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I fancy a change of strings on my archtop. I'm going to go from a 12-52 set to 13-56 or thereabouts. But also I'm thinking of trying something other than flatwounds
- the ones I currently have fitted (I will not mention the brand in case of legal action) make my guitar sound like cardboard, soggy cardboard even 
. I do like a mellow, dark tone, but I still want some clarity, depth and character too, which I'm not getting just at the moment. 
I've seen some Newtone Archtop strings (Welcome to Newtone Strings) which look interesting - has anyone on the forum tried these, and what did you think if so? They have a double round wrap which apparently gives a warmer sound than ordinary roundwounds, and reduces string noise also. Or should I just spend a bit more on my next set of flatwounds .
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01-18-2010 04:01 PM
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Yes, I tried Newtone archtop strings for a while. They felt and sounded great and seemed to be very well made, but, having played on halfrounds for years, I was getting too much string squeak, so rather than rebuild my technique I switched to Sadowsky Jimmy Bruno strings, which are "polished roundwound", so less squeak ...
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I used them on my archtop. I thought they really brought out the "woody," acoustic tone very nicely. I can't say that I noticed the double wrap made them less noisy than regular round wounds, but they're definitely worth an experiment.
BTW, if you like them, Newtone will make you a complete custom set -- and by complete, I mean they'll let you specify everything down to the amount of tension on each string.
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For those of you who like the sound of roundwound strings on an archtop, but don't like the string squeak, I always recommend the Elixir electric nano. The heaviest standard set they make is 12-52, but I make a set of 13-56 by buying a set of 10-46, tossing out the high E and buying a single 56 for the low E. I do it from JustStrings.com which sells Elixir nano electric singles.
Originally Posted by Bill C
To me you get the nice crispness of roundwounds with virtually no finger noise, and they last a long time to boot.
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Many thanks for the replies. I think I will risk buying a set of the Newtones to see how I go. Sounds like I may not like the string squeak, but I might find I'm OK with it. It's funny but I find I am totally fine with roundwounds on my solid guitars, but have not always got on well with them on more acoustic guitars. I'm not sure though if I've ever used them on my archtop - if I have, it was so long ago I've forgotten!
I'll also have a look at that idea for the Elixirs Riovine, could be worth considering!
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meggy, out of curiosity, when you said the flats made your guitar sound like cardboard, was that plugged in or unplugged?
i ask this, because archtop owners have to make a descision--is this an acoustic guitar or an electric? flatwounds are electric guitar strings, so expecting bronze-wound like snap and clarity is a recipe for dissapointment...that, and in general, an archtop is never going to sound like a drednaught either...
just putting this out there...
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No, these are good points to raise Mr B! The guitar is an Ibanez JP20 Joe Pass model (made in 1980) with a laminated top. It's not the loudest archtop in the world, and to be far, is designed more with amplified playing in mind. And I have been using flats on it for quite a while (years), and have always been happy enough with the sound. So a lot of the problem is, I think, down to the current brand I have fitted, which I had not tried before (and won't be trying again!). The sound seemed good for a short while, but they have not lasted at all, and now sound very dull and lifeless to me - and I can tell this both amplified and acoustic. I'm sure there are much better flatwounds out there! - it's just that I want a bit of a change as well! Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
I think that the laminate top on my guitar is perhaps a little thicker than some, so I speculate that some heavier gauge roundwounds (or double roundwounds like the Newtones) will drive the top a little more, and bring out a bit more woodyness in the tone. Not that it has a bad tone at all, but I'm wanting to get something a little different from it than I get with flats. Point taken about not getting the bronze roundwound Dreadnought type tone though, and I don't want this at all anyway - that's not what I mean by "clarity". Just a bit more depth, body and definition to the sound, while remaining in the warm jazz tone area, if that makes sense!
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They are great strings. I have even tried them on a flattop with great results, although it was a smaller body size (Martin 000-28ec). They are much brighter than flats though just to warn you. I think they might be a great fit for that guitar though.
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Thanks for the positive feedback on these strings rio - I think they might be a great fit too. I will shortly find out anyway as I have ordered a set (they should arrive in the post tomorrow with any luck). While I was at it, I also ordered a 13-56 set of D'Addario half rounds, and bought a couple of ordinary round wound 56 gauge strings. This is because I have a couple of 10-46 roundwound sets that I now find too light for anything, so using riovine's idea (thank you for that! Originally Posted by rio
) I'm turning them into 13-56 sets for my jazz guitar, by ditching the top 10 string. So three different types to try: double roundwound, roundwound, and half-round! I'll give the Newtones a go first though.
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Have fun with your new strings. I used D'Addario Half-Rounds when they first came out (late 70's?). I think I used a set of 10's and liked them (although I remember they are quite bright) then went to 13's and was disappointed. The bass E string in that set is so big it's more round than half, so it was squeaky. Of course, things may have changed since then -- I have much less hair, for example!
Let us know what you think of them.
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Cheers BD, will do! Should take a while for me to test all the sets, as I feel you have to give them a week or so to "bed in" but I'll report back on the Newtones fairly soon as they are going on first! I'll laugh (in an ironic way) if I end up not liking any of them, and going back to flatwounds - this seems possible at this stage, but time will tell. It all gives me something to do anyway!
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Meggy
... a couple more ideas ... The Sadowsky Jimmy Bruno strings are similar to the D'Addario halfrounds but smoother in my experience. The Sadowsky flats are very nice too if you like flatwounds. The only snag is that if you are outside the UK you have to order them from the US, which starts to get pricey including postage etc.
Bill
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That I'm afraid, is the snag for me Bill - they sound great, but no one over here sells them, and I do have to watch costs at the moment. One day I might still give them a go though! It's a similar thing for riovines's suggestion of Elixirs. You can get these in the UK, but no one seems to stock singles, so making the 13-56 set up would be difficult. Originally Posted by Bill C
But on to the Newtones; I've had these on the guitar for a day now. For me (and this is a personal opinion only) the tone I get is better than the flatwounds. I like the extra edge I get in the initial attack of each note, and they do indeed seem to be bringing out more of the guitar's woody character. More depth and body too, as I hoped. I think that because I use my fingers/nails, I get a softer sound than a pick user, so that flats can become a bit too mellow in my hands. The Newtones compensate nicely for this. I like the heavier 13-56 gauge as well.
As to string noise... well yes, there is a bit of squeaking now, especially when playing octaves or walking bass type stuff with a lot of moving around on the lower strings. Having said that, it's worse when you first put the strings on, and after a while seems to improve as the strings settle in. I think this process may continue for a few more days or so. I have got to the stage now where I find it's not too bad, and does not seem to intrude much - liveable with, at least for me. I've certainly heard worse cases than this!
Overall, I'm liking these strings and have been enjoying playing the guitar with them fitted - they get a thumbs up from me! I will be interested to see how long they last before needing a change though. Incidentally, the half-rounds look promising too - the low E string looks to be quite sleek/smooth compared to a roundwound, so perhaps they have improved the design since you last tried them Big Daddy. But this will have to wait for now. There you go folks!
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It looks like Strings Direct have Elixir singles ...
Stringsdirect - Online Guitar Strings and Accessories_
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Bill you're right! I'll have to try them now LOL! I pity because I ordered my Newtones from Strings Direct too, but didn't notice the Elixirs somehow. Cheers for putting me straight though. Originally Posted by Bill C
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Just in case anyone else is interested in these Newtone strings. I've had them on the guitar for roughly 2 weeks now, and I've only just got to the stage where the sound has really calmed down to a nice jazz warm tone (Plus I've been playing quite a bit too...). Maybe not so good if you like to always have new strings on your guitar I guess.
The sound still has a bit more edge to the attack than with flatwounds for my money, and definitely more depth and woody quality than the last set of flats I had (although admittedly they weren't the best flats as I have said before). The extra depth may have something to do with the higher gauge also of course. But I'm still really liking these strings, so I'm not going to change them unless the sound really deteriorates for some reason! Incidentally, the string noise now seems pretty mild to me, so I'm fairly happy in that regard too.
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I use Newtone Archtop (0.011) on a vintage small 15" wide acoustic archtop and I love them. I don't know why it took so long for you, on my guitar, they seem to settle really quickly and they last forever (well, not really forever but you know what I mean).
On another acoustic archtop, I use Thomastik Infeld Jazz Swing flatwounds (0.013 - low tension). Great mellow tone. You might want to try them sometime.
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Cause I am lazy can cant spell googel can anyone tell me who sells Sadowsky and/or newtone strings online in N.A.?
Grazie.
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JustStrings sells newtone, but not Sadowsky.
Strings and Accessories Listed by Manufacturer
I'd have to ask, though, who really make Sadowsky strings? D'Addario?
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Thanks BD. I have never noticed them there before.
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Well, I do have really dry hands for some reason, so I often seem to get long use out of a set of strings. Or maybe I just don't like a lot of edge in the tone - it is a subjective thing of course. But great to know you like these strings too, and that they last well. I'm still preferring them to the flats I had on this guitar before, so I feel I have really found something good here. As to the TI flatwounds, I've never tried them, but I here so many people saying nice things that I'm sure they must be good stuff if you want flatwounds. One day, inevitably, I will end up trying these too! Originally Posted by Eddie Lang
I use Newtone Archtop (0.011) on a vintage small 15" wide acoustic archtop and I love them. I don't know why it took so long for you, on my guitar, they seem to settle really quickly and they last forever (well, not really forever but you know what I mean).
On another acoustic archtop, I use Thomastik Infeld Jazz Swing flatwounds (0.013 - low tension). Great mellow tone. You might want to try them sometime.
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I tried some on my Ninja Dragonmaster and they were lame.
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That must sound epic through your Sword Of Satori. Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
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Ok.. ordered. Should be here next week
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Let us all know what you think SB, they are different from flats, but interesting for sure. Hope you like them! Originally Posted by SamBooka
Ok.. ordered. Should be here next week
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