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Hey. I'm planning on getting a lefty epi les paul custom. I'm planning on using it in drop D and C tuning. I play hard rock (big influences: a perfect circle, nin, tool, ministry, etc...). I'm reading that a higher string gauge would be better for me (I'm used to D'Adarrio 10's, the ones in the orange container). Any recommendations/tips? I plan on setting it up myself. I'm also reading that with a heavier gauge, the action could be a lot higher. Any tips on setting it all up, taking all of this into consideration?

my experience is that higher guage strings have less slackening so you can have a lower action (so long as the string isn't so bulky that the mere radius of it makes it rattle with the frets)... I have the same influences and I'm a heavy strummer who plays drop D a lot but I also do a lot of bends on the higher strings.. so I use the skinny top/heavy bottom sets from ernie ball or daddrio... check em out

A 12 set would probably be good for drop-c on the les.


Originally Posted by rainsong86my experience is that higher guage strings have less slackening so you can have a lower action

That's basically correct but remember that if you are using them at a lower pitch they will be at a lower tension and the strings excursion (the distance it moves before the rise in tension pulls it back to the centreline) and therefore it's arc will be wider.

Droping to D is a whole tone so you are dropping the pitch by 11%. This equates to a 21% reduction in tension. The 6th dropped to C is a 21% drop in pitch though so this equates to a 37% drop in tension..

You'll need a much heavier string on the 6th course.