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Galli Nylon Jazz Tapes come wth two kinds of b and e strings,regular steel and nylon covered steel.The nylon ones have a mellower sound to my ear.I don't know if they sell just the b and e string separately but you could inquire.
Originally Posted by Jimmy Mack
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11-14-2024 02:16 PM
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If a tension close to a 0.010" is no problem for you you could try the Thomastik Classic S rope-cores. I doubt that a nylon ribbon wrap will reduce the magnetic signal by much (it will reduce sustain!) but a twisted or braided core should have less metal.
These are ball-end strings for CG and rather low tension ones at best. They do work with magnetic PUs. They're available as singles, and since they were actually invented by John Pearse it just might be possible that you can find them under that brand targeting steel-string acoustics.
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This thread is very confusing. It's also very old. People are not responding to the OP, but keep raising different questions.
Let's try to break it down;
-Do you change the plain strings only (and keep your old, worn wound strings)? If so, for what purpose?
-What's the actual difference between different brands of string sets?
-Whats the life expectancy of a string set? How do I know when strings are due for replacement?
-Does the color of the plain strings have anything to do with sound and/or durability?
-My favorite strings are no longer available, what to do?
-Strings apparently got different tension, why is that and what does it mean?
-Why are the plain strings bright sounding, does the color have anything to do with it?
OP triggered a bunch of questions that's been on the FAQ-list for 100 years. The general instrument knowledge in the community is low. Beginners ask the same questions they always did, because marketing hasn't changed much in 100 years.
You've heard it many times; "guitar strings are cheap"...Unfortunately this is not necessarily true. The cost of new strings becomes significant when players:
...got many guitars,
... require fresh strings and replace them frequently,
...require custom string sets,
...require special purpose string types,
...explore the difference of various types, brands and gauges.
When the player depends on performance, he also must consider availability and that his source always got his preferred strings in store.
The total sum he spends and the total amount of waste (metal junk) he produces while consuming strings over a lifetime is significant.
For all those reasons we need strategies:
First you have to understand that guitars have to be re-adjusted from time to time regardless of the conditions of the strings. The most common misconception is that a guitar needs new strings to play great and that setup and adjustment activities are synonymous with string replacement. This also comes from marketing and the fact that beginners pay a pro shop to make small adjustments any player should be able to do himself. Learn how to do basic nut, bridge and fretboard maintenance without removing the strings. Wash your hands, wipe down your strings and they'll last much, much longer.
Secondly you need to understand fundamental differences between acoustic and amplified sounds. Basically you have to learn how to make use of the volume and tone controls on your guitar and amplifier. You also have to learn how to adjust your pickups and learn the difference of playing with a flatpick, nails or soft finger tips.
Thirdly you need to understand the implications of changing gauge and tension and that the reason your guitar sounds different may not have anything to do with the color of the strings.
Last but not least, remember that string manufacturers and pro techs want you to buy new strings, that's just business as usual. What you have to ask yourself is why you think it's necessary to replace the strings. You also have to reflect on why you use a particular set of a particular brand.
Now, to answer OP's question (hoping he's not been losing sleep since 2015. I'm thinking someone else may be interested?)
It makes perfect sense to replace just the plain strings, in particular if you play round wounds. The sound of old round wounds is not much different from flats. The problem some guys are having with round wounds is that they are very bright when new.
Strings must be replaced when they don't ring true and won't intonate. This happens because of dirt and corrosion. Also check the underside of the strings that goes flat where it touches the frets. Also be aware of any kink at the witness points where the string breaks over the nut and bridge saddle, which explains why it may not always be possible to re-intonate a string that's broken-in.
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Gee, I hope your long answer wasn't directed at me, for asking (I thought) a clearly worded question? I was searching the forum first, and this old thread came up, so I hopped on it, rather than starting a new and perhaps redundant thread. It's just something new came up on my end and I'm looking for info.
Didn't mean to take up your time. And your long reply did not answer my question, by the way. I have a pretty extensive knowledge of guitar things, and I don't waste materials or people's time.
But I do appreciate your knowledge about the subject and your willingness to provoke some thinking on it.
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Reads like a manifesto, doesn't it? Originally Posted by Jimmy Mack
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Hi Jimmy, Originally Posted by Jimmy Mack
-Why did you trash the strings that were loud and mellow? (and how did you do that without producing waste?)
You want to customize your string set? Because you think the treble strings are too bright when new? The plinky treble string problem is probably the top FAQ on this forum, but conclusions are seldom consistent, because the word "bright" is ambiguous.
For example, if you think the tone is thin, lacking fundamentals, this is typically setup related and got nothing to do with the brand of strings. (Check your saddle slots, check your tailpiece, check truss rod adjustment etc. ).
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Hi JCat, there are quite a few things we can agree on - let me unroll the back story quickly before I head over to the FAQ section, which did not pop up when I initiated my search.
New guitar, factory strings (dead on arrival), and I have a 45 day trial period to see if I keep the guitar.
1st thing to do is put my normal strings on, 2 at a time but I notice that the old 2nd string is louder and bassier than the new ones, and has a mellower tone (old string ?). I replace it and continue.
Next, I check the truss rod, bridge, saddles, Tail piece etc but the new 1st string is very bright in comparison, annoyingly so. I replaced that one with a heavier string, to no avail.
Next, I try 3 different bridges, an Epiphone, a Gibson and a DA All yield the same problem, so I next try different TP's.
A very heavy old Gibson Stop TP helped to smooth out the balance as opposed to the very light aluminum stock TP.
Things we would never know without experimenting! Maybe it's the guitar ?
I adjusted the pickups up and down, pole pieces too. I am not about to switch PU's, until I keep the guitar. I can't rotate the bridge P/U because the lead is too short. That worked on another guitar perfectly.
You can get the idea. So if I found a mellower 1st string, maybe I'd have the solution. I have done this many times on my classical guitars until I found a solution. It's also prevalent with classicals, to mix and match strings that are too bright or dull. Thank God for Strings by Mail.
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Been to the FAQ search page, a few hits, but not many.
Forgot to mention that I even changed out the bridge posts, they are steel. No change. Maybe I need brass.
So in reading through others' posts, I'm inclined to believe it is the p/up to blame. It is a Gibson Custombucker, it may be a "brighter" p/up and it really accentuates the 1st string. The neck p/up is fine, still a bit bright there, but I was able to neutralize that one. Maybe it's the guitar too, new wood and all.
I'll just keep looking, maybe I need a brass saddle there, maybe playing it a lot will somehow break it in. I have a feeling that new instruments have to be "shown" how to be a guitar! But I still have 35 days to decide.
Cheers.
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Isn't this "just" a problem of the 1st 2 pots being too hot?
IIRC you can't shield against a magnetic field but wouldn't putting a piece of ferromagnetic metal on top of the PU at least attenuate the signal a bit?
You could of course write to Aquila Strings. IIUC they've been experimenting with monofilament strings loaded with ferromagnetic powder that can resist high tensions and are seen by e-guitar PUs. Maybe they already have sample sets for testers...
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The NYXL plain steel strings are noticeably mellower than the XLs. They sell them separately, but the wound ones are nice too. So I'd recommend you just try a pack of NYXLs.
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Thanks guys, I do have a set of NYXL's, I will try them. Yes, I could mess with the pots but I don't really want to - it's a 335. I had this problem before with other guitars, and a change of pickups was the remedy 2 different times.
At this point though, I need a less invasive solution. Or else, the guitar goes back.
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Another option is to change the saddle material to the graph tech stuff. It's mellower. You could only change the saddles to the strings which you want mellower or swap the whole set.
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I've seen an equal amount of claims to the contrary. From what I understand that New York steel is harder/stiffer. If this were about winding wire I'd say yes, that should give a string producing less overtones but for the plain trebles I just don't know. Esp. not with respect to the electric signal they produce. Originally Posted by Bobby Timmons
Do Martin SP strings with their flexible core sound brighter than their counterparts with a regular core wire, for instance?
Plus, I use trebles made of German instead of the more common Swedish steel (Pyramid in my case, but Thomastik trebles are made from it too). That steel is a bit softer, making them easier to play and I'd swear that the acoustic sound is indeed mellower. I do have a set of NYXL trebles waiting to be tested but at this point I can't be bothered to take off a set of still perfectly good Pyramids.
Either way, comparing the sound of the trebles to that of other brands has to be done while keeping the wound strings you intend to use because they are the main explanation why the trebles of a set A can sound different from those of a set B with the same gauge trebles.
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Whoever said that is a dumbass. Originally Posted by RJVB
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Sure, if that's your term for people who don't share your tastes and perceptions...
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How could NYXLs being softer than XLs possibly be a taste? My string sets were custom balanced tension where I'd order the strings individually, mix the 2 types, and play on them every day. So it's not a perception either. I know which one is factually softer.
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That calculator will only give valid results for StringJoy's strings and strings with the same core/plain wire (and winding, where appropriate) properties.
The inherent question here is "how is New York steel" different from regular musical wire steel. According to d'A's own data it isn't any different in terms of density (identical gauges give identical tensions at the given pitches and the reference scale length d'A use for their calculation).
But every string calculator assumes the string doesn't stretch when being put under tension, which cause the gauge and thus tension to be lower at pitch. With monofilament strings this effect is not just measurable; with steel strings it's probably barely measurable.
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Another Useless String Gauge Tension Calculator? Originally Posted by RJVB
String Tension Calculator
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The NYXL plain steels have a softer feel and sound like I said. I used to use both.
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Did I imply they're useless? They're not, you just have to know their limitations. Originally Posted by GuyBoden
I find the exhaustive tables that d'Addario have online more useful; they'll also tell you the tensions at different pitches for instance.
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Many thanks for the insightful information. Originally Posted by RJVB
A few years ago, I bought custom string gauges after calculating equal string tensions using these online String Tension calculators. With good results, but yes, they are only approx calculations.
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Ah, equal string tensions - across the set I presume? That's also what Aquila strive for in their sets for classical guitar, and since they also provide tables with the "theoretical" tensions of their sets one can get an idea of the big effect stretch can have.
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Yes, equal string tensions across the set. I use them on my solid body headless guitars, which have an extreme low action. Originally Posted by RJVB
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