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About four or five months ago, I finally switched from half-wounds to Chromes flatwound strings for my AF95 Ibanez (Artcore.) I'll never go back to half-wounds - no way.
Problem is, when I first restrung, I had the intonation set as close to perfect as was possible. When I play, I rotate between this Artcore and an acoustic archtop or two, but the Artcore still sees a lot of play time. After three weeks or so I'll notice that the intonation has gone sharp. Almost every fretted note plays out of tune. I can change strings and VOILA - perfect intonation.
But it seems that Chromes last longer than this for most players. My hands, thank God, don't visibly sweat (instead they freeze to blocks of ice really fast) -- and I've never had acid-sweat problems. The strings SOUND just fine - not dead at all.
Any of you guys or gals have this problem with Chromes? With Artcores? Any advice, ideas, suggestions? All's appreciated.
kj
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03-30-2012 09:45 AM
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I used to use TI's and would change them after 3-4 months, not because they were dead.. but because the intonation would be soooo far off. Chromes seem much better in that they dont drift with age as quickly.
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3-4 months is OK...but how many hours you practise a day?...
Originally Posted by SamBooka
Last edited by kris; 03-30-2012 at 12:12 PM.
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I am going to say about 7-10 hours a week. When I had the bridge at this angle to get the intonation close to right then I said screwit and changed the strings.
Last edited by SamBooka; 03-30-2012 at 11:21 AM.
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Originally Posted by SamBooka
"3 - 4 months" -- this is what I typically hear, regarding Chromes. Over 3-WEEKS, I probably play this guitar 7 - 10 days, anywhere from two or three hours, to eight or ten hours (depends on the meds.) Originally Posted by kris
3-4 months is OK...but how many houres you practise a day?...
So: a very rough estimate of 40 hours' playing time: is that enough to wear out a new set of flatwounds? These are .012s, if that makes any difference. My left-hand "touch" is very light - classical position, actually, or most of the time. So I'm not grinding them away.
I'm changing a set now, been on 17 days - playing so sharp, no chord is safe to play.
kj
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Sure it's not a guitar issue or a nut that needs a better fit . I use chrome's 13's on my archtop and play a few hours a day and teach and gig at least 3 pro solo jazz guitar shows a week all with same guitar and my intonation is rock solid and strings are about 2 months old . It sounds solidly in tune right up neck but i must say my guitar had a major set up and fret dress also got a new graphite nut recently and chrome's do me well so far i find them to be better than i expected them to be
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Ok.. not off topic.. but a little question here: Does anyone bend their strings? I am not talking SRV bends but more the Herb Ellis school (it is PURE coincidence that i play a Herb Ellis model and actually like Herb Ellis.)
My last set of chromes went on in July 2011, replaced in Feb 2012... not bad. I didnt have to do anything funky with the intonation.
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Thanks for the helpful words. Originally Posted by Keira Witherkay
When I switched to the first set of Chromes, I had a tech do it, and he also did a minor setup -- checked the nut, the frets showed so little wear he did nothing to them, but still dressing them might help a bit - I don't know.
Point is: I'm wondering if this is typical - that Chromes "go bad" by failing to intonate correctly? They sound kinda dull after a few days anyway, so it's hard to say "dead" -- unless they're really old.
It sounds like YOU have played many more hours on your current set of Chromes than I have on mine - but yours are fine, while mine play all out of tune, especially the wound strings. I've never had "go bad early" problem with other strings - seems strange that Chromes would do this.
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Well those is another possibility i'm not sure if it happens where you live but recently in south africa where i'm currently performing as i travel a lot . There has been fake D'Addario strings on the market . They look almost identical in packaging but a local shop had a batch and i use d'addario 's round wound on my tele and these sets would literally have the core wire being loose from the outer wrapping , not unwind but actually slip within the outer wrapping , and yes i used the same brand for years and until i fitted em i could not tell they were fakes . They were dull and lost tuning . So just maybe you also got burnt . Cos i did confirm with the store that they were fakes and i found out from another store that confirmed people were trying to sell fakes to them too . And i'm not sure how this affects your country but here in south africa we have a huge problem with fakes in all products and yes we even have those fake gibsons popping up regularly . So maybe you just got a bad batch or maybe you also got burnt with a fake set cos they are out there i seen em myself :-)
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Wow - that's amazing. Terribly amazing, I mean. Who knows - the first set I bought locally, and they lasted 3 months. The sets I have now came from online - 3 weeks and they're done. Originally Posted by Keira Witherkay
Yes - the fake Les Pauls are available here in the USA - online, probably at local shops, too.
So I'm getting about 40 hours from a set of Chromes! I used to get more than that from acoustic strings made mostly of brass! How strange. Maybe I'll buy another set of Chromes locally, just to see.
Thanks
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If your guitar was properly set up/intonated to the half wounds, it would of course NOT be set up/intonated for the flats. They are completely different; manufactured with different materials and they put different levels of tension on the neck. Have a good tech set it up for the flats and you'll be golden.
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The OP mentions that the intonation was good when he first restrung. Originally Posted by whiskey02
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I use these on all my guitars, and they're as good as I've found - ever. My guitars: '89 L4CES, '30's L-7 Acoustic, even my Les Paul and Harmony Patrician...but I don't leave the setup to me -- once a year I have a luthier do a change and setup. As for the amount of use - -if I don't play guitrar at least an hour a day, I get real crabby. FWIW Dennis
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Originally Posted by whiskey02
As Sam pointed out (read original post), I had a tech install the first set of chromes and do a setup for them at the same time. The intonation is flawless, or as close as it can get, with new Chromes. With 3-week-old Chromes, all fretted notes are sharp. I'm not faulting the Chromes - I mean, everybody uses them, practically. I'm just wondering is 40 hours (maybe much less!) play time a normal "lifespan" for these strings? I've never had problems with sweaty hands or with acidic perspiration - a set of half-wounds would last for 2 months. The Chromes start playing sharp after 3 weeks. Is this normal?
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I've had the same set of Chromes on my main guitar for 2 1/2 years now. Sure, like any strings they are sensitive to changes in temperature, and necks are sensitive to changes in humidity. I find it helpful to tune up before playing, with any strings.
Playing also affects intonation. I recall in one interview, Leo Kottke told of how long it took him to learn that he needed his guitars slightly out of tune before starting a piece, especially a long instrumental, so that the strings would fall through correct intonation during the performance, and be out of tune the other way at the end!
If you're going 3 weeks between tunings, I'm impressed.
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Err... I'd be impressed, too! If I could go 45 minutes without adjusting my tuning, I'd be happy. (Okay, I have a couple of guitars that hold tune for 45 minutes or more - the other thirteen won't.) Originally Posted by Flint
In this thread, I'm talking about intonation - not tuning. I'm saying that three weeks after installing a new set of Chromes, they begin to play sharp, when fretted. Tune an open string to perfection, and any note you play along that string (fretted) will be sharp. With new strings (not 3-weeks old), the intonation is spot on.
That's what I meant to say - sorry.
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You have to tune your guitar few times in the day.
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Not sure what you mean, Kris -- do you mean that I (me, Kojo) have to tune MY guitar few times during a day... or do you mean that guitarists in general ('you' - anybody) shouldn't have to tune but a few times a day.... or what? Originally Posted by kris
I'm confused.
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Every guitar player. Originally Posted by Kojo27
Not sure what you mean, Kris -- do you mean that I (me, Kojo) have to tune MY guitar few times during a day... or do you mean that guitarists in general ('you' - anybody) shouldn't have to tune but a few times a day.... or what?
I'm confused.
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Okay, but wouldn't that depend on a lot of things? Such as: Originally Posted by kris
- How agressively you play...
- How much string-bending you do...
- How new your strings are...
- The weather (and changes therein)
- Whether your guitar is set up right
- The condition of your strings...
Just to name some of the things that can bear on tuning?
I've heard very reputable teachers (book authors, esp.) say, "Make sure you tune your guitar every morning." Ha! As if that's it!
I'd love to hear your thoughts, Kris. Tuning is a bugbear for me. I know about always tuning up to the right pitch - never down. Don't bend a sharp string and hope this will last - it won't. I know about having as little friction in the nut slots as possible - use graphite, etc. I know how old strings won't hold tune very well.
What else? I adjust my tuning every 30 minutes, a little anyway. Sometimes I check and it sounds okay, but if I've been playing normally (hard) it doesn't sound so hot. The jazz box w/Chromes is the hardest of all to keep in tune.
How do you do it?
kj
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I tune my guitar few times in a day becuse I like to play in tune...:-)
I do not bend...but eveything works/ I use Fast Fret GHS-good for cleaning strings/.
I use Thomastis Swing strings 13' and for me sounds good for two weeks/concert quality/ but I can practice on them 3 months.I tune more if thay are going older.Last edited by kris; 04-01-2012 at 04:14 AM.
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Greetings all - my first official post - don from D'Addario here. We're sorry to learn of the OP issue with our Chromes. We wanted to point out one of the other comments - that being that - Fake Strings of many brands but including ours are popping up all over.
We've implemented a website - D'Addario Strings : Play Real - which will allow you to verify if you've purchased real D'Addario strings or fakes. There is a code on the little plastic bag which contains the strings. Punch that code into the website, and you'll know for sure.
I've talked with players on the Grestch site and other jazz sites where players have gotten more than a year out a set of our Chromes. I'm amazed by it because I'm lucky if I can get more than 2 weeks out of a set, as I sweat toxic waste. If I can be of further support, you can email me directly at don.dawson2@daddario.com
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Thanks for info. Originally Posted by ddawson2012
I use your XL nickel Wound EXL 145 with my Tele and Ibanez As-200.
Exelent strings!!!
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Hi Don, Originally Posted by ddawson2012
This is very kind of you. In making the original post, I probably should NOT have written the title as if I were blaming the bad intonation on the Chromes - what a blunder! The thought going through my mind at the time was, "It's the strings we all use, and I'm having intonation problems - so help!" That Chromes are great strings is a given, I think, around here anyway. I simply couldn't explain why, with practically sweat-free hands, and no history of killing off strings at an early age, I'd gotten only 2 or 3 weeks from this set. I was aware that most guys get a month, three months, a year - from Chromes, so what was the deal? The other sets I'd used lasted well -- 2 months or more.
Maybe a fluke. Maybe someone with acidic sweat picked up my guitar when I wasn't looking. I don't know. The strings came from just-strings dot com, and they probably aren't selling fake strings! I use D'Addario "Flat Tops" on one of my acoustic archtops - love them! D'Addario XLs on my electrics. Use lots of EXPs on my flattop guitars. You guys make great strings. Keep up the good work. I'm starting on a fresh set of Chromes - we'll see how they last. I'll keep a better eye on my guitar this time....
Thanks again!
kj
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I have EGC24 High Finish Ribbon Wound Jazz Light Gauge on my Ibanez-AS73. I've had no problems. Couldn't confirm them on the website since they're the old packaging. I had to readjust my intonation recently, but I don't think it had to do with the strings. When I first got the guitar I had to redo it because it came with nickel wounds and I changed to the jazz lights.
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