Default String diameter <--> pup output correlation (??)

[pyrroz]

Hey I found this :
www.guitarworld.com/artists/secrets-jimi-hendrixs-guitar-setup-interview-roger-mayer

He says :

The electrical output of the strings is dependent on the square of the diameter; if you square all the diameters and look at them, you can get much more of an idea about the balance of the guitar.

"You should always remember that, because many, many times people use a set of strings that are completely imbalanced and they just don't sound that good. Most people would say a .010 to .013 is the correct jump. And the .015 is much better for the G than a .017. An .015 squares out at .225 and .017 is 289. So you're going to get 28 percent more output just with a two-pound different in string size."

I don't believe this has any connection to reality. I have never experienced this as a player. By his logic a 0.016 G should ring 3 times louder than a 0.009 high E, which is just wrong.

What's your thoughts?

[JohnH]

Interesting, there's maybe something in it. More moving metal should give more output. The pickup-analysis team may comment of whether that should be a linear correlation. But even 28% in signal voltage level is only +2db extra from the amp , perceptible but not huge. Also, if you use the same pick and play the same way with the same force, the lighter strings may be getting plucked further, which could compensate for their lighter weight.

[pyrroz]

Feb 7, 2019 14:10:33 GMT -5 JohnH said:

Interesting, there's maybe something in it. More moving metal should give more output. The pickup-analysis team may comment of whether that should be a linear correlation. But even 28% in signal voltage level is only +2db extra from the amp , perceptible but not huge. Also, if you use the same pick and play the same way with the same force, the lighter strings may be getting plucked further, which could compensate for their lighter weight.

exactly so the output remains the same.... lol reminds of the song remains the same.

[thetragichero]

could it be based more on tension? 36 vs 52 is a HUGE difference in tension for low E... the 36 is floppy while the 52 is taut

my guess, like auto tire inflation, is that there is a maximum tension-to-tone point where anything higher is counter productive

I like heavy strings but I also mostly play bass these days, so light strings feel even more like spaghetti than they used to (slinky is NOT a good quality in a string for MY tastes)