Next best alternative to tomastik strings?

[Jazzman301]

I am a huge fan of Labella strings. I love their black nylon tape wrapped 14s. I think I may make my own custom set with out of the 14 and 12 black nylon wrapped strings. Their strings are just fantastic. I honestly can not say enough about their quality. Really warm but also very articulate. Their standardized flat wound 12s sound awesome on my custom Gretsch. I also like the lighter gage GHS Pat Martino strings on my Dearmond M75.

If I were you I look at whats available to you localy and coax the best jazz sound I could out of that. Thicker the better I say. I am also a huge fan of both Wes Montgomery and Pat Martino. You can get a good jazz tone with both round and flats. For instance Bob Benedetto only ships his guitars with his brand of round wound strings(I think the Pat Martino signature guitar ships with his signature string from GHS). When I spoke to Bob and asked if they made flatwound he responded by saying while he likes the flat wound sound he finds that, for him and his ears, he gets much more out of rounds. Sparkle and warmth when you dial things in right.

'Mike

[mattymel]

in the time it takes to learn what strings somebody uses online, you could probably transcribe half a scofield solo.

but i too found thomastiks WAY too pricet. tried pyramid too and liked them even more. but those are a special treat for me. i dont even have to change my strings that often, but $20 a pop is kind of ridiculous. i have found that for me, i like the Pearce (long D set...perfect for old Epi tail) sound great on archtops, and are actually quite cheap. like $5 a pair from juststrings.com. for my 335, im fine with using d'addario pure nickels.

recently ive been reevaluating my use of HEAVIER gauge, and now im using 12s on my archtop. i think i may even try 11s.

[jorgemg1984]

Glad to know I'm not the only one enjoying Pearse and La Bella

[aniss1001]

Originally Posted by mattymel

in the time it takes to learn what strings somebody uses online, you could probably transcribe half a scofield solo.

Haha .. point taken .. allthough for me it takes DAYS to transcribe any solo and so far I haven't been able to transcribe an entire SCOFIELD solo. He's way too complicated/weird for my ear to grasp. And actually I absolutely LOATH transcribing, but I do it anyway since everybody says you have to... But that's another thing

And I don't agree that finding the right strings for my guitar is a waste of time. The better my guitar sounds the more motivated I am to practice. Currently I'm SO tired of my sound that I barely feel like picking up my guitar. Off course that is not all due to strings, but still they are important I think.

[Peter C]

Originally Posted by aniss1001

Don't see the problem in having a TANKY .022 unwound 3G string (as Peter C does?).

A tech once gave me a very detailed breakdown regarding the tonal characteristics of a (large diameter) plain 3rd. One of the problems is that its harmonic overtones are out of tune with the fundamental note. More here (I don't necessarily agree with everything he says):
It's A Setup—Tech Talk

I've actually gone back to a (.019) plain string on my Strat because the pickup poles are not adustable, and also because I occasionally want to do the old Blues-Rock bendy thing.

[aniss1001]

Originally Posted by Peter C

A tech once gave me a very detailed breakdown regarding the tonal characteristics of a (large diameter) plain 3rd. One of the problems is that its harmonic overtones are out of tune with it’s fundamental note. More here (I don't necessarily agree with everything he says):
It's A Setup—Tech Talk

I've actually gone back to a (.019) plain string on my Strat because the pickup poles are not adustable, and also because I occasionally want to do the old Blues-Rock bendy thing.

Ah ok?! Never heard about that before?! I'll check out the article later on... Damn this string business is getting kind of complicated... Hehe

Ah and BTW.. You play jazz on a Strat??

[Peter C]

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

Guitar strings, Bass Strings & Accessories

These guys have low shipping inside EU, I used them before I started importing from the US. I will try to know the name of the store - I think they only stock buld DAs... My friend uses rounds, don't know if they stock flats. As soon as I have any news I will PM you

Yes, I knew Stringbusters, I'll check out their pricing again. Thanks.

[Peter C]

Originally Posted by aniss1001

Ah and BTW.. You play jazz on a Strat??

Ha, it can be done. No, I usually play my Heritage solid body or an Ibanez hollow body.

[jorgemg1984]

Originally Posted by aniss1001

Haha .. point taken .. allthough for me it takes DAYS to transcribe any solo and so far I haven't been able to transcribe an entire SCOFIELD solo. He's way too complicated/weird for my ear to grasp. And actually I absolutely LOATH transcribing, but I do it anyway since everybody says you have to... But that's another thing

And I don't agree that finding the right strings for my guitar is a waste of time. The better my guitar sounds the more motivated I am to practice. Currently I'm SO tired of my sound that I barely feel like picking up my guitar. Off course that is not all due to strings, but still they are important I think.

Although I agree it's important to like your sound and gear is important... if it's hard for you to find motivation to practice and you have a hard time transcribing (and don't see why it's important) I don't think you should focus on gear right now...

[aniss1001]

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

Although I agree it's important to like your sound and gear is important... if it's hard for you to find motivation to practice and you have a hard time transcribing (and don't see why it's important) I don't think you should focus on gear right now...

I think you misunderstood me. I absolutely DO see why it is important to transcribe!!! Which is why I force myself to do it. I just don't enjoy it at all. Never did. To me it's the most (or perhaps only) boring and frustrating part of playing.

But yes it IS very difficult for me to transcribe and generally I have to pick things that aren't to complicated (that rules out scofield). Which off course sucks since I can't transcribe the music I really like. I have been transcribing quite a lot of Bach and lately I've begun transcribing some Paul Desmond (he plays very simple and melodic for a jazzer). I have improved a lot and since I started using the Transcribe! software (recommended on this site) it has become a lot less painful for me.

Generally it's easy for me to hear (and instantly play) MELODIES. But jazz frases really mess with my ear. Chromatism, weird scales, weird chords, half-muted notes, etc.. make it hard. The strange thing is that when I'm not concious about it it comes rather natural but the moment I start thinking it all goes out the window. Dunno why. I think it is some sort of mental blokade or something?!

I LOVE the actual playing. Even if it's just practicing scales or arps or playing around with the voicings for some standard or whatever. But yes the last couple of month I have felt a drastic drop in my motivation (NOT my interest in music) simply because my equipment (if you can even call it that) sounds absolutely AWFUL!!! I don't think it's easy to understand for someone with access to atleast half decent equipment, but sound DOES matter. A LOT!!!

[Jazzman301]

Sometimes the physicological effect of new gear,be it guitars, amps or even small things like strings and picks is amazing. New strings might be a cheap way to get out of the playing lull you are in right now.

That said don't understimate the value of ear training of any kind. Work on the solfege and other aural skills. Valuable beyond measure.

'Mike

[Allenl]

Originally Posted by aniss1001

It seems that almost everybody on this forum uses tomastik strings. So I've been looking for them here, but it turns out that they simply do not exist in Argentina Anyway what would be the next best alternative?

I like half rounds a lot for jazz. These are round wounds that were flattened a bit to minimize finger noise. Thery're warmer than regular round wounds. D'addario and GHS carries them. I believe GHS calls them rollerwounds. I have both Thomastik flats and half rounds on different guitars.

[jorgemg1984]

Oh I misunderstood you! I sincerely hope you can get past that and get the motivation for practicing again.

If you have a hard time transcribing it'a because you need to do some serious ear traing classes and also transcribe more - the more you do it the easier it gets!

There is stuff much more harder to transcribe than Scofield...

[HighSpeedSpoon]

Originally Posted by Tom Karol

I also use juststrings.com for strings and picks: good selection, good prices, fast shipping.

+1 for juststrings.com
+1 for TI Flats
Honorable mention for D'Addario Chomes

Over the years, the folks at juststrings.com have always been prompt, reasonably priced, and things have always been in stock for me. The right strings always arrive, and they arrive in good condition too. You might check with them about the cost of shipping strings priority mail. It is probably pretty expensive for a few sets and not a so expensive for several sets.

I'm pretty new here, so it was nice to hear that a lot of people here use the TIs too. If I had taken the time I've spent obsessing with gear over the years and spent it shedding, I'd be a much better player now. Nevertheless - and keeping in mind that the right strings depend on the sound you're after - I always keep coming back to the TI George Benson 12-53 flats on the archtop and Swing 10-44 flats on the solid body. The TIs sound better and last much longer for me, which helps offset the cost.

My second choice would be the be the Chromes. I'm not sure if they are better or worse, but they are different.



HighSpeed

[Jazzman301]

Something fun and eye opening on many levels is to record and transcribe yourself...It gives you insights as to how you are(or are not)thinking. Shows you where you need work and can show where you are excelling. Very valuable imo. Try transcribing easy stuff. It may be musicaly boring but its more attainable. Think of a baby...crawl walk run. Babies do not just run, and in the rare case they do...they are a danger to themselves.

We all want it now. Just be patient and have a plan long term as well as weekly, daily for practice. 20 minutes of well scripted practice time will yeild faster and better results than HOURS of random practice and noodling. Pick something you need work on and focus on that for a week or a month.

'Mike

[Peter C]

Originally Posted by Jazzman301

Sometimes the physicological effect of new gear,be it guitars, amps or even small things like strings and picks is amazing. New strings might be a cheap way to get out of the playing lull you are in right now.

This is so true, to the extent that I will not be playing my hollow body again until I can replace the nickel plated strings it has on it right now with some GHS Rollerwounds or D'Addario Chromes, for example. I put nickel plated Dean Markley strings on because I ran out of the other types, but they just feel and sound wrong on this guitar.

Great idea to transcribe yourself, btw!

[uncletele]

Originally Posted by gianluca

pyramid

they made some nickel flatwound strings that I found very similar to thomastick.

to me pyramid's sets are more balanced than TI.

I'm in love with the Pyramid Golds. Really even and they last me 4-5 gigs. I burn out the Chromes in two shows because of acidic sweat that deadens the 6th and 5th strings.

[oldane]

Originally Posted by Peter C

Yes, I have often purchased from a German site, but the mail charge is high unless you're buying bulk.

You are maybe talking about Thomann Cyberstore . They have almost everything I need in one place. Their selection is enormous. I have bought strings, picks, straps, stands, a microphone, pedals, cables and an AI amp from them. They even had a Gibson L5 Wes Montgomery up on their website until recently (I didn't buy that though). They have their logistics in check, are reliable, deliver fast, and their prices are fair, so I use them a lot. They charge an 8 euro flat rate for shipping, whether it's just 3 picks or a Twin Reverb amp. I usually "save" items in my basket on their website until I have collected enough to justify the shipping, then I press the "buy" button. That way the shipping actually becomes cheap, but I will of course have to plan ahead for my needs to take advantage of that.

And BTW, the last time I checked, they had both TI and Pyramid nickel flatwounds - and of course the complete D'Addario range.

[jorgemg1984]

They charge 20€ to Portugal below 200€. Maybe he was talking about this one

SchneiderMusik.de

BTW Thoman service is awersome! It's just too expensive to order strings with a 20€ flat rate.

[Timo]

If you want the sound in the youtube video that you posted at the beginning of this thread, and you're playing a tele, any pure nickel string should work well. I've played pure nickel strings by D'Addario and by Fender. Bother are fine, and 11s should be available.
If you put 12s or 13s on a tele, then you may have issues with neck adjustment, because the strings will put so much pressure on the neck, that you may have to readjust the truss rod. Also, depending on the bridge you're using, intonating a wound 3rd string may be problematic. It can be done, of course, but it's difficult with the standard 3 saddle brass bridge found on many teles.
Roll off the treble on the guitar, play through the neck pickup, roll up the mids on the amp and roll off the treble on the amp too.

[aniss1001]

Originally Posted by Timo

If you want the sound in the youtube video that you posted at the beginning of this thread, and you're playing a tele, any pure nickel string should work well. I've played pure nickel strings by D'Addario and by Fender. Bother are fine, and 11s should be available.
If you put 12s or 13s on a tele, then you may have issues with neck adjustment, because the strings will put so much pressure on the neck, that you may have to readjust the truss rod. Also, depending on the bridge you're using, intonating a wound 3rd string may be problematic. It can be done, of course, but it's difficult with the standard 3 saddle brass bridge found on many teles.
Roll off the treble on the guitar, play through the neck pickup, roll up the mids on the amp and roll off the treble on the amp too.

OK! You're not the 1st to mention nickel roundwounds as an alternative to flatwounds. Guess I'll have to try both. When I increased the gauge to .012 I had the guitar calibrated by a pro. He said he did some adjustments to the neck (perhaps what you mentioned?). He also adviced against increasing it to .013, but that was mainly because the TUNERS on my guitar are really bad. However I'm am going to change the tuners (as well as the pups and pots) so that shouldn't be a problem.

But thanks for warning me about the potential problems with a wound 3G string on a 3 saddle bridge. That one was new to me.