Getting a Weber 20" Octave next week, and I figure I'd bide my time waiting for it to ship by wringing my hands over string gauges on an instrument I've never played.
(I mean, it's winter in Minnesota. What else am I going to do? Can't just hide in the bathtub drinking whiskey until the snow melts, am I right?)
There have been more than a few threads on string gauge, no doubt, but I'd like to concentrate on the choices people have made on SHORT-SCALE (20") Octaves.
The Weber comes with D'Addario EJ80's, which are:
12, 22, 32, 46.
Sometimes lighter gauges can be too floppy and tubby and wimpy, especially on shorter-scale instruments. I have a short-scale Martin 000-18GE, and though it came with lights, I much prefer mediums on that one. I also like EJ75's on my Collings MT. So, I wouldn't be surprised if I jumped right up to a heavier string for the Octave.
I've heard some have used the EJ72 Mandola strings with some success:
14, 23, 34, 49
Another thread talked about using the even heavier EJ76's on OM's:
15, 25, 35, 52
Anyway, what say you short-scale OM'ers? Share your string-gauge experiments here.
Be honest and open.
No one will judge.
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