I've got an I-35 on order, due in November. Just wondering what guage strings you owners are using on yours. I generally use .10's. Thanks for the input.

They come with 11's, but they feel like tens. I was never tempted to lower the gauge.

So you are using .11's, is your 3rd plain? How about the tone - I would assume pretty big with .11's - are you happy with the guitar?

I no longer own it. Tax man. Ouch. It was the best electric guitar I've owned in 42 years at this- by a lot. The G was plain. The tone was angelic. Damn.

Damn is right - sorry - let's hope another one finds it's way into your life down the road.

What kind of amp do you play through? What are you playing these days? I'm full of questions today.

I play a Grosh retro classic, by far the best strat style I've had the pleasure of owning, and play through a Fender blues junior with a Jensen 12. I have a delay pedal (MXR, I think) for slapback old school roadhouse sounds, and a modified trem pedal for the occasional swampy blues vibe. Reverb on two, treble on five, mid and low end on seven or so, pre on 8, main usually on 3 or 4, cabinet mic'ed with a Shure beta 57 straight to the house. so it's not like I'm deprived or anything- it's just that I took a hosing on the resale of the I-35 deluxe. Life goes on, and I don't even register on the scale of deprivation when so many in the world face real, daily life and death problems, like eating and having drinking water. End of rant. Sorry. tom

Does anyone know if (light/mediums) 12-52s are a problem for the I-35? Anything special needed (e.g., nut slot widening or neck truss-rod adjustment)?

Thanks!

I can't imagine that slight an increase being a problem. That sucker would play jazz like the ghost of Joe Pass. Mercy.

Thanks. Actually, I was wrong (depending on the brand) that the classification would be light/medium. Most commonly, for electric strings they would be Heavys.

Okay, sorry to be answering my own questions, but I thought I should post that I got in touch with my Collings dealer to confirm that 12-52s are fine, and a I-35 would handle them without any adjustment or voiding of the warrantee, etc. So, he confirmed what sonoman had posted, that there should be “no problem.”

Being primarily acoustic oriented, owning a number Collings acoustics, and reading their recommendations/warnings regarding string gauges for acoustics on their Web site was the origin of my concerns.

I've ordered a number of sets of Elixir Nanoweb Heavy Electric strings, with a wound 3rd.

tonosity - do you have an I-35? If so I'd like to hear the specifics, also how do you like it? Sounds like you are a jazz player and I would think this would be a great model. Appreciate hearing from you, dale.

Yes I do, and I think it's the best electric I've played. Very light and well-balanced as well. Plus, it's a Collings, so attention to craftsmanship detail and materials are premium.

Yes, Jazz, Blues, Jazzy Pop, Jazzy R&B are what I'm into. I seldom employ bends in my playing (slides, yes), so the trade-off of tone to bending is one I'm willing to make, using heavy strings. I've got strong hands from playing a lot of acoustic, so the "action" is great for me.