Great article! I’ve had my eyes on Charvel’s Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 2 24 HT HH. But I realize that Harley Benton’s offer great value for a fraction of the price. I can’t decide. How do you like your charvel? Have you made any posts about it?
Also, I always thought smaller gauge strings sounded a bit treble-y and twangy and articulate (I prefer this sound), but maybe that’s because they’re easier to dig in harder with a pick, like you allude to. Who knows!
The HB is an amazing guitar for the price, but it is a "modern" C shaped neck. That is fairly common, (pick up a Fender American Professional Strat) and the Charvel has this amazing thin neck that is just amazing. That, in my mind is why I am glad to have the Charvel, even though I more often lately grab the HB off the wall to plug in.
The gauge is related to the diameter of the high E string. A standard guitar has 6 strings, and in standard tuning, they are tuned to E, B, G, D, A, E. Yes, there are two E strings. The high E is the string on the bottom, the high refers to the highness of the note.
9 gauge strings means that the high E is 0.009" or 9 thousandths of an inch. The low E string is 0.042" in a 9 gauge set. A 10 gauge set ranges from 10 thousandths up to 46 thousandths of an inch.
The reality is that heavier strings and the lighter strings sound exactly the same when you do frequency analysis. But they feel very different.
On an electic guitar, the wood, the frets, the strings, have very little impact on the sound and tone. Anything that is part of the signal chain does. Pickups, amplifier, and speakers are the key contributors to tone and sound.
Of course, on an acoustic guitar, it is a lot more complicated.
On YouTube, there is a series of videos where a country player, Jim Lill, does very careful single factor isolated experiments, and it is surprising what matters and more importantly what doesn't matter.
Thank you for the detailed explanation. I've always been string-curious but never had an opportunity to noodle around with a string instrument.
Doesn't Dr. Brian May's use of a sixpence contribute to his unique sound? Well, that and the entire crazy guitar he and his father built. Just amazing.
Re the use of a coin: Yes, there is a lot of coloring of the sound. First it is very stiff. And that helps with precision. However, it is not pointed, so it also softens the attack. (If you know about synthesis, there is the ADSR which stands for Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release.) and second, it is ridged, so that adds a bit of growl to the note.
Another great that used metal picks is Eddie van Halen. He used brass picks (and in fact when he did tapping he tucked it in his mouth, and he blamed that as a possible source for his throat cancer. As opposed to his heavy smoking, but I digress).
It is not surprising that people get religious about the type and stiffness of the pick (or plectum).
I will need to write about that again, it seems to have not made the migration to Substack.
Great article! I’ve had my eyes on Charvel’s Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 2 24 HT HH. But I realize that Harley Benton’s offer great value for a fraction of the price. I can’t decide. How do you like your charvel? Have you made any posts about it?
Also, I always thought smaller gauge strings sounded a bit treble-y and twangy and articulate (I prefer this sound), but maybe that’s because they’re easier to dig in harder with a pick, like you allude to. Who knows!
The HB is an amazing guitar for the price, but it is a "modern" C shaped neck. That is fairly common, (pick up a Fender American Professional Strat) and the Charvel has this amazing thin neck that is just amazing. That, in my mind is why I am glad to have the Charvel, even though I more often lately grab the HB off the wall to plug in.
Thanks for the comment!
Glad to hear it meets with your approval overall. Are ten-gauge strings larger or smaller than nines? Does a change like that affect the tone?
The gauge is related to the diameter of the high E string. A standard guitar has 6 strings, and in standard tuning, they are tuned to E, B, G, D, A, E. Yes, there are two E strings. The high E is the string on the bottom, the high refers to the highness of the note.
9 gauge strings means that the high E is 0.009" or 9 thousandths of an inch. The low E string is 0.042" in a 9 gauge set. A 10 gauge set ranges from 10 thousandths up to 46 thousandths of an inch.
The reality is that heavier strings and the lighter strings sound exactly the same when you do frequency analysis. But they feel very different.
On an electic guitar, the wood, the frets, the strings, have very little impact on the sound and tone. Anything that is part of the signal chain does. Pickups, amplifier, and speakers are the key contributors to tone and sound.
Of course, on an acoustic guitar, it is a lot more complicated.
On YouTube, there is a series of videos where a country player, Jim Lill, does very careful single factor isolated experiments, and it is surprising what matters and more importantly what doesn't matter.
Thank you for the detailed explanation. I've always been string-curious but never had an opportunity to noodle around with a string instrument.
Doesn't Dr. Brian May's use of a sixpence contribute to his unique sound? Well, that and the entire crazy guitar he and his father built. Just amazing.
Re the use of a coin: Yes, there is a lot of coloring of the sound. First it is very stiff. And that helps with precision. However, it is not pointed, so it also softens the attack. (If you know about synthesis, there is the ADSR which stands for Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release.) and second, it is ridged, so that adds a bit of growl to the note.
Another great that used metal picks is Eddie van Halen. He used brass picks (and in fact when he did tapping he tucked it in his mouth, and he blamed that as a possible source for his throat cancer. As opposed to his heavy smoking, but I digress).
It is not surprising that people get religious about the type and stiffness of the pick (or plectum).
I will need to write about that again, it seems to have not made the migration to Substack.
Oh, the mnemonic for remembering the tuning of the strings is "Every Body Gets Drunk At Eleven"
Also the A string is tuned to the middle A on a piano, 440hz
As a recovering oboist, I can never forget middle A.