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Now that my Raines Tele 7 is playing and sounding like it should (thanks to replacement pickups and bridge / tailpiece, plus a proper setup with fret L/C/P and nut slot adjustment), I wanted to try heavy Bensons on it to see if they sounded better to me than the 12-53 + 75 Chromes. So I went to the usual sources (Strings & Beyond and Just Strings) and discovered that Bensons are now $47.50 and the JS series is $35! Even with the 10% off usually available from one of them, that's a jump of about 40% on the JS and 30+% on the Bensons
Thankfully, I still have 4 new sets of JS113s for my archtops and 2 of JS112s. I bought the 112s when I first got the Raines, and they were a bit too "pingy" for my taste. I now realize that their low tension makes them less than ideal for truly low action (which I like) and that even the slightest hint of fret contact sounds much more obvious and annoying with stainless frets. So the Chromes give a cleaner and warmer sound on this guitar than JS112s. But I suspect that the 15-56 Bensons would do very well on it and hopefully sound bigger. The JS112s are a hair smaller than the Chromes with which it was set up - and I'm not going to set up a new nut just to try the 112s, given their new price. I'd rather do it for the heavy Pyramids if I'm going to the trouble.
So I'm going to try 13-56 "true vintage" Pyramid Gold Chromes on it while they're still reasonably priced. I'd appeciate any comparisons you all can offer on these vs D'A Chromes and TIs.
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09-23-2023 11:03 AM
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I have never liked the D’A flat chromes. They have been on guitars I have purchased and I have always replaced them. I am also a big fan of the TI George Bensons. If I want that classic 50’s / 60’s ‘jazz’ sound I use the TI Jazz Swing. For a more active sound, I use the TI Benson flats and for a bit of edge the TI Benson rounds. All three have the exact sound I am looking for in that application and they age incredibly well. So an extra dollar or two a month is well worth it to me.
Note: I have been sitting here trying to find a better descriptor than ‘active’ and failing utterly. The closest would be ‘modern’ but that is not accurate, either.
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I saw that the other day that Thomastik had raised their prices.I usually don't begrudge a company raising prices because costs go up,but Thomastik's new prices are ridiculous.I just tried Newtone strings on my one archtop and they actually sound as good or better to me than the T1 swings i had on there.The Newtones are less than half the price of Thomastik,so i'll be using them and LabellaJazz tapes going forward on my archtops.
Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
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Where are you buying Newtones? Originally Posted by nyc chaz
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That Pyramid True Vintage set is a completely different animal gauge-wise compared to Thomastiks. I actually liked their sound, which could be described as slightly more twangy than the Chromes they were going to replace. Unfortunately, the G string buzzed no matter what I tried to resolve it, so they came off. I hope you have better luck, but be ready for a hike in tension.
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I currently have TI BeBop 13s on my Trenier and TI Swing 12s on my Tele and L4C. I bought some Newtone rounds to try on the Trenier because of price and the good reports. I got the "double wound Archtop" which I guess gives a 1/2 wound feel. I don't see that Newtone has flat wounds. Won't get to hear them for awhile as the TI bebop are new. I love the sound of the Jazz Tapes but too much trouble with the saddle on the Trenier, will use the 2 sets I have on the L4C ad try the Newtones on it as well someday. Originally Posted by nyc chaz
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Direct from Newtone is the only way i know.I'm in New York and they came from England in 5 days which i thought was pretty fast.They give new customers a 10 percent discount on the first order. Originally Posted by jhbpa
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Thanks! Twang is the main thing I wanted to remove from this guitar, and I've finally succeeded after 2+ years. The Chromes are great on it - I used them on all my guitars before I tried TIs, which are now on all my archtops. But the Chromes are really fine on the Tele 7. I thought that perhaps the heavy Bensons might make it even more warm and mellow. But with your input on top of the new price, I'm sticking with the Chromes. Originally Posted by Peter C
I'm used to the tension, having been playing on Chromes since they came out. I started on Guild EA610 flats back in about 1960 and had to go to Gibson flats when the Guilds disappeared. But when the Gibsons also disappeared, I used whatever flats I could find until Chromes came out (probably in the late '80s or early '90s).
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I've been shocked too...but then I remember it costs about £500 to string a baroque lute!
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Yes! That’s exactly what my wife tells me whenever I complain about anything related to changing strings on my guitars!! Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
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I’ve always purchased my TI Bensons from eBay. It’s cheaper.
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I don't know how you guys can lay out that kinda cake for guitar strings but then I don't use flats and only get about a month out of rounds. I think some of you said they last years so I guess it balances out for you.
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As I just remembered, the Pyramids apparently get quite a lot of love from Surf aficionados.... There was also a thread here a few years back: Pyramid strings, your thoughts?
Anyway, hard to go wrong with Chromes, or Thomastiks for that matter, IMO&E.
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My string source, stringsbymail.com, indicates that Newtone strings are no longer available for sale in the United States. No explanation given as to why. FWIW I like the SIT roundwounds (not a flats guy) and use them on all of my guitars, currently liking 11-50s. SBM's recommendations for alternatives include, although none for the Archtop Masters series:
Other manufacturers offer excellent handmade strings that are similar to those produced by Newtone. We recommend the following great alternatives to Newtone's lines:
• Burns: Pyramid Nickel Plated
• Electric Masters: Pyramid Pure Nickel Classics
• Lucidity Series: Pyramid Pure Nickel Hand Wound
• Nickel Masters: Dogal NickelSteel
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IDK anything about Newtones but juststrings.com seems to have them - I've been buying almost all my strings from them for decades. Fast ship, good prices.
JustStrings.com
The TI Bensons seem a bit pricey here too, tho. I can't help but wonder whether we are paying for GB's pic and name... and if there is a no-pic/no-name equivalent...
Thomastik-Infeld Special
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The TI JS113s on my Ibanez archtop are about a year old and still fine. I play a 3 hour show with it every Thursday night and practice on it almost every day. Before I put this set on, I recorded the same tunes on the old set (which were about 15 months old) and the new ones and posted the clips as a blind test of old vs new strings. More than half of the many responders guessed that the old ones were new or vice versa, and I couldn’t hear a difference myself. The only reason I changed them was to see if there had been slow deterioration that I didn’t notice. There was none. Originally Posted by wintermoon
The TI JS113s on my two carved Eastmans are all well over a year old and still like new. I do change the plated TI plains to 13 & 17 plain steels, because TIs are a little smaller than their nominal gauges and I think the sound of the full size plains is a little bigger and warmer. TI plains seem a little brighter and thinner.
I never got more than 6 months out of a set of Chromes before they lost their full tone annd/or intonation went south on at least one wound string. So I get more than twice the life from TIs for a few $ more than Chromes.
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To my ears it’s the opposite. TI plains have real tone to them whereas regular plain strings just go plink anywhere between the 4th and 14th fret and it’s like someone put a 9V battery to my teeth. But it all depends on the player and the guitar, of course. Pick or fingers, gentle or firm attack, rosewood or ebony ‘board, etc. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
I wish I could get 6 months out of a set. Any set. But there’s just no way, especially when daytime temps exceed 20 degrees Celsius. I guess my body chemistry is good news to string manufacturers. First thing I notice is the intonation going off, that happens well before the actual sound of the string deteriorates. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
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Are the TI George B flats really different than the TI Jazz Swing flats? Ive played the JS for years, they last a long time and have a great tension and tone for me even at the price ($24 +-) they last long enough Ill stick with them but I wonder about the GB's are they twice as good? Is George a metallurgist and came up with a new formula? Do they really play/sound better than the JS (twice as good?) I havent found cheaper or other flats that I like so been staying with TI for flats. So I know some of you guys really like the GB's flats, what is it that makes them different(and twice the $)than the JS? For rounds Ive been using La bella 13-56 but swapping the E&B for 15, 18 TIs I was getting singles from strings direct but now their prices on singles has doubled! Really just wondering what makes GB's twice as expensive.
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As far i could tell,Bensons are the same as Swings,just a heavier gauge and Benson needs to get his cut.If you are buying T1 Swings for $24.please let me know where you are getting them.I see Swings for $35 and Bensons for$48 everywhere i look. Originally Posted by Rickco
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$26.59 at Sweetwater, Guitar Center, eBay.
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strings direct in UK. shipping is $10. flat fee so I buy annually and used to get TI brass plated singles for $1.66 and sets of JS for under $20. JS sets are $24. and singles are $3. now. If you can afford to stock up 10 sets are $25 ea with shipping to US, if your in UK its free for a minimal purchase. Service has been excellent and they get them out pretty fast. Other than that its sweetwater, at least I get a "bit o honey"
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It depends on gauges, the 13 sets are $30+ they've been discounting 12-50 but most are still around $30 for flats Originally Posted by jazzshrink
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Thanks for the info but i don't use 12's and the rest are higher in price forwhatever reason. I've kind of moved on anyway to Newtone,they are not flatwound but have minimal squeak and sound better when playing acoustically to my ears besides being cheaper.
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Only the JS112s are $26.59 at GC. JS110s, 111s, and 113s are now $34.95. I haven't a clue why the JS112s are "only" $26.59. Bensons (round or flat) are $47.50 at GC. They do have a "save 10%" button next to all of these on their US website. Originally Posted by jazzshrink
JS sets are all $33.95 and Bensons are $45.95 at Just Strings with no 10% off deal. So the best current street price for all but JS112s is at Strings & Beyond - $31.45 for 10, 11 and 13 JS sets and $42.75 for Bensons. The GC price on JS112s is lowest at $24. It pays to check all the sites when you want strings, to find the best deal at the time.
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Guitars 'n Jazz here in NJ carries Newtone strings. In addition to the Newtone branded strings they also sell their own Guitars 'n Jazz branded strings, which are actually Newtone strings in a GnJ package. Originally Posted by nyc chaz
I saw that someone posted that there was a problem getting Newtone strings in the U.S. and if that's the case then maybe GnJ no longer carries them but last I checked they were still selling their own branded strings.
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