| the String Gauge & Tension Calculator |
| In which the tension of individual strings may be calculated, on any instrument from 12-string guitar to cuatro, as well as can be gained recommendations for gauge based on tension input. The ratio of one string's tension to its neighbors' is also revealed. |
Click on the icon to download the Tension & Gauges Calculator, at no charge,
in Microsoft Excel (.xls) format.
The charts are preloaded with gauges for 12-string electric guitar. If you're using single strings or unison pairs, you can ignore the "b" rows & columns 1(b), 2(b), ...
Click on the worksheet tabs at the bottom of the calculator window to switch from chart to chart.
A fun way to get started is to go to the GaugeCalc chart, enter your Scale Length and Note, and just see what gauge you get at the current tension. Then experiment with entering other tensions.
Please read the paragraphs below for important information.
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WHAT IT IS
In this downloadable Excel workbook, there are two "smart" charts. One is for calculating tensions for the string gauges you enter, and the other is for calculating string gauges for the tensions you enter. In both charts, you are invited to enter any scale length in decimal inches. Also enter the pitch of the open strings - There is a third, read-only chart of common instruments from which you can get examples of the pitch designations.
RANGE OF STRINGS
I have limited the gauges to what is practical and normally available for guitar through mandolin, i.e. 0.007 - 0.080w. The referenced string materials have been limited to those most commonly used on electric instruments in that range, i.e. Steel Plain and Nickel Round-Wound.
ENTERING GAUGES
In the TensionCalc chart, plain strings are entered simply as numbers, and wound strings are entered as a number with a "w" on the end. Please note that if you enter a value that cannot be found in the hidden reference tables, the calculator will give you the tension based on the next lower available gauge. For instance, there is no 23w. If you enter 23w and like the tension that the calculator gives you, then when you go to buy a 23w and can't find one, just get a 22w. (I'll probably try to fix this so that it returns something like "n/a" for non-existent gauges. Check back)
Remember also that there are several plain gauges available in half-steps, such as 10.5.
ENTERING TENSION
There is a range of tensions where plain and wound string types overlap, and strings can be found in either style to get close to a preferred tension. That area is between 16 (plain) and 28w. If you are using the GaugeCalc chart to get gauge recommendations based on a tension you enter, the result in this overlap area will likely be a plain string. If you think you would prefer a wound string, you can go to the TensionCalc chart and plunk in a couple of wound gauges to find your match.
WIND-UP
You most likely now have an idea of how the complexities can mount in putting together a string gauge tension calculator. Even with the built-in limitations of reference data, the potential combinations of useable string gauges on any given instrument are seemingly infinite.
In the end, it will boil down to trying a few and choosing your favorites.
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WHAT I LIKE AND WHY
By the way, my preferred gauges for rock 'n roll mandola on a 17" scale are:
4-String
1) a4) 0.008 or 8
2) d4) 0.013 or 13
3) g3) 0.026w or 26w
4) c3) 0.040w or 40w
8-String
1) a4) 0.010 or 10
2) d4) 0.015 or 15
3) g3) 0.028w or 28w
4) c3) 0.044w or 44w
I originally arrived at the 4-String gauges this way:
I sometimes like to bend strings. That requires a relatively light tension, and on relatively short scaled instruments, this requires a light gauge string. Eights are the lightest gauge that you can always find anywhere you look. So I started with eights.
Through experimentation, I determined the other gauges that will attain the same change in pitch when bending with the same amount of effort (finger force). The conclusions I reached are admittedly subjective, and interestingly, the gauges I chose do not have the same open string tension! Plug these values into the TensionCalc and check out the ratios!
My preferred 8-String gauges were arrived at through experimentation and reference to the calculations.
SHOULDN'T I USE ACOUSTIC GAUGES?
Why are light gauge strings hardly ever used on acoustic mandos, but can be the perfect choice for electrics?
Acoustics
On an acoustic instrument, the amplitude (volume) of a string can be user-controlled by only two things:
A) the force used to pluck the string and,
B) the tension (gauge) of the string.
This is because the way an acoustic responds to a plucked string is based on:
1) the instrument's resonant frequency spectrum,
2) the amount of force applied to the top by a string (its tension), and
3) the way the top resists and reacts to this force.
1) and 3) are built into the instrument by the luthier. For a given instrument, 2) is determined by the gauge chosen.
Electrics
2) and 3) above, and to a great extent 1), do not apply to electrics. I'm not talking about hollow-bodies here, which are actually acoustics with pickups, as are most acoustic-electrics.
The amplitude (volume) of a string on an electric is determined by:
1) the pickups' frequency spectrum and its distance from the string,
2) the other electronic components, particularly the volume knob, and
3) the force used to pluck the string.
The interaction of forces on the body play an insignificantly small role. Yes, sustain and tonality are influenced to varying degrees by the choices the luthier has made. But volume is in the hands of the user; change the distance between string and pickup, turn the volume knob, and adjust the playing style.
That is why light gauge strings are perfectly acceptable and effective on electrics.
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