Best strings for 22.5"

Awstin · Post by **Awstin** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 1:24 pm

I have 9's on my 64 mustang which is a 22.5" A neck and they are just way too loose and dead feeling. I know you should run heavier gauge strings on these but I like thinner strings. Plus the nut is gonna need some filing for heavier gauge. What do you guys use on yours?

Also, after playing 25.5" necks for a while and going back to the 22.5", it feels like a toy haha. But I love the A shape.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 1:37 pm

You need proper heavy strings on there or it will always toy-like. But like you said you'll need to adjust the nut for that. They are fun if that's the sort of sound you're after.

I didn't get on with mine when I had it, nowadays I'd quite enjoy trying another one out. Maybe I'll snag one in the future. Do they come in B width or Just A?

Awstin · Post by **Awstin** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 1:47 pm

I'm not sure if they come in B width. I've never seen one. I like 24" but they're getting harder to find in an A width. At a reasonable price at least. I'm selling this guitar to my friend and building that musicmaster in the projects. I bought another 22.5" neck because it was an A but I'm kinda nervous now that I made a bad decision haha. I guess I could always trade for a 24" with someone. I'm trying to build a nice vintage main guitar.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 3:02 pm

A width are usually a bit cheaper, at least they used to be. While they are rarer they're not as desirable. When I got my A width Jaguar neck (which I love) it was about half the usual cost of a 64 neck.

Awstin · Post by **Awstin** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 3:07 pm

Really? Every time I see A widths they are more expensive.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 4:23 pm

I'd guess that's probably **RARE** L@@@K!!! W*O*W!!! BIN prices tho. I bet if you check the completed listings actually sold for "best offer" They may have shot up now, I can only judge by the prices when I was looking for (and bought) mine.

I'm sure you'll find one at a great price if you're patient.

Addam · Post by **Addam** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 6:24 pm

How about leaving the 9s on and tuning up to G?
Isn't that the 'reason' for more guitars? Alt tunings and shit like that.

Awstin · Post by **Awstin** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:39 pm

Addam wrote:How about leaving the 9s on and tuning up to G?
Isn't that the 'reason' for more guitars? Alt tunings and shit like that.

This guitar is gonna be my friends main guitar and only electric. Why get another guitar just to leave this in G tuning? Lol

Post by **dots** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 11:10 pm

"best" is tough to say depending on your budget and playing style. on a scale that short, though, i wouldn't go with less than 11's, and maybe go as deep as 12's. i'm a fender bullet fan for my electrics. good mix of price, feel, and durability.

Awstin · Post by **Awstin** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 11:39 pm

I love fender bullets. I don't understand why more people don't use them. I also really like a small brand my local shop has. "Curt Mangan"

Addam · Post by **Addam** » Fri Oct 16, 2015 9:44 am

Awstin wrote:
Addam wrote:How about leaving the 9s on and tuning up to G?
Isn't that the 'reason' for more guitars? Alt tunings and shit like that.
This guitar is gonna be my friends main guitar and only electric. Why get another guitar just to leave this in G tuning? Lol

I assumed it was your '64 Mustang with 22.5" neck and strung up with 9s for some reason.

Awstin wrote:I have 9's on my 64 mustang which is a 22.5" A neck.

Awstin · Post by **Awstin** » Fri Oct 16, 2015 11:48 am

Well, it was mine but I traded it with him. I don't really like the whole one tuning per guitar thing anyway.

Noirie. · Post by **Noirie.** » Fri Oct 16, 2015 12:07 pm

.011-.052/.054's and it should be fine.

wetbelly · Post by **wetbelly** » Fri Oct 16, 2015 7:42 pm

I use 11's on all of my 24" scales, but do use 12's from time to time. At 22.5" scale, I'd be using 12's for sure.

henkstroem · Post by **henkstroem** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 12:33 am

I currently have 11-48 Pyramid Nickel Classics on my 22.5" MM. Have also used Pyramid regular jazz 11-48. Both really good feel. I have GHS 10-46 on my 25.5 Burns electric and I guess the MM has slightly looser feel still, but in a sorta cool way. Bending is easy on upper frets but in tune at cowboy. Gotta add that the Burns has a flat radius and rather wide nut so other aspects differ too.

It had 09s on when I bought it, that was crazy. Impossible to hold a chord in tune. Now I couldnÂ´t be happier with it.

Pyramid NCs fit the low output original pickup nicely. DonÂ´t know what is different to the regular pyramids but i really like the NCs on the MM.

edit:
roundwound

BobArsecake · Post by **BobArsecake** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 1:13 am

I think that with anything above 11s you've got to be really into it, perhaps even above 10s, if you're sorting this guitar out for a friend who might not have the knowledge (after all he's letting someone else sort his guitars for him) then anything above 11s might put him off and be too uncomfortable. If 16 years ago I was handed a tiny guitar but with strings I could abseil with I'd likely think, "fuck that", and get something different or not bother with it at all.

Who knows, I'm assuming he's a noob, he might be a regular Chet Atkins.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 5:36 am

BobArsecake wrote:I think that with anything above 11s you've got to be really into it, perhaps even above 10s, if you're sorting this guitar out for a friend who might not have the knowledge (after all he's letting someone else sort his guitars for him) then anything above 11s might put him off and be too uncomfortable. If 16 years ago I was handed a tiny guitar but with strings I could abseil with I'd likely think, "fuck that", and get something different or not bother with it at all.

Who knows, I'm assuming he's a noob, he might be a regular Chet Atkins.

I agree with all of this and lol'd at the end

If it's gonna be homeboy's first guitar he might find 11s and up very discouraging. Think back to when you were learning to play, the very beginning... didn't pretty much ALL gauges of strings hurt your fingers, didn't barre chords and string bends seem like they required Herculean strength, etc... no need to make it even harder.

As a side note, I have over 15 guitars and they all do all the tunings. I buy different ones because they all sound and play different, which makes me sound and play different on each of them. If I had a guitar that didn't perform well in standard tuning I'd try to ditch it like Batman with that bomb.

henkstroem · Post by **henkstroem** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 10:36 am

BobArsecake wrote:I think that with anything above 11s you've got to be really into it, perhaps even above 10s... ...If 16 years ago I was handed a tiny guitar but with strings I could abseil with I'd likely think, "fuck that", and get something different or not bother with it at all.

paul_ wrote:If it's gonna be homeboy's first guitar he might find 11s and up very discouraging. Think back to when you were learning to play, the very beginning... didn't pretty much ALL gauges of strings hurt your fingers, didn't barre chords and string bends seem like they required Herculean strength, etc... no need to make it even harder.

Wise words. Now when thinking about it, my first electric was a 1993 Duo Sonic reissue and I eventually upgraded to .10s from the original strings when they started to sag out. Only guitar I had before that was a nylon strung acoustic. Maybe .10s with fatter bottoms could be a compromise worth trying?

BobArsecake wrote:Who knows, I'm assuming he's a noob, he might be a regular Chet Atkins.

Awstin · Post by **Awstin** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 12:38 pm

He's actually a better player than me haha. He's just never had this small of a scale guitar before. And I never thought the strings I had on it were big enough of a gauge.