String Tension Question

[Brian T. Williams]

Hello.....

Just one quick question if I may.

I only play 12string guitars, and following a recent left wrist injury, have only been playing my electrics;  (Danelectro & Guild Starfire) and I have also dropped to .09-.46 gauge strings.

Can anyone please tell me with regard to the octave A (10th) string, what would be the GREATER tension a nickel wound or a plain .20?

I cannot seem to find this information anywhere, so your advice would be greatly appreciated....

Thank you...........Brian.

[Ron Ellison]

According to this site

http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/stringxxiii.html

(scroll down for string gauges) a plain A is 13.51 kg and a wound A 14.18 kg. It doesn't specify winding material.

[Roger Häggström]

Logically it's the core that gives the tension, not the winding. The winding only wraps the core and adds mass to the string.  Tension will depend on the material and thickness of the core.

[Andrew]

Thats true, but the added mass if the wound string also necessitates a higher tension in order to vibrate at the same frequency. Thats why we have wound strings - it equalizes the tension across the fingerboard so they feel right (and also sound better, I think?).

[Brian T. Williams]

Thank you both, but in particular thanks to you Ron for that link to the Stewart McDonald string tension calculator.

WHAT a useful tool to have access to, and thanks again for pointing me to it and providing the link!

A definite one for my resource bookmarks!!

Cheers.......Brian.

[Mike Kolb]

..... and thanks to you, Brian, for asking the question. It's been over a week since anyone has posted anything at all so I was starting to wonder if everyone had left for a spring vacation at the same time :)