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Strings

 
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Tony



Joined: 27 Nov 2008
Posts: 16
Location: Milwaukie Oregon

PostPosted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:47 pm    Post subject: Strings Reply with quote

My guitar is a custom archtop made by Steve Grimes. I use Eleven guage strings but am thinking of going down to the next size. Do I need to have my guitar adjusted ?

What guage strings do you use and what brand ?

I use Eleven guage Thomastik bebop.
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Larry_DC



Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 207

PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sometimes a bridge height adjustment is needed when you change string gauge. You may also have to tweak the intonation. It depends on the guitar. On my strat I've gone from .008 to .010 sets without having to to anything, but on by jazz guitar I had to make adjustments just going down one gauge.
Steve Grimes could clear that up for you before you make the switch.

It's all a matter of personal preference, but you may find that 11's are the bottom of the scale for jazz. The tone starts to get thin when you go to 10's, but what have you got to lose, give it a shot.
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jlc



Joined: 03 May 2008
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My experience is that each guitar is different. I have two prs guitars, a custom 24 and a spruce top hollow body. they both have 10-46 strings on them and they feel and sound great. i think prs guitars play and sound great with light strings. i had heavier flat wounds 50-11 on the spruce top and the feel suffered and the tone was not improved.

I use flat wounds on about 7 or 8 guitars and i vary the gauge by the feel and tonality. 11-50/51, (some older gibson flatwires) work great with the majority of the guitars, but an Eastman that i have needs 54-12's to sound and feel good.

I am usually happy with the low end 50 - 54, but have frequently changed my 11 for a 12 or even 13.

I also have some light 11-48 flat wounds on 2 guitars. a Howard Roberts fusion and a Pat Martino, and they feel and sound great.

Will it require a change in your setup. Maybe. Going up incrementally, one gauge at a time to zero in on your goal of feel and tone would be my suggestion.

the heavier the string the larger the circumference of the string so the nut might not have enough room to accommodate the bigger strings. A 51 E works, but a 54 E may be too large for the slot cut in the nut, so its movement is restricted, same for some or all of the other strings.

the other issue is more tension requiring a truss rod adjustment, to counter act the increase in tension. also the bridge height and intonation would most likely require tweaking.

Going up only one gauge might not require anything but it may so you need to be aware of these things as you change your gauge.

A good suggestion that was mentioned is checking with the builder, while not required would certainly be the source great experience with your guitar.
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woland99



Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 155
Location: Austin, TX

PostPosted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use Thomastik 13s on my d'Angelico Excel. And that actually means
that the action can be set very very low. But it is very hard to bend
them. On other guitars I use 10s Pyramid - I really recommend that
brand - they last a long time and give you very nice FULL tone.
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Larry_DC



Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 207

PostPosted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 6:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

woland99 wrote:
I use Thomastik 13s on my d'Angelico Excel. And that actually means
that the action can be set very very low. But it is very hard to bend
them. On other guitars I use 10s Pyramid - I really recommend that
brand - they last a long time and give you very nice FULL tone.


How come the action can be set low?
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woland99



Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 155
Location: Austin, TX

PostPosted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 11:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Larry_DC wrote:
woland99 wrote:
I use Thomastik 13s on my d'Angelico Excel. And that actually means
that the action can be set very very low. But it is very hard to bend
them. On other guitars I use 10s Pyramid - I really recommend that
brand - they last a long time and give you very nice FULL tone.


How come the action can be set low?


Dunno - that is what my friend who is local luthier says - you want
easy fretting? go high in gauge an lower the action. I guess higher
tenstion translated to smaller amplitude for same energy (ie. loudness)
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jlc



Joined: 03 May 2008
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 1:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It was time for a string change on two guitars the Pat Martino and the Howard Roberts, i went up a gauge or two or three both of them. I tried some Black Diamond flat wounds, 11- 52 and replaced the 11 with a 13 on both but only used the Black Diamonds, which i like by the way, on the PM and the same on the HR.

I put d'addiaro on the HR, because the black diamonds have a silk wrap on the wound string ends that didn't fit the fingers tail piece very well so i just went with the d's on it.

I lowered the action just a little on the HR, i had medium high action for a while and i like the tone and feel of the heavier strings on both better than the 48's.

On a another note, i heard "I Loves you Porgy" the other day, what another great Gershwin tune, i downloaded Nina Simone singing it, i wanted to get the feel of it. I doubt i can inject as much emotion into as she does (guitar instrumental) but it will be a challenge and fun attempting it. Check it out and play it.

peace
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Mark
VM Coach


Joined: 26 Feb 2007
Posts: 479
Location: Portland, OR

PostPosted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:59 pm    Post subject: Re: Strings Reply with quote

Tony wrote:
What gauge strings do you use and what brand ?


Guys,

With all due respect to Thomastik-Infelds, which I do enjoy and have used off and on, my #1 choice of string seemingly forever has been La Bella's black nylon tape wounds, going back at least 30 years.



I only mention this because I am constantly complimented regarding my tone, and these strings are a BIG part of that equation. I use them on both my '70 Gibson Super 400 and my first-year Ibanez GB10, although I have used Thomastiks here and there on the GB10 just for a change of pace. However, I always go back to the La Bellas, for a number of reasons.

First of all, being a blues guy who plays jazz, I've never been crazy about flatwounds because they just feel too stiff. Before you freak out regarding the string gauge of the 800's (.014 to .067), understand that the diameter is very deceptive in that the core of the string is nowhere near those numbers on the tapewounds (low E through G strings), due to the nylon tape and its pliability. As a matter of fact, the blues stuff you can do with the G string is something that I wouldn't think of even attempting with a conventional set of flats. Wink Check out my "Muscle Up" slow blues solo over Stormy Monday changes to hear what I'm talking about, right after the rubato intro when the band kicks in.

Second, if you're into chord-melody solo guitar and walking bass lines, the tapewound strings have no equal in my book, producing a rich tone that you can get with other flats, but a superior, smoother feel for the left hand. Listen to my rendition of pianist Tommy Flanagan's "Freight Trane" to hear the chord-melody intro, followed by several solo choruses and an upper-string Wes-style chord solo.

And finally, these strings last forever! So much so that at least recently LaBella was including a spare pair of high strings (plain steel E and B), because the tapewounds just go on and on and on. Consider that these recordings were done on a string set at least two years old (seriously). Bob Archigian, the sales rep at LaBella, once told me that a major problem for them was that players would buy 2-3 sets and not buy another for FIVE years. Before George Benson got his string deal with Thomastik, he once phoned Bob and ordered 60 sets of 800's after trying them out in a music store.

Anyway, I would highly recommend that you give them a try. I have yet to run across anyone who hasn't been blown away by the result, no matter what the guitar. You may occasionally run into a problem with the low E string's width and the nut, but that's pretty rare and I've never had an issue with it myself. You can order the 800's (don't get the light set - nowhere near as rich-sounding as the set in the photo) from JustStrings.com. You can always swap out the plain steels if .014 and .018 are a bit heavy. Hey, Pat Martino's up to an .016 for a high E nowadays. Laughing All for now...

- Mark
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memorary



Joined: 20 May 2008
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 3:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have read somewhere (maybe in an interview with Robert Conti) that it makes almost no difference whether you use .011 roundwounds or some posh super heavy flatwounds. I agree... I use .011 roundwounds and I can get basically any sound I want and spare some money as well. I think that Pat Martino uses such heavy strings, because he picks very hard and insists on using heavy flatpicks (and besides that, he is pure genius Exclamation )
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Mark
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Joined: 26 Feb 2007
Posts: 479
Location: Portland, OR

PostPosted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

memorary wrote:
I have read somewhere (maybe in an interview with Robert Conti) that it makes almost no difference whether you use .011 roundwounds or some posh super heavy flatwounds. I agree... I use .011 roundwounds and I can get basically any sound I want and spare some money as well. I think that Pat Martino uses such heavy strings, because he picks very hard and insists on using heavy flatpicks (and besides that, he is pure genius Exclamation )


Jiri,

It's a subjective issue, of course. Plus there are other factors at play, like the guitar of choice, amp, pick, etc. Conti insists on a paper-thin .038 mm pick. I don't pick hard like PM, but my tone goes right out the window with a pick that thin. Laughing

Getting back to the La Bella's, my point is that if you never try them, you won't understand what I'm talking about. It's not really a matter of gauge, but "feel & tone" that counts for me. As you know, I'm really big on using double-stops, octaves, and chord punches in my work, and in that regard there's no comparison with any other string set I've tried. All for now...

- Mark
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Dean



Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 287
Location: California

PostPosted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 3:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I know this is about strings and adjustment,I know I brought up in another thread ,about learning to tec or work on your guitar.Like Mark just stated ,you have to try something to get it.I have been amazed how little things can change so much. The pick,strings,saddle,nut ....and on and on....I have come to open my mind to change. (I talk about a pick change in another thread.) I also know to take advice from those who have already done the work. Every guitar has it's own personality.You just have to get to know it.Don't just run in second gear,try out forth and fifth. haha
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Jim



Joined: 28 Apr 2007
Posts: 2
Location: Savannah, GA

PostPosted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 12:14 am    Post subject: LaBellaStrings Reply with quote

Put on a set of La Bella nylon tape wounds 800L 12-56 on my Eastman archtop and was very impressed with the tone. (Chose the 12-56 to match my previous set) However the G string will not intonate (1/4 step or more flat at the 12th) while all the other strings are just fine. Is this just a bad string? Are nylon tape wound more prone to this?

-Jim
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titleguy



Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 3:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I bought some Thomastic George Benson's for my Epiphone Sheraton. I am thinking that the 14 guage flat wound might not be right for this guitar. I was putting a bow on the neck so I tuned it down a half step. Does anyone think that I went too heavy for this guitar. I do love the sound however and the tape wounds work nicely on the lower strings.
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