Leaderboard

Wise words... It was a challenge moving down to 8s from the 10s that I had played for years and did require significant control and concentration on clean technique for a couple of weeks, but now I don't notice any difference except the ability to play for longer periods. But as said... standard 10-46 strings are standard for a reason, they suit most styles and most players and any reason for change is purely a personal choice.

In my now-very-distant youth, I foolishly swapped my splendid Hofner President for a Burns Bison (yes, I know; idiot move I've regretted for decades...). The daft idea I had at the time was to dabble in Lead Guitar Playing. To this end, I knew that bending notes was The Name Of The Game, so what better than to have bendable strings, eh..? I cobbled up a set with a high 'E' '7'; the rest went from there (probably taking a set of 10-46 and moving 'em all over by one...). Yes, of course, it was unplayable, partly because I was, and have remained, a pitiful Lead Guitarist, but mostly because these strings were not strings, but cobwebs..! The slightest touch produced notes hitherto unknown to musicology, worthy of the best synth oscillators, wobbling about between [note played] and [note played plus several random half-tones]. It is not to be wondered at, why I chose to switch to drums. The Burns was traded in for a keyboard for my girlfriend at the time, which in turn became a Hohner Pianet for my parents (my father wanted to learn the piano...). The moral of this sad tale..? Use 'standard' strings unless there is a very, very good reason dictated by experience and wisdom; there's a reason why most folk do so. a set of 10-46 suit most folk playing most electric guitars, end of. OK, OK... I'll make an exception for those playing heavy metal riffs, that may evolve to 'top light-heavy bottom' sets, to go 'chunkachunkachunka' with for hours, but that's all. I'm off now to do a bit of drumming...

Thanks @Dad3353 More specifically, my soft skinned finger tips! I do agree though, I think I just got over excited with the new toy!

Just to suggest cooling down a tad. The fastest way to mastering the guitar is to go slowly. If your fingers hurt, you're playing too much, for too long at a time. This is holding you back. Play several short sessions, several times a day, rather than one long 'blitz'. Five minutes warming up, going over chord shapes, a few licks you're learning, then 10-15 minutes, no more. Do something else (have a look at Music Theory or Notation Reading if you must...), but leave the guitar alone. Rinse and repeat. Progress will be made by regularity, far faster than by 'bingeing'. Hope this helps.

Welcome @Backonthehorse Unfortunately, I can't offer any advice about multi-effect pedals, as I know bugger all about them, but I'm sure someone else will.

OK for the above ^^^^, but the 'standard' string gauge is really those that were on it from new (typically 10-46...) Most brands are OK (I use Elixir... ... which cost a little more, but last a very long time, and play and sound good, to me; other brands are good, too...). If you're bending strings unintentionally, you're gripping too hard the neck. Is the guitar supported properly (not needing your left arm to hold the neck up...)..? If not, get a decent strap, adjusted so that the guitar stays in place 'arms off'. There's never any need to use much pressure on the strings, for solo work nor for chords. When pressing down on the fingerboard, try, as an exercise, to use only as much force as is needed to get the strings to sound out clearly, no more. Make each chord shape, and make a conscious point of using as little force as possible. Do this, as an exercise, before each session, and see if it helps. Are your fingers being applied directly downwards, and not at an angle, pushing the string 'sharp'..? Again, take care when playing to think and look at each finger, slowly, to make sure it's all good. Of course, a lesson or two with a competent tutor should sort out issues like this, so I'd recommend that course, if at all possible, just to get this technique issue sorted. Ye, heavier strings will be harder to push out of tune, but it won't correct errors being made, which will remain for decades to come if not jumped on early (No, I don't mean to suggest that you jump on your fingers; that would be silly, and would hurt ...). Hope this helps.