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Note that I generally dislike chromes but I decided to try them again on a new guitar I got. I was convinced the guitar was a dud - unplugged it sounded boxy and plugged in too bright and the neck felt taught and hard to finger in the left hand, left-hand cramping up, etc. Overall the guitar felt zingy when I wanted it to sound warm and natural like a jazzbox. "OK", I think, "if I'm going to return this let me at least try a set of TI Swings on it out of curiosity."
After stringing and tuning it up with TI Swings it's like it woke up into a whole new guitar. Immediately I notice the guitar is warmer, more responsive, easier to play. Low notes thump into my chest and chords sound better. My guitar is thunking now instead of sounding like a flat-top. Somehow Thomastik is able to make a string that is warmer and has LESS tension than chromes while somehow driving the top MORE. Seriously, these strings are so great and I take it for granted sometimes. To me, jazz guitar is synonymous with Thomastik - I can't think of having a box and not having these strings on them.
Blog over, thanks for listening.
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04-16-2026 02:58 PM
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100% agreement. And they last. I’ve often had them on for a year, either the flats or rounds, and despite a lot of groaning from others, they are very economical. They even sound great on a Tele.
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I agree completely - I've been using TIs since I let curiosity get the better of me when I bought a set on sale several years ago. I use heavy Bensons on my laminated 16", light Bensons on my 14" carved El Rey, JS113s on my 16" and 17" carved Eastmans, and JS112s on my flattop. Right now, my recently acquired Bravo has a fresh set of JS112s because that's the gauge for which it was set up for the previous owner by his luthier (Chris Forshage). I wantd to try the 12s in Chris's setup before deciding that I needed to go heavier and opening up the nut slots. It sounds and feels so good that I'm sticking with 112s for now. I'll try a set of GB112s on it when these wear out.
I don't think TI's sonic superiority is a complete mystery. They're nickel wrapped, and Chromes are SS. I've read that they have a silk thread running with the core, whch may or may not be true and may or may not affect tone very much. But I think the nickel vs SS difference is real and signficant. I also think TIs are the best made and most consistent strings I've ever used. From the silk wrap to the look and feel of the windings, there's no significant variance I can see, feel, or hear through at least a dozen sets on several guitars. Despite reports on this and other forums, I've never gotten a bad one.
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Another TI user here. I have wanted to like Chromes, but they are not for me.
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Can’t stand Chromes. The basses just don’t feel good under my fingers.
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TI’s are also round core instead of hex which makes for less tension.
You just need to wait a bit before you clip off the excess on the tuners and let them fully stretch.
SS strings eat your frets. Harder metal always wins and frets are a nickel alloy so it makes sense to use nickel strings.
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Wise words, Vinny. I often wonder when is the best time to snip them.
Last edited by Rob MacKillop; 04-16-2026 at 07:00 PM.
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Another TI fan here! Every time I try another brand, I'm disappointed.
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Even Piano players love TI's!
Using them for some 15 years now.
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I use them only for electric playing, but they work well for that style. Acoustically they just don't cut it like the round wounds for sure. I have a set on this Unity 18 inch guitar I have here of Big Mikes (got to get it back to him) and I have to say using them only acoustic is not fun. Plugged in they sing nicely but I am lazy and have been just playing with no amp. My other favorite is the Daddario Half Rounds. Way less noise but still pretty smooth but with some zip.
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Sorry to paraphrase, but this statement really is brilliant. I’m not sure I would even like playing any of my guitars, if they didn’t have TI’s on them. They are every bit as great as my guitars.
Originally Posted by chris32895
I remember when I had the 1930’s D’Angelico Excel, I didn’t like playing it. Then I put TI Jazz Swing 13’s on it. Then, it was perfect. ( for me anyway..)
Joe D
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Huge TI fan here. Depending on my play out schedule, I usually get 6mo+ out of JS12's on my 1990 Benedetto Cremona. I started using them many moons ago, I was a LaBella guy but the TI's worked much better on that guitar.
I had used Chromes on my Eastman Pisano 880 since I got it almost 20 years ago. These were the default strings from the factory,so I kept up with them. I decided to switch it over to TI's and it was a night and day difference. However, I found the Pyramid Gold works even better on that instrument for some reason. Crazy enough, I tried them on the Benedetto and they were no match for the TI's.
Not to derail the thread, however, after years of 80/20's on my 53 Epiphone Triumph Regent with no pickup, out of boredom I tried the Martin Monel Retros. I'm impressed they really work well on the Epi.
One other comment. I snip the ends of my strings after a string change and bringing the string up to pitch. I've never had a string unravel. All of my instruments are rock steady and in tune between changes. After 50+ years of playing I don't think I'll be changing my approach.
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I remember putting TI’s on that Guitar, 10 years ago, in 2016. They were TI George Bensons. That guitar had the most wonderful, swirly sound inside the big body. Man, that was a great guitar. Originally Posted by deacon Mark
JD
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I like the Jazz Swing strings. The 12-50 set are great on the solid body guitars and the 13-53 set is my go-to on my electric archtops. I usually swap out the plain strings for Elixirs, they feel smoother and last longer than TIs plain strings. The TIs on my Telecaster would be a few years old and amazingly still sound/feel good.
There was a special on Chromes so I bought some, I have them on my ES 335 right now, and they are okay too. I would say I prefer the feel of the TIs, but tonally the Chromes suit the 335 well.
On an acoustic archtop I'm trying out the Galli bronze flatwounds, they're interesting. So far I like them, and I like how they sound with the DeArmond 1000 pickup too.
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Have you tried TI Plectrums? I went through a few sets (Martin Monel, etc.) on my Waterloo and these are far and away the winner for me. Originally Posted by deacon Mark
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Having spent many years with both TI Swing Series and Chromes I can only half agree with the prevailing logic. Out of the box, there is no comparison: Chromes sound brash and clanky while TI's sound warm and inviting. But after putting 10 or 15 hours on the chromes, the comparison changes, a lot. The Chromes lose some of that clank and become substantially warmer. TI's will always feel softer because they are softer. The bass stings are lighter and they play at lower tension but that really just means that it's an apples to oranges comparison. As a set, Chrome 10's are closer in both gauge and tension to Swing Series 11's and in that comparison the feel is much closer.
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This is always an interesting discussion. I’ve tried TI flats and RW multiple times and a I’ve never liked them. The silk wrap is a PITA on most of my guitars and their gauging doesn’t feel right to me- especially the way-too-heavy and stiff plain G on the .012 set (RWs, IIRC, but it’s been at least 10 yrs since my last set of TIs). I liked Pyramids better.
But TI apparently are the holy grail for many folks here, getting the sound and feel they want, so enjoy!
When I want flatwounds, which is specific to just two guitars, D’Addario is my choice (although I have had QC issues with the wound G strings on a couple sets). For RW, I prefer John Pearse Jazz or SITs- the JPJ’s are really great on my archtop.
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I use 2 different sets of strings most of the time. I use Pyramid Monel Classics if I am looking for a little more acoustic bite or I use TI bebops. The TI bebops are smoother sounding and play slightly easier than the Pyramid Monel. The Monel sound allows to me a full acoustic sound and electric sound that does not compromise either side of the sound. To me flatwounds have one purpose usually to allow zero finger noise and when recording and plugged directly to source there is no finger noise. One is open and ringing and the other is Johnny Smith floating no noise.
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So thinking of trying a set of 12 -53 String Joy Flat Wounds for my Elferink Tonemaster Archtop. They sound wonderful in the videos they posted on a Loar 16” Archtop L-5 Clone.
Just wondering if anyone else has tried them yet? Seem to be around $29 per set
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My '22 GB10 came with Chromes and I've never really been happy with them and have been thinking of trying Thomastik but not sure which would be best - any suggestions? I play very little in the way of 'lines' and improv and tend more toward ballad chord melody arrangements and a little bit of swing and bossa playing over backing tracks.
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I've always disliked Chromes. They sound great for 15 minutes and then are completely dead after that. I'd try the TI's but they don't make a light set. I was using LaBellas which stay pretty bright for several weeks but switched back to roundwound strings cause they sound so good on my 335.
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Tempting to recommend the GB signature strings to go with the GB10- but as I check and find them at $62 a set (!) for the flatwounds and $46 for the non-GB Swings, I won't. Those are just ridiculous prices, YMMV. Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
For $20-22 the Pyramid Gold flatwounds are a nice string. Nickel-chrome wrapping and a round core, so different than D'Addario Chromes. I haven't used these in years but I remember liking them. I also liked their nickel roundwounds on round cores, too.
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I prefer rounds and the TI Bebops are just beautiful strings. Plugged in you still maintain that roundwound resonance without a ton of squeak. In the EU they are a little less than the DA half rounds.
My only wish would be that the 12s had a wound G but I but singles and replace it. My hands like the 12s better and other than the high e sounding a touch more twangy I think the guitar sounds more open and in line with the sound Im looking for.
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I use TI flats, but...................
At present my string gauges are:
Treble: 14-17-20 Plain
Bass: 28-38-48 wound
(I'm using/buying single strings.)
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Many years ago, I discovered TI strings when they were giving a free sample set to attendees at the Long Island Guitar show. I have used them on almost all of my guitars ever since. I love them!
Keith
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