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String gauge and tension

He's pulling your leg, but he has a point - there have been lots of threads on it before, and using the search function will bring them up pretty quickly. I'll give you some brief info, but it's well worth searching to find a wealth of detailed info.

In short... yes. It does both. Higher gauges have naturally higher tension (logically, a thicker string should). And yes, it does change the tone a bit... a bit more depth, a bit less definition.

But the tonal changes are relatively minor, IMO, because what does matter is that tension change. It'll change the physical handling of the string. High-tension strings are stiff strings, which you may or may not like for your playing style. One definite plus in terms of handling, though, is that you can lower the action a bit more with a bit less buzz.

Higher-gauge strings are also nice for detuning (i.e., DADG, DGCF, etc.), since they won't be as loose and flabby as lower-gauge strings.