Do heavy strings damage archtops?

[2bornot2bop]

Amen, 2bornot2bop. Skinny strings are tone sucks...and they don't play in tune well. AND, if you play a lot of bass--I've played upright for 45 years--ALL guitar strings feel skinny.

being you're a piano player too, I'll meet your "bass string" with a low A piano string.

How's that for "stressing" an archtop!

[Greentone]

I've assisted on restringing pianos before. (I used to work for an organization that specialized in rebuilding grand pianos.) Complete restringing is unusual. It is also a monumental PAIA. The bass strings are REALLY difficult to work with. Just wrapping them around the pins requires concentration and sweat--and an assistant with gloved hands to keep things in place while the person who knows what's what is turning the tuning hammer (that's what the wrench-like appliance is called).

2b is right--the low A on the piano makes the low E on the upright bass seem skinny.

[MaxTwang]

Depends on what the guitar was made to handle. When TI JS113's wouldn't fit into the tailpiece of my Heritage Johnny Smith I contacted Heritage before I took a file to the tailpiece and was told the JS, and tailpiece, were made for 12's; I could try 13's but to watch closely for the top sinking.

[Marty Grass]

Depends on what the guitar was made to handle. When TI JS113's wouldn't fit into the tailpiece of my Heritage Johnny Smith I contacted Heritage before I took a file to the tailpiece and was told the JS, and tailpiece, were made for 12's; I could try 13's but to watch closely for the top sinking.

That's strange. I don't know what part of the HJS was built for 12s. Heritage uses 12s from GHS because GHS's factory is only a few miles away and the strings are discounted. Heritage has had a long standing relationship with GHS, and Ren Wall from Heritage did some work with GHS on string tension research. 12s are used as a factory standard on their archtops because they promote sales, not because their archtops are in danger with heavier strings.

The Heritage Johnny Smith is structurally the same in the body as the Gibson JS and was built by the same people. Heavier strings have been used for 50+ years on the thinner topped cross braced model.

The tailpiece can be a problem for heavier strings but usually because of the silk wrapping near the ball, not the string diameter. I have not yet found a TP that could not be modified easily to fit the LaBella 15 FWs.

The most challenging for me has been on a couple of ebony TPs through which the strings must be thread. In both cases it was only the low E that was a problem, and that was only near the ball. The solution is to take a drill bit and DO NOT PUT IT ON THE DRILL. Instead, advance it by hand back and forth as a file or twist it by hand. High speed rotation can crack the ebony.

[2bornot2bop]

That's strange. I don't know what part of the HJS was built for 12s. Heritage uses 12s from GHS because GHS's factory is only a few miles away and the strings are discounted. Heritage has had a long standing relationship with GHS, and Ren Wall from Heritage did some work with GHS on string tension research. 12s are used as a factory standard on their archtops because they promote sales, not because their archtops are in danger with heavier strings.

The Heritage Johnny Smith is structurally the same in the body as the Gibson JS and was built by the same people. Heavier strings have been used for 50+ years on the thinner topped cross braced model.

The tailpiece can be a problem for heavier strings but usually because of the silk wrapping near the ball, not the string diameter. I have not yet found a TP that could not be modified easily to fit the LaBella 15 FWs.

The most challenging for me has been on a couple of ebony TPs through which the strings must be thread. In both cases it was only the low E that was a problem, and that was only near the ball. The solution is to take a drill bit and DO NOT PUT IT ON THE DRILL. Instead, advance it by hand back and forth as a file or twist it by hand. High speed rotation can crack the ebony.

Come on Mark...you've owned 3-4 heritage Johnny Smiths...how many did you not put 14's on?

Not fit? That's nuts!

[Marty Grass]

Come on Mark...you've owned 3-4 heritage Johnny Smiths...how many did you not put 14's on?

Not fit? That's nuts!

Not only did 14s fit well, but a voice from inside the f holes taunted me by saying, "C'mon, is that the best you got? Gimme more!"

[2bornot2bop]

I've got 14's on a Loar '650 for years for cryin' out loud. You mean a Chinese built 16" Archtop can handle the "stress" but not an American built Archtop? Oooookay.

[MaxTwang]

That's strange. I don't know what part of the HJS was built for 12s. Heritage uses 12s from GHS because GHS's factory is only a few miles away and the strings are discounted. Heritage has had a long standing relationship with GHS, and Ren Wall from Heritage did some work with GHS on string tension research. 12s are used as a factory standard on their archtops because they promote sales, not because their archtops are in danger with heavier strings.

The Heritage Johnny Smith is structurally the same in the body as the Gibson JS and was built by the same people. Heavier strings have been used for 50+ years on the thinner topped cross braced model.

The tailpiece can be a problem for heavier strings but usually because of the silk wrapping near the ball, not the string diameter. I have not yet found a TP that could not be modified easily to fit the LaBella 15 FWs.

The most challenging for me has been on a couple of ebony TPs through which the strings must be thread. In both cases it was only the low E that was a problem, and that was only near the ball. The solution is to take a drill bit and DO NOT PUT IT ON THE DRILL. Instead, advance it by hand back and forth as a file or twist it by hand. High speed rotation can crack the ebony.

Yes, the problem was the silk wrapping on the E string of TI JS113's. I was concerned about fatiguing the aluminum finger tailpiece by opening up the slot and contacted Heritage. I doubt the TI's would be a problem as the tension is the same, or a little lower, on the JS113's than the Chromes 12's that are on there. One of these days I'll switch it over to the JS113s and just cut back the silk on the low E.

I too was surprised to hear the Heritage JS was designed/built for 12s and heavier may cause the top to sink.

[Jabberwocky]

The T-I GB114s have a tension of about 173.5 pounds over a 25.5" scale length according to their spec. sheet. That is quite a lot of tension.

I bought a 1966 Epiphone Howard Roberts Custom that Bernuzio's did a neck reset on. A 1976 Gibson L-5C that I was considering had no more room on the bridge for adjustment; a neck reset was recommended. A 1979 Gibson ES-175CC carried a description that a neck reset was recommended.

Search "Martin" and "neck resets".

Do heavy gauge strings damage archtops? Not noticeable in the short term but storing archtops with heavy gauge strings tuned up to pitch is probably not the best thing for them. What harm can it do to down-tune the strings by two semi-tones or four to lower the tension when the guitar is not being played?