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As an archtop newbie I ask....
What string do you folks use most often on your electric archtops? My Epiphone Emperor Regent came to me equipped with D'Addario Jazz Light strings but I am going to try flatwounds however I do like the brightness playabilty and tone of the Jazz Lights. It seems to me that the more traditional jazz sound comes from flatwounds...
...please educate me....
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01-21-2015 10:20 AM
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Up until recently I used TI Jazz Swing Flats 13-53's but I now use TI Bebop round wounds I like the more acoustic sound they have, I am considering going to 12-50 round wounds they might be easier on my hands. The traditional jazz sound is associated with flat wound strings but I don't think the really early Jazz players used them I'm not sure they were available, I was using flat wounds in the early 60's.
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Most common choices are 12-53 flatwound or roundwound sets.
If you're starting out, I recommend going for D'Addario Chrome flatwounds 12s or D'Addario EJ21 roundwounds. There are many other excellent brands to choose from, but these will be middle of the road choices that should give you a benchmark from which to jump off.
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Thanks for the responses so far. I am liking the "acoustic" guitar feel of the D'Addario Jazz Light nickle roundwounds that are on my guitar now. I am thinking they are .012's with a wound 3rd string and I really like that feel. I am thinking using nickle roundwounds would make for a little more versatile jazz and "blues" guitar for my different needs. That being said I am still going to experiment with flatwounds as well. Besides, isn't experimentation part of what the fun is all about?
Lets hear from some more folks! What strings do you like and why??
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On my Archtops, I like my strings flat and heavy with quite a bit of tension.
I like my tone to be on the dead side with fast decay notes which is not necessarily typical.
After a couple years of using d'Addario Chromes 13-56 (flat) and experimenting with a 14 and 18, I now play Labella 15-56 flat wounds on my EmpRegent.
That way I can bring the action very low without buzzing and despite the higher tension of a 25.5 scale, the neck plays like butter.
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I mainly use two different strings either TI Bebop .13's or D'Addario Jazz Lights. I like roundwound string in general, but on a couple guitars I have the TI's which are a kind of semi round string, not completely flat wound. With TI's have to go up a gauge because they are so much lighter in tension.
Now when I got my VB guitar it came with LaBella roundwounds and I've been using those. They sound good, seem to last, and the price is great. The LaBella's are like the old days they come with an extra E and B string.
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Jazz is played at much lower volumes so finger squeak from round wounds just sounds horrible to me. It really distracts the music you are playing. I also do not like the the sound of stainless steel flats. TI flats for me. Just my opinion. Also round core is much better than hex for sustain and string life. I suggest you buy a set of TI swings and bebops and make your own choice but start out with the best strings made which are TI's IMO.
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I don't get string squeaking on the bebops at any volume so it could be related to playing style.
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Could be Para. I have kind of a heavy touch. I kind of drag my fingers. I do love the sound of bebops. Anything TI makes is top of the line. Pricey yes worth it yes.
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I have gone back and forth between rounds and flats many times in the past 35 years. For electrics I have usually used D'Addario Chromes or the EJ21s (.012). A while back I branched out and tried Pyramid Gold flats and really liked those on my archtop- but not at all on my Tele, went back to the Chromes on that. The Pyramids were .011s so lighter than I had used in years and years. They seemed to "open up" the sound of the archtop; maybe from less tension? But I did notice after a while that I tended to dig in harder with them on gigs and got kind of a plinky sound sometimes.
In the past month or so I have switched the Tele to Pyramid nickel rounds with a plain 3rd and really like 'em. The nickel warms up the wound strings and the combination of three plain and three wound strings seems to balance better on that axe. Close to Ed Bickert land there, really surprising to me.
I switched the archtop to TI BB113s- wanting a heaver set of plain strings with a relatively lighter set of wound strings as TI is prone to doing- and am really, really digging those on that guitar. I feel like I am closer to "my sound" than I have ever been- so much so that I suddenly have lost interest in buying yet another guitar to find "my sound."
IMHO nickel rather than stainless seems to give a better sound for jazz.
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Also nickel is much softer than stainless so your frets will last longer.
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My favourite flatwounds are the Thomastik Infield jazz-swing sets. I use the 12-50 set.
I have recently started using the John Pearse archtop acoustic/electric roundwounds. They're a pure nickel string with a wound 'G'. The tone is sweet, a bit brighter on the low strings than the TIs, and they feel very nice and smooth under the fingers.
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Some great advice here! Lets keep those suggestions flowing!
I agree with nickle being softer feeling. I am going to have to try these TI strings everyone is talking about. I think there is only one store in town that sells them and yes they are pricey compared to D'Addarios but if they sound great and last a few months I think they maybe worth the extra cost?
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I've used the D'Addarios and while they are good, especially considering the price, the TIs are much better IMO.
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I use T-I Benson round .012" on all my archtops and Gibson L-5 (SEG-900ML) round .011" on my semis.
When I first started playing I used flats because didn't like squeaking, but after twenty years I bought a guitar with rounds on it and didn't feel like changing them before I used the guitar. After playing it for awhile I realized that for all those years I had been missing out on the true sound quality of my beautiful archtops just to avoid some extraneous noises that rarely were audible on a gig. Haven't used a set of flats since.
Danny W.
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Originally Posted by Danny W.
This is like my situation. When I first bought the guitar I thought "I must remove the evil roundwound strings and replace them with the more jazz friendly flatwounds right away" but....after having played the guitar a few days with the roundwounds on it, they are starting to mellow out a bit and lose a bit of their "squeakiness". I really do like the feel and tone they produce and will keep them on for now until they go dead and I have to make a string change. I hate wasting almost new strings anyway even if they came with the guitar. That and the fact my Epiphone has a floating pickup so it reacts more like an acoustic guitar. I am curious to see how it does react with flatwounds though.
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on my GB10 I use TI 12 flats. On my other guitars (semi-hollows) I use PRS 10th (roundwounds). But the GB10 just doesnt sound well with anything below 12th imo. So it really depends on the guitar, the GB10 just needs strong thick strings to get the vibe (maybe 13 or 14 will be even better but I just cant get used to them).
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I played last night and got some string squeak it's your fault it must be catching Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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i used to play with thomastik flatwound .13...
about 2 months now.. i am playing with,,, thomastik Roundwound bebob .13...and i like them too.
I really love the finger squeak
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I'm kinda hooked on 12-52 flats now. I have been digging the very affordable monel Rotosound Top Tapes. But for years I used regular 8-38, 9-42 and 10-46 gauge strings. All the harmonic overtones, slap/spank and treble is good for high gain rock riffing/soloing and Hendrix-y sort of clean stuff but for Jazz tones and playing I just prefer the mellower sound with the stronger fundamental. I can still pull on okay Jazz sound on the lighter roundwounds by rolling back my tone knob though but I like the feel and sound of flats better.
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I have tried flatwounds once (.012 - .052) and never could get used to them - I experience and perceive more friction when shifting / sliding to positions due to the larger surface that the fingers are in touch with (on the wound strings that is). Right now I'm very comfortable with Pyramid pure nickel roundwounds .011 - .050 with a wound 3rd - may be the ticket for me...
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I also do not use flats. I especially dislike TI Swings. I find them to be dead straight out of the package, which is why so many people think they last a long time. You can't kill what's already dead
Right now I've got D'Addario 12's on my archtops, but I'm thinking of trying 11's (w/ wound 3rd) on my Eastman 403 to to see how the guitar reacts.
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On my set-in pickup electric archtops (ES-175, Epiphone Broadway) I use 12-52 D'Addario Chrome flat wounds. Nice 50s-60s jazz tone like Ellis, Pass, Montgomery, etc. For my floating pickup electric archtops (Godin 5th Avenue Jazz, 5th Avenue acoustic with aftermarket Bartolini 5J) I use D'Addario EJ 21 round wounds. More acoustic sounding. The squeak doesn't bother me once the pickup is turned up to any listenable level.
I used to use TI Swings and BeBops, but they got expensive and the difference wasn't worth it to me. They last a long time, but I can slap on a set of D'Addarios any time I want without feeling like I should have waited a little longer to get my money's worth.
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Originally Posted by entresz
Peter Bernstein uses these (I think I read he starts with .014) and sounds fantastic.
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Alright, I just bought a '55 Gretsch Corvette (it's on its way). I play on flat wounds (TIs 13s with a 14 on top) on all my guitars as that is what I prefer. But, I want to find a string for this guitar that suits it and brings out its natural abilities and purpose. I'm thinking round wound. I dislike bright sounding strings and would like a recomendation that would accentuate the acoustic side of the guitar while allowing me to still play through an amp.
Im thinking the newtone or maybe john Pearce?
ILast edited by TheGrandWazoo; 01-24-2015 at 09:32 AM. Reason: Added strings
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