String / Tension advice please.

[Pickers Ditch]

I've got myself a Sigma 00M-15S little guitar.
This is the one that is about 0 size, all mahogany, wide board and slotted headstock.
It's fitted with the original 12 gauge Phosphor Bronze strings which are tight as a tight thing in standard tuning.
There is a very, very slight (hardly noticeable) belly behind the bridge with these strings fitted.
I'm going to electrify it and will probably end up using nickel MM electric strings for D tuning, mix of slide and finger picking.
The question is which gauge? but I want it to be tight enough to play properly.
I've lifted the nut a gnats doodah and it's cut for 12s.
Bearing in mind that the guitar seems (to me as a bass player ) a bit fragile, do I go for Michael Messer ELECTRIC SLIDE CLASSICS light or heavy gauge?
Will the light set play OK at D or G tuning on this 25.4" scale?

All advice and help gratefully received.

Ithangyooo.

[Pickers Ditch]

Anybody out there with suggestions?

[stevie2sticks]

Hi Pickers Ditch

I have been trying Newtone Heritate Series strings, Dadgad .013-.59 on my acoustic (Recording King 12 fett 000 Mahogany). They are sold as Low Tension guitar strings.

I play standard E most of the time fine and Open D & Open G with a slide.
They seem to me to work strumming, finger picking and slide. Plugged and unplugged. Nice sound on the mahogany, easy to play.

I have liked the look of the Sigma 00, do you like it?

Regards
Steve

[Michael Messer]

Hi Pickers Ditch,

A scale length of 25.4 inches is much the same as a National or any other resonator guitar. If I owned that guitar I would string it with 15/56 and only use slack tunings DGDGBD and DADF#AD. One point that you should consider is that MM nickel Nationals in the blue packet tune to pitch and less tension that the Slide Classics. So I would not use Slide Classics, I would use MM National NICKEL 15/56.

On some of my electric guitars I use MM Slide Classics, and on some I use MM National Nickels. It is just a taste thing, but if you want less tension use the National nickels.

Let me know how you get on

Shine On
Michael

[Pickers Ditch]

Thanks Michael, that is helpful 'cause I've got a set of them Nickel beasties sitting here doing nothing.
When the job is done in a week or so, I'll bore you all with the details and some pics.
PD

[Pickers Ditch]

Sept 13, 2015 9:03:23 GMT stevie2sticks said:

Hi Pickers Ditch

I have liked the look of the Sigma 00, do you like it?

Regards
Steve

Yes Steve, I like it a lot.
It's darker sounding than a lot of other parlours, quite loud for its size and the wide neck makes it interesting to play.
Narrow vintage style frets.
It was the simplistic look that initially attracted me but it is a great little guitar.
Just waiting on the pickup and then the fun begins.