Okay, so Stevie Ray used ridiculously heavy gauge strings on his Strat, then tuned his guitar down by a half-step. Ever since that tidbit got out, hundreds (or maybe thousands) of guitarists tried to increase their string gauge in order to achieve that SRV sound. We’re betting that most of Stevie’s sound was in his fingers, though having a great guitar and killer amps sure helped. But think about Jimmy Page, who achieved a monster sound with Led Zeppelin while using a set of slinky .008s on his two Les Pauls! What’s the deal?
If you consider the physics of a plucked guitar string, you would easily come to the conclusion that a heavy gauge string has more overall mass and thus cannot vibrate as long as a lighter string. Back in the early days of electric guitars, there was a continuous search for more and more sustain. Pioneers such as Les Paul and Chet Atkins worked with Gibson and Gretsch respectively to try and increase sustain. Yet part of their frustration came as a result of the heavier gauge of electric guitar strings manufactured back in the 1950s and ’60s. A standard set would be .013-.056 or even heavier. Once guitarists unlocked the secret of playing their instruments using lighter gauge strings, sustain instantly increased.