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Jim Ferguson (author of several jazz theory guitar books) was playing jazz locally with a Strat. It sounded great. I asked if he had heavy strings on it. "Just 10 - 46."
I was amazed.
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11-09-2010 01:08 PM
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Yup I think on a solodbody guitar that's sufficient string thickness to get "it" done. Gonna try and find the right combo to get "it" done with a 9 set though.
Originally Posted by backliner
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I read an interview with someone who'd played on the same bill as B.B.King a few times, and B.B. had told him to use strings that allow you to articulate with the level of feeling you needed without having to fight with the strings. Your best tone would come from that. I very much agree. Even though heavier strings have better tone potential, my tone is better on a set that allows me to comfortably express myself. That's why they say tone is in the fingers.
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A very important issue with light strings as far as I'm concerned is the plain third. If I'm noodling some chord-melody on a guitar thus strung, it's just a matter of minutes before I'm funkin' it up and bending that string. A learned response over many years, no doubt, but a fattish wound third certainly helps to keep me trained on the style of music I'm trying to learn, i.e., something approaching Jazz.
Anyway, here's Jack Pearson playing a lightly strung LP, just to "prove me wrong"
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I bet you can't leave a wiggle-stick alone, either! Originally Posted by Peter C
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Hehe. Actually, I've just acquired (via a swap) one of those Artcore hollow bodies with a "Bigsby" vibrato unit. The only one who has shown any real interest in it so far has been my little daughter - I keep telling her it sounds rather out of place when daddy is playing the riff to "So What". Doesn't seem to deter her much. Wiggle=giggle. Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
I bet you can't leave a wiggle-stick alone, either!
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Freddie Green is an example of the opposite. He played with medium strings and kept raising his action throughout his life as can be seen on numerous photos. After his death at the age of 75, someone actually measured the string action of his Gretsch Eldorado - it was 12mm ~ about ½" at the 12th fret. When someone commented on that incredibly high action, he used to say "Oh, it did take a while getting used to it". When people tried his guitar but couldn't play it, he would teasingly suggest some more practice. Of course he played small chords for rhythm and not fast single string runs, but it was VERY high anyway. Originally Posted by Jake Hanlon
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I took some lessons with Jim Hall back in the 80's. At that point he was using 11's.
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John McLaughlin uses D'Addario 10's.
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All the examples I know have been said, but I just wanted to state my feelings about light strings. Generally light strings sound better with distortion and heavy sound better for clean. All the players with light strings have a thin tone. I honestly don't understand how some people don't hear it. My best guess is that in the context of the recording their ear might get used to the sound and like it, but if you listen to a player with heavy strings right after the difference is night and day. Similar to how you might play a cheap guitar and think " hey this sounds pretty good!", but then you go play the expensive version of the same guitar and realize just how bad the first one actually was.
One thing that drives me crazy is players who use thin strings and pick very lightly, and then turn up the amp to compensate. This is a huge disservice to the audience as it increases pick noise and produces a sound that seems very timid and uncomfortable to listen too.
The freddie green example makes a lot of sense. As long as you are careful and take the proper precautions(stretching, warming up, taking breaks etc) you should only get stronger and be able to increase your string gauge over time. A year ago I was using 11's and I never thought I could play heavier than that, but I started being more careful and now I've worked my way up to 13's with no problem.
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listen to 'joyous lake' and 'starbright'... he also played guitar synth on these Originally Posted by Jaffey
records...
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Scofield was using 10s a while back.
Originally Posted by RonD
Apparently, Henderson and Frisell use 11's.
Scofield uses 13's!
Abercrombie weighs in at 10-46. The lightweight so far.
Can't find any info on Mick Goodrick.
Hope that helps.
Cheers, Ron
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Another thing you might want to check out is that the tension of the strings seem to vary from brand to brand. Thomastik 13's feel like DAddario 12's in my experience.
Jens
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not sure I agree totally. Originally Posted by JensL
I have thomastik 11 rounds on one of my guitars. It has a plain E,B & G string and they are incredibly hard to bend. Much hard to bend on than comparable daddario rounds...
I think it depends on their setup...(round vs flat, etc)
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I was thinking the same while I wrote so I looked it up
DAddarioFretted Strings » Electric Strings » XL Chromes Flat Wound » ECG26 Chromes Medium 13-56
Thomastik-Infeld - handmade strings for violin, cello, double bass, electric bass; guitar.tradition meets technologie.
I can not tell how much is the .5 kg difference in tension (ca. 5%) and how much is the fact that the Thomastiks use lighter EA and D strings. I do remember that at the time I went away from Thomastiks on my Gibson mainly because they were too rubbery for my taste.
But the overall setup of the guitar is ofcourse also important.
Maybe you need to have the thomastik guitar setup
Jens
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Stanley Jordan - 9s.
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Anybody listening to Peter Leitch?
Originally from Canada....resident of NYC since 1982.
He mentioned in a Just Jazz Guitar mag [Nov '96] that
he was playing a Hofner Atilla Zoller model guitar...He thought
that only 2 or 3 of this model were made...PL got his from Zoller
and Jimmy Raney had another, now thought to be with Jimmy's son
Doug Raney.
Anyhow...Peter mentioned to the inevitable nuts'n'bolts questions
that all [or most] pickers love to ask,that he used D'Addario XL110W
strings .....that is 10-46 but with an 018 wound third.....He gets a great
straightahead tone IMHO ...and has a fantastic sense of line..combined
with solid time feel...[ the latter being some thing I'm finding lacking a bit..
"these days"]
Do have listen to Peter....he seems to be a thoughtful and unassuming type.
Not one for big-time self promo.
His rhythm sections on record often include the late John Hicks, Ray Drummond and Marvin Smitty Smith.
One of my fave PL discs is "Mean What You Say" on Concord [c.1990]
I'm crazy about his version of a lesser known tune "I've Never Been In Love Before" [Frank Loesser]
Most of PL's catalog is on Reservoir records...you can hear samples on
his web site......I suppose I'm a bit of a fan boy .
Anyways.....he uses very light strings..[to good effect]
See, I remembered the original topic. [These days I'm likely to wander off
and not find my way back] LOL
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And to stay and stray from target. The really light strings on PL's guitar sound really good on his Duality album with John Hicks.
Sneaky I am.
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jim hall
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I use .11's.
I've gone heavier, but didn't notice enough difference in tone to warrant a permanent change. I like my setup firm where the strings aren't going anywhere, but I feel no need to tear my fingers up with .13's or bigger...
I do like a wound G, though--gotta have that.
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And here I am always looking for a set of .12's or .13's with a pure G
Jens
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I've used flatwound 12's (with wound G) on my Les Paul (my only electric) for about six months now, and recently switched to roundwound 12-54's with plain G. I gotta say it was incredibly fun to be able to bend the G again! And I still sound "jazzy" enough when I turn down the tone controll.
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I've changed to 10-46 on a Mike Stern model
Yamaha 1511MS tele style super-light resonant ash body.......Great guitar....like a rainbow of tones available.[Including warm jazz tone]
Nice!
I already had the guitar....just picked it up again and
remembered why I got it in the 1st place.....
It's a good thing when you feel GAS for a guitar you already own.
.....If that makes sense...
So put me down as a "jazz" guitarist who plays light strings.
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Hi there, Originally Posted by Double 07
John actually uses 9.5 to 44 strings now. But he is the searching kind, always trying out diifferent things.
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What I observed is that thinner strings have a smaller attack volume to decay volume ratio (weaker attack, more "compressed" sound), and smaller fundamental to overtones ratio (more "zhing") compared to thicker strings. They have of course less bass and lower output signal as well. It's up to the player how to use these attributes to their advantages.
Last edited by Vihar; 10-25-2016 at 10:39 PM.
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