Thomastik Infeld

[B3l5tele]

I would like to use TI flats on my Collings Eastside but because of the cloth wrapping around the ball end of the string, the string will not go through the hole in the tail piece. I don't want to modify the tail piece. Anyone have a solution to this problem?

[Marty Grass]

The Eastside has what appears to be an ebony TP. Assuming there isn't a metal sleeve through which the strings thread (which serves to ground the strings), the wood channel can be expanded to accommodate the cloth wrapping.

Take a drill bit that fits through the channel and use it to dilate the channel. Do this BY HAND, not with a power drill. Slowly twisting and filing with the bit will open up the channel to the point where the next sized bit will fit in. Repeat until the string fits.

The vibration intensity of the power drill can crack the ebony. Best to do this by hand only. It's not hard at all.

[jim dandy]

The Eastside tailpiece has a metal strip that runs perpendicular to the strings that all the strings go through, but it is not very thick. The majority of the hole that the string runs through is ebony. If your tailpiece is like the one on my Eastside, you'll need to have the tailpiece holes enlarged if you want to run silk wrapped low E strings 50 gauge or larger, or unwrapped low E strings 56 gauge or larger.

[Peter C]

TI Swings are a quality product. The reason I don't use them has little to do with pricing, especially here in Europe, because these strings last a very long time: the gauging of the wounds is just too light for what my fingers are used to. I had to jack them up due to the fret slap I was getting.

There seems to have been a huge price hike in the case of D'Addario Chromes in Europe, so I'll probably look round for an alternative because the bottom line, after spending a long, long time on a string quest, is that string type matters far less than most of us imagine.

[drbhrb]

TI Swings are a quality product. The reason I don't use them has little to do with pricing, especially here in Europe, because these strings last a very long time: the gauging of the wounds is just too light for what my fingers are used to. I had to jack them up due to the fret slap I was getting.

There seems to have been a huge price hike in the case of D'Addario Chromes in Europe, so I'll probably look round for an alternative because the bottom line, after spending a long, long time on a string quest, is that string type matters far less than most of us imagine.

I've found that string type is second only to pickups and amp in effect on tone. It also greatly affects playability. I've got a handful of guitars I gig with but if I string them all with TI Bensons and use the same amp they are interchangeable sound wise (which may or may not be desirable).

[Greentone]

I have been playing guitar for a long, long time. I actually remember when some guitars (Hagstrom, for example) used to come from the factory with flats. My first electric, a '65 Hagstrom I solid body was strung with light gauge flatwound strings and probably sounded best that way. Of course, I switched to Super Slinky strings when everyone did.

I have used everyone's flatwound strings over the past 50 years. I have a fondness for the great strings from Gibson and Gretsch back in the 60s. Those flats were consistently good--especially the orange boxed Gibson Sonomatic medium gauge set. I used them on my '64 and '67 Gretsch Nashvilles.

For the longest time, though, I used D'Addario Chromes in the .12-.52 gauge. These strings were very consistent on my ES-175. I used the .11-.50 set for years on my ES-335. That guitar sounded very smoky, very jazzy with those flats on it.

For about the past ten years, though, I have been a convert to TI Swing Flats, and more recently to the George Benson set--generally the .13-.53 set. (a little heavier in the GB) Although in the US the TI strings are more expensive, and although I still have a pretty good stock of Chromes, I am just sold on the sound of the TI flatwound strings on both carved and laminated body acoustic-electric guitars. There is only one string that gets me anywhere near the jazz sound that I have in my mind other than the TI, and it is:

The LaBella tapewound medium gauge (.14-.67) set that I have just installed on my laminate-body acoustic electric. This guitar has _never_ sounded quite this alive and jazzy as it does with the LaBellas. It is too recent a switch for me to make any meaningful, long-term comparisons yet. So far (four days), though, the results are outstanding.

I doubt, however, that the TI strings are coming off the other guitars, though.

[docdosco]

I have been playing guitar for a long, long time. I actually remember when some guitars (Hagstrom, for example) used to come from the factory with flats. My first electric, a '65 Hagstrom I solid body was strung with light gauge flatwound strings and probably sounded best that way. Of course, I switched to Super Slinky strings when everyone did.

I have used everyone's flatwound strings over the past 50 years. I have a fondness for the great strings from Gibson and Gretsch back in the 60s. Those flats were consistently good--especially the orange boxed Gibson Sonomatic medium gauge set. I used them on my '64 and '67 Gretsch Nashvilles.

For the longest time, though, I used D'Addario Chromes in the .12-.52 gauge. These strings were very consistent on my ES-175. I used the .11-.50 set for years on my ES-335. That guitar sounded very smoky, very jazzy with those flats on it.

For about the past ten years, though, I have been a convert to TI Swing Flats, and more recently to the George Benson set--generally the .13-.53 set. (a little heavier in the GB) Although in the US the TI strings are more expensive, and although I still have a pretty good stock of Chromes, I am just sold on the sound of the TI flatwound strings on both carved and laminated body acoustic-electric guitars. There is only one string that gets me anywhere near the jazz sound that I have in my mind other than the TI, and it is:

The LaBella tapewound medium gauge (.14-.67) set that I have just installed on my laminate-body acoustic electric. This guitar has _never_ sounded quite this alive and jazzy as it does with the LaBellas. It is too recent a switch for me to make any meaningful, long-term comparisons yet. So far (four days), though, the results are outstanding.

I doubt, however, that the TI strings are coming off the other guitars, though.

Hi Greentone,

I use TI Swings, 012. They just feel right for me. The tension is better for me and my hand issues than other strings. And they sound bitch'

I mentioned in another post I was sent a set of Gibson flats from the widow of a producer friend. Actually it was missing the B and high E strings, but all the wound strings were there. I used to use Gibson flats 25 years ago. Ribbon wound. Boy, did I love those strings. However they discontinued them many years ago.

I am waiting to find the right guitar to string these vintage Gibson flats on. In the meantime, all the jazz guitars that come to me from the Peerless factory have D'Addario. Either flats or rounds depending on the guitar. The flats are OK. Chromes. The D'Addario rounds are not very good. Trashy sounding. I got some half rounds to restring several guitars with. I think the D'Addario half rounds are 'bicthin' too.

However, my personal preference is TI Swings.

I will try so,me LaBellas next. I have heard good things about them.

[eh6794]

So, it's been 10 days; I guess I do like the strings.

Ill switch back and forth between D'addario flats and TI flats to see if it is worth the extra money.

[Bosko]

Like missing a couple marbles? haha Probably am

No, I thought your post was just the right mixture of snarky and trolling. TI's do have nice packaging and I like the red felt or whatever it is. I love the TI Swing's on my hollow body but I wouldn't use them on my other guitars.