Instead of using a .016 on the top string , some players use a .018.
What is the purpose of this ?
Is it for tonal quality or longer string life ? Or something else ?
Have any of you tried this? and if so, what are your comments regarding this?
I think it's to keep that first string form sounding too thin. I tried it a while ago on the dobro, but didn't notice much of a difference (it may have been my playing). However, I've also done it on my Telecaster in open G and do hear a difference there.
Strings are cheap, always worth a try if curious. Same with an unwound 3rd string; one can change right back.
Oswald (by most but not all sources) used 042 042 032 022p 018 018, nickel wound, low to high for open A tuning. I tend to think it's a set he developed from strings laying around, rather than a purposeful gauge selection, but that's just me. My personal opinion is that it gives a good tight 1st string, good treble for slants, and floppier/thinner bass. I keep that set on the 1936 Model 27. It sounds right for that guitar but I wouldn't put it on anything else, preferring the D'Addario EJ42 gauges.
Josh Graves was also known to use an .018 on the first string. I have never read anything where he stated why. In his autobiography I don't recall him ever mentioning regarding string gauges.
Though he could play sweet and pretty when need be, a big part of his style on straight ahead bluegrass on old Dobros to get serious volume and a full tone was to whip the guitar into submission. 
Maybe he felt an 18 was the best first string for the job.
I don't recall ever trying it - never had any desire. I go back and forth depending on the set between a 16 or 17. I think an 18, for myself, might be a bridge too far.
First string gauge discussions always bring to mind what Jerry Douglas posted on his site many years ago. He's a 16 man. His opinion was that anything heavier sounded a little "thuddy." I think it translates to "dull sound."
Edited by - MarkinSonoma on 03/24/2023 11:53:14
I agree with JerryD and MikeA. Anything heavier than a .16 on top deadens the tone. If you think you need a heavier string you might be hitting the string too hard. There is a sweet spot of pressure on a string that brings out the most singing tone. too hard or too soft doesn't get it. you need the Goldilocks amount. Just right.
quote:
Originally posted by orvillejI agree with JerryD and MikeA. Anything heavier than a .16 on top deadens the tone. If you think you need a heavier string you might be hitting the string too hard. There is a sweet spot of pressure on a string that brings out the most singing tone. too hard or too soft doesn't get it. you need the Goldilocks amount. Just right.
Then you have Rob Ickes. He is, or at least was for years a long time D'Addario endorser. That being the case, I'm guessing like some other musicians with similar endorsements, the UPS driver shows up at his front door every so often with a box of strings.
These historically had been EJ42s. Rob wouldn't use the .016, he would instead put an .017 on as the first string.
Gene Wooten was a mentor of mine; he used super heavy strings. Because of his help and influence, for many years, I used the same strings and gauges he did (18, 20, 26p or 30W, 40, 50, 56). In the past 8-10 years, I have learned I do not feel as if I can pull a good tone out of anything above a 16 on the first and an 18 on the second, regardless of the dobro (in DBGDBG tuning. The 16 has a sweetness that anything larger lacks (to me). Hence, I am now a fan of GHS 1650s, whereas, I used to have to buy singles. I find the 1650s to have a slightly higher tension I prefer to competitor’s 16-56 sets.
In terms of 6th strings: although Gene used super heavy strings for strings 1-5, he would not go above a 56 on the 6th string because he felt like he lost tone while using the DBGDBG tuning with anything above a 56.
Also regarding 6th strings: Os preferred the tone of a 52 on his 6th string. He only switched to and used a 42 on the 6th because of his arthritis. His preferred gauging, prior to arthritis, was 18,18, 22P, 32, 42, 52.
I have lots of fun experimenting, but I always come back to the 1650s.
quote:
Originally posted by Chris Simpkins
...Also regarding 6th strings: Os preferred the tone of a 52 on his 6th string. He only switched to and used a 42 on the 6th because of his arthritis. His preferred gauging, prior to arthritis, was 18,18, 22P, 32, 42, 52.
Thanks for filling in that part of history. I didn't know how arthritis affected Oswald's string choice, but when our band opened for him & Charlie in 1977, I saw firsthand how it affected his pick wearing. He placed the picks on his fingers, took that heavy bullet bar in his left hand, and then WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! cinched the picks on his fingers! 
Though he doesn't post often here anymore, Ernie Mrachek (a.k.a. @TronconesAmigo) was a student of Os and the Dobro player in our band. He claimed that Os liked a string gauge about .059 to .018 tuned up in A (!?!). Perhaps with advancing arthritis, there were periodic reassessments of what worked best.
Dave, I remember Ernie posting about the .059 6th string tuned to "A" but I always had a hard time believing it. A .059 tuned to G is really tight, since most of us use a 56 which is already very tight. I can't imagine going up a whole step to A. And I have no interest in finding out, but if I ever do I will go to the garage and get my safety glasses before I try it.
And a 59 tuned to A on a roundneck like "Herman?"
Maybe if it worked it slightly warped the neck easing some of the pressure and that's what kept the string from exploding?
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