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Joe Bonamassa Forum → Joe's Guitars, Amps and Gear → What Gauge Strings Does Joe Use?
What string gauge strings does joe use? I know he isn't using the ernie ball cobalts anymore and is back to the regular ernie balls. I also have seen several interviews which he says he uses 11-52 gauge. does anyone know what gauges his B,G,D, & A are? I can't find that in any of his rig rundowns but it must be somewhere.
I thought I remember hearing 10-46 on the 59s. The inbetween gauges aren't anything different than what's in the standard Ernie ball sets.
11, 13, 18, 30, 42, 52
does he use a 42 on the A i thought it went 38, 52... i was thinking it was closer to what helrazr84 said with the inbetween strings, i also remember seeing an interview where he said he prefered the sound of 10's but couldnt use them on stage yet because he overbent them
I got the lucky chance to meet Mike and Joe and i asked Mike and he opened the drawer with the strings and this is what i saw.
oh thats fantastic! thank you randall for sharing that first hand knowledge. i had no idea he went that heavy on the D and A.
Dean Markley NickelSteel Electric MED-2505B gauge as Randall posted. He has said in the past that at the beginning of a tour he sometimes started out on 10's until he got into shape.
Idk about what he used to use jim m, but I know he is using Ernie balls now.
I thought it was EB Cobalts just recently.
i think he was using cobalts during the beacon theatre era, like right when they came out, then earlier this year he said, he was only using them on his hollowbody guitars and the musicman steve morse model, and now i'm pretty sure its just standard ernies, according to his guitar tech mike hickey at least. heres his rig rundown from this year, he says he uses 11-52 ernies, but he doesn't mention the in between gauges.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DD0Yn1XJjE
and i believe your right randall, if you skip to around 7:00 of this video mike shows inside the draws of his work station and there are boxes of individual strings which are 11, 13, (i don't see an 18 but that doesn't mean its not there), 30, 42, and 52
Idk about what he used to use jim m, but I know he is using Ernie balls now.
There is a reason why I shouldn't post here and that might explain why he gave me those. 
I know just enough to make me dangerous.
I got to quickly Try Spot, Skinner and the 1960 with this gauge and it felt great the 13-B for some reason makes the set feel lighter? I guess the 13 is for easier bends. It's almost the light top heavy bottom set, but change the two strings or just the high E a 11 and it will be the same kind of thing. I think EB should make a Joe B set plus when will Dunlop start selling those Gold jazz 3 picks? There great!
thats amazing randall!!! how did you get an opportunity like that??? I would love to play any one of his bursts (particularly skinner), 3 is just amazing!!! And yeah that is interesting that he uses a 13 on the B since a regular set of 11s uses a 14, and from my observations, the 14 is already easier to bend tension wise than the 11 high e.
I got to quickly Try Spot, Skinner and the 1960 with this gauge and it felt great the 13-B for some reason makes the set feel lighter? I guess the 13 is for easier bends. It's almost the light top heavy bottom set, but change the two strings or just the high E a 11 and it will be the same kind of thing. I think EB should make a Joe B set plus when will Dunlop start selling those Gold jazz 3 picks? There great!
wow you got to try his ladies I am impressed. You must be a masked man like Steve Morse or one of his other guitar god pals.
Cheers Ron
I just was lucky because i went with a friend who is a guitar builder.
It would be great for Joe to jump in on this about string gauge. I think it plays a huge part in the tone and playing of the Les Paul. Clearly Joe uses heavier gauges for a reason. Most Vintage heros use 9's or 10's.
It would be! and yes i agree randall, the 11's and the setup, particularly pickup height and action lend a lot to tone. Jimmy Page or John McLaughlin would have sounded completely different if they weren't using 8's and low low action. From what I can tell a good portion of Joe's tone comes from his guitar setup, but still a lot of it is just from his hands. Also in terms of playing, like Mike Hickey said in Joe's 2013 rig rundown, the heavier strings and high action let you dig in more.
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