On the same thread, Paul Franklin shows his E9 gauges which include a .015 for string 4. I realize that his guitar is far different than mine. But anyway, I tried it on my Carter. Super tone and durability! When tuning it up, at first I was afraid to hit the 'C' pedal. but man, this has a nice tone and feel. Using this for a few weeks (instead of .014) now with no problems. While I can only speak for my 24" scale, these Jagwires are (again) fantastic! Consistent Quality.

Sometimes I wonder if the additional tension may cause a problem later at the changer, but the Carter fingers seem durable enough.

So I have 2 questions.

Has anyone else ever tried a .015 for E9 4th string, and stayed with it?

Even though I change strings after about 30 hours of use, am I asking for trouble later on, like a string popping at the worst time?

Thanks for your comments.

I tried a general comparison using the string tension calculator at
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/008435.html
This is a cool applet. Even though it’s based on another string brand, and some other variables perhaps, I edited down the results and rounded off, just to show an approximate comparison:

24” Scale
Note 	Gauge  Tension 
F#	.014	35.5 lb
F#	.015	40.7 lb
24.5” Scale
Note 	Gauge  Tension 
F#	.014	37.0 lb
F#	.015	42.4 lb

How accurate is this applet? I don’t know but this is just for the sake of comparison. I’ve learned that ~40lbs is a lot more than the other E9 strings. Pushing it to over ~42lbs on a 24.5” scale is a considerable difference yet. I can see why some would be apprehensive about trying this. I don’t know how close this is to the breaking point.

I’m sticking with a .015 (4th) until a string breaks. Then, I’ll decide if the longevity (and the pain) was worth it, or go back to a .014. I haven’t experienced a string breakage since last winter, so I forget what it feels like.

Gee, I wonder if Jagwire could produce a .0145, but the demand would have to be there.