# Poll: What Gauge Strings Do You Prefer On Your Acoustic?



## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

I am interested to hear what is preferred. Maybe state why, or the type of music or picking style you play.


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## Larry (Sep 3, 2016)

Whatever gauge it left the factory with.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

13 - 53 on Martin dreds.

Because 13s are louder and I have a loud voice. 13s are easy enough to play with a good setup.

I use 11s on my electrics.

Haven't a fuckin clue what kind of music I play but I suppose it's bluegrass, gospel, alt country and southern rock sort of stuff.

Broken motors, busted lives, four chords and a pack of lies.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

12 - 54 and very specifically round-core


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

13 - 56 on my GS-Mini. Because of the short scale anything lighter feels like spaghetti. My other acoustics get 12 - 54. Hard tension on the LaPatrie Etude.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Depends on the guitar. Generally 12s on standard tuned guitars, but 13s on the baritone tuned to C# or D or heavies if I tune it lower. Usually D’Addario but sometimes John Pearse. Mediums for dadgad but sometimes a mixed set if I have the odds on hand.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

12s. 11s are too quiet, and 13s are too hard to bend for a pansy like me me who is accustomed to a Tele with 8-38s


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

9-42 Ernie Ball Super Slinky electric strings.


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## fernieite (Oct 30, 2006)

Doug Gifford said:


> 12 - 54 and very specifically round-core


My preference exactly.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

John Pearse slightly light 11-50


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

keithb7 said:


> I am interested to hear what is preferred. Maybe state why, or the type of music or picking style you play.


Which one? Many of us have more than one. See Larry's quote below.



Larry said:


> Whatever gauge it left the factory with.


Correct. The mfrs. have spent a lot of time figuring out what is best for each acoustic model they build. The only time I could see changing them would be to a lighter gauge when starting out to make it easier on the fingers until the callouses get built up.


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

12-54 is showing quite a lead. I too use them. Recently I bought a few sets of 13-56 80/20 to give a try. They do sound great. I like them, however I also do some lead work. The .013 high E, and .017 B strings are a little harder to bend. That doesn't bother me. It's the aching fingers that have come back. I play lots and have good callouses. Yet those 13-56 strings have me feeing more like a beginner again. I'll stick with them for a while and use them up. See how I feel after a few months of regular playing with the 13-56.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

You should change your poll to 12-53/54 as D'Addario lights are 12-53 not 54.


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

I have 13-56 round core PBs on my Waterloo Jumbo King and 12-54 80/20s on my Halcyon NL-00.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

I start and keep maker's specs as string gauge is concerned. So, almost all my herd have gauge 0,012" strings.
Notable exceptions are Taylors 510 and GS-5 and my Hot Rod tricone which all have 0,013", 
and the GoldTone banjitar wearing 0,010"
Why ? Because the makers suggest the string gauge that gets the best vibrations out of the body.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

11-52 is my preference.



Steadfastly said:


> Correct. The mfrs. have spent a lot of time figuring out what is best for each acoustic model they build. The only time I could see changing them would be to a lighter gauge when starting out to make it easier on the fingers until the callouses get built up.


The only "correct" strings are the ones that best suit each individual playing style and taste in music. The manufacturer recommendation is a no go in many cases. Ditto with electrics.


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## reckless toboggan (Mar 9, 2019)

Martin 80/20 Bronze: 13 - 56


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## ol' 58 (Jul 12, 2019)

Guncho said:


> You should change your poll to 12-53/54 as D'Addario lights are 12-53 not 54.


The S&P strings that came with my Songsmith are 12-53. They are the gauge I prefer because it's my first guitar so it's all I know.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

I used 13s for years, because I wanted to be the loudest guy around the campfire.

A few years after getting more serious about my playing, particularly fingerstyle, I switched to 12s and was surprised by how little difference it made to tone and volume.


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## cbg1 (Mar 27, 2012)

Daddario ej 17 -exp 17

ej 17 if i am going to use them up over a weekend, exp 17 if i am going to play for an evening then come back to them at a later time.

i am not a fan of coated strings but daddario"s approach of coating the winding wrap instead of the complete string after wrapping feels less like i am playing classical strings 

i use ej 16's on my mid 50's lg2 as it is light and frail


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

12-53 Elixir's on most everything but 12-56 on smaller bodies to amp the bass a bit.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

bw66 said:


> I used 13s for years, because I wanted to be the loudest guy around the campfire.
> 
> A few years after getting more serious about my playing, particularly fingerstyle, I switched to 12s and was surprised by how little difference it made to tone and volume.


I wonder if that has more to do with guitar design than the difference in string gauge. If your guitar was designed for 12's that may be the reason. Just a thought.


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Electric player for 45+ yrs, acoustic player for about 4-5 yrs, so go with 10's so I can bend strings in the same manner as electric. Also, my old Gibson J-50 will soon need a neck reset, so the old doll seems to enjoy the lighter string tension until the day I get that done.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

gtone, that's part of the reason I like 11's on my acoustics as well. Didn't heavily get into acoustic till about 2011 and have been an electric player (lead) for 35 years so much of it is approached from the POV. Gonna be changing strings to 12's this week to see what happens as the 11's feel pretty light at this point to my fingers.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I'd have to go check.
I do use a lighter gauge as it's a 12 string with a crack in the top.


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