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I am wondering how the make polished strings, like the hand polished Pyramid sets. There are great - it is like a half round but not "sticky" feeling like normal half rounds can feel. It makes me wonder how they do it and how they are different from traditional half rounds, and also if it would be possible to do myself somehow. I have googled and searched and all that comes up is guitar polish stuff.
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05-07-2017 08:18 PM
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I would guess that the strings are drawn through a mild abrasive cloth polishing wheel, possibly with some jeweler's rouge.
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That is interesting and seems like a possibility.
I did end up finding some info regarding classical guys who polish their bass strings. 1000 grit sandpaper. Considering that the winding wires are thicker for steel strings at a heavy gauge I tried 400 grit and it did help a bit with the finger noise but it is not quite there - not as good as the Pyramids. Also it is hard to get a uniform polish. I am going to keep experimenting on cheap strings but if anyone has suggestions I would appreciate it.
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The pix were posted by campusfive (Johnathan S.).
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Huh, I had never heard of them so I googled it and some speculation is that since the standards were not as high the string wrap could be a bit uneven so they included these "cloths" which is basically an emery sheet.
I went at it a bit more with the sandpaper and got some decent results. Not spectacular but it has lessened the finger noise to a level comparable to the Pyramids although they don't feel quite as nice. I put the strings on and I'll let them settle for a few days and see what the affect is on the tone. I am actually kind of curious what kind of effect it might have on double wrapped strings like Newtones or Bebops since the winding wire is smaller...more expensive than testing on really cheap strings but I am curious what the effect would be.
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I've been trying to get my hands on the Pyramid hand polished in 12-54 can't find them anywhere. By description it seems that these would be the ticket. Slightly off topic but any input on how they sound or compare? I would love the "Newtone" sound without the finger noise..
Originally Posted by rio
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They are different sounding than Newtones and they feel different too. Less finger noise, which is good, a bit more mellow sounding but still have the clarity of rounds and sound more alive than half rounds. I really want to they the heavier 13 set - I used the 12-54 set since Frank was nice enough to send a set when I bought his partscaster and I swapped out a 13 and 17 for the top two strings but the rest was just a little to light for me. The polish on those strings is really nice.
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I couldn't find any Pyramid "hand polished" sets above 11 gauge in a quick search ......
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Hmm, this is a mystery. I had searched for them when I got the guitar and found them but I don't see them anywhere now after a google search. Being that I have the set of 12s I know that they make them. I will keep looking because I really did want to try the 13 set but if any of you find who sells them please let me know.
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Rio,
Go to any Jewelry store that sells Rolex Watches.
Ask to buy a Rolex polish cloth. Its a cotton cleaning cloth that has a wonderful polish embedded in the fibers.
I've been using the same cloth for years now. Just loosen the string while its on the guitar. Reach under the string with the cloth between your thumb and 1st finger and gently ride the string from nut to saddle and back a couple of times. It works for me.
Joe D
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Last edited by Jabberwocky; 05-08-2017 at 02:25 PM.
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Thanks Joe - I will check that out. Sounds interesting and something I never would have thought of. I assume that it won't remove metal though since it is delicate enough for watches? Just gives them a smoother feel? Originally Posted by Max405
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I play 13 set, but not the hand polished version. But I prefer them over the hand polished one anyway. To me it's sounds just good on the paper. The 13 set is a standard gauge set well balanced and not as odd as their 12 set gauge, which is not my kind of set (a reason why I don't play TI, although they sound great). Originally Posted by rio
I live in Germany and I just found 2 stores who have them in stock and Pyramid doesn't even advertise them on their homepage. That is why I didn't knew about them for a long time.
But if you want the polished-version than you have to either buy the 13 set and polish it yourself or you can always custom order to you specifics.
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Thanks, Joe. I got ejected by the Rolex boutique for not comporting meself.
That reminds of Cape Cod cloths. Might work a treat. Micro Mesh 4000 grit and finer is worth a try. Simichrome or Autosol. My only concern is getting the compound trapped in the windings. Naptha would remove much of it, I am sure.
Also considering good old 0000 steel wool from Liberon. Be careful about the residue though. Cover your guitar before any use of polish or rouge.
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Originally Posted by rio
If you take some 0000-grade steel wool and pinch it around the half-round string and pull the string through the wool a couple of times before you put the string on the guitar, the strings will feel smooth and not sticky.
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Hans, if one of the two is Schneider Musik I clued them in on to the 13-56 Nickel Classics. I asked Schneider Musik to bring the 13s in. They were not aware of its existence either...
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I bought them here: Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
Violin Musicstore ,Geigenshop - Ihr Online Shop fur Geige,Cello,Violincelo,Viola,Bratsche,Bogen,Bogen, Saiten,Streichinstrumente,Etui,PYRAMID Nickel Classics E-Gitarre Saiten SATZ
PYRAMID NICKEL CLASSICS Pure Nickel Round Core E-Gitarre Saiten SATZ f. E-Guitar | eBay
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I find Pyramid product ID confusing. Are all the nickel classics with a round core and "improved construction" in orange packaging, hand polished, or only those that bear a sticker saying that they are?
Confused, Spain
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Only those with stickers!
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If anyone is interested there is a dealer in the US that has the nickle classic hand polished 12-54 in stock. Just ordered a couple of sets. Amplifier Upgrades | Amplifier Repairs | Vox Amps | Marshall Amps | Fender Amps - Toneman It's not advertised as yet they just came in talk to Don Butler he will hook you up.
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toneman don butler one of top (repair) guys in industry...pyramid dealer for long while..he also has the pyramid monels
cheers
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Members in Europe should just order from Pyramid themselves; you're sure you'll get fresh strings and you can compose your own sets for (about) the same price as their regular sets.
I have ordered a few sets of their hand-polished silk-and-PB strings a while back, in gauges that give the same tension as the TI Plectrum AC112 wound strings (and to replace a hand-picked TI Spectrum set with those same tensions). I just put the low E on (0.057") because I was getting a sore thumb on the TI.
I'd hoped that the polished nature would make it less abrasive on my thumb but it's probably not polished enough for that. Rather, the wrap wire is much coarser than it is on the TI equivalent which makes it noisier at least for now.
What does seem to make a difference for my thumb is that the Pyramid low E wrap is wound counterclockwise (seen from the ball-end up) whereas the TI winding is clockwise. Picking motions with the thumb are thus more parallel with the grooves rather than across it. That does seem to make a difference (that, and/or the fact the string seems a bit more flexible).
Given how they package the things I haven't yet looked at the other strings
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Not sure how Pyramid polishes their round wound strings but I can confirm that they produce significantly less squeak than regular round wounds. You feel less friction running your finger tips along them.
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Just to be clear, Pyramid hand polished sets are nothing like half round or ground strings. They feel like slightly smoother roundwounds, that's it. And they sound like roundwounds.
sometimes, I use 2000 grit paper on my strings to polish them. It removes some metal, removes stains and corrosion, and makes them feel a bit smoother.
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