More thomastik problems (JS112 set)

[jzucker]

There's no such thing as "industry standard" for jazz guitar guages and diameter and in fact, *MANY* prefer the TI guages.

The prices of TI's vs Chromes may indeed be more level in Europe, but TI still dictates the gauges you get
( always lesser in strings 3 through 4 / 5), and restricts the string position in which you can use them.

So, if you prefer Chromes or Pyramid Gold's, or pretty much the industry standard gauges 12 /52 & 13/56, TI doesn't offer the same gauges. And while they say you can buy individual flats and make up sets, their
' G ' has to be a 'G ', ' D ' has to be ' D ', etc.

So, just MHO, give me what I use, and I'll consider paying a premium, but if I have to pay extra and still not get what I'm used to, i.e. what the rest of industry provides, then never mind.

[Stringswinger]

There's no such thing as "industry standard" for jazz guitar guages and diameter and in fact, *MANY* prefer the TI gauges.

Other than my classical and Gypsy guitar (both of which have genre specific strings made by Savarez) I use TI flats on all 12 of my other guitars, including my Strat and Les Paul. I love the tension and the gauges.

I am still working through a big stash that I bought last year and am sad to hear of quality control issues. I hope they get it resolved before I need to buy another stash.

Count me among those who prefer the TI gauge choices. IMO, they balance wonderfully.

[Dennis D]

There's no such thing as "industry standard" for jazz guitar guages and diameter and in fact, *MANY* prefer the TI guages.

Sorry, again, I did say it was just my opinion.

[vinlander]

Good they last over a year for me...my last set on the 125 was even removed twice and put back for swapping the input jack and some ground issue. Impressed they still keep their tuning and intonation!
Fortunately I still have 7 JS112 packages to be shared between the Tal and the 125
I just hope they fix their issue before I need to refill.
JS112 are truly the perfect strings for me, not interested in adapting to anything else !

[ptchristopher3]

There's no such thing as "industry standard" for jazz guitar guages and diameter and in fact, *MANY* prefer the TI guages.

I suppose there is a “common” mix of gauges, rather than an actual standard. Why people put up with the plinky B and E strings in this common mix is beyond me.

T-I simply seem to get it right for the most part in terms of sound and tension balance throughout the set. If this is uncommon, so be it.

(With the bizarre exception of the plain G on the BeBop 12 set.)

[christianm77]

I prefer the TI gauges.

If you look at the specs they appear to be basically ‘balanced tension’

[Woody Sound]

I suppose there is a “common” mix of gauges, rather than an actual standard. Why people put up with the plinky B and E strings in this common mix is beyond me.

T-I simply seem to get it right for the most part in terms of sound and tension balance throughout the set. If this is uncommon, so be it.

(With the bizarre exception of the plain G on the BeBop 12 set.)

YES, that really sucks. I wonder if anyone has ever asked them why? And then suggest they start selling them with a wound g.

[Greentone]

I prefer the TI gauges.

If you look at the specs they appear to be basically ‘balanced tension’

+1

[christianm77]

TI bebops are weak sauce strings. They drop at the first sign of a proper right hand pick technique.

[ptchristopher3]

It's a real PITA. I'm doing some recording with a pianist friend of mine Monday, and he spent over 6K just for mics, so I've gotta change my TI bebops, and if I don't have a wound 3rd lying around I'm fecked!

Do not hesitate to use a TI Flat .019 or .020 with the BeBop 12’s if you do not have a round. In my opinion.

About 10 years ago T-I accidentally put flats in the single-string envelopes for round G strings. I tried it and assumed it was some sort of tone-genius move the made a remarkably smooth transition from the wound E,A,D to the plain B, E.

(T-I use a Round/Flat mix in the “Plectrum” acoustic set, so i figured they were running with this concept.)

But T-I said it was in fact a mistake and sent some .019 (or .020, I forget) rounds to me as replacements.

In any case, I suspect you would find a flat .019 or .020 would sound superb as a replacement for the piece of re-bar they package as the G string in the BeBop 12 set.

But like the opinions of some others, the gauge mix and sound of the JS-112 makes it the best of the best string set for many archtops.

[JazzmanLehmann]

I played Thomastik strings for many many years. I played the swings and the bensons. But there are things that i totally dont like about them. The swings are way to acoustic sounding to me. Dont get me wrong, i like it when strings provide a little acoustic touch but the touch that the swings provide is sort of „squashed“ to me. It’s definitely not what i want to hear from a flatwound. The bensons though are totally different. They sound fatter and more dynamic and they have a great soft acoustic touch to them. They sound great, but only for a month. After that, they totally lose there dynamic range and sound dull. Then i tried La Bella 20PH, but they sounded even more dull right out of the package, more then the “old” bensons. Today was the first time i tried D’Addario Chromes 12’ flatwound and what can I say, those strings are perfect. They sound much better then all the Thomastik’s. The Chromes have the perfect amount of clearness and warmth to them and they have a great, punchy acoustic touch. The tension also is greatly balanced and they have a very smooth surface.
I think i found my strings.

[DanielleOM]

I thought I should report back here regarding the JS112 set I have on my recently re-leveled Eastman FV guitar. I changed the action to: 2mm on the 6th string, and 1.6 mm on the 1st string, (at the 12th fret). (as suggested on StewMac site for electric guitar). That seems to have resolved the 5th fret, 4th string, buzzing I had. The low action as setup by the luthier just was not working for me with that guitar and string set.

The JS112 set on that guitar certainly does sound bright to me. For that particular guitar I like that. However, I do find myself wondering if these JS112 strings are brighter sounding than the ones I purchased a year ago.