I use 12s on my electric. Bending is hard but I love the feel and lack of tuning problems.
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Ha! Right. Most of my guitars are 25.5 and have 9-46s, but my strat has 12-50s. It’s a workout playing that thing for long, but when I switch guitars it’s as if I’m playing on air.
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I use 8–38 tuned in 4ths, where I start with a standard tuning and make the bottom four strings be flat by a semitone. This is around 10# of tension on the strings, and I might make a balanced set to make the tension even more uniform. I think that I’m using NYXL recently, but I don’t care that much about the brand.
idk maybe i’m psycho
i have Fender Mustang Bullet, which is 24 inches, and i’m using 12 gauge! yep!
there are 12-54 and 12-52 gauge from d’addario and i’m playin in standard E tuning…
i also use really heavy pick, right now it’s Dunlop Big Stubby, and i set strings really low, like 1 mm
Is there anybody who kinda same?
P.S. Sorry for English speech, i’m from Russia, but trying to speak
I don’t really remember what gauge my strings are )
On my ‘deathmetal guitar’ I have thick strings but because it’s tuned down to C they have weak tension. On my Francine I use high tension strings. Both works well except that when I switch guitars it’s like I play totally different instruments ) even my picking technique has to change.
Welcome, tovarishtsh )
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Just switched to 10s on my strat to see if the slinky 8 gauges were hindering my alt picking.
In my case the 10s imediatly helped being able to predict where the string would be at any given time.
I’m hoping that once my body gets good at them I can switch to like 9s or something
But it’s hard to say right now
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Hi Hanky_Pooh, I love your handle, love saying it repeatedly 
It’s so cute!
Guitar: YJM Signature and MIJ Fender Strat ST57-70TX.
Thought I’d update this thread on my experience with the Fender YJM 8-46 strings. I think the 8-11-14-22-32-46 spread is a little different from other 8-46 string sets.
This is going to sound more like a review of the Fender Malmsteen string set than just a gauge report.
My setup: 6 point bridge floating, G string can pull up to a minor third. The action set high, 2.5mm on the 12th for all strings, tuned to Eb of course.
Tone: Huge! The unwound string sound huge, the high E string just screams like no 9s or higher I’ve tried out of the box. He’s on to something here already.
Longevity: Last two years of intense playing I could have got away with using just four sets, pretty annoyed they last that long, even the low E loses a small amount of its brand new lustre and then just stays that way forever. Only ever broke one string ( high E ) out of 6 packs used.
The Feel: This is the most important part. They don’t feel rubber band like due to the high action. Perhaps I’m tracking closer to the bridge and that eliminates some of the things associated with light gauge strings.
I’m using the YJM type purple Delrin 1.5 picks and initially was bothered by wear on the pick surface, I can safely say that isn’t a thing anymore, in fact, I now like the texture. My picking technique is more of a push/pressure/rub type than a whack or slam type stroke.
I’ve noticed YJM change picks with every phrase almost, I’m far from being anywhere near his level, but I can’t imagine he’d have much trouble getting through a gig with a pick or two as opposed to one every 20 seconds. Like some of his off-stage performances, he’s not flipping picks there.
Versatility: I think this is amp dependent, the hand’s can adapt to any situation.
I will not be changing to any other strings as long as I can get them.
Things I learned over two years with these strings: Lighter gauge strings last longer! Super light unwound strings scream more under high gain! I can play faster with what I previously considered high action!
Oddball revelations: I’m fine with skinny frets like on the '57 strat as long as my strings are skinny!
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Loved the review-style of your comment 
I learned a lot 
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I think strats just sound better with 10s. 10s at least for LP is a given for me with the shorter scale length. 9s for my RGs in standard. I think for my D standard RG I went to a hybrid set with heavier on the bottom, 10s on the top. A straight set of 10s felt too floppy on the low strings in D standard.
After years of being a 10s man, I’m dropping down to 9s.
I play Ibanez custom RGs 25.5
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What I meant to ask was, what is your go to strings for 9s?
I’ve tries elixirs and the just dont feel right…
Slick and stif
I’ve used DM blue Steel and Daddario xls…
I used 10s the first couple of years. Then played nines for a very long time. About 10 years ago I started tuning my 9s to Eb. Last time I restrung I tried tuning 9s to pitch and realized how strongly I prefer the feel when they’re tuned to Eb. So I think next I’m going to try 8s tuned to pitch, which should be roughly the same tension as 9s tuned to Eb. (all on 25.5 scale guitars)
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Different strokes for different folks, of course, but I find heavier strings tend to sound more compressed - in the audio processing sense of the term - with the initial attack jumping out a bit less than with lighter strings. Whether or not this works depends on a lot of other factors but the two biggest being how heavy your picking hand is and how dark/compressed your amp is. I actually kind of like lighter strings on a Strat through a really dark amp, but I just can’t get on with the feel so I use 10s and just try to make up for it elsewhere.
If you’ve already tried the Nanowebs (the Polywebs were - IMO - junk, they lasted forever but sounded a little dull right out of the bag and felt super slippery) and didn’t like them, the Optiweb does feel remaerkably like an uncoated string, and still lasts quite a bit longer than normal. Otherwise, the DAddario EXPs sound and feel quite a bit like uncoated strings, but do have better longevity thanks to their coating - they take a similar approach to the Optiwebs (or rather the Optiwebs take a similar approach to them) where the winding, rather than the finished string, is coated.
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Yeah I agree about the feel on strats. When I got mine it had 9s on it and just didn’t feel right, even though I had been playing and still do play 9s on my RGs with the same scale length. Go figure
Ernie Ball 9-42 for all my guitars except for the Yngwie Strats. I use the Yngwie strings for those, and tune them in Eb.
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I have tried different gauges over time. At some point I even tried the 13 gauge but they are unplayable for me. Also, I tried the 11 gauge in a Strat to pursue the John Mayer tone (to no avail 
) but now I just play 9-42. I think their tone is fair enough and they are just comfortable without being too loose (in standard E tuning).