How does Thomastik do it?

[garybaldy]

What's the difference between their P20 and P20T strings? They seem to have the same specs.

[Rob MacKillop]

Looking at their website, Garry, the T could possibly either stand for titanium coating - for allergy sufferers

Titanium has a density of 4.5 g/cm³. Due to its oxide layer, titanium does not produce the ideal response, but it is the only material that is also biocompatible. This means the material doesn’t trigger any allergies! Thus, Thomastik-Infeld is currently working on special titanium alloys to develop strings which are solely made of titanium, making them completely suitable for allergy sufferers.

…or tin:

There are tin-plated strings in the Thomastik-Infeld catalog. However, tin is not used as a winding material, but for plating steel-core strings. To do this, the steel wire is pulled through a 260° tin bath, which allows the string core to absorb tin on its surface. The excess is then wiped off. This is how a tin-plated wire is produced. To increase the corrosion resistance, the wire can also have a nickel barrier layer. Thomastik-Infeld gives all its tin-plated E-strings a nickel barrier layer, except for AL01 and SP01.

[garybaldy]

Looking at their website, Garry, the T could possibly either stand for titanium coating - for allergy sufferers

Titanium has a density of 4.5 g/cm³. Due to its oxide layer, titanium does not produce the ideal response, but it is the only material that is also biocompatible. This means the material doesn’t trigger any allergies! Thus, Thomastik-Infeld is currently working on special titanium alloys to develop strings which are solely made of titanium, making them completely suitable for allergy sufferers.

…or tin:

There are tin-plated strings in the Thomastik-Infeld catalog. However, tin is not used as a winding material, but for plating steel-core strings. To do this, the steel wire is pulled through a 260° tin bath, which allows the string core to absorb tin on its surface. The excess is then wiped off. This is how a tin-plated wire is produced. To increase the corrosion resistance, the wire can also have a nickel barrier layer. Thomastik-Infeld gives all its tin-plated E-strings a nickel barrier layer, except for AL01 and SP01.

Thanks.
Strings have come a long way since I bought my 1st set in 1966!

[2bornot2bop]

I've heard of fakes on Amazon - could that be the case on Ebay? You wouldn't know until they arrived and by then it would be too late. I've been buying from Strings & Beyond for many years because I'll get the real thing. Benson set is $57.35 and Jazz Swing is $40.71 - a little pricey but if they last a year, might be worth a try. I think they're having a 10% off sale right now.

I buy 80 percent of my TI’s on eBay. Never once have I purchased a fake set.

[ThatRhythmMan]

I buy 80 percent of my TI’s on eBay. Never once have I purchased a fake set.

I tried buying strings on Reverb only one time. They were advertised as Elixir Nanoweb PB strings and they were coming from a legit, small brick and mortar shop. I ordered two boxes of (I believe) ten. All of the strings were counterfeit.


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[Christian Miller]

The plain G in the 12s Bebop set is awful. It's just too heavy so it is stiff, too loud through a pickup and the tone gets plunky at about the 10th fret and above. Maybe they do it so they can sell a wound G in addition? That plain G is probably one of the reasons almost everybody who talks about using TI Bebops seems to buy the .013 set, which is much better balanced.

I wish they would do this


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[Sigmund451]

I dont think they put in an unwound in order to sell a wrapped G. I think they mistakenly think its better. If so it would be easier to find to find individual TI's. I found a shop in the EU with wrapped G's so I bought a number of them to swap out. Its not uncommon for makers of instruments and accessories to now quite have their finger on the pulse of what customers think is better. Sometimes they simply miss the mark.

Here the 12's are a couple of bucks cheaper than the 13's so that helps to cover that cost.

I havent even tried the plain G so I didnt know there was a tension issue. I just prefer the sound of wrapped strings.
The 12's ballance out just fine with a G from the 13 set.

[gp5jb2]

I guess there's no accounting for taste, I've been using TI BB's 12's for over twenty years on my HJS and prefer the unwound G; plus it's a lot easier on the index nail.

[MiniMerckx.22]

I played a set of Benson flats for 4 or 5 years. Knowing what they cost I didn't take any chances and just rilled the ends up into a 1 inch circle, using the last inch or two to wrap around and hold it all together. I changed the plain steel b & e periodically. I changed out the whole set just because they were so old but they intonated and sounded great.

Wise words, Vinny. I often wonder when is the best time to snip them.

[Cunamara]

I switched from TIs to Pyramids about 5, or so, years ago. Nothing wrong with TIs but Pyramids are similar round core strings and cost less. Never like Chromes. I have tried. Now they cost about the same as Pyramids anyway. I prefer round cores.

I haven't used the Pyramid Golds in probably 10 years but I remember liking them better than the TIs. At least on my guitars. I liked their round core/nickle wrapped roundwound strings, too.

[Rob MacKillop]

I looked up the Pyramid Gold flatwounds, and one enthusiastic 5-star review said, "these strings have a real twang to them!". I might be alone, but I'd prefer my flats not to twang!

[Sigmund451]

Granted Im not a flat fan but I tried the Pyramids since a set came with my guitar in the case. As mentioned in other threads they feel strange. Kind of an odd texture. Becuase of that texture there is also little more pick noise. Here they are about the same price as TI's so Id stick to those if I played flats.

[ThatRhythmMan]

I looked up the Pyramid Gold flatwounds, and one enthusiastic 5-star review said, "these strings have a real twang to them!". I might be alone, but I'd prefer my flats not to twang!

That’s a funny statement. I just finished taking a set off that I had been trying. One thing they definitely did not have was “twang”.


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[Hyppolyte Bergamotte]

They're quite cheap here,in Belgium ,near Germany. The TIs are excellent, but I had to stop buying them: they were taken out of the pack and already rusty!
HB

[garybaldy]

I looked up the Pyramid Gold flatwounds, and one enthusiastic 5-star review said, "these strings have a real twang to them!". I might be alone, but I'd prefer my flats not to twang!

I think I read somewhere that back in the 60s the pop players using 12 string electrics used flat wounds. Each string was supposed to not 'interfer' with its' octave (what ever that means) and they did twang.

[Rob MacKillop]

Everyone in the 60’s was on drugs

[garybaldy]

Everyone in the 60’s was on drugs

[58flame]

Pyramid flats are the dullest sounding flats I’ve ever played. I got about 2 weeks out of the last set before they sounded unacceptable. Chromes are the brightest flats I’ve found.
For 13s - TIs or Chromes are my preference.
For 12s - Rotosound Top Tapes are untouchable. I wish I could get them in 13s. They last forever and sound fantastic.

[Rob MacKillop]

I do like the Rotosound tapes, though couldn’t get them through the 6th tuner hole on one of my guitars.

[Stringswinger]

Everyone in the 60’s was on drugs

They say that if you remember the 60's.....you weren't there.

[Cunamara]

I wish they would do this

A .020-.022 wound string wound work better that the .020 plain string that comes with the set. The plain string just gets too stiff and dull as one goes up the neck. It does not intonate well on most wooden bridge tops, which are mostly designed for a wound G.

[Cunamara]

They say that if you remember the 60's.....you weren't there.

I do remember the 60s, I was too young for drugs. The late 70s, however.

[bohemian46]

I was there in the 60s and recall every moment.
Drugs, no. Beer and wine and lovely companionship
and my 1939 Martin 00-17 were my gig.

[Herbie]

I was there too in the 60s. What a freedom!

Then came the 70s, I got 7 years old and I had to go to school.