Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I just saw an online article claiming that during his Creedence years, John Fogerty used 9-gauge strings on his 325 . . . and since everything that you read on the internet is true, I thought that I would throw this question out to the Forum readers:

What are the lightest gauge that you have ever successfully used on a short scale Ric?

95% of the time I am a rhythm player who usually doesn't get much higher than the 7th fret, so I don't have to worry too about bad intonation while bending strings, etc.

Thanks.

I've been able to swing a set of .011s. That would correspond to about .009 on a normally scaled guitar, IIRC.

Anything less than that and it's just not going to feel right, IMO. If you're a rhythm guitarist, what's the problem with heavy strings?

The main problem with using smaller gauge strings on a short scale is that the bridge saddles can't be moved far enough to set the intonation properly. This might not be an issue with the newer slotted bridge base plate, which allows one to move the entire bridge up or back.

I was thinking about trying a slightly lighter gauge on my 310 because I am looking for a less 'beefy' sound - and because this guitar has such an incredible 'jazz' tone on the neck pickup, I have been trying more Les Paul-style riffs on this model - and the lighter gauge might help my dexterity.

If you want to try it, give them a shot. You'll only be out about 6 bucks.

In my experience, another problem is that when playing lead on the short scales with light strings it's easy to bend too much, making the notes sharp.

I took my 660 to my guitar tech the day after I bought it and had the nut slotted for 11's. I have no clue how people play with anything lighter than 10's even on a fender. Nothing but tuning problems and lack of tension resonance.
My tele is strung with 11's my Yamaha sa2000 12 flats, and my favorite guitar a hofner jazzica 25.5" scale with 13 flats.
I'm even thinking about 12's on my 660.

My Rics are all full-scale, but I do have an old Duo-Sonic with 9s on it. It's an old 3-saddle, so intonation's a little wonky, anyway. Seems to work OK for me, at least.

Generally speaking, I run 9s on my Fenders and 10s on Gibsons and Rics. I have TI 10s on one Tele and TI 12s on my Country Gentleman. I tend to like the lighter gauge strings...

Strings on a short scale guitar tune up to pitch with less tension, so heavier strings like the .012s that come on a 325 seem the same as lighter gauge strings on a full scale instrument. I once put .009s on my brother's 320 and BOY did he go out of tune quickly! I believe if I had to go with lighter strings, .011s would be the smallest I'd use.

fabandgear wrote:Strings on a short scale guitar tune up to pitch with less tension, so heavier strings like the .012s that come on a 325 seem the same as lighter gauge strings on a full scale instrument. I once put .009s on my brother's 320 and BOY did he go out of tune quickly! I believe if I had to go with lighter strings, .011s would be the smallest I'd use.

Pretty much nailed it on the head, as far as I'm concerned. For me personally, I've never been able to get anything lighter than .012s to sound or feel passable, but that's more of a personal preference. I also don't really like using anything lighter than .010s on full scale guitars. If you like using .009s, then I'm sure using .011s on a short scale would be fine.

Not only will tuning and intonation be big issues, the tone of lighter strings will really suck. You might get away with 11's okay, but 12's are much more normal in all regards.

FYI, my lead player uses 13's on the full scale RIC's he uses and the tone is to die for.