Didn't read the article (I don't do Facebook) but coincidentally I was thinking about string sizes recently and I've arrived at some interesting conclusions.
Before I started to pig out on new guitars, I generally used 11-gauge strings (on both my Epi LP Custom and my Epi 335) but as I have begun to acquire new and different gear, my opinion of string gauges has changed.
For example, when I ordered my Strat, I ordered it set up with 11's. But after playing it for a while I think that 11's are too stiff. I believe the reason is basically three things:
- Neck size (or "beefy-ness").
- Scale length.
- Neck construction - specifically set neck versus bolt-on.
My Epi LP has a set neck and had a stout and rigid feel and that combined with the shorter scale length makes 11's a natural choice, especially for bending. When I had 10's I often over-bent strings and the 11's have tamed that and the same goes for my Epi 335.
I also employ a "wrap-over" on both tailpieces which, to me, makes the strings a bit "slinkier".
On the other hand, my Strat seems to struggle with 11's. It sounds fine but bends (especially on the lower frets) are sometimes a struggle and I believe that while the scale length adds to that, so too does the thinner neck and its bolt-on configuration in that as I bend, the neck flexes more so than on my Epi's and so it's more of a "push" to get to a full step. So I think I'm going to drop down to 10's and see if that changes.
My Epi Joe Pass came with 10's which were in need of replacement (bought it as a demo) so I restrung it with 11's. But IT'S configuration (trapeze tailpiece and floating bridge) seems to make 11's feel a bit "stiff". I can't identify any obvious reason why this is so, but I think I'll go back to 10's and see what happens.
Conversely, my Fender Meteora came strung with 9's and while I have no problem with tone, the strings are simply too light and I often either over-bend or even lift the string off the fretboard. Of course this guitar has a 9.5-inch radius fretboard while my Strat and both Epi's are 12-inch boards, so that has something to do with it. But another factor is that the Meteora anchors the strings through ferrules in the body and they simply ride over the bridge which in my mind acts in a similar way to the wrap-over I use on my Epi's which makes the strings even slinky-er.
So in the case of the Meteora, I think that going up to 10-gauge strings (or possibly 11's) will help.
Then there's the PRS.
It has a set neck, a 10-inch radius, a 25-inch scale length and a combination bridge/tailpiece and it too was shipped with 9-gauge stings which in this case feel absolutely perfect. Bends are no problem and tone is just fine and even though the specs on this guitar tell me that I could probably go as high as 11's, I really don't feel the need to do so and I think I'll stick with 9's on this one (I suppose this particular guitar is the exception that proves the rule).
So the conclusions I've drawn are that there is no single string gauge that covers all situations and that different guitars respond in different ways to different strings for a variety of reasons and the trick is to identify what each guitar likes and set them up with string gauges that work best for each one.
So it's no more "one-size-fits-all" for me!