-
Hello all.
This is my first post here, so I'll give a short backstory. I played in the jazz ensemble at my college, as well as several small 3/4/5-piece combos on the side. I also played in a few rock and blues oriented bands, and actually (to my detriment) viewed that as my primary preferred style. I used an Epiphone Del Rey (a Les Paul DC copy...actually a pretty nice guitar in its own right) and a Yamaha Pacifica (strat copy). Needless to say, my guitars were set up primarily for the latter style, with roundwound 10's and hotter pickups. It was passable for the jazz ensemble but was not the traditional sound that I've grown to like.
I have been bitten by the bug again but this time I'm doing it properly, at least at an entry level. I already own an Egnater Tweaker 15 head/cab set (with a WGS Veteran 30 speaker), and I just ordered a Hall of Fame mini reverb, so the amp and reverb are handled. I have an Ibanez AF71F that will be here Tuesday. I'm contemplating ordering a KA Handwound PAF for it, but I'll give the stock pickup a shot first.
My current dilemma is the strings. I have played guitars in passing with flatwounds, but never had them on my personal instruments. I'm used to 10-gauge Ernie Ball Slinkys. I'm thinking I should start with some D'Addario Chrome 11s, but I'm not entirely sure. A lot of you guys seem to swear by at least 12s, but I don't like a lot of tension. At the same time, I don't like floppy strings either, which is why I don't use 8s or 9s on my other guitars. Something nice and in the middle.
Any advice?
Thanks!
-
11-02-2015 01:14 PM
-
I play an Epiphone semi-hollow mostly...hence the username
It came with .10s, Gibson Brite Wires I think. These were too light for me, especially with the high E and B strings. So I switched to Thomastik-Infeld Swings, gauge .11. Been using them since.
Many people will tell you that TIs are the ¡ONLY! flatwounds to buy, because (a) they are still kind of bright despite being flat, (b) they last longer, (c) they're made from a special metal extracted from iron ore dug from a banana mine in the Mariana Trench...kidding.
All I can say on the subject is that I like them, having never tried the Chromes, but it makes sense to me that TIs'd be "better" in some way, because they're mostly famous for their "Dominant" series for violins. If anyone would know how to make flats, it'd be them.
They're expensive, though; around $22 a pack.
Link: Amazon.com: Thomastik-Infeld JS111 Jazz Guitar Swing Series 6 String Set - Pure Nickel Flat Wounds E, B, G, D, A, E Set: Musical Instruments
-
TI's also have less "string tension" than Dadd's. And the depth of a set of TI 14's, which is what I often use, is a hair less in depth and string tension than a set of D'Addario12's. Enjoy
-
I use TIs pretty much exclusively on my arch tops. I started with 13s but eventually settled on 11s or 12s. They give me everything I want in a string. I think I got a better idea of the performance of the string by starting with the heavier string and moving down.
As an aside: Just for giggles I took a Fender reissue thinline and turned it into a single Seth Lover PU guitar to see how much jazz I could get out of it. I had to go to 14s to get there but it actually made decent jazz tones.
-
The TI's have lighter tension and more even tension string to string than the Chromes, if you have the cash give the TI's a try, if not the Chromes are very good strings too. 11's in Chromes should be a fairly easy transition, if you try the TI's you might try 12's.
-
I played round wound 9-42s and 8-38s for many years on all my guitars -- Teles, Les Pauls Strats etc. However, I decided to jump into flats last year for some of my guitars and I went straight to 12-52s and they feel great. Flats seem to have less tension than rounds when using equivalent gauges, at least as far as I can tell. The net result was I changed all my other guitars to round wound 11-48s 'cause I liked getting a bit more lower mids in my sound and I had adapted to a more robust feel. Another cool option is the half wounds by D'Addario which really do fall between flats and rounds in terms of tone -- I have a set of the 11s on one of my guitars and they feel like 10s; they still have some brightness but less finger squeak than regular rounds. I have used the Chromes too -- I tried out the 10s and found them a little too slinky for me but nice anyway.
Last edited by wildschwein; 11-03-2015 at 04:04 AM.
-
TIs will be good. I'd suggest the bebop roundwounds. They have a nice jazzy sound and will feel good to you. If you take 12s you will not feel much extra tension and you have a plain g string, which is what you're used to. If that still feels to bluesrocky you can still transition to flats. To me TI bebops are the preferred strings since they don't dull out the guitars nice rich sound and are still nicely mellow.
-
The choice does not have to be hard. If your goal is to get your chops in shape, the string details aren't crucial.
You've gotten a lot of good advice. Here's my perspective. Matching strings to your guitars and needs is a never ending story. Give yourself maybe five years as a goal. Also, whichever strings you use, promise to keep them on the guitar for at least a month no matter how much you hate them. And keep careful notes about how they feel and sound.
If you do these things, you may be surprised at your results. It will bring some order to the chaos.
I often think of Alex Skolnick's comments on how he chose his strings for his archtops. He put it very simply: Flatwounds are too dull and roundwounds are too bright. He uses D'Addario Half Rounds. They seem okay.
I interpret that to mean, don't put too much time and thought into the peripheral matter of the nuances of strings when you're really trying to learn music.
-
Thanks everyone. What I will probably do is play the crap out of the strings that came with the guitar, and then start trying out new sets. TIs sound like the popular opinion, even if they are Marianas banana-farm ore metal (thanks for that, EpiJazz...started off with a laugh this morning). So when the time comes, I will order a set of D'Addario Chrome 11s and TI 12s and run them one after the other. Nothing like direct experience to form an opinion!
I have heard a rumor that the Ibanez AF71F guitars ship with both a rosewood bridge (separated, in the case) and flats from the factory, which I hope is true because I can jump in head first and see what the differences are immediately. I guess we'll find out later today.
At any rate, it will be here tonight, so I'll post an initial review tonight/tomorrow and then follow up later with different string setups.
-
Dont discount less costly brands like Rotosounds they make great set of 12s and are roughly one third the price of TIs. I personally found TIs to be very unbalanced with an overly loud E and B string. Just my personal observation as many other players swear by them . I find Rotosounds to be the best for myself. Eventually youll find the right one for you. Enjoy the journey. Bob
-
Don't overthink it.
Go with the .011 gauge Chromes. Not that expensive, easy to find. Toughest thing will be getting used to a wound G string...but once you're used to it, you'll NEVER want to go back...
-
You owe it to yourself to try the TI flats. The 12s would be a good middle of the road one to try. For many of us, the first experience with TI flats was jaw dropping. So others on the NG make fun of us ;-)
The OP says he does not want high tension, so I don't understand the chromes recommendations.
If the TIs have too much tension for you, try LaBella tape wounds. They come with an extra B and E, so a set lasts a long time.
-
Welcome to the forum Shane,
You might want to experiment a little with the pickup height on your guitars when you get new strings. You might be surprised how much difference dropping them a few turns can make.
-
Yeah I like the Rotos too -- they are very, very long lived and being made of monel they have a true old school tone. The lower price is a bonus.
Originally Posted by Top of the Arch!
-
TI Swing 12s is a really good set of strings. My preference anyway. Chromes are OK. A bit stiff for me but they last. All the Peerless guitars ship with Chromes. Sometimes I flip TIs on a guitar before it ships out, but at $25 a set, that can add up.
You mentioned that the Ibanez ships with a rosewood bridge. Now, that is a must for me on a jazz archtop. I really don't like metal bridge saddles on an archtop. Ugg. Other people may feel differently, but that wood piece makes a world of difference in the feel to me.
Doc Dosco
-
Are LaBella flats really lower tension than Thomastic flats ? Originally Posted by nopedals
Edit; oh, maybe you were referring to the LaBella Black Nylon strings?
-
The Rotosound Monel flats are great; why, how they ONLY make .12 seems like a study in a business being out of touch with their customer base.
-
I mostly prefer roundwounds (Thomastik and Newtone), but I do keep a flats equipped guitar on the hook, and for that I like the Thomastik George Bensons (they come in various gauge sets). I prefer that string tensions are fairly even from string to string vs other brands ive used. Have fun!
-
I would encourage you to try TI 12s (Jazz Swing flats) on your AF71. I use 13s on my archtops, mostly, but on my Japanese laminated archtop--the one closest to yours--it really likes the TI 12 set. The expense of the set is offset by the fact that you get a much longer interval between restringing than you do with Slinky roundwounds or comparable strings.
Tension with the TI 12 flats isn't remarkably different than with 10-gauge roundwound slinky sets, IMO.
You will like the results.
-
Some comparisons:
.010, .013, .017p, .026, .036, .046 Ernie Ball slinky 10s
.011, .015, .019w, .025, .035, .047 Thomastik JS111s
.011, .015, .22w, .030, .040, .050 D'Addario chromes 11s
.012, .016, .024p, .032, .044, .056 Ernie Ball "not even slinky"
.012, .016, .020w, .028, .039, .053 TI Benson 12s
.012, .016, .020w, .027, .037, .050 TI JS112
.012, .016, .024w, .032, .042, .052 D'Addario chromes
The Swings are light on the bottom end. Bensons are more normal, but they don't make 'em under .012.
-
My suggestion would be to try different strings. I use flat 12's on my laminate archtop, and round 13's on my carved archtop because those are what sound best. On my Aristocrat, which is a small, hollow guitar without F holes flat 11's sound much better than rounds. On my semi-hollow both flat and round strings sound great, so it doesn't matter which I use. Now, which flat or round strings you use is also a matter of personal preference. It's just trial and error until you find what works for you. Good luck!
-
I have tried the heavy gauge round wounds Ala the "young lions" (Bernstein, Kreisberg, Hekselman, et al) but can't get used to the twang and finger noise, so I stick with 13's in flats, mostly TI's, D'addario chromes as well, for arch tops, and mostly D'addario 10's or 11's rounds on tele's, 335's, strats, etc. I do have 11's on one strat, for the tone and the challenge to play differently.... Seems to work. Your playing will transform, relative to your guitar and strings somewhat, and I think that's a good thing, in general.
Don't be afraid to go heavy and see what kinds of sounds you make. Different tools, is all.
Reply With Quote
“Shearing style”
Today, 05:26 PM in Comping, Chords & Chord Progressions