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Can you guys help me out?  I have 3 different combinations that I need total string tension for.

Guitar 1:  Light Gauge strings (12/16/24/32/42/53) tuned at standard pitch.

Guitar 2: Medium Gauge strings (13/17/26/35/45/56) tuned 1 full step below standard (DGCFAD)

Guitar 3: Medium Gauge strings tuned 1 full step below standard and a 24.9" scale.

Thanks so much!

Ken

Ken,

Go here and you can calculate the string tensions. The answer for guitar 3 is 142.99lb. I don't know what the scale length of guitars 1 and 2 are.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Sorry I can't give you a link but if you go to D'addarios' site look for Tension 101 or something similar. They list all the tensions and explain how to substitute one guage for another when drop tuning. They have a conversion chart.

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

The one I like best is "The McDonald Patent Universal String Tension Calculator", click here.   

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

[QUOTE=Dave White]Ken,

Go here and you can calculate the string tensions. The answer for guitar 3 is 142.99lb. I don't know what the scale length of guitars 1 and 2 are.[/QUOTE]

The scales on the first two would be standard scale (25.5)

thanks.

Very cool site Dave W. Some people I know use mediums on the unwound strings and lights on the wound strings. Now can tell them how much they are reducing the pull on the top.

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Say what you do, Do what you say.

Ken,

Guitar 1 is 163.42lb and guitar 2 152.41lb.

Mattia,

The calclator I use was also done by Graham MacDonald - maybe an earlier version. I'll have to look at the other site.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Dave,

That mix is quite common with people who use DADGAD and dropped tunings a lot. In DADGAD the unwound strings are both dropped down a step. Some people also substitute a heavier woumd 6th string.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

[QUOTE=Dave White]Dave,

That mix is quite common with people who use DADGAD and dropped tunings a lot. In DADGAD the unwound strings are both dropped down a step. Some people also substitute a heavier woumd 6th string.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, Dave!

Everyone beat me to it. I am following closely Ken

wow, thats actually really amazing! so cool. thanks for posting that guys.

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sweat the small stuff.

I'm coming late to this but a thought has occurred.

In terms of good balance, would it make sense to size individual strings, up or down a bit, so that they each generate about the same tension (say 25lb) at set up??

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Dave
Milton, ON

I "bumped" this thread because I'm very interested in any thoughts on equalized string tension.

Does it make sense (re sound quality) to choose individual string sizes to achieve more or less equal tension for each (as opposed to just stringing a "set", whose tensions may vary quite a bit from one to another)

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Dave
Milton, ON