Guides
The reference layer of the site. Tension math, install how-tos, gauge-by-tuning lookups, and the long-tail questions that don't fit inside an individual string review.
Pillar references
All guides
- 3D-printed guitar maintenance tools, what works and what doesn't
Which guitar maintenance tools 3D-print well, which ones don't, what material to use, what print settings to dial in, and whether printed tools can damage your guitar. Pillar D of the Change Your Strings advanced-setup pillar topology.
- 5-string and 6-string bass players: who plays extended-range bass and what strings they use
The documented 5-string and 6-string bass players, Nathan East, Robert Trujillo, Alex Webster, Anthony Jackson, John Patitucci, John Myung and more, with the signature basses they play, the strings that are on public record, and the scale lengths behind a clean low B.
- 7-string guitar string gauge guide: the tension math for B standard, Drop A, and extended lows
The gauge-and-tension targets for every common 7-string tuning on 25.5", 26.5", and 27" scale guitars. Plus the sets that actually ship in 7-string form.
- 8-string guitar string gauge guide: F# standard, Drop E, and the lowest playable extended-range tunings
Tension targets and string-gauge picks for 8-string guitar in F# standard, Drop E, and the rare-but-shipping E standard / Drop D 8-string tunings. Plus the actual sets that ship in 8-string form.
- 8-string high-tension setup, the working configuration for Drop E and lower
How to configure an 8-string electric guitar for high-tension drop tunings without flapping or intonation drift. Scale length math, gauge selection, nut slot widths, truss rod compensation, pickup output, bridge intonation, action, and the nut-binding diagnosis. The Pillar A reference for extended-range setups.
- 9-string guitar players: who plays 9-string and what they use
The 9-string guitar is a genuinely small niche. The documented players: Stephen Carpenter, Tosin Abasi, Lucas Mann, Joshua Travis, Rob Scallon, and DOOM composer Mick Gordon. Real guitars, the C# standard tuning, and honest notes on strings.
- Baritone guitar players: who plays baritone and what strings they use
Documented baritone guitar players across goth, prog metal, jazz, and rock: Robert Smith, John Petrucci, Pat Metheny, Bill Kelliher, and Duane Eddy. Real guitars, scale lengths, tunings, and the strings where sources confirm them.
- Ernie Ball Cobalt Slinky gauges explained: the full 12-set lineup, picked by tuning
All twelve Ernie Ball Cobalt Slinky 6-string gauges compared: from Extra Slinky .008–.038 to Mammoth Slinky .012–.062. Pick by tuning first, scale length second, hand strength third.
- Drop C string gauge and tension chart: pick the right set for 25.5", Gibson, and baritone scales
The gauge-and-tension targets for Drop C tuning across Fender 25.5", Gibson 24.75", and baritone 27" scale lengths, plus the three Ernie Ball sets that actually work and the two that don't.
- How to change strings on a Floyd Rose locking tremolo, the procedure that doesn't ruin the setup
A step-by-step Floyd Rose string-change procedure for double-locking tremolo bridges. Block the trem, unlock the nut, clamp at the saddle, tune up, stretch, re-lock. Includes recovery procedure for when the trem tilts and intonation drifts.
- Guitar scale length explained: why a Fender feels tighter than a Gibson, and what it does to your strings
Scale length is the vibrating length of your strings, and it changes how tight they feel. Fender's 25.5 inches, Gibson's 24.75, and a baritone's 27-plus, compared, with the tension math and what gauge to run on each.
- Guitar String Gauge Chart: Every Gauge in Inches and Millimeters
The full guitar string gauge chart: every plain gauge from .007 to .026 and every wound gauge from .018 to .105, sourced from Ernie Ball's and D'Addario's own singles catalogs, in inches and millimeters.
- Guitarists who died on stage: a career-first tribute
The documented guitarists who died during a live performance: Dimebag Darrell, Les Harvey, and Johnny 'Guitar' Watson. Their music first, the facts of each loss stated plainly, and the gear that carries their names forward.
- Switching to heavier electric guitar strings: the truss-rod-aware install guide
Going from a .010 set to .011s, .012s, or a Drop C rig? Here's the full install and setup walk-through, truss rod adjustment, nut slot check, bridge height, and intonation, so the guitar plays right from the first note.
- The history of guitar strings: from sheep gut to cobalt
Four centuries of strings in one timeline: gut from Salle, Italy, Martin's 1922 steel shift, Segovia's nylon, the 1962 Slinky, roundwound bass, phosphor bronze, coatings, and cobalt.
- How to build guitar calluses (and the truth about the super glue trick)
How to build guitar calluses fast and safely: how long it takes, the short-and-frequent routine that works, why lighter strings help, and the real story on the super glue trick Stevie Ray Vaughan used.
- Pick gauge by genre: thickness and material picks for every guitar style
Match guitar pick thickness and material to your genre. Acoustic strumming wants thin celluloid; metalcore wants 1.14mm Tortex or Ultex; jazz wants the Jazz III shape; country wants medium with snap. Sourced from documented player rigs and Dunlop's signature catalog.
- Precision nut filing for heavy-gauge guitar strings
How to file a guitar nut for .062 and heavier strings without ruining the guitar. Tools, slot-width math, depth measurement, back-angle technique, and the recovery procedure if you over-file. Step-by-step HowTo with full schema markup.
- What to do before you bring your guitar into the studio
A studio-prep checklist for guitarists: set the guitar up for the exact tuning and gauge you will record in, put on fresh strings a day early, pack several spare sets of that same string, and choose the strings that fit the song.
- Written in 15 minutes: 10 huge hits that came together fast
A surprising number of the biggest hit songs were written in minutes, not months. Ten famous examples, from Sugar Ray's 'Every Morning' (a hook that arrived in five seconds) to 'Hound Dog' (about 15 minutes flat), and why writing fast so often beats laboring over it.
- Guitar string gauge explained: what the numbers mean and how to choose
What guitar string gauge numbers actually mean, the real light-vs-heavy tradeoffs, and how to pick the right gauge for your tuning, scale length, and playing style. The gauge guide the rest of the site points to.
- Do strings or pickups change your tone more? What string metal and gauge actually do
The honest answer to what shapes your electric guitar's tone: how string alloy and gauge change the sound, what most players get wrong about heavy strings, and whether the pickup or the string matters more.
- Top 10 7-string guitar players: who plays 7-string and what strings they use
The most influential 7-string players in metal and prog, from Korn's 7-string pioneers through Dream Theater to modern djent. Documented strings, gauges, tunings, and signature rigs.
- Top 10 8-string guitar players: who plays 8-string and what strings they use
The most influential 8-string players in metal, djent, and prog, Tosin Abasi, Fredrik Thordendal, Stephen Carpenter, and the rest. Documented strings, gauges, tunings, and signature rigs.
- Who plays Ernie Ball Cobalt Slinky strings: the documented pro users
The full ranked list of guitarists and bassists with documented Ernie Ball Cobalt Slinky use, 17 confirmed with primary-source citations plus 12 provisional Ernie Ball artists where Cobalt use is inferred.