The Guide To String Gauges 2021 

Jesus, my finger tips are hurting just thinking about these gauges.

This is SERIOUSLY nerdy guitar content. I'm gonna watch it twice.

New drinking game. Take a shot every time he says “slinky”.

I remember watching the first string gauge guide when I was a teenager and thinking "Fluff said this, it must be law", and quickly realizing "wow, this is a really good time to form my own opinions". Love you Fluff

I made my own list few years ago and even some people I know started using these, hope it helps if strings recommended by Fluff are a bit too tight: (7 and 8 string are at the bottom) E Standard Gibson Scale: 10-48 ultra Slinky (standard tension) 9.5-46 Turbo Slinky (Loose feel) Fender Scale: 10-46 Regular slinky (Standard tension) 9-46 Hybrid Slinky (light plain strings) 9-42 Super slinky (Loose feel) Eb Standard Gibson Scale: 11-48 Power Slinky 10-52 STHB Skinny Top Heavy Bottom (Tighter feel on low strings) 10-48 Ultra Slinky (Loose feel) Fender Scale: 10-48 Ultra Slinky 10-52 STHB (Tighter Feel on low strings) 9.5-46 Turbo Slinky (loose feel) Drop D: Gibson scale: 10-48 Ultra slinky 10-52 STHB (Tighter feel on low strings) 10-48 + 52 instead of a 48 Fender Scale: 10-48 Ultra Slinky 10-52 STHB (Tight feel on low strings) 10-48 + 52 instead of 48 D Standard Gibson Scale: 11-48 Power Slinky (Loose feel) 11-52 Burly slinky 10-52 STHB (Loose feel on top strings) Fender Scale: 10-48 Ultra Slinky (Loose feel) 10-52 STHB 10-54 STBB (Tight feel on Low Strings) Drop C#: Gibson Scale: 11-52 Burly Slinky 10-54 STBB Fender Scale: 10-52 STHB Or 10-52 + 54 instead of a 52 C# Standard Gibson Scale: 11-52 Burly Slinky 12-56 Magnum Slinky (Tighter Feel) Fender Scale: 11-52 Burly slinky 11-54 (Mixing up Skinny Top Beefy Bottom STBB and power slinky) Drop C Gibson Scale: 10-52 STHB + 54 or 56 instead of 52 11-52 + 54 or 56 instead of a 52 Fender Scale: 10-52 STHB (loose feel) 10-54 STBB C Standard Gibson Scale: 12-56 Magnum Slinky Fender Scale: 12-56 Magnum Slinky 11-54 (mixing up STBB and Power slinky/Extra loose feel) Drop B Gibson Scale: 12-56 Magnum Slinky 12-62 Mammoth Slinky (Tighter Feel) Fender Scale: 11-52 Burly Slinky + 54 or 56 instead of a 52 B Standard and Drop A Gibson Scale: 12-62 Mammoth Slinky Fender Scale: 12-62 Mammoth Slinky 12-56 Magnum Slinky + 58 instead of a 56 (Loose feel) 7 String Everything mentioned below is for 7 string guitars only but you can experiment with baritone 6 string and regular 6 string guitars B Standard 10-56 Regular 7 Or 9-52 Super slinky 7 + 54 instead of a 52 A# Standard 10-13-17-28-38-48-58 (mixing up Regular Slinky and Power Slinky 7) Drop A 10-56 + 62 instead of a 56 9-52 + 56 instead of a 52 (Loose feel) A Standard 10-62 Cobalt 7 10-56 +58 instead of a 56 Drop G# 10-62 Cobalt 7 Or 10-48 Ultra slinky + additional 62 (loose feel) Drop G 10-62 Cobalt 7 + 64 or 66 even 68 (I know, it starts to look like we're doing math here) 8 String F# Standard 10-74 8-string set Or 9-11-16-24-34-46-64-74 (mixing up 8-String slinky and 8-String STHB) F Standard 9-80 STHB 8-string Or 10-13-17-30-42-54-64-80 (mixing up 8-String Slinky and 8-String STHB) Yeah Sometimes you'll have to get 2 or 3 different packs to make 1 set But I know it'll feel great You can mix up as many of these to get your perfect set I personally like 10-12-16-24-34-46 for most of my standard-tuned guitars and 10-52 for D Standard And for winter I like to use 8-42 mixing up Extra slinky and Super Slinky Hope this works! Cheers!

9s, even on Eb. Like BB asked Billy Gibbons about his heavy strings: "Why are you working so hard?"

Somewhere stay metal ray is watching asking for the Drop F string recommendation...

These are my string gauges. For my 25.5 inch Strat for indie rock like The Strokes and heavy alt rock like Muse, I typically use a 10-52 set and tune to e and drop c most of the time. On my heavy music 24.5 inch SG, where I play Converge and Counterparts, I use beefy slinkys and typically play in d all the way to drop a#. Any lower I jump to the 7 string which has a 10-52 set with a 70 for the low b, and I usually play that in b to drop g. I usually like lower tension on lower tunings because ease of play matters more to me than tuning stability most of the time, and locking tuners really helps with that tuning stability any way.

I used to play 11-56 for drop C tuning but after reading about using lighter gauge, I started using 10-52, and it's much better, I can actually play longer and my fingers don't hurt as much... As much as this is a really useful guide, it's just a guide and it's good to experience for yourself what works best.

Fluff recommends not having slinky tension, just Slinky strings lol

Been running drop d, and drop d flat tuning, short scale, with Burly Slinky's for a few months. Loving this combo so far. Works perfectly fine with standard tunings also.

I feel like you're just stringing us along with this video!😏

I've been using the Hybrid Slinky (9,11,16,26,36,46) for D standard for my Jackson's, Fender and Greco Les Paul for a a few years now, Keeps everything nice and tight for chunky rhythms and super light and slinky at the same time for soloing.

"For Drop G#, dude just stop and get a baritone..." :Wage War has entered the chat:

I know you’ve said it yourself that you like a lot of tension, but I feel like most of these recommendations are way on the high tension side. I use lighter strings for C standard on a Gibson than you recommend for D standard, lol. If you use Mammoth Slinky’s for drop A on a fender scale guitar with a Floyd Rose you’ll find yourself ordering extra springs to balance the trem, because that’s a ton of tension right there. Ask me how I know!

I’d love to see a guide from drop G and lower for guitars from 26.5+ scale length. I have a 26.5 inch 7 string and a 30 inch 6 string and it took a long time to figure out the best string gauge. A useful tip is: once you find a good set of strings for a specific tuning, use a string gauge calculator online to find the best similar strings (with similar tension) for another tuning (for the same guitar)

I play in drop A and usually I use D'Addario EXL157 (14-68) but I recently snagged a set of Mammoth Slinkys (13-62) and they work quite nicely.

I've got injured tendons from both years of playing 13s in E and E-flat and from years of working in a warehouse. I'm literally using 8s and 9s now and they work great. Barely touchin' em.

I really appreciate this video. Not only for the knowledge of string gauges but just acknowledge that there are other tunnings besides E. A lot of people in the community ignore them. Especially Eb. And being as that's why I have played in for 17 years that makes me incredibly sad lol.

I slapped on a set of the new Mega Slinky 10.5 to 48 for Eb tuning for my Lds Paul and its perfect!

I've been using Primo Slinkys 9.5 gauge for past year or two. I dig them.

I just put some Mammoths on my Gibson SG and tuned it to B standard. Good tension and sounds great.

Dude, I have the Mammoth strings on on my Schecter Omen 6 in C Stnd and they are awesome! The Power Slinky 11's on all my guitars, 6 string and 7 have given me some of the best playing ever!

Lately I’ve been running the 10-52’s on my drop D and drop C# guitars and the 10-54’s on my drop C guitars. The skinny top beefy bottom set has a nice balance for playing rhythms on the low strings and leads on the high strings.

Very cool video. I mysel fin Drop C# use a 10-52 D'Addario NYXL set. But I've been wanting to go lower, down to maybe Drop B or open B. This guide will definitely help me make a choice.

Great vid and pretty much what I already use for the diff scale lengths 👍👍👍

Drop D is only 1 string a full step down. I recommend 10-46 Set and just replace the 46 with a 52 gadge single for 25.5 scale or 54 for 24.75 scale

I use Elixir 12-68 baritone strings on a Les Paul in A#. Each string is the same size as what Bjorn Gelotte from In Flames uses. The 68 is a little tight when put into C standard though.

Thanks so much!! I truly appreciate your content. Blessings!

The power slinky set has been my favorite set for 25.5 scale length for years now, both in E and E flat standard.

Perfect timing on this video. I was wondering which strings to slap on my new KM-6

I've been using the "Not even slinky" sets for a good 2 years now on my demon-6fr, tuned to drop A. It's not been ideal to play on, but did sound really good(for my taste). Then i took it to a PRO LUTHIER recently, and he's done magic. Now as the string tension and hight is perfect, it does feel like a completely new guitar. So yes, folks. If you don't know how to do something on your own, it's not a shame to ask, or even get help from a PROFESSIONAL. ;) P.S.: Great guide! Great show! Keep it up Fluff! 👍🤟

Good stuff Fluff, very much appreciated - your earlier guide has been very useful already and the updated is even more comprehensive! (Off-topic, did anyone look at the bottom at first and see the channel logo as "Marshall's Riffs, Beards & Gear"?)

Glad more tunings were added here, I’ve been writing stuff in B Standard recently on my les paul and shit was waaaayyyy too floppy

Gibson length neck player here. Ive always used 48-11 from standard to c standard, 54-12 for lower, 62 to 16 for b standard.

That guideline really surprised me with what gauges were being used for each tuning fluff stated on the 25.5 in scale guitars. On my ibanez rg6003fm i use power slinkies (11-48s) for tunings down to drop c before the tension really starts to compromise the sound and playability of the guitar. Very useful video always dig the content

I use Skinny Top Heavy Bottoms for Eb and Drop C# on my Strats. Have been for years and it works great. I just also recently put Mammoth Slinkies on my Epiphone Les Paul for Drop B, and those work really well for that

This is so helpful! Rick Beato's video comparing string gauges was pretty surprising as the light gauges actually sounded somewhat better, but as far as feel goes, I definitely prefer heavier gauges not lighter than 10s 🤷‍♂️

Since I tend to punch every strum like it owed me money 11-48 is the lightest I would ever go, even for e standard. I like not even slinky for my drop C and C standard on my Gibson scale so I agree with you.

Ayyyy been looking for a guide on this. Nice!

Cool. I just saw you on the Warmoth video. Keep them coming sir, I appreciate your work.

I play 10-52 skinny top. Heavy bottom in standard E. Sounds great and never any problems. Very versatile strings. I've played 3 different guages from ernie ball, and 10-52 is best of them all for me.

My go-to set used to be Dean Markley's Helix series but it sadly seems to have been discontinued. So in lieu of them I have been using the D'Addario NYXL series (on my Gibson and Epiphone SGs and a Yamaha Superstrat) and I highly recommend those, especially for folks like me who play the guitar mostly daily, but sometimes a bit sporadically. They stay in tune and keep the brightness for a long time I've found.

I just put the turbo slinky set on my Les Paul, the neck was just a little stressed out and this did the trick. 9.5-46 and I love how it plays, tho I'm not downtuning

I put an 80 gauge 8 string set on my 7 to get the drop A, filed the nut just a little. I toss the highest wrapped string. I only buy Ernie myself also, they seem to play and feel the best for me.

This is what I use on my 3 guitars. Any heavier and bending becomes a chore for me. E Standard, 25.5 = 9-42 Slinky Cobalts Drop C, 25.5 = 10-52 Slinky Cobalts 7 String in Eb Standard, 25.5 = 9-52 RotoSound Roto Pinks

I love the Mammoth Slinky on a 25.5 for Drop B and C# standard. So much bite

On your recommandation I've been using a Mammoth Slinky set instead of my usual D'addario EXL 158 for B tuning. I like them.

10-52 easily the most versatile set. I've cycled through a fair few and that's always the gauge I come back to, though I use Not Even Slinkies on my Stingray in Drop C

I have been waiting for this ever since you announced it. In my case, for Drop A on a 27-inch baritone, someone told me to use a D'Addario Drop C set, which is a 12-60 set. Now, I am wondering if 60 is not large enough for Drop A, even on a 27-inch. This guide helps a lot.

I use the .013-.072 Baritone set for A standard on my 72RI Tele Deluxe.

You rule man, thanks for doin this kinda stuff!

This is great man, thx fluffer 🙌🏻

Good to know. I was actually thinking about this. 👍🏼

I use the 7 string 9-52 set for 6 string E standard (I throw out the 24). I like really chunky low strings and slinky high strings and that set is perfect for it. For 7 string I just add a 64 or a 66

VERY helpful. Thank you!

Must needed update, great job man, BTW Ernie Ball NEEDS to make Beefy, Mammoths and BARITONE COBALTS sets ASAP!

Heaviest gauge I could use on my Les Paul was a 65, 70 didn’t go through the tuning machines. Also, just get a baritone if you’re going to be tuning that low. After months of using the heavy gauge I can say the LP didn’t sound as good, loss of articulation and tone; yes truss rod, intonation, and action was adjusted for the heavy gauge.

I would have mentioned lighter sets for the tunings if you like to be able to bend more comfortably

Thanks for the helpful info with no strings attached!

Not even slinky is perfect for Drop B. Used back in the day when they were rare strings. Highly recommend

EB and DA are my 2 go to. I like them both equally.

This is brilliant, thank you 👍

If anyone has issues with this u can use online tension calculators. If you know what gauge you like in standard E tuning, its very easy to calculate string gauge for any other tuning, keeping the tension as close as possible to your stating point.

I've just used good old Regular Slinky sets on my Epiphones from E standard down to Drop C lol. There was a time I played in C Standard and that's the only time I've gone for a heavier set and I think it was a Power Slinky set

I use beefy slinky on a harley benton LP style and its perfect for c# standard

Thanks for the advice. I' bend a loooot and use 10-52 in drop c on Gibson scale. Standard id probably use 9 48. Nice and loose. Used to use use 11s cause I idolize Stevie Ray Vaughn but I don't wanna work that hard anymore lol

Awesome video. Thank you.

I use 11-56 d'addario NYXL on my Gibson les paul for D standard and drop c.

I use a 10-52 on my Yamaha for standard. I just like the beefy feel.

I'm pretty much set on strings and how to navigate sizes and tuning and whatnot. Just here for a good hang.

Would love to see one of these for bass too!

Love the paradigm skinny top heavy bottom

I've used the 13-72 on a 25.5 for Drop G#. Sounded and felt just fine lol

You don’t need an 11 gauge for drop D... you’re fine with 10 and even 9 gauge for that. I would only recommend 11 for anything drop B and above

Great video fluff, I find myself not knowing what size to get because I'm all over the place with my tuning.

I use 11-52 Burly slinky for Drop C 25.5 scale

This is a great video fluff, thanks! Very informative. Any chance we get a Bass Guitar String Guide ???

My favorite by far on a short scale is the skinny top heavy bottoms and replace the 17p with a 18w.

Love It! Thank You!

Love these

That is just an awesome Video!

I really find this video to be very useful when it comes to choosing the right set of Ernie Ball strings for any of my guitars. I have an old ESP/Ltd EC-256 modded with a Seymour Duncan Distortion in the bridge with a Jazz in the neck, and that one is definitely in a 24.75" scale. On that Ltd Eclipse, i've been using a set of Power Slinkys. Paradigms or Cobalts work best, but i always resort to having the old Nickel Wound sets as a backup. So, I'd definitely give the Burly Slinky set a shot, if I wanna play along to some Misfits music in E Flat Standard. P.S.: Really admire channel fluff, been watchin RiffsBeards&Gear a long while ago. Keep doin what you're doin, man. Cheers

Fluff: drop G#, don't do that on a Les Paul Lee Malia: hold my beer (while I tune down my low .080 gauge string)

I use a 12 to 56 for D standard down to Drop B. And 12 to 60 for Drop A and B Standard.

i use power slinky for D standard in fender scale and D#/open D on gibson scale, so far it’s what feels best for those two

Surprised you didn't mention B-standard. I use that on a 2017 Jackson dinky Dk3QM with all upgraded trem parts and bare knuckle warpig pickup. I use the Mammoth Slinky and they work fantastic for holding intonation.

I have to learn to like 9-40 to get those sweet step &half bends on the 2nd fret G string pinch harmonics with index finger !

10-52's will do it all man

This is extremely handy!

Fluff I used to do drop g # in my last band both me and my rhythm guitarist used 25.5 esp guitars and used an 8 string set with no issues once the guitars were setup they were good I even used a FR in my guitar my tech hated me for the first few shows but we got it figured out lol

cheers mate good info here

I'm using 11-50 DR's on my Dime FBD ML tuned to C standard. I don't think this would work as well as it does without the Floyd. It's surprisingly good. It would be good to know the tension of each string in each of these tunings though. That's how you really dial it in.

I’ve been using 10-46 for c standard and I’ve noticed that it’s a tad loose on the low string. I will have to give this guide a try. Thanks fluff.

Drop G# on a 25.5 7 string can be done, Ryan from Polaris did it for years. I’ve done it, works. 10-52 6 string set and a 70 or 72 on the 7th

Fluff I’m using a 11-54 beefy for D standard/Drop C on a Gibson Les Paul. Sounds good, good tension! Keeps tuning well! What do you think about that? Cheers!

Thanks for this 👍

My go to strings are ernie ball skinny top heavy bottom for D standard 👍

I use my 25.5” scale length pt apocalypse and I play standard and sometimes even tune to FACGCE or even open e major tuning I use 12s

I actually just bought my first 7 string and decided to try the cobalt strings. neat