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Not changing the setup on his guitar to accommodate heavier strings make most of his conclusions meaningless, IMO. Other than that, he certainly talks a lot.
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I don't put much credit in this presentation. As Mike indicated the setup should have been changed got each string gauge. But IMHO there were a number of things that would change the effect of string gauges on tonal qualities that were either just brushed over or ignored completely.
1-He used just the bridge pickup and that would produce more treble than the mid or neck pickup. If he had used each pickup individually he would have heard the different tonal qualities of those different gauges.
2-Also if had used different pick gauges he would have heard different tones.
3-Same as if he had picked in different positions, i.e. near the bridge to near or over the neck.
4-One should never use distortion when talking about tonal qualities of different string gauges.
If he had talked less he could have done all of those test.
FWIW - I have tried a number of string gauges. I will add the same string gauge from the same company will sound different on different guitars. As I said different pickups, picks, and picking all change the sound. I use 12s flat wounds down to 8 round wounds on my guitars.
YMMV
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While long and wordy, there's just way too many variables that affect the tone. One of the glaringly big omissions was that he only used the strings from the same brand, DiAddario. I think there may have been a noticeable difference in the tone between different brands vs different gauges from the same company.
Honestly, I didn't hear any noticeable tone differences in any of the sets other than it was obviously harder to bend those heavier gauges. One of the most noticeable things was trying to grab that high note bend on the heavier gauge strings. It was painful to listen.... it reminded me of the devil's guitar player, Jack Butler trying to get that high note.....
It comes down to one thing. How it feels to the player and what you like. I prefer for electric the Ernie Ball Super Slinky .009 set. They have a good working life, sound good, especially when new, have a good comfortable feel, and bend nicely. For my acoustics, I do like a heavier gauge because the strings make a bigger tone difference on the acoustic than they do on the electric. I'm not as consistant with the brand of acoustic strings as I am with my choice in electric strings. They vary in brand and starting gauge is either .010 or .011. I'm not as interested in the bend-ability factor of the acoustic strings as I am in the overall tone. For a long time I was using EBSS .009s on my acoustic but it really didn't deliver the acoustic tone like I wanted so I've moved to heavier strings. I don't bend, I strum. Higher action, but it sounds good.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
I didn’t watch it because I’m not a guitarist. But if there was a video on trumpet or sax or flute equipment, I’m in. Problem is, with ten pro horn players, you would get twelve opinions, so I feel for you guys.
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Sax players talk about mouthpieces and reeds a lot. I have a mouthpiece (Link 8* with a NY chamber) that gives me a good rock/blues tone. It's the second pro mouthpiece I've ever owned. I use regular Rico (orange box) reeds. I've been using them before they changed their name to Rico. I've tried others, but the slight change in tone doesn't justify the large increase in price.
On to the gutar:
I use 9s on my Parker, as that is what was recommended by the specs for that model. I don't see enough advantage of heavier strings to change. I'd work harder for very little difference.
Pickups, IMO, are the primary source of tone, and I had the guitar made in the custom shop with Duncan P-Rails, so I can get P-90, Rail, Series Humbucker, and Parallel Humbucker tones. Plus, there is a piezo under the bridge that I can use to mix with the mag pickup tones.
Tone is overrated:
Rather than work on the nuances of tone, I work on the nuances of expression. I think that is much more important. Things like intonation variations, dynamics, individual note attack/sustain, variations in timing, phrasing, vibrato, ornaments, and so on.
While we all think (and should think) that tone is important, it's not. If it was Dr. John, Miley Cyrus, John Lennon, Stevie Nicks and so many others wouldn't be stars. But they express themselves in a way that resonates with their target audience.
The two most famous Jazz Tenor Saxophonists of all-time are probably Stan Getz and John Coltrane. Their tone is as different as night and day.
Is Jimi Hendrix's tone better than Jeff Beck? Terry Kath? Eric Clapton? Dimebag? David Gilmour? Billy Gibbons? Steve Howe? Robert Fripp? BB, Freddy or Albert King? Slash? Johnny Winter? Carlos Santana? (I could go on). On which guitar/pedal/amp combo?
IMO, as long as your tone is in the ballpark for the genre you are playing, more time spent on improving your expressiveness would pay greater dividends to you and your audience.
Rick Beato and his bubba's did a similar thing a few years ago. I had similar issues with his analysis as others here. Nobody seems to be able to play guitar CLEANLY when testing other FX OR, as in this example, string guages anymore - no OD'S, NO AMP DISTORTION, etc.
Larry
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For an electric guitar in a rock setting, it's really hard to appreciate the character of string sound. Just too many other things upstream and downstream from the strings that are more sonically impactful. If you're going to experiment with string gauge, pay attention to neck relief. Too little relief WILL change the character of how your strings sound by limiting string vibration. Too much relief will sound nice, but mess with playability (for me), action and intonation. Intonation is not hard to measure, and easy to dial in with a little experience. Never adjust string height or intonation without at least checking relief. Also, if you're moving up in gauge, don't forget the nut slot width. Most electrics are slotted for lighter gauges, so heavier strings may bind if the slots are not widened. You'll usually hear this as a "tink" coming from the nut when tuning...
The above is an oversimplified opinion.
If you're a Stevie Ray Vaughan devotee, ignore all of this.
Last edited by DC Ron; 06/30/2511:21 AM.
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This all reminds me of the sounds produced by tube amps using different brands of tubes. Also, how all the purest who will only play through tube amps put a transistor effects pedal first thing in the signal chain...
Obviously, different brands, sizes, and types of materials, as well as how they are wound (for example, flat wound), guitar setup, the amount of string bending, the style of music played, and several other factors all affect sound.
One must be comfortable playing the guitar, which is a significant factor in considering string choice. If I could only get 14-gauge strings, no matter how good they sounded, I would stop playing guitar.
Sometimes, Rick and other people on the internet just need something to talk about, no matter how meaningless it is.
Billy
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This all reminds me of the sounds produced by tube amps using different brands of tubes. Also, how all the purest who will only play through tube amps put a transistor effects pedal first thing in the signal chain...
Obviously, different brands, sizes, and types of materials, as well as how they are wound (for example, flat wound), guitar setup, the amount of string bending, the style of music played, and several other factors all affect sound.
One must be comfortable playing the guitar, which is a significant factor in considering string choice. If I could only get 14-gauge strings, no matter how good they sounded, I would stop playing guitar.
Sometimes, Rick and other people on the internet just need something to talk about, no matter how meaningless it is.
Billy
Ok…
In 1973, I wrote the dullest 52 page paper on musical instrument strings covering most of these topics while working on a minor in Physics. A part time job in a music store gave me access to strings and then there was a physics lab for me to play in. I sold a copy to a string company that no longer exists but I don’t know if the paper is in a file cabinet in any of the successor companies. I went through a major paper purge before getting married in ‘79 including a hundred+ cases of work product on the 1976 rewrite of the Copyright law being hauled out of my basement. I don’t miss any of that.
Flexibility is the key to everything being discussed and neither commentator knows that it’s a factor. With electric instruments, the magnetic properties are also important.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
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2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
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The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
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20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
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