String guage for drop D (maybe B)

What string guage would you all recomend for drop D/G sillyness. I was playing some Sabbath last night and it sounded pants on 9-42s

??

If you check out some of the real'heavy sounding'guys,you will find that they use real light strings,(and sometimes conversely so)

You know what gauge Tony Iommi used on the stuff dropped to C sharp on the early Sabbath stuff?

According to my research it was 32,24,16,11,08,08.

If you do this ,the guitar will probably take a little while to settle down;I have tried it(to play some of the Master of Reality and Paranoid stuff)-before Ozzy turned into a member of the establishment,I might add. It makes you use a lighter touch on both hands,and makes you play differently.

If you just want to drop the bottom string from E to D,I don't think you really need to change gauges,if it is a permanent change you may need to tweak the intonation,but I wouldn't bother.

Well, I used to favour very light strings when I was a boy... (during the blackout...) However my personal preference is now for 10 or 11 on electric, 12 on 'smaller' acoustics and 13 on Jumbo or dreadnought...

Even 'Brenda' (my self-made effort) seems too bendy on 11's, and I'm thinking of taking her up to 12's, and my Strat from 10 to 11.

Of course it is each to his own and there are so many theories; personally I prefer the 'fight' of the heavier strings with higher action, the enhanced vibrato & sustain, and the overall tone.

I think my fingers are growing stronger as I get older and gig more, and also because I'm gradually getting better at not gripping the neck like it's a sledgehammer... Cramps in the fretting hand used to be a terrible problem with me, but seemingly no more. Maybe it's because the heavier strings give me a better indication of the real pressure needed.

Having said all that, I hear SRV (who apparaently used 0.013 gauge with BASS frets) was considering coming down a few gauges, just prior to his demise. I'd also heard horror stories of SRV involving superglue application to add an extra 'skin' to the fretting fingertips by ripping glued skin off the fleshy part of his right arm... Ouch!

I reckon a lot of that was due to his lack of finger tips, maybe he needed the lighter feel ?

I'm using 11-50s on acoustic Lowden O12, and they are fine in drop D. Newtone strings mind you.I heard Clive Gregson's concert solo set on a big Gibson jumbo (custom made) and his bass was superb - thundering. I was sure he had 56s on. Turtns out he had a 10-49 set on the guitar. He was in open and drop C tunings.... but the crispest, strongest bass ever. And the action was not over high either.

42 may be a bit weak but 46, 49 should be fine on an elctric box if 49 or 50 can work on a jumbo acoustic.

I've heard that his string gauge was mainly due to the fingertip problem too..