My hands are changing. Thinking about going to 9s.

[Saul Goodman]

Hands hurt. Even the Hamer necks of the mid '90s seem too big. I really learned something about myself by buying the '61 Historic LPC. And a '93 Hamer Special. I have a solid one inch Fender neck from head to butt that I refuse to play now opting for a more '60s, slimmer taper. I'm also thinking I may opt for a smaller nut, hehe. And now I'm thinking of trying 9s. I tend to hit hard and this is giving me pain in the right-hand index finger knuckle where I cradle the pick. I'm thinking 9s may induce me to hit less. I don't know. I'm losing my manhood. Anyone made the switch? 

[velorush]

Interesting. For some reason I started going in the opposite direction around ten years ago. Can't play anything smaller than about 0.87" thick at the first fret, though it's been a while since I've tested that - I sold off everything with a neck smaller than that some time back. That's another reason I started building the partscasters as most every production guitar seems to be on the order of 0.83" at the first fret.

Are you dealing with hand pain, in particular? My issue is left-hand cramping when playing more involved chords - chords where my pinky and ring finger are up on the large E and A strings, for example (which, musically, is more likely an indication I need to stop spending time in the keyboard's and bass' sonic space).

The maple neck on the Stretchocaster is an inch thick nut to body and I can play that one all day in comfort. The Sherwood green partscaster is just a bit thinner, but same thing, play that one all day. 

Edited Monday at 12:50 AM by velorush

[tbonesullivan]

I've been trying to learn to use 9s for a while now. EVH used 9s downtuned to Eb. Jake E Lee uses 9s. Seems like almost all of the 80s players used 9s. My biggest issue is that I cannot, for the life of me, get good fast palm muting with 9s. I have no idea how the hell people did it.

Billy Gibbons... he uses 7s now. Still sounds great. Learning to use 7s though will definitely take a lot of adjustment.

[velorush]

I tried 9's and 8's after that Beato video came out a couple of years ago. The 8's were a disaster for me but 9's were fine. I went back to 10's because I'm just more used to them, but the 9's felt and sounded fine to me. I prefer the added resistance of 10's because I'm a hack with poor control on my bends. The added effort helps to reel me in. 

That said, I'd have no trouble going to 9's if it permitted me to play without pain. I'd just have to put in the time to get used to them. 

[Saul Goodman]

3 hours ago, velorush said:

I tried 9's and 8's after that Beato video came out a couple of years ago. The 8's were a disaster for me but 9's were fine. I went back to 10's because I'm just more used to them, but the 9's felt and sounded fine to me. I prefer the added resistance of 10's because I'm a hack with poor control on my bends. The added effort helps to reel me in. 

That said, I'd have no trouble going to 9's if it permitted me to play without pain. I'd just have to put in the time to get used to them. 

Interesting. I've only played Slinkys a few times. Do they really have a different feel than the D'ADDario 10s I use all the time? I buy Ds simply for price. I've heard most strings are made in the same factory and rebranded anyway.  

ETA: Maybe I didn't make it clear, I believe I'm developing arthritis. The pain is mostly in some joints in my hands. Possibly from old injuries(?) or just wearing out. I'm trying some topical salves and Omega 3 supplements. I've also been eating cod liver for lunch on Monday and Tuesdays and sardines the rest of the week. Can't say any of it has made a difference. 

Edited Monday at 04:55 PM by Saul Goodman

[Dave Scepter]

[Dave Scepter]

1 hour ago, Saul Goodman said:

Maybe I didn't make it clear, I believe I'm developing arthritis. The pain is mostly in some joints in my hands. Possibly from old injuries(?) or just wearing out. I'm trying some topical salves and Omega 3 supplements. I've also been eating cod liver for lunch on Monday and Tuesdays and sardines the rest of the week. Can't say any of it has made a difference. 

Sometimes, the body just goes through changes... years ago I started going to the VA Hospital due to my left hand/wrist having pain issues... Arthritis?.. and was given local shots once a month for a few months, but I stopped because it really wasn't working very well and I didn't want to rely on them.... I've noticed lately as we age, our body actually does strange shit, then heals itself again "hopefully"... you mentioned having diabetes, this might be a affect and maybe temporary... "a few months, a year?"... I just kept exercising with a squeeze ball and 1 day, it was all better again 😃

Good luck in your recovery 🙏

Edited Monday at 06:42 PM by Dave Scepter

[Disturber]

I went from 0,10's to 0,095-44's some years ago. They kinda sound like tens, but feel more like nines. I like this gauge a lot.

[The Shark]

I used to play .010 to .052 all nickel sets.  That was in my thirties, forties and early fifties.  I developed the beginnings of Dupuytren's contracture in my ring finger on my left hand.  Doc told me that I needed to "do something" to make playing the guitar easier.  I told him, "That's what the weed and the whiskey is for".  He wasn't amused.  When I explained string tension and how much I was playing, he told me that I needed to take the stress off my finger and hand.  I went to .010 to .046.  I could definitely hear the difference in tone.  Especially on the lower stings. 

The point of my rant is that my Dupuytren's hasn't progressed since I got rid of the .052's.  But I am thinking of trying .009 to .046.  I'm 64 and, as my father used to say, "Getting old sucks".  

I hope you're able to fend off the "aging" and alleviate your pain somehow.  The one thing we should be able to do until the day we die is play guitar comfortably.

[ArnieZ]

I have found that larger necks are less stress on my hands than thinner ones. I know this seems counter intuitive to some people, but it requires less pressure than squeezing a thinner neck

arniez

[Steve Haynie]

My preference has been for medium to thicker necks in the last 20 years.  Recently, the thought of selling my thinner neck Special has been getting more and more justified.  

It could be a matter of "what you're used to" rather than willingness to adapt, but I really think it is time to say goodbye to thin necks.  

[diablo175]

There was likely a time I played 10's but it would've been back when I didn't know shit and was playing basic power chords and single string passages. Since the late 80's, I've played nothing but 9-42's. The exception would be on my Hamer Standard where I have a .48 and the rest are the usual .09- .32. 

I've wrestled with neck size and profile as well and have run the gamut of Wizard-thin to baseball bats on a BC Rich Warbeast and a few earlier Hamers. I now find that I hover in the middle with the Charvel and Jackson D shapes as my fave but have actually learned to get on with every neck carve in my collection- CS Axcess Les Paul, 50th Anniv. SG, Hamer Standard and Cali C-shapes, etc.

I think @Steve Haynie might be right: it seems more an issue of having grown comfortable with the necks I have in the collection. I played Jackson D shapes back in the early 90's before discovering Hamers, and now I'm back to them. 

Luckily, I haven't encountered any serious, long-term hand issues...                     

...yet.

[alantig]

On 6/22/2026 at 1:20 PM, Dave Scepter said:

"Taco flavored kisses for my Beeennnnnnnn..."

[Dave Scepter]

 

[WorstBandName]

On 6/22/2026 at 4:14 PM, Disturber said:

I went from 0,10's to 0,095-44's some years ago. They kinda sound like tens, but feel more like nines. I like this gauge a lot.

I went to 9.5s on 24.75 in LP/Hamer Studio sclae gutiars a while back and have found it to be a real happy medium.  I've went to 8.5 or 9s on 25.5 fender scale stuff.  Really depends on what feels best on the guitar for whatever reason.  I can see really see why some of these well knwon fols have went lower as my hands/wrist/etc. all feel great and so much less tension, and I generally just play better.

[Biz Prof]

I tried .010 sets back in mid '90s when .009-.042 was the de facto standard and the SRV legacy was simultaneously influencing a new fad (my perspective on it) of ratcheting up gauges to .010, .011, and .012 in the quest for tone. I simply found .010 sets to be too stiff for bending, even on 25.75" scale guitars. It was painful.

Over the last 25 years, I found I was focusing less on blistering leads on more on rhythm playing and textural nuances under moderately overdriven amp settings. A heavier gauge sounded and felt better for this requirement, but I still needed the ability to play leads with large bends.  

Tried .0095 sets a few years ago and found it to be a good compromise.  My finger dexterity ain't what it once was, so the gear needs to work for me rather than the other way around.  YMMV.

Edited 5 hours ago by Biz Prof

[django49]

I guess I am the real outlier. Used 10s on the shorter scale necks for years. When I discovered I could go comfortably to the 25.5"scale, and on a fairly fat neck, I also discovered I liked 11s better. I do not have huge hands and not near the strength I once had. And I am an unrepentant string bender. But it works...Different strokes and all that.....

[LucSulla]

I've developed a bit of trigger finger in my left hand, which causes my left index finger to freeze. Thinking back, I think I've had this for years and thought it was just cramps, but nope! I've gotten back into lifting in the last year, which taxes my grip and, I think, in turn has made this worse at times. 

Among the different things I've been doing – warm-ups, stretches, more use of lifting straps and compression sleeves, reconsidering hand and strap position, and daily practice where I play actual songs for 30 straight minutes rather than just noodling – is re-examining my strings preference. Once I use up the current stash of 10s, I'll probably move to 9s across the board (25.5 and 24.75) for standard tuning. I find 10s work OK for tuning from a half-step down to D standard. For below D standard, 11s feel comfy. 

To be totally honest, I never really noticed a dime's worth of difference in my tone beyond the slightest tweak of EQ on the amp other than I felt that heavy string gauges took away from the twang on a tele or strat (and this was long before Rick's video, which felt validating).  I never really bought into the dick measuring contest over string gauges that SRV seemed to inadvertently start either. I've always just played what seemed to be the easiest thing to get along with for the give and take I need in a string to suit my playing style. 

When I actually get to do it, the downtuned stuff I play is all from that Sabbath school of stoner/doom/southern sludge rather than tech death and djent. I think the low strings pulling slightly sharp for a second when you hit them hard is an essential part of that sound. You don't really need super heavy strings for that if your guitar is set up properly. 

Which is all to say, why kill yourself? Beyond the actual functioning of the instrument (which can be set up to accommodate a wide variety of string gauges and tunings), play what feels good, and allows you to play how you want for as long as you need. The rest is what those EQ knobs are for. 

Edited 20 minutes ago by LucSulla