The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
  1. #1

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    The first time I saw an Ibanez GB10 was when I was a kid and my mother took me to a jazz festival nearby. I remember seeing a polish blues band and if my memory doesn't trump me the guitarist played a GB. Sure later I learned about the man himself. So the GB became a guitar I always wanted.
    I never thought I was worthy that guitar so when I wanted an archtop in the early '00s I got an Artcore AG75 – the poor man's GB. It gave me some great tones and I remember experimenting with round wound and flatwound strings – and finally settled on halfrounds. Then in 2019 my wife treated me with the real thing for christmas, a beautiful new blonde GB10.
    I love that guitar for the tone, playability, versatility and the ability to play it quiet and loud without feedback issues. Yet I didn't try roundwounds or halfwounds on this guitar – I just love the percussive tones the flatwounds (currently Thomastik Jazz Swing .013) give me.
    Did anybody try roundwounds or halfrounds on a GB and how did you like it?
    Last edited by guavajelly; 01-17-2022 at 07:54 AM.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    I don't have a GB, never played one, so take what I say with huge doses of salt. That said, I personally don't usually like flatwounds on a laminated guitar. They're okay on a carved top acoustic, for some uses, but for most laminates I prefer roundwound. But that's just my personal sonic preference. Lots of people prefer flats, or even brass strings. It's not like you would have to mortgage your home to buy a set of roundwound strings to see if you like them.

  4. #3

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    Just try the various options, it will cost you € 33.00 and you'll be the wiser. I love the sound and feel of med. flats on my own GB15, the guitar speaks fast, plays smooth, has good sustain and string-to-string balance. I do not use it for solo performances but in all other situations it shines both when comping and soloing. It's strung with D'Addario's at the moment but the next set will be my tried and trusted Thomastik JS113's .

  5. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by guavajelly
    The first time I saw an Ibanez GB10 was when I was a kid and my mother took me to a jazz festival nearby. I remember seeing a polish blues band and if my memory doesn't trump me the guitarist played a GB. Sure later I learned about the man himself. So the GB became a guitar I always wanted.
    I never thought I was worthy that guitar so when I wanted an archtop in the early '00s I got an Artcore AG75 – the poor man's GB. It gave me some great tones and I remember experimenting with round wound and flatwound strings – and finally settled on halfrounds. Then in 2019 my wife treated me with the real thing for christmas, a beautiful new blonde GB10.
    I love that guitar for the tone, playability, versatility and the ability to play it quiet and loud without feedback issues. Yet I didn't try roundwounds or halfwounds on this guitar – I just love the percussive tones the flatwounds (currently Thomastik Jazz Swing .013) give me.
    Did anybody try roundwounds or halfrounds on a GB and how did you like it?
    I use the Thomastik GB112 on mine. They sound great


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  6. #5

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    I have used roundwounds on my GB10 for most of the last 36 years. I think they sound great. I like the bass strings not having just a "thwack" to them, but I should note that I'm not into the thunky bebop sound (maybe since I can't play bebop on a bet) and I do not make any effort to sound like George Benson, either.

    I have recently switched to SIT strings on most of my guitars and I like them a lot, .011-.050.

  7. #6

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    I use roundwound strings on my GB10. I play rock as well as jazz though (my fave guitar player is Steve Howe).

    I have never played flatwound strings. I thought about putting them on but my guitar tech talked me out of it..

  8. #7

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    I have continued to use flatwounds as supplied by Ibanez but i switched down from 11-50 to 10-48 because I wanted to be able to bend the treble 3 strings. I also traded out the wound 3rd for a plain steel .019 which made a full bend possible. I am quite happy with this set up and am using D'addario ECG 23 set.

  9. #8

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    I use half rounds. It fits the response of my fingers. I play fingerstyle. It brings out the woody attack from a top that's designed with a thicker laminated top on the GB.
    Everybody's different. This is what worked for me.
    I used to used Labella roller wounds but they seem to have stopped making those. GHS makes them, they're my next try-out and I guess I'll see.

  10. #9

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    I have other guitars including other archtops, that I have used round wounds on, and while I encourage you to try everything… light flats, heavy flats, heavy rounds, medium picks, heavy picks, rounded picks, pointy picks, your thumb, etc., for me, the marriage of 13 gauge Thomastiks with a medium (0.7 or so) gauge pick is so much fun, because you can get that Benson snap. It’s built into the guitar, so why not take it for a ride?

    It’s a brighter sounding guitar in general, and flats take some of that sharpness away, while leaving a bunch of 3 dimensional overtones, IMO. Switch to a ProPlek or your thumb and you’re in Wes territory, with that same richness that is harder to get with a 175 (and I love my 175!)

    Lovely and versatile guitar. No rules, have fun exploring! If you’ve not messed with different pick gauges, try that first, cheap and fun investigation.