The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary

View Poll Results: What strings are you using on your go-to guitar?

Voters
237. You may not vote on this poll
  • Flatwound

    110 46.41%
  • Roundwound

    107 45.15%
  • Coated Roundwounds

    10 4.22%
  • Halfrounds

    3 1.27%
  • Some kind of acoustic guitar strings

    4 1.69%
  • something completely different

    3 1.27%
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Posts 51 to 75 of 122
  1. #51

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    I dislike any string squeak and my playing style was producing string squeak with all type of strings except flat wounds.
    Recently I found a half round string set brand that I get no string squeak from, because they are so smooth and polished.
    All other half round string sets I've tried in the past were not nearly as smooth and polished and as a result I would get string squeak.
    These new half round strings (Magma Flat Phosphor Bronze) are less money than the flat wound strings I was using.
    If they hold their pleasant sound quality for an acceptable period of time,
    I'm very certain my main guitar and my other guitars will be using
    these half round strings rather than the flat wounds I was previously using.
    Last edited by dhd; 04-11-2021 at 12:02 PM.

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  3. #52

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    I use Philippe Bosset Acoustique 80/20 Brass 13s strings on my Loar 700. I have Rob McKillop to thank for that tip. I’d never heard of them before. I love the sound and feel of the strings - they suit this guitar just fine and they don’t cost an arm and a leg.

  4. #53

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    Quote Originally Posted by swingali
    I use Philippe Bosset Acoustique 80/20 Brass 13s strings on my Loar 700. I have Rob McKillop to thank for that tip. I’d never heard of them before. I love the sound and feel of the strings - they suit this guitar just fine and they don’t cost an arm and a leg.

  5. #54

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    i don't play much nowadays but my acoustic and mandolin at home, i'm always at home now but for now i'm using mapes heavy 13's on my acoustic and custom gauge mapes on my mandolin

  6. #55

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    I originally voted something different, but for awhile now I've been using Martin Retro monel strings, and D'Addario nickel bronze strings. I'm still not sure which I'll stay with, maybe both, but I think I'm done with flats. I still have Chromes on one guitar, which I installed just to try them again, but every time I play it I'm disappointed with the sound of the flats, mostly the big difference between the plain and wound strings. I'm just not a fan of flat-wound strings.

  7. #56

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    Out of necessity (due to my nickel and chromium allergies), I use Ernie Ball Cobalts, which are roundwound strings, and since I'm not a fan of plain 3rd/G strings, I also buy Cobalt wound .022 or .024 strings to use as a 3rd string.

  8. #57

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    You're allergic to nickel and chromium, but not cobalt? That seems odd, but possible, I suppose. Allergies can be puzzling, and change over time. One of my biggest regrets was the sudden onset of an allergy to crustaceans, which made me give up shrimp, lobster, crawfish, and crabs. It just appeared out of the blue, as some allergies do, and some seem to disappear the same way. Here's hoping yours do.

  9. #58

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    I usually go back and forth with rounds and flats. My "main" guitar has flats on it, but I love the sound of rounds too.

    Changing strings is great, one of the cheapest ways to get new tones from your instruments.

  10. #59

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    Chromes on all my guitars: 11s on my Tele; 12s on my Les Paul and Martin 000X; 13s on my Yamaha dreadnought and my L50. I love the feel and sound, and D’Addario makes a long lasting, consistent product. Works every time.

  11. #60
    I use DR nickel type strings mostly 11s on an electric. I use TI flatwounds or Deadario . Sometimes about 50 years ago we guitar students would take our flatwound strings off and boil them in water for about 10 minutes to squeeze some extra life out of them,for a jury or some important performance when the dough was low.I have not had to do it for a few years.With cost of TIs maybe I should take it back up. Try it it works!Maybe just thicker lower 4 strings.

  12. #61

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    I am loyal to Rotosound, because they make good strings in Kent. I rotate my strings between nickel-coated, pure nickel and 52 percent nickel. Each has its virtues.

  13. #62

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    Not sure, but they look metallic and are about 10 years old. I think they’re broken in by now.

    JK. Though I NEVER change my strings. That’s the secret to the thunk.

    I have TI flats on my 135, D’A flats on my 175 and Peerless Sunset, and D’A pure nickel rounds on everything else electric. I tend to go for light gauges like 11’s—e.g., D’A jazz lights.

  14. #63

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    Quote Originally Posted by sgosnell
    You're allergic to nickel and chromium, but not cobalt? That seems odd, but possible, I suppose. Allergies can be puzzling, and change over time. One of my biggest regrets was the sudden onset of an allergy to crustaceans, which made me give up shrimp, lobster, crawfish, and crabs. It just appeared out of the blue, as some allergies do, and some seem to disappear the same way. Here's hoping yours do.
    I just noticed this response to my post - yes, I am using Ernie Ball Cobalts. My nickel and chromium allergies were discovered back in 2014, via a patch test that was done by a dermatologist, when I had such severe dermatitis, I looked like a burn victim on my entire body (I was also starting to get a staph infection, complete with fever and chills). As for Cobalt strings - I contacted Ernie Ball after it was suggested to me, to try Cobalt strings at my local guitar shop as a replacement for the nickel strings (D'Addario EXL115W) I used on my electrics at the time. Ernie Ball confirmed to me that the Cobalts were a hypoallergenic string, and I have been using them ever since, without any issues.

    As for coated strings - I don't trust them, due to the coating peeling off, exposing the nickel strings underneath it.

  15. #64

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    Cobalt and nickel are next to each other on the periodic table, very similar chemical properties, but then iron and manganese are between chromium and cobalt, so go figger. I've never heard of cobalt being hypoallergenic, but if they work for you, that's great, at least there are strings you can use. The human body is a wondrous thing.

  16. #65

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    Quote Originally Posted by entresz
    I'm going to try the GHS Nickel Rockers Pure Nickel (wound 3rd) set on one of my electrics for a change. Apparently these are considerably smoother and less squeaky than ordinary roundwounds.
    Update.... Tried these.... I hated them.
    They felt sticky under the fingers and squeaked as badly as normal roundwounds.

  17. #66

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    Hi folks. Another Thomastik Swing Flatwounder here.
    I use them on my beloved Aria PE180. A buy a 12-50 set, and I swap the 12 out for a single 13.
    I've tried Thomastik rounds, but found them a bit too zingy, and I don't like the plain G in that set. I remember not liking D'addario flats quite as much as the Thomastik flats.

  18. #67
    For my archtop I recently switched from bronze round-wound 13-53 to La Bella's Jazz Tapes 14-67. I had tried the 12-56 Tapes but they drove me crazy intonation-wise. Moderate fretting pressure made the notes go sharp. Too much elasticity. I don't have that problem on the 14-67 set, tho. They're so big (only semi-fitting into the nut slots) that the strings felt a little too close together, but I've adapted to that. I really enjoy the 14-67. The unique sound is full and thick, and on the darker side.

    I didn't know until this thread that bronze flat-wounds existed. Now I want to try those!

  19. #68

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    I use Chromes (13-56) on the majority of my guitars due to price and availability. My nicer axes I use Pyramids on, also 13-56.

  20. #69

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    T/I George Bensons are really nice, but they're maybe a bit heavy for some. Martin has a 'retro' set that is good, and Roto's are always a great value. I string my 1959 ES-175 and much more recent Epi Sheraton II with different strings depending on timing. One of my favorite aspects of flats is their long life. I also use FastFret on all my guitars every time I play them.

    Your mileage may vary...but those George Bensons are beautiful sounding strings on my ES-175, I must say!

  21. #70

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    I'm using Elixir on all 4 guitars. I've experimented a lot with uncoated strings and flatwounds, but Elixirs felt perfect from the start so it pretty much closed the topic for me. 11s on my Teles, 10s on my Strat, and 12s on my acoustic.

  22. #71

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    I voted "Some kind of acoustic guitar strings" for a couple of reasons:


    1. My "go-to" guitar changes from day-to-day and from week-to-week.
    2. I am experimenting with different strings on different guitars.


    Per #2, I just put a set of Stringjoy Naturals (phosphor/bronze) on my GS Mini, replacing the factory-issued Elixirs. I didn't customize the set because I'd never used them before, but I like that I can buy a set with each string made specifically to spec.

    Generally, I use D'Addario or Elixirs on my acoustic guitars. I've been using Ernie Ball on my electrics.

  23. #72

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    Quote Originally Posted by steve burchfield
    I use DR nickel type strings mostly 11s on an electric. I use TI flatwounds or Deadario . Sometimes about 50 years ago we guitar students would take our flatwound strings off and boil them in water for about 10 minutes to squeeze some extra life out of them,for a jury or some important performance when the dough was low.I have not had to do it for a few years.With cost of TIs maybe I should take it back up. Try it it works!Maybe just thicker lower 4 strings.
    Hi, S,
    I also tried that with my Classical strings(basses) ,years ago, when I was practicing 80 plus hours a month and gigging once or twice a week. The principle is that the dirt is removed microscopically from the metal leaving a clean string. However, with CG strings, once they lose intonation, whether dirty or clean, the game is over. They will not stay in tune and lose their brilliance. And, this, of course, does not work on the nylon/carbon fibre trebles which are basically impervious to dirt effecting their sound. Once strings died, for me, I gave them a proper burial. Have you noticed the price increase in strings?
    Play live . . . Marinero

  24. #73

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    '66 Gibson ES 125TC/'66 Gibson ES125TDC: D'Addario Pure Nickel EPN 21/12-51
    Brune/LoPrinzi/Esteve(Cedar)/Yamaha(Spruce) Classical Guitars: D'Addario Pro Arte Nylon Hard High Tension

    Play live . . . Marinero

  25. #74

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    Quote Originally Posted by christianm77
    There are still some people in the world who don’t use Thomastick Infelds

    this is a shame.

    TI strings are hand crafted from adamantium by wizards and each one lasts for 20,000 years.
    Hi, C,
    Disregarding hyperbole, how long will these strings last before losing intonation/pitch? What is the quality you see based on your playing experience that makes them different?
    Play live . . . Marinero

  26. #75

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    I change mine once a year, not that I need to