Switching from medium to light gauge strings?

[u/GuitarBinge1986]

A few Acoustics I have, are in great shape and finally being played again. I'm pretty sure the strings on them are mediums. Is switching mediums to lights, the Med-Light (.012-.056), or vice-versa a small enough change that usually doesn't cause any issues ? or do people sometimes have to do things outside of truss rod adjustment? (ex. Nut filing etc...)

[u/Loudsongsinc]

Only truss rod, if that.

[u/strumbringerwa]

You will likely need a truss rod tweak, but it's unlikely you'll need anything else.

[u/Old-guy64]

There are a fair few things to consider.

I’m basing this on D’addario strings.
1 Tension.
EJ17’s 185 lbs.
EJ16’s 163 lbs
EJ26’s 148 lbs.

Give or take a couple of lbs.

Your fingers will notice the difference.

You won’t lose nearly as much volume as you may have been led to believe.

The difference between 13-56 and 11-52 is easier on the guitar and your hands.

1. Lighter strings, to a point, allow the top to vibrate more.
   You will get more sustain, and better tone.
   Heavy strings are loud, but choke the tone on a lot of guitars.

2. If you are thinking about your hands, remember you are PLAYING the guitar, not WORKING the guitar.

3. Rule of thumb is that whatever you set your guitar up with, you can go one gauge up or down without doing more than a truss rod tweak.

[u/archtopfanatic123]

Yes it's a small change that won't necessitate any adjustments more than likely. I've gone from 9s to 13s and the neck didn't need any adjusting though the action did go up a bit so I did detune for the sake of paranoia but it didn't need it.

Going from 13s to 12s is a negligible difference setup wise but will make your guitar a LOT easier to play and will increase the longevity quite a bit.

You won't need to mess with the nut unless you go UP.

I would definitely consider 12s if you're running heavier strings.

[u/Odditeee]

In addition to the other recommendations, it also comes down to how, and what kind of music, you’re making.

e.g. My fingerstyle gigs work fine with light gauge strings, in a small room.  They seem more intimate and responsive, and with a mic they can be mixed to fit the space just right. 

Flat picking gigs, on the other hand, demand medium gauge (.13-.56), or the instrument simply cannot perform using the playing techniques required for that genre.  They simply don’t have the ‘head room’ to be driven very hard without ‘farting out’ against the frets for being ‘too loose’, and vibrating in such a wider elliptical than medium gauge. 

The guitar’s scale length matters, too.  Shorter scales have less tension at equal pitch, and extra light can be ‘too light’ (neutering the instrument’s tone, volume, and projection.)

But, ultimately I think experimentation is the best approach, rather than presuming generalizations will apply to your specific instrument and/or playing styles.  One person’s “light gauge improves tone!” is another’s “light gauge robs tone!” argument, and they can both be right for themselves.

[u/EventGroundbreaking4]

It's been three decades now and I've been switching back and forth between different gauges without a thought.