Newtone Archtop strings?

[Meggy]

I guess they do die in the end, but I have yet to find out how long that takes! Indeed, they just seemed to be getting better and better to me, so I have carefully stored the ones I took off my guitar so I can put them back again later LOL! I do agree that different guitars tend to like different strings also, especially with archtops. You did bash the half-rounds, but you were just telling it how you found it, which is fair enough in my book! I was doing the same, but I just felt I should correct my earliest impressions, which now seem a bit too negative to me.

I have always liked their roundwounds, and also the chrome flatwounds are great, not to mention the smooth-polished classical sets they do (I think that's the EJ45/46 sets from memory) - but the best classical guitar strings I have found anyway! Please don't sue me D'Addario!

[joejeweler]

I find it interesting that matching strings to an archtop,....especially to get optimum acoustic tone,......is really "bass ackwards".
I've never seen anything written on it before,....maybe it's out there somewhere,......but why not try what i've done several
times before and match your archtop to most any decent acoustic string. You'll save a ton of dough,....and your ears will
thank you!

What i'm talking about is getting rid of those funky, tone robbing metal bridge adjusters!

How lazy we are sometimes,.....that we would give up optimum tone for the convenience of easier bridge height adjustments!
Once we've dialed the prefered bridge height in,.....we pretty much leave it alone anyway,....right? Flattop players get their
action adjusted at the bridge,....and forget about it for the most part. Why should we be any different?

OK,...so we get rid of those metal wheel adjusters,.....but then what? Well,....don't jump so fast,....those convenient wheel a
djusters can help you out!

Use them to dial in the action to your preference,....and take careful measurments of the empty space between the upper and
lower wooden parts of the bridge.

What i do is make a fitted wooden washer in the proper thickness for both the treble and bass side of the bridge,.......to bring
the bridge to the same height as you dialed in with the wheel adjusters. Consider them "Tone Enhancers",....for you won't
believe your ears! If you like woody nuances,.....this is your baby! I haven't even bothered to experiment with other more
traditional archtop strings using this setup,....but i can only imagine it would improve your tone.

I've used maple in the past,....but prefer ebony as i like the density and strength it has,....especially when making a small
part like this that carries some load. (although my maple ones never failed me)

I've only done this to carved topped archtops,....btw,......so with a laminate top you're on your own. The carved tops are where
you're likely to see the best results, however,....in the "acoustic" mode.

I just completed an ebony set last night for my new custom Bill Gagnon 15" Custom DeVant. It is strictly acoustic,......and i
ordered it with a 1 7/8" neck as i play fingerstyle solos mostly and prefer that width.
(Here's a post about it's arrival: http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=191182 )


Anyway,....back to the wooden washers. On some of my installs in the past,....i had to slope the top edge of the washers to
match up with the slope of the upper part of the bridge. On the set of wooden washers i made last night,....there was no
slope needed and i was able to use identical thicknesses for the washers.

I originally recieved the Gagnon guitar with D'Addario set ECG25 light guage flat wounds on it. (XL Chromes).
A decent "woody" tone with the stock metal adjusters,......but simply not bright enough for my ears.

So i soon replaced them with a set of the easy to find locally, and "economical",... D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor/Bronze light
guage acoustic strings. (.012-.053 set) You probably already know these are pretty bright sounding on a solid wood archtop,
.....when used as the guitar "usually" comes.

Stay with me folks..........i know it sounds nuts,......but these sound REALLY good, ....mellow,....and W O O D Y once you
make the washer change! Being roundwounds you'll have to work on your technique to reduce any string noise,......but your
ears will love the tone!

I wish every archtop came with an assortment of different thickness wooden washers to dial in to our preference,....but that's
simply not going to happen. It's a reasonably easy project to get done,.....and totally reversable, btw,......but i doubt you will.

Once you switch to ebony black,...............you'll never go back! (hehe)

Anyway,.....any guitar tech could make you a set if you're not handy,.....at reasonable cost i'd think. It only took me 1/2 hour to
get it done,.....and i'm fussy!

Here are some pics on this new arrival with the change made,......the wait of about 6 months is now over.

That tone robbing metal post is also quite thin,.....which is now eliminaed from any critical function with the use of the
wooden washers. The post is still used however,...but now simply to keep the washers locked in place. It no longer
supports the upper bridge section or transfers string vibrations to the top!

Which do you think is going to transfer a "woody-er" tone to the carved top?

[joejeweler]

These washers are a slip over fit, but with no extra space so they may appear that they screw on,....they don't.

[SamBooka]

I forgot about this thread. My archtone strings on my epi are due for a change. It has been 3 months. That is VERY good for a round wound string. I could probably get another month out of them.

As I have said before, they are very bright strings but once the shine wears down the sound excellent. I played a few higher end (10k+) archtops at the MGS. Guitars with fine carved tops and ebony bridges and all the tralala. Of the purely acoustic archtops I dont remember playing anythign that had flatwounds. I thought that was interesting.

[bibbitybobbity]

I've tried Newtone strings and found them to be among the best flat-wounds. They have depth & brightness and not that horrible "doof" you get from some flat-wounds. Unfortunately they are hard to get down here in the Antipodes and quite pricey. Also having been using 12-52 for a while now I'm realizing I need to go back to 13-56 to really get my archtop to sound right. Sometimes it's a bit of a struggle but worth it.

[SamBooka]

flat wounds?

[Meggy]

Yes, the ones I mentined originally are Newtone Archtop Strings, which are a double roundwound. This gives them a slightly smoother feel than normal roundwounds, but they are not flatwounds. I agree with Sam that they could be too bright for some archtops, but on my laminate top Ibanez Joe Pass they are just right for me (using the 13-56 guage set).

[joejeweler]

.......on their archtops bridge posts, that is!

Seriously,....it's been about 3 weeks since i posted about the wooden supports i made to replace the metal height
adjusters normally found on archtops (see above a couple of posts back)......

......i can't believe no one has tried it yet,.....or posted on it if they have.

......still loving the wood i'm sporting, ..........you will too!

[Marty Grass]

This old thread is very interesting.

First, the D'Addario Half Rounds 13s have surface friction because of the grinding process. The squeaks are reduced noticeably and they are brighter. After a little playing, perhaps an hour of two of chord melody, the strings get slicker and the squeaks subside even more. This is explainable by knowing that dead skin cells plug the rough gaps on the strings.

I like the Half Rounds and the GHS Brite Flats, which are similar. But it is imperative to note that the reason there are so many different strings out there is because no single product is perfect for everyone. The same is true for cereal, beer, and cigarettes.

The idea of the wooden washers is brilliant- if it really works. Installation seems easy enough. I can't find the washers though. Any suggestions?

[Woody Sound]

Many years ago I replaced the metal TOM on a 335 with a wooden saddle. Even on the semi-solid 335 it made a huge difference.

[mangotango]

Just trying these (Newtone Archtops) on my Vestax D'Angelico NYL-5, after previously using the D'Addario Half-rounds and before that the LaBella black tapewounds.

I was fine with the Newtop Archtones straight away; I can live with the string squeak (not that apparent, to my ears) and appreciate the extra woody brightness that the NewArch Tonetops give. The only downside for me is the "stickiness" that Meggy reported, which slows down my playing (never much faster than glacial anyway) but I'm getting used to that; I do have to make sure that I wash my hands thoroughly before playing, which helps. They're pretty much as good as the TI GB, but at 36% of the price. I've never been a huge fan of zingy rounds on my archtop but these may, at least for this guitar, make a convert of me.

Before that I had tried the D'Addario Half-rounds. These weren't as bright as the TopTone ArchNews, but they had less squeak and more 'grunt' as well, so I quite liked them. For some reason they just didn't last all that long for me, and again there was that "stickiness"; however, I'd be willing to give them another go sometime. Certainly better than the GHS Briteflats, which just weren't my cup of tea at all.

The biggest disappointment for me were the LaBella Black tapewounds. Not from a sonic point of view - in fact far from it, as they sounded gorgeous in a vintage kind of way. however 1) the string tension was almost non-existent and I was bending them all over the place without meaning to and worse, 2) I couldn't keep them in tune for any period of time. Put a set on the Epi JP as well - similar but worse results. Have tried really hard to like them, but I just have no confidence in them.

[marvinvv]

Hi have an Ibanez JP20 1980, I currently use Daddarrio chromes ECG26 13-56 tension total 83.36 kg I found a 12 year old packet in the case also DD Chromes CG26 (not ECG) total 76.98 = 6.38kg less ie older chromes have less tension.

Also not also mentioned is the scale length will affect tension, longer = more tension, Gibson L5 25.5" , Ibanez JP20 25.5" Gibson ES 175 24.75" This is why 13gauge on a 175 will feel almost approx like 12s on a longer scale (this is not entirely accurate).

[nbevan3]

I just finished an email exchange with Neil Silverman from Newtone Strings (Welcome To Newtone Strings) about finding a set for my archtop (25" scale, floating bridge, Armstrong 12-pole mini-humbucker) that sits perfectly between flat wounds and traditional round wounds.
My issue was that D'Addario Chromes (Flats) were too dark, and NYXL (Rounds) were too noisy/rough.
I asked Newtone to compare their Electric Jazz sets (single wrap) vs. their Archtop Series (which are double-wrapped). Here’s the key summary of their advice and technical breakdown:
Newtone's Recommendation: The Archtop Series
Neil strongly recommended the Archtop Series (Double Wrap) for the following reasons:
1. Tonal Position:
• They sit tonally somewhere between flatwound and round wound. This should solve the "too dark/too bright" problem.
2. Core & Tension (Round Core):
• The round core helps reduce bright overtones, adding warmth.
• It provides a 3-5% reduction in tension compared to a standard hex core string of the same gauge, making them more flexible and easier to fret.
3. Feel & Noise (Double Wrap):
• The Archtop Series uses a double wrap, which means one wrap is placed one on top of the other.
• This construction creates a significantly smoother surface than the single wrap used on their Electric Jazz sets, drastically reducing finger noise and giving a feel much closer to flat wounds.
4. Gauge Debate (.054 vs. .056):
• I was debating moving up to the .056 set for more acoustic volume.
• Neil advised me to stay with my current .012–.054 gauge first. He said since I'm changing the core (Hex to Round) and the wrap (Single to Double), moving the gauge, too, would make it impossible to know which change is having the main effect. I can fine-tune the gauge later if I like them.
5. Electric Output:
• The double wrap does increase string mass slightly, which may affect electric output, but the difference is not massive. I shouldn't need a major pickup adjustment.
Final Decision
Order Placed: Archtop Series, .012–.054 gauge.
I will post my impressions once they arrive and I get them set up on the archtop.

[floatingpickup]

I just finished an email exchange with Neil Silverman from Newtone Strings (Welcome To Newtone Strings) about finding a set for my archtop (25" scale, floating bridge, Armstrong 12-pole mini-humbucker) that sits perfectly between flat wounds and traditional round wounds.
My issue was that D'Addario Chromes (Flats) were too dark, and NYXL (Rounds) were too noisy/rough.
I asked Newtone to compare their Electric Jazz sets (single wrap) vs. their Archtop Series (which are double-wrapped). Here’s the key summary of their advice and technical breakdown:
Newtone's Recommendation: The Archtop Series
Neil strongly recommended the Archtop Series (Double Wrap) for the following reasons:
1. Tonal Position:
• They sit tonally somewhere between flatwound and round wound. This should solve the "too dark/too bright" problem.
2. Core & Tension (Round Core):
• The round core helps reduce bright overtones, adding warmth.
• It provides a 3-5% reduction in tension compared to a standard hex core string of the same gauge, making them more flexible and easier to fret.
3. Feel & Noise (Double Wrap):
• The Archtop Series uses a double wrap, which means one wrap is placed one on top of the other.
• This construction creates a significantly smoother surface than the single wrap used on their Electric Jazz sets, drastically reducing finger noise and giving a feel much closer to flat wounds.
4. Gauge Debate (.054 vs. .056):
• I was debating moving up to the .056 set for more acoustic volume.
• Neil advised me to stay with my current .012–.054 gauge first. He said since I'm changing the core (Hex to Round) and the wrap (Single to Double), moving the gauge, too, would make it impossible to know which change is having the main effect. I can fine-tune the gauge later if I like them.
5. Electric Output:
• The double wrap does increase string mass slightly, which may affect electric output, but the difference is not massive. I shouldn't need a major pickup adjustment.
Final Decision
Order Placed: Archtop Series, .012–.054 gauge.
I will post my impressions once they arrive and I get them set up on the archtop.

I have a set of .012-.052 Archtop Series (double wrap) strings on my Campellone Special (25” scale, Kent Armstrong JS pickup). I have always used Thomastik flatwounds in the past, but I really like the Newtones. They aren’t too bright and they feel very nice with the relatively smooth surface. They do seem to be a perfect middle ground between flats and regular wound strings. I’m sticking with the TI flats on my electric guitars with built-in pickups, but I like the Newtones on an acoustic/floating pickup guitar. My only concern is that they are not readily available in Canada and I’m not sure I want to import strings from the UK on a regular basis.
Keith

[Hammertone]

Thanks for reviving this thread. This, in particular, is hilarious:

...- the ones I currently have fitted (I will not mention the brand in case of legal action) ...

[Sigmund451]

Unfortunately, while they do have a few EU vendors none of them carry the Archtop series.
It would cost more than the strings to get through customs in the EU.
If I knew I loved them it would be worth importing but Im not into paying a 100 percent charge to get them.

[floatingpickup]

I know this topic has been discussed in this thread already, but I wanted to post my thoughts on alternatives. I like the Newtones a lot, but I don’t want to settle on a brand that is not readily available in Canada. As an alternative, I recently bought a couple of sets of D’Addario half rounds (EHR350, 12-52). I put them on one of my guitars a few days ago and so far, I think they are quite nice. They feel almost like flatwounds, but sound like roundwounds. If anyone has any thoughts on these strings, I would be interested in hearing them.
Keith

[nbevan3]

I know this topic has been discussed in this thread already, but I wanted to post my thoughts on alternatives. I like the Newtones a lot, but I don’t want to settle on a brand that is not readily available in Canada. As an alternative, I recently bought a couple of sets of D’Addario half rounds (EHR350, 12-52). I put them on one of my guitars a few days ago and so far, I think they are quite nice. They feel almost like flatwounds, but sound like roundwounds. If anyone has any thoughts on these strings, I would be interested in hearing them.
Keith

I tried them for about six months and decided that they were a bit 'vanilla'; you are right that they sounded 'a bit like round wound' and 'felt a bit like flat wound', but they did not stand out at all to my ears.
I hope you like them.

[omphalopsychos]

I like Newtone strings a bit. I ordered a bunch in bulk so have not had to order any since this years tariff increases. The archtop strings are great: they’re basically the Thomastik bebop strings but with gauges that make more sense to me. The D and G strings thomastik are always too light relative to others in the set.

The other strings I’ve gotten from Newtone and really like are the round core nickel plated steel round wounds.

For acoustic strings I think you can’t beat Philippe Bosset and for flats it’s Dogal Expressive.

[floatingpickup]

I tried them for about six months and decided that they were a bit 'vanilla'; you are right that they sounded 'a bit like round wound' and 'felt a bit like flat wound', but they did not stand out at all to my ears.
I hope you like them.

That’s an interesting point. I wouldn’t say they “stand out” either, but they feel a little nicer than a regular set of D’Addario roundwounds and seem to sound about the same. I have one particular guitar that I just use for practice, most often acoustically. They seem like a good choice for that guitar, because I don’t like squeaky strings and flatwounds aren’t really the best choice for acoustic playing. I will have to see what I think after playing the halfrounds on that guitar for a while.
Keith

[pcjazz]

I like the Newtones a lot, but I don’t want to settle on a brand that is not readily available in Canada.
Keith

Hey Keith, 12th Fret has been stocking them for years and will do mail order.

[Mick-7]

I know this topic has been discussed in this thread already, but I wanted to post my thoughts on alternatives. I like the Newtones a lot, but I don’t want to settle on a brand that is not readily available in Canada. As an alternative, I recently bought a couple of sets of D’Addario half rounds (EHR350, 12-52). I put them on one of my guitars a few days ago and so far, I think they are quite nice. They feel almost like flatwounds, but sound like roundwounds. If anyone has any thoughts on these strings, I would be interested in hearing them. Keith

Haven't used the D'Addarios but you may like the Martin Monel strings, they are inexpensive so no great loss if you don't.

Review : Martin RETRO Monel Strings — That Guitar Lover

[floatingpickup]

Hey Keith, 12th Fret has been stocking them for years and will do mail order.

Hi Paul:
I bought them from 12th Fret in the past. I tried to order a couple of the 12-52 Archtop sets from them a while ago, but the website indicated that there was only one set available. I tried again a few days ago and got the same result. I assumed that they haven’t been restocking them. I guess I could call and ask.
Keith

[floatingpickup]

Haven't used the D'Addarios but you may like the Martin Monel strings, they are inexpensive so no great loss if you don't.

Review : Martin RETRO Monel Strings — That Guitar Lover

I have heard good things about the Monels. Maybe I’ll give them a try.
Keith

[omphalopsychos]

The monels aren’t really comparable to guitars made for electric due to the much lower ferromagnetic property of monel. They make for nice acoustic strings when you want that sound.