TI Infeld Jazz Swing Strings vs TI George Benson Strings

[jumpnblues]

I'm sure this has been covered here before. I might be the OP...I can't recall. I tried a search and didn't get a match.

Anyway, anyone have a preference with these strings. I've only tried the GB Flats. They sound great but they're really expensive. Just curious how they compare.

[jazzshrink]

You're right, it has been discussed numerous times: TI INFELD JAZZ SWING STRINGS VS TI GEORGE BENSON STRINGS site:www.jazzguitar.be

[nyc chaz]

The Swings and the Bensons sound and feel the same to me but the Bensons have a wound 3rd.George's face on the cover accounts for the upcharge.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

anyone have a preference with these strings. I've only tried the GB Flats. They sound great but they're really expensive. Just curious how they compare.

I use JS113s on my carved arch tops and GB114s on the laminated box. I have no idea how or even if the Benson's differ structurally from the JSs. But the extra thickness really woke up my heavy, thick topped, poly coated, shallow arched Ibanez AF207 like no other string ever has. The carved tops are fine with 13s, and I feel no surface differences between JS and GB except that the GBs may be a bit smoother (and it may just be the larger diameter).

I get a year out of them all gigging about twice a week.

[SOLR]

The Swings and the Bensons sound and feel the same to me but the Bensons have a wound 3rd.George's face on the cover accounts for the upcharge.

It's also a wound G on the jazz swings

Jazz Swing Jazz Guitar | Guitar Strings | Products | Thomastik-Infeld Vienna

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[nyc chaz]

It's also a wound G on the jazz swings

Jazz Swing Jazz Guitar | Guitar Strings | Products | Thomastik-Infeld Vienna

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I'm buying Thomastik for 15 years and i have never seen Swings with a wound g and looking on StringsandBeyond or StringsbyMail what you say doesn't exist.You can buy a wound g single string but they do not come standard on Swings.Please show me a dealer selling Swings with a wound g.

[SOLR]

I'm buying Thomastik for 15 years and i have never seen Swings with a wound g and looking on StringsandBeyond or StringsbyMail what you say doesn't exist.You can buy a wound g single string but they do not come standard on Swings.Please show me a dealer selling Swings with a wound g.

Mine do ??!!! Look at the link rom TI

JS 18-19 20 are flat wound! and I buy them by the set!

[chrisrubenwinters]

I have been buying the JS113 set for years, and it has always come with a wound G.

[RyanM]

I'm buying Thomastik for 15 years and i have never seen Swings with a wound g and looking on StringsandBeyond or StringsbyMail what you say doesn't exist.You can buy a wound g single string but they do not come standard on Swings.Please show me a dealer selling Swings with a wound g.

By “wound” I think you’re confused and you mean “plain”.

[SOLR]

Please show me a dealer selling Swings with a wound g.

strings by mail . last line says wound 3rd!

[nyc chaz]

strings by mail . last line says wound 3rd!

Apologies,i have been using Dogals and Galli strings lately and don't remember the Swings having a wound 3rd.

[jazzshrink]

I don't believe TI even makes a plain string bigger than .17. Plain strings are indicated by "P" or "T", wound strings carry the "JS" prefix.

[SOLR]

If you're in Canada Thomastik-Infeld JS112 Jazz Swing FW Guitar Strings | Pro Spec Strings has great prices (free shipping in Quebec) free shipping over $250cdn in Canada

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[nyc chaz]

I've used mostly Bensons in the past and had tried Swings but honestly i don't remember them sounding or feeling that different.Dogal Expressive Strings feel just as good as Thomastik to me but i like them better soundwise when played acoustically.The price has gotten a little absurd but they last a long time.

[omphalopsychos]

nyc chaz might be thinking of thomastik bebops. the lighter gauges (up to 12) come with a plain g.

[omphalopsychos]

also dogal expressive are the best flatwounds. they're expensive but if someone's already eyeing the bensons...

[nyc chaz]

nyc chaz might be thinking of thomastik bebops. the lighter gauges (up to 12) come with a plain g.

I tried the Bebops as you say and maybe that might have added to the mistake on my part.I have to agree with you about Dogal being the best flatwounds.I have had them on my Tal for about 18 months and outside of changing the b and e they still sound fine.Stringbymail had 15 percent off on black friday so i made sure to buy a few sets which made them about the same price as Bensons with the discount.I also bought their acoustic flatwounds Dogal Nightclubs but haven't tried them yet.

[jumpnblues]

jazzshrink, thank you for the heads up.

[RyanM]

Seems like Swing and George Benson are the same strings just different gauges

[ThatRhythmMan]

Seems like Swing and George Benson are the same strings just different gauges

Well, they DO have different color silk wrappings.


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[Mick-7]

Well, they DO have different color silk wrappings.

Yes, but it's common knowledge that the color of the wrapping affects the tone, right?

[LandonEavers]

3 Main differences between the Benson's and the Swing's (I use them both)-
1- The Benson 12-53's are a custom "light top, heavy bottom" gauged set. The top 3 strings are the same as the Swing 12's, and the bottom three strings are the same as the Swing 13's. This makes them great for doing those bluesy bends that George likes to do, while still having that heavier acoustic sounding low end.
2- The Benson's are polished differently. They are extra smooth, which causes them to sound different than the swings especially as they age...a bit more dark woody "thunk" to their attack, vs ever so slightly more edge/bite for the the Swing's.
3- The price...for the reason's stated above.

The Benson flatwound 14-55's are actually my favorite sounding strings ever. They have a huge crystal clear sound but due to their amazing construction are still just slinky enough to have a touch of vibrato or half-step bends which are both a huge part of his style. He likes to record with these big strings. I wish I could play them all the time...but I have small hands, and have found that they just fatigue me too much for live playing or long practice sessions. I do want to eventually just want to leave a set on an extra guitar just for recording, because they just have such a fantastic sound quality.

[Cunamara]

I have been buying the JS113 set for years, and it has always come with a wound G.

We have to make sure we're all talking about the same strings. The JS113 set comes with a wound third, the JS112 set comes with a wound? third. I've never tried them as I don't like flatwound strings.

The Bebop set of 12s (roundwound) for some reason comes with a .020 plain third that doesn't balance well with the rest of the string set and feels really stiff and awkward from my experience. It might be the only set of strings I have ever hated. They didn't even last on my guitar an hour; a failed and expensive experiment. I have always thought that was the oddest choice for TI to make since they can clearly make a .020 wound string. It also pretty much ended my use of TI strings, that and all the hassles with the silk wrappings not fitting properly into the tailpiece of my guitar. I know a lot of people here swear by TIs, but I am distinctly not a fan. Too much expense and too many hassles for marginal gains, if any, in tone.

Has it ever struck anyone else that TI has the names reversed? To me, the swing guitar sound is heavy gauge acoustic roundwound strings being played hard with a heavy pick. The bebop sound is flatwounds through a pickup and an amp with that distinctive "thunk" a la Tal Farlow.

[SOLR]

We have to make sure we're all talking about the same strings. The JS113 set comes with a wound third, the JS112 set comes with a wound? third. .

Yes wound 3rd

Has it ever struck anyone else that TI has the names reversed? To me, the swing guitar sound is heavy gauge acoustic roundwound strings being played hard with a heavy pick. The bebop sound is flatwounds through a pickup and an amp with that distinctive "thunk" a la Tal Farlow.

Ditto

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[bluenote61]

The Bebop set of 12s (roundwound) for some reason comes with a .020 plain third that doesn't balance well with the rest of the string set and feels really stiff and awkward from my experience. It might be the only set of strings I have ever hated. They didn't even last on my guitar an hour; a failed and expensive experiment. I have always thought that was the oddest choice for TI to make since they can clearly make a .020 wound string. It also pretty much ended my use of TI strings, that and all the hassles with the silk wrappings not fitting properly into the tailpiece of my guitar. I know a lot of people here swear by TIs, but I am distinctly not a fan. Too much expense and too many hassles for marginal gains, if any, in tone.

I am one of the TI roundwounds fan, preferred of the 12s.
Yes, it is awkard that the set comes with a plain g. Sounds awful. I am always buying the set together with a wound .021 g string and omit the plain g of the set (I have a good collection now ).
With the wound g the set is well balanced and sounds marvellous.
One day I will ask them why the plain g...