My friend has a clone Strat, and I was wondering if his Strat could hold the same 11s I use on my SG? Ernie Balls, of course, just wondering if the slimmer neck of a Strat can even hold the tension
My friend has a clone Strat, and I was wondering if his Strat could hold the same 11s I use on my SG? Ernie Balls, of course, just wondering if the slimmer neck of a Strat can even hold the tension
if i'm not mistaken the original strat necks were designed for 12s. They are plenty strong for 11s.
"Live and learn and flip the burns"
Robin Trower uses 12s. He tunes down either a half or a whole step to get the bends he likes. I've heard it said that Hendrix also used 12s. I have 11s on one of my Strats with no issue.
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Proud to be a TFF Dumbass!
I found this info on the web that SRV used gauges from 11s to 17s but mostly used 13s.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
Won’t be a problem, but with the slightly higher tension, he would probably need to tighten the trussrod a little to compensate. Also, if the guitar has got tremolo, the spring claw will need adjustement to get the tremolo to sit where it is with slinkier strings.
If it's a clone I can't say anything about its neck and bridge, but a Fender can certainly take most any gauge of strings. Strats and Teles are actually tougher than SGs in many aspects. Those are real AK47s.
3 words: Stevie Ray Vaughan.
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"Do you call sleeping with a guitar in your hands practicing?"
"It is if you don't drop it."
- Trent Lane, Daria, Episode 1-2.
Originally Posted by Sérgio
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"Live and learn and flip the burns"
hahaha I love that line too.Like button activated
Added fun: If you say that in a Fender related forum, Tele guys will tell you that the Strat is more of an M-16, the AK47 being the Tele.
If you post that line in a Gibson oriented forum, most will claim that a Lester or an SG is sturdier, this deserving the AK47 status... and the debate will go on until someone brings up the neck and headstock breakage rates.
As a Rickenbacker owner, of course I will address the "thicker strings and 12 string sets will make your R tailpiece explode sooner or later" issue, so...
Of course, that whole mess takes place before the faint-hearted crowd chimes in, stating that guitars shouldn't be compared to such evil artifacts in any possible way. Well, gold rings on them, no problem...
Anyway, in the end Fenders seem to be the most enduring, torture test winning and idiot-proof guitars around...If there's AK47 guitars, those are the Fenders.
I'm inclined to go along with that. If you want pin point accuracy, go Gibson, if you want durability in the field, go Fender.
"Live and learn and flip the burns"
I would liken the Stratocaster to the M-14 and the Telecaster to that weapon's grandpappy, the M-1 Garand.
The Armalite rifle (and its myriad variations) just seems too delicate to be compared to a Fender Guitar.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
The Tele is that one soldier in the Crusades battlefield who's still standing while death and destruction lie all around him.
It's King of The Cucarachas and wails beautifully while Chernobyl melts.
The Tele is the dread Chainsaw Raptor who laughs at the fates of his fellow big dudes.
A Strat is an object of beauty that can talk so dirty it would embarrass your dead ancestors.
It's the Captain of the football team who surprises everyone by manifesting the universe in one word of his billion-fold mantra.
It's the street kid who dares to tell the Queen of England--In the hands of my British players, "I've done more to sell England to the world than any of you inbred anemics."
The Jazzmaster smokes a joint, sits in the corner, waiting for the Tele and Strat to wear themselves out.
The Strat and Tele arm wrestle--the Tele has the best grip. The Strat, with 13s on it, feels emboldened and playful, licks the Tele's string tree, and they 'tars collapse in a corner with the Jazzmaster, laughing at pointy guitars...
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
11's on a Strat in E flat are simply sublime
+1
Not that I would ever equate myself with the likes of Hendrix or Trower, but both of them ran thick strings and tuned down for bending. Since I play a lot of acoustic, which uses fatter strings, light gauge on my Strat results in accidental bends and noisy transitions. I guess I just have a heavy hand. I like the ability to use a heavier gauge to accommodate my hard attack.
Striving to be ordinary
Proud to be a TFF Dumbass!
I always think of Les Pauls as Formula 1 cars,
Strats are NASCAR cup cars and
Tele's are TOP FUEL DRAGSTERS!
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
And archtops do 'em all!
Striving to be ordinary
Proud to be a TFF Dumbass!
Nine more words - He tuned down a step to lower the tension.
But to answer the original question, yep, perfectly OK. 11's are no big deal.
However, since the SG has a shorter scale length than the Stratocaster the tension will be higher on the Strat.
I use 11's on Gibsons and 10's on Fenders these days, it makes it easier for me to switch back and forth without the Les Pauls feeling like wet spaghetti.
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
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