on Strat?

[MGuts]

I have 11's on both my Strat and Lp. On the Lp they are wrapped over the tail piece if that makes any difference..Have any of you ever felt that on a LP the same size string might feel a little heavier and bigger than on a Strat? My Strat came with 10's from the factory, and they felt very light, so I went to the 11's. Feels great, but on the Lp I did the same thing and it feels like I'm playing elevator cables. Something to do with the shorter scale? Thanks.

 

[plexistack]

Wrapping over the tailpiece definitely makes them bend more easily, since there's more string to bend / stretch.

A shorter scale with the same tension will feel stiffer than a longer one.

 

[MGuts]

Wrapping over the tailpiece definitely makes them bend more easily, since there's more string to bend / stretch.

A shorter scale with the same tension will feel stiffer than a longer one.

They bend real easy, but I guess they just feel real big. It must be the scale length I'm feeling. Thanks.

 

[TB72]

Wrapping over the tailpiece definitely makes them bend more easily, since there's more string to bend / stretch.

A shorter scale with the same tension will feel stiffer than a longer one.

It's actually the other way around. The longer the scale, the more tension there will be on the string (all other strings being equal).

Later...

 

[Brien]

Yeah, I feel the opposite is true. LP with 11's feels lighter than on a strat.

 

[cochese]

The same gauge string "should" feel slinkier on the Gibson scale length versus the longer Fender scale. I say should because there are other factors at work that can compromise the physics of scale length. Better fret work as well as fret height and size will often be the determining factor.

 

[Luke V]

Yeah, I feel the opposite is true. LP with 11's feels lighter than on a strat.

I always use heavier strings on Gibsons than on Fenders for this reason.

 

[Steve73]

Yeah, I feel the opposite is true. LP with 11's feels lighter than on a strat.

Me too, .11's on my LP and PRS are way lighter than on my Strat and Tele.

 

[sinner]

It's actually the other way around. The longer the scale, the more tension there will be on the string (all other strings being equal).

Later...

That does seem to be the majority of thinking--but I still say it depends on the guitar, wood, set-up, neck stiffness, break angle of nut and saddle, etc.

My LP feels much stiffer with 11s than my Strat. I now play 10s on everything, and the LP is still stiffer, I believe it's the guitar.

 

[Intelligentpony]

Are the string heights exactly the same on both guitars? If the Les Paul's are higher that will give them a stiffer feel.

I have 11's on both my Strat and Lp. On the Lp they are wrapped over the tail piece if that makes any difference..Have any of you ever felt that on a LP the same size string might feel a little heavier and bigger than on a Strat? My Strat came with 10's from the factory, and they felt very light, so I went to the 11's. Feels great, but on the Lp I did the same thing and it feels like I'm playing elevator cables. Something to do with the shorter scale? Thanks.

 

[Steven]

yeah, i feel the opposite is true. Lp with 11's feels lighter than on a strat.

+ 1.

 

[Southern ILL]

Wrapping over the tailpiece definitely makes them bend more easily, since there's more string to bend / stretch.

A shorter scale with the same tension will feel stiffer than a longer one.

Crazy talk....

Get those guitars looked at fellas'.

 

[Bo Faulkner]

I just switched to 11's on my LP. I have loved the way the 10's were on it but I seemed to be a tad pitchy with chords and single note stuff and wondered if the 10's were just a tad too loose feeling (action is really easy and low) The 11's seemed to really improve tuning stability and the slight pitchyness. I must admit that while they felt superb at home before the gig once I got on stage they felt like huge cables!

 

[MGuts]

I was just comparing my LP and Strat side by side, and I think the guy accidentally set it up with 12's. I looked online at the two different sets I have on each guitar, and from high to low they pretty much match up. The Les Paul set I picked had a .5 low E and the Fender had a .49 low E. Would that .01 really make that big of a difference?

 

[musicman1]

My 93 LP standard had 9s from the get go but I had a new nut cut and went to 10s. I never liked the 10's on that gtr. I always thought they felt "thick" and "unnatural" for lack of a better word. Eventually I went back to 9s and the gtr really felt "normal" again. Its very odd because I use 10s on most of my other gtrs including a 335.

 

[Brien]

I was just comparing my LP and Strat side by side, and I think the guy accidentally set it up with 12's. I looked online at the two different sets I have on each guitar, and from high to low they pretty much match up. The Les Paul set I picked had a .5 low E and the Fender had a .49 low E. Would that .01 really make that big of a difference?

No.

 

[wgs1230]

It's actually the other way around. The longer the scale, the more tension there will be on the string (all other strings being equal).

That's right- simple physics, really. If the LP feels stiffer than the Fender, it might very well be b/c the LP's nut slots haven't been adjusted for the .011s and the OP is feeling the effects of pinching/binding. Re-tuning the G and D all the time, too?

 

[plexistack]

That's right- simple physics, really. If the LP feels stiffer than the Fender, it might very well be b/c the LP's nut slots haven't been adjusted for the .011s and the OP is feeling the effects of pinching/binding. Re-tuning the G and D all the time, too?

Clearly the physics is not so simple, or you'd realize the longer the string the more it will bend.

 

[wgs1230]

Clearly the physics is not so simple, or you'd realize the longer the string the more it will bend.

Or, alternately, you'd realize that just because there's more string to bend doesn't mean the tension at pitch is equivalent between the two scale lengths. The shorter scale is easier to bend precisely b/c there's less total string length required to produce the same note. Nice try, though.

 

[KennyM]

I was weaned on Les Pauls and I used a pretty heavy set on them especially on the bottom. Years ago when I bought my first vintage strat I put the same set of strings on it. After a week of gigging every night I literally tore all the tips of my fingers off. I decided to go with a less manly set from then on.

I'd say that I'm in the camp that given the same strings, they will feel lighter on a LP.