Scott Henderson Discussion

[dizzy]

Hey Scott

There is something I have been noticing with string gauge and I wanted to confirm what I am hearing with you:
With a light attack it sounds fuller to use lighter strings. I try to have a light attack(unless I get nervous) and I have been using 11s but actually 11s are only fuller then 10s if you hit them pretty hard.
Is this what you find?
Thanks for all your help Scott

[Scott Henderson]

I'm sure lighter strings will sound worse if you pick hard. I was using 11's for awhile, tuned to Eb - I think it sounds good for blues, but woofy with high gain. I use 10's now (as on Vibe Station) and that works for me.

[BS]

Do you think there can be a significantly different feel between different string brands with the same specifications (material, gauge, wounding etc)? Especially when it comes to heavier jazz guitar strings I have the feeling that one brand can feel stiffer and heavier to play than a second brand, but I'm not sure if this is the actual case, or if it is something going on inside my head...! Any experience with this?

[Scott Henderson]

I don't know anything about heavier strings for jazz guitars, but a few years ago me and a friend of mine did a string shoot-out in my studio - all the major brands. I made a joke on one of the Tribal Tech records saying "all strings are made in the same factory." I expected all the strings to sound very similar, but D'addario strings sounded so much better than any of the others, it wasn't even a contest. My friend agreed and so does Suhr - they put D'Addario on all their guitars.