ScouserJoe wrote:Hi Bojan,
Yes, I was very interested in trying a set of Gibson L5 900L (10-46 with 18w) but I couldn't find a set for sale anywhere. Whether there is a shortage I don't know, but everyone seemed to be out of stock here in the UK when I tried.
I think they are harder to obtain in Europe. I had a friend of mine in Vancouver send me a dozen sets a few years ago and I still have some unopened ones. I would be glad to send one to you, but they are 12-56 . . .
You know, perhaps you might want to consider going for a compromise. Gibson L-5 has a set of medium light strings (11-14-19w-30-41-52) that would not require you to make any changes on your truss rod, only on the bridge, and still they would give you a much better sound (in my opinion). The thing is (and this is purely my personal reasoning), if you are prepared to go all out to get your dream sound, and if you have practically the same gear that Hank himself had, the only element missing is the heavier strings. If I were you (and unfortunately, I am not
), my curiosity would probably get the better of me and I would at least try the 11's and if I still thought the 10's were just as good after trying the 11's, I would stick with them. This way, you will always be asking yourself: "could I have come even closer to nailing THAT SOUND!?"
And perhaps, if the 11's turned out to be substantially better, then you could go one step further and put the 12-56 set . . . so what if you have to adjust the truss rod a bit, I'm sure your guitar is not made of sugar
. Because, lets' face it, the laws of physics speak unanimously in favor of heavier strings, and THAT SOUND was achieved with strings that are now referred to as heavy but are in fact medium.
But I'm sure you know all this
Good luck with you guitar Ian