I tried Stevie Ray Vaughan's absolutely CRAZY guitar setup... 

Stevie's jumbo frets had a good deal to do with being able to play such heavy strings. Not the standard Fender medium jumbo frets.

I always think about the early blues players with a cotton bale wire nailed on their porch. And cheap guitars with heavy strings and bowed necks and ridiculous high action. They played through the pain and made music with great attack or subtlety, as they desired. I saw Freddie King play and saw the immense strength in his hands which, like SRV, was a vital component of his setup. On the other hand, BB King is said to have played 8's and his tone was legendary!

It's good you mentioned that they were a custom gauge! Too many youtubers stick on a regular set of 13s and wonder why it sounds terrible. Another thing to bare in mind is that he used the fat end of a Fender medium (or equivalent) pick. It sort of glides across the strings, creates a lot less string movement and takes some of the strain off your left hand. That balanced tension set gets you pretty dam close and are actually quite easy to play when you get used to them!

I once spoke with a guy in a SRV tribute band who used 11s to get in the SRV realm and complained between sets about hand pain. He also said something to the affect of Stevie didn't have to play 3 hr sets each night. 😂 I quickly reminded him of how Stevie made it big... playing 3 hours a night and practicing all the frigging time.

I personally like heavy gauge strings for the tension. The added tension helps me bend more accurately just by feel alone. I also have a heavy picking hand and higher tension strings seem to have a more focused tone when picking aggressively, especially on the lower strings. String gauge has an effect on the magnetic field of the pickup and have a higher output, and slight differences in harmonics. From my experiences I’ve learned a thicker strings help with creating a tone rich in harmonics, it can tighten up bass frequencies and mellow out “ice picky” treble frequencies.

I read somewhere that he was actually switching to lighter and lighter gauges towards the end of his life, as he had a lot of problems with his tendons

I shook Stevie Ray Vaughan’s hand at the El Macombo in Toronto, he wasn’t very tall, but his hands were monstrous, I have big hands, they were dwarfed by his hands, that’s how he played that string gauge

Martinez has commented on the strings SRV used later on in his career. He was down to a 10-52 set due to various hand issues

GHS Nickel Rockers are the exact strings Stevie used after Rene started working on Stevie's guitars. You can still buy them. If you want to go hardcore, you just change out the high E in the set to a .13 to play the original set. As far as the action goes, Rene has a vid where he sets up a guitar just like Stevie's.

The main reason SRV used such a heavy gauge was not tone. It was his extremely hard picking and his sledge hammer strumming that was regularly breaking "regular" gauges.

Cool video, had to sub , cheers from New Zealand

that's such a great video idea, especially loved the impression😆

I grew up in Dallas where was from. I used the same guitar shop he did sometimes. I met him at a record signing and he was very nice. He was kinda short but he also had enormous hands for a man of any size, especially a man who was well under 6 feet tall. His huge mutant hands has to have had a strong affect on his sound too.

Great video! I wish your channel well!

People like SRV and Jimi Hendrix were special, perhaps because they had assets that ordinary people don't have, as you said, SRV had big hands and so did Jimi Hendrix, it always amazed me how he could ever fret a chord cleanly with his huge fingers, but he did!

Now just imagine how much better SRV could have been if he played with a playable guitar.

Yet again another solid video! I was not a SRV fan when I was younger but I did grow to appreciate him!! Thicker than 10s for me... no way lol!! Thanks for the info!!

You may want to watch Rick Beat's video about string gauges and whether or not they really do make that big of a tonal difference using heavier gauge strings. He mentions SRV and that he eventually dropped back down to 11's or even 10's. He developed tendonitis in his hands because of the heavier gauge strings.

I absolutely love 11s~12s (or even 13s) and really really high action on guitar. I feel that bending turns a lot more rewarding and precise. It wears you out quicker, but seems more enjoyable to my playing. You fight the guitar and play like a damn horse. It's amazing!

Tone was more important to Stevie Ray then anything else. ❤ He had 1inch holes in his finger's. He alway's brought his Little kit with me that consists of Bakein' Powder Super Glue and a nail file. Took with everywhere he went. He would lose his calasis and skin graft his own finger's so he could play. He did that quite a bit. The owner of the El Macombo and the Manager thought it was bullshit. Till he went back in t he office and fixed his finger's. They just stood there and stared. They couldn't believe what they were seein'. Stevie Ray just laughed and said gotta fix my finger's or I won't be able to play. So I gotta do what I gotta do. I think I paid my due's don't you? Stevie laughed all the way back to the stage to start his second show. ❤ MY Brother was a Trip a Real Kool Cat. Stevie Ray didn't play the guitar Stevie Ray was the Guitar. That's what made him the Greatest Guitar Player on the Face of the Planet. ❤ I Miss his Crazy Shit Every Simgle Day. I loved Em with ALL MY HEART AND SOUL. ❤️ I ALWAY'S WILL TILL THE DAY I DIE ❤❤❤❤

Stevie played a set of .13s most of his life. But the last few years his guitar tech slowly lowered the gauge because Stevie needed the relief as time went on. By the last year of his life he was playing .10s, as I’ve read.

Amazing video Sam! It's so great to see how much progress you've made so far!

Great video Great playing, your right ❤ 🔥

Thicker strings generally have less upper harmonics, but the output is higher due to more mass. The increased tension also means they don't get pulled as sharp when plucked hard, but the upper harmonics are also sharper so there's more harmonic clashing when harmonic distortion is applied. High gain tones usually roll off by ~2kHz anyway, so it's not really an issue.

Never clicked on a video so fast 😂😂😂. Love the playing and the hat

I used to put the D’Addario NYXL 12-54s tuned to Eb on my strats (I still have one with this set on it) but it requires quite the precision setup to keep it from bending the neck out of shape lol. It was interesting to see the different gauges he used in comparions to the 12 16 20 32 42 54 of what I was using. I’ve equipped my current main strat with the nyxl 11-52 and I have to be careful not to over bend and snap the high strings because of the tension I was used to lol. Thanks for the video and explanation, always fascinated to hear more about my favourite guitar player.

I might be mixing up stories, but I believe it was BB King who picked up Stevie’s guitar, played a little bit, and said “why you working so hard?”

Awesome video! I think the higher action also impacts the tone.

Check out Frank Marino. He played with light strings. Eight on the high E. And he played an SG. He liked it loose and in E most of the time, but his tone is just as massive as SRV's.

Great vid 🔥🔥

When Stevie was learning the guitar and growing up, he had practically no money, he could not afford to buy equipment that would give him the BIG sound he wanted, using the heaviest gage strings was all he could afford to get the sound bigger and thicker than all of the other Blues players around...............Genius!!!!

One missing component - Stevie used GHS Nickel Rocker semi-flat pure nickel strings - they have a warmer, smoother sound but also more tension on the wound strings - you can actually get the exact set he used towards the end of his life as he had dropped down to .011 on the high E - they are called the "Lo-Tune" set.

I’d like to add something from an observation. Whenever Stevie broke a string the guitar hardly went out of tune. That’s because he had the screws holding the spring tension on the bridge block close to the body surface. The characteristic of the springs comes into play as well when bending a string. Notice that the lower strings are pretty heavy and serve to hold tension on the five springs so that they are already stretched somewhat. I found that a pre-stretched spring is much easier to stretch further than a “cold” unstretched spring when bending strings, in my experience. Adjusting the screws to put the most tension on the springs allowed me to use those heavy gauge strings comfortably (watch the bridge move when you bend a string). But of course, one needs to build up one’s hand strength as well as setting up the guitar for heavy strings.

The exact strings he used in his last years was (at the time) a set of custom GHS nickel rollerwound strings, now sold as the GHS 1300 set. The gauge is too heavy for my liking (low E is super thick), but I recommend the mediums.

Been playing D'addario EXL 145 - 12guage strings tuned in standard E for 20 years. To enjoy heavy strings, big frets & strong hands are required. Also, if a player is "choking out" chords, jumping to heavier strings will help eliminate that.

I kind of understand why he played absurdly thick gauge strings and high action. If you were as jacked up on coke as he was, you'd also have an absurdly strong grip

Thanks great video 🎉

SRV worked his way up over the years..he didn't jump from 10s or 11s. He built up the tendons/muscles in his fingers/hand/wrist over years.

One of my friends was sound man for SRV for a concert toward the end and he hung with him and played his axe. He said that he was using 10s at least at that time.

I went through a phase in the 70's where I played Gibson Sonomatics 12-56 with a plain 17, most ly to emulate two of my guitar influences, Pete Townshend and Steve Howe, talk about chalk and cheese. I did get both my Les Paul and Telecaster set up properly, but still, they were murder for the first month or so, eventually got bearable, but never comfortable with them. At least no one ever bummed your guitar to up and jam ..lol... I ditched them for ten's after around 18 months

The intonation on my low E is a tad sharp with a 49 gauge. I wonder how his low E was intonated correctly with such a high action. I'm thinking the whole bridge was moved back a couple of millimeters.

SRV was a very small man at 5’5”. His hands were big for his size but not big compared to the average guy at 5’10 to 6’0 feet. SRV’s jumbo frets played a big part in being able to use the strings he did although he moved on to a more standard set of strings later on.

I remember reading a magazine article in the 90’s where Stevie used to put superglue on the ends of his left hand fingertips and glue them to the skin on his right arm to tear skin off to heal splits in his fingertips! This of course may not be true but it is a great story :)

What's wild is I use almost that exact string set he settled with.... but for C# Standard tuned metal.

intro was HILARIOUS hahaha

There's a bit more snap in the bass response on the low E with the 13s, maybe a little snappier, but that could just be new strings. It's very subtle and I definitely wouldn't hear it in a full band mix. I expect the differences are really in how the heavier gauge makes you play.

idk how shaking the neck like that is gonna magicly make it vibrato lol

He was a small man but had mighty hands that ran the full gamut of emotion from subtle nuance to room shaking power.

Buy the GHS Low-Tune srv set. Its called "GHS .1300". It comes with .11 gauge high e strings because that's what he used later in his career so you need to buy .13 gauge strings separately, which GHS also sells. Its the same EXACT strings SRV used. Combine that with high action, Texas specials, Fender medium picks held sideways so you use the rounded part to pick and a Tubescreamer 808 and you got it.

I have the Fender Jimi Hendrix 10-38 set on my Strat. Love them.

I believe Stevie was playing 11-58 later on. He had 5 springs in and the bridge was decked to the body. I am not a luthier but I don't think you can just swap in strings in a jump like that without doing. complete set up.... and the bridge floating vs nailed to the body would be a difference. One of the hairiest tones I ever heard in person was Frank Zappa in 88 or 89, about 30 feet away. OMG incredible. Then I found out he played 8's and as low as 7's. Billy Gibbons has set of strings that are ridiculously low. But , I do think your playing sounds great.

Saw an interview in which Stevie's finger-tip callus came off, and they used super glue to rip one off of his techs palm to glue onto Stevie's finger.

I use 13’s on my Telecaster Absolutely love it

14 gauge was the top, mostly 13. He did superglue his calluses back on his finger tips.

That pic of them playing NES is so awesome

Don’t forget that he also equipped his tremolo with all five springs installed.

I'm not a blues guy, but when I was learning guitar / bass in the early 2010s I always used .11 and .12 strings on my guitars (.11 and .12 used to be cheaper in my country due lower demand), I got so used to it that years later D tuning became my "de facto" tuning as I felt it was easier to play and sounded heavier and darker My mind was blown after around 10 years of playing I tried regular .10 strings and felt so easy to play and I thought "this is so loose! why people would use lighter strings?" now I still use .11 or .10-.52 on my guitars, weirdly on my basses I used regular .45 to .105 for over 13 years until this year when I switched to .40 to .100, so moral of the day is just use what it feels better to you, even if it is something unusual or "harder to play" I mean just look at J Mascis action on his guitars, you could put a hand under the strings lmao

banger video

I used to play with heavy strings but due to some left hand injuries I had no choice but to go with lights. I’ve been playing 8s for about the last 10 years and have never looked back. I get all the tone I want. There is no difference between those and 9s. Start going two or three gauge differences and then you can hear a small difference.

The reason he was able to play with such heavy gauge strings is because he tuned to Eb. Big difference in slack between standard tuning and going down a half a step. I've been playing 10's in standard tuning for over 40 years and will never change. 8's and 9's are way too light for me. I can barely feel the first two strings under my fingers with gauges that light.

Great video. I've gone as high as 11s and Eb but had a lay off from playing for a while. 10s it is now. BTW - That Tele headstock on your Strat is uber cool. What's the story on that and what led you to go that way? Again, great video.

I hear the difference in string gauge as a more precise tone just after the string has been plucked

13 on the high E string -- must be like trying to push piano wire across the fretboard. The high action does make for some good slide guitar playing though.

I only use GHS Burnished Nickel custom sets. And as an artist for the company I’m able to create my own sets. This is my own set ,and not available in packs ,or in stores. Although the David Gilmore signature is close . I use a .10/.14/.18/.26/.38/.50. You’ll notice I chose even intervals for each step up. .04 for the solids ,and .12 on the wounds . With a .08 between the two. Very “toney” yet still playable .. But after 53 years I’ve never found a more reliable , or longer lasting string . And to top it off the Burnished Nickel is almost as quiet as flatwounds . 🤠🎸🎶🤟

I can hear a distinct difference in the strings. For me, I stay with GHS Boomer custom lights. I like the low E, A, and D strings a tiny heavier only. I've got great tone, but I feel I don't have to fight the guitar, to play lead. I come from the Van Halen, George Lynch, Zakk Wylde Era.

I use em for practice, but they break easy . I don’t know why but bending those strings felt like I could go 100% and not over bend .

Interesting video! I've long had the belief that EVERYTHING affects your guitar tone. String gauge, type, material, action height, neck relief, pickup height all effect tone on the same guitar, Then you get to different guitars of even the same exact construction and materials, like wood, bridge, saddles, pickups, nut, frets, etc., which contribute to your tone. And don't forget about pick material and thickness. Each of these variables can be an attractive rabbit hole to deep-dive into. Next...amps (and all their internal components), effect pedals, cables, etc. Endless possibilities!

I read that he had installed bigger frets. That likely made it a little easier to play

You should have 3 million more subs Awesome sit down and you Rock the house down! I remember reading about SRV and Hendrix and why they wanted string action super high they said it was for better tone and because they were very heavy players with strong fingers lol" one article said they had guitars with as much as 1/2" string height that's insane! Lol" I changed some of my guitars to a higher string height and I'm loving the playability and definitely the better tone I'm hearing from them.. giving the strings there full space to wave the vibration is a huge difference in tone in my ears and I'm using 9's and 10" lol"

I play 12 always on Acoustic , but i find 11,s on my electric, seems like a nice balance and 10 do feel a little light for me !

Question, did you have to refloat the tremolo when you changed the strings? Did you have 4 or 5 springs on the tremolo? Inquiring minds want to know

I play .011-.054 (with a plain .022 G) in standard tuning, and your fingers get used to it. It's not that it's some sort of magical thing. You build up the strength in your fingers, and it becomes no big deal after a bit.

about your comment on the thicker gauge strings in tone.... I play 9.5s because I feel they have a bit more presence in the spectrum here and there opposed to regular 9s.

With them tall frets and high action does anyone thing srv would use a scalloped neck had he not passed away?

I tried to play on 12s for a while, fingers got stronger, eventually ended up back with 10s. If I recall correctly BB King used 9s.

i really don't get people that like heavier gauge strings. i'd hate playing guitar if i had to struggle to tune a bend or struggle with articulations because of tight strings since that was my experience with thicc strings, nowadays i go for the ernie ball hybrid slinky set with a 68 for the 7th string, tight riffing and expressive leads.

I used to run 13's on my tele, I tried both wound G and unwound G, I preferred wound, though that made David Gilmour mega bends HARD. the fight is part of the feeling esp for SRV phrasing I will add that I'm also a bassist :) (mainly) so I'm used to high tension :)

I think the 13s sounded a little bit thinner distorted. Go watch Rick Beato’s String Episode. It’s worth it. But at the End it depends on the person. When it feels good - it sounds good 👍

The 13s have a more sonorous bell like sound particularly in lower strings

I did notice the .13’s had richer harmonic content. I used to play .11’s but I now subscribe to the BB King theory - no need to work that hard… SRV was incredibly hard on equipment altogether because his playing was so brutally physical. I would imagine that .13 set evolved as a way to keep the guitar in tune as much as possible

Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top uses 8’s and sounds just as good. It is all in the hands, baby! Play what you got. It’s all good!

Everybody is different physically Stevie just happened to have monster hands and strength and they felt good for him. I play 11 15 19 28 38 58 tuned to eflat and it's perfect for me

A set of standard .11s with a thicker 3rd is a good compromise.

Anything Stevie Ray Vaughan. That's All I listen 2. ❤❤❤❤

I actually only play on super heavy gauge strings because I have such an aggressive pick attack that i essentially pick/bend sharp out of tune. If i have to throttle my playing i tend to play less passionately, doesnt feel right. I play bass more then guitar, and I need the heavy tension to fight me back so i dont just nurf the tuning immediately. I think my 7 string runs a 75 to 12.5. and i have actually sanded off a knuckle before, i have blood-rust on a few strings. some of us are just built weird, and by no means am i saying i play similar to or on the level of Stevie, just in the same level of brute force. I do prefer more of a medium action, that high for me is just too much dead space, but "proper" action buzzes out if you fret too hard. You do play different and that is a huge factor when it comes to the sound. really biting into the strings is the key to an aggressive sounding attack. play hard, sound hard. you do that with lights and your tuning will be wrecked in seconds.

I play a similar gauge in D standard. Take it down a step or so in your setup and give that a shot on a spare guitar.

Who got the better sound; SRV with a set of 13-58 or Hendrix with a set of 9-38?

Does anyone know what kind of Strat he’s playing in the video?

There’s a Dan Erlewine book that has measurements for SRV set up.

Cool vid, Did you have to file the nut slots to accommodate the thicker strings?

I think one key point you are missing from your experiment is that SRV using real tube amplifiers. Using the thicker string gauges will achieve a different sound out of those amplifiers. Since he is pushing the front end of these amps to achieve his overdriven sound, the thicker strings will provide more output. There are also benefits with tuning stability and with the string tension that allows for a faster attack. Things were a bit different back then. Todays technology with amplifiers, modelers, hotter pickups, etc. I don't see the need for modifying your guitar to achieve the SRV tone.

kenny wayne sheppard plays with really heavy strings too... blues isn't about shredding so if those big gauges slow you down it's for the better.

I played a guitar once set up similar to SRV's and it was impossible to play with those heavy gauge strings.............

here before this blows up

What model strat is this you're playing? Interesting that it lacks string trees and has the tele headstock. Did you put a tele neck on the strat body? If so, what adjustments did you have to make?

SRV also had a very heavy pick hand attack

I am much more of an acoustic player, and I use 13 to 56 and for slide playing even heavier high e. So when playing electric, I play pretty much the way I play acoustic. So have most of my electric guitars with 13 to 56 as well. I only have one electric guitar with 10s.

I hear a slight difference too. But you did say the 10's were old. A new set of 10's compared to a new ser of 13's to be sure & fair. Either way you are getting done great tone! Keep up the great work!

Not sure if anyone addressed this, but I think he used thick strings so he could play and attack the strings like an acoustic guitar. Same as Pete Townshend did.

I played the impossible guitar for decades, now I play a Tele with 7s (yes they exist look at billy gibbons) and life is great, still love sec though