The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #76

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    One thing is certain; on my fender scale thingy's with 9's it's just about impossible to get a good clean jazz tone. It could probably work with high action and using thin picks, but as I don't like the action unnaturally high, and use a thick pick and dynamic right hand, they will clank and spank all over the place

    Thicker strings will definitely give greater dynamic range, loudness wise, and sound more controlled. However, the compression and more of a tonal dynamic behaviour of the thinner/looser strings might be preferred at times. As I often do myself when playing more distorted sounds.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #77
    I am not strictly a jazz guitarists, but I do own a lot of arch top guitars. I know that whatever I play I can't manage those big beefy 12-50s, even with a very low action. I can't see much point in putting ultra-lites on an archtop, those are for a plank, but both 11-46 or 12-52s should be good for most floating pickups. I have 11-46s Ernie Ball Cobalt on both my Peerless and Guild A150 Savoy and they seem to carry the sound to the pickup quite well enough. On my wholly acoustic arch tops I've taken to using Martin silk and steel, which seem to provide easy playing and sufficient volume. Of course, these things are mainly decided by personal preference - and the strength of your fingers.

  4. #78

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    Quote 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
    Scofield uses 13's on his Ibanez, but lighter strings on his Strat and Tele.
    Frisell uses 11's on a couple guitars, but his tele's mostly have 10's.

  5. #79

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    My Reverend Slingshot (ca 2000) is essentially a tele dressed up like a danelectro(were one really good), and even 10's feel too big on it, tho it has a 25.5 inch scale. Very Fender-y neck, a U neck, at that, with a rosewood board. I'm using the Kurt Mangan pure nickel wrap(gotta have that), 9.5 - 44, and these feel ok, tho I have a slew of the old Fender XL150 9-40's,,,I had put on some D'Addario 10's and 'they' felt too big, for the feel I'm used to. Used to be I'd throw a set of 10's on a Tele, and play rock, but that was when I was younger, and I'm approaching 65, and don't argue with what I feel is right. In the 80's when I had an Ibanez G-100(I think it was), arch top, I went through some larger sets before I settled on 10's back then with it. And I have to have a plain G. Comes from my other playing through the years, tho I do agree that 'the tone is in the fingers',,,touch and phrasing,,etc., etc. If I'm attempting jazz, I don't do much bending,,tho I can do that. The Mangans are pricey, but nice, strings.

    The 10-38 mentioned above is an old Fender set that is not that available these days, it seems.
    Last edited by guitarbard; 05-13-2016 at 01:08 AM.

  6. #80

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    Grant Green must have played very light strings. It's difficult to find any better "inside" solid jazz blues lines. However, I could never abide his sound. Much too bright, brittle and thin for my taste.

  7. #81

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    Quote Originally Posted by jazzfreak
    Grant Green must have played very light strings. It's difficult to find any better "inside" solid jazz blues lines. However, I could never abide his sound. Much too bright, brittle and thin for my taste.
    Grant's tone fattened up considerably during his career. I'm not sure how anyone could call his tone on "Idle Moments" brittle...

  8. #82

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    Apologies if this has been posted before, but Django played .10s.

    They were admittedly high tension strings on guitars with a long scale length... But even so, given he played acoustic. Most modern gypsy players I know would take an .11 on top. But Argentines only come in those two gauges!

    BTW Anyone who plays TI strings is effectively two gauges lower IMO. The .13s are like .11s with a heavy top. Which is what many players (including me) like.
    Last edited by christianm77; 04-05-2016 at 09:37 AM.

  9. #83

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    Since I've been playing a good bit, I'm really tempted to go back to some 10's, albeit on a 25.5 inch scale, so should be good sound, like 11's on a 24.75. I have some D'Addario, which I've read some interesting things about, here, and not the best, was the feeling I came away with, tho I have a set of RotoSounds which look to be worth trying. Guthrie Govan uses them. I'd like to get a clearer idea of what it is that folk don't like about the D'Addario's, tho I can say I've never really been that enamored of them, myself. Dunno why.

  10. #84

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    Quote Originally Posted by guitarbard
    Since I've been playing a good bit, I'm really tempted to go back to some 10's, albeit on a 25.5 inch scale, so should be good sound, like 11's on a 24.75. I have some D'Addario, which I've read some interesting things about, here, and not the best, was the feeling I came away with, tho I have a set of RotoSounds which look to be worth trying. Guthrie Govan uses them. I'd like to get a clearer idea of what it is that folk don't like about the D'Addario's, tho I can say I've never really been that enamored of them, myself. Dunno why.
    Myself I like D'addarios. They are cheap and consistent.

    I like TI's but they can't stand up for long to the kind of hammering I give them when I play swing rhythm guitar. D'addarios weather the onslaught a lot better.

  11. #85

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    That's good to hear. Some positive feedback on them. I have 3 of the 10 sets. One has been on and off twice, but can go back on again. Yes on the consistency,,this I've heard,,was something else,,,,Being in England, Christian, have you tried the RotoSounds? Any opinion?

  12. #86

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    Quote Originally Posted by guitarbard
    That's good to hear. Some positive feedback on them. I have 3 of the 10 sets. One has been on and off twice, but can go back on again. Yes on the consistency,,this I've heard,,was something else,,,,Being in England, Christian, have you tried the RotoSounds? Any opinion?
    Not used Rotos since I was 19 and a Rocker haha....

    I like the look of their gauges..

  13. #87

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    Thank you,,can't say I've ever used them,,except I was 19, and a rocker, once,,long, long ago,,who knows what I did. Would have been 1970, or thereabouts.
    Last edited by guitarbard; 04-05-2016 at 09:41 PM.

  14. #88

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    I should mention, I've gone up to .012's on pretty much everything now, 5 years later than my first post in this thread.

    .11's eventually started to feel "light."

  15. #89

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    If you play bass regularly (my situation--both electric and upright), you just feel that a set of tens are like playing an instrument strung with sewing thread. It is difficult to keep a delicate touch when you are doubling on bass. So, defensively, I took to stringing with at least elevens, even when I was just playing solid-body guitars back in the 70s and early 80s. (Well, I had Gretsch Nashville guitars, too, but kept them strung with 11 or 12 sets.) If I ever give up bass, I'm sure that (a) my banjo playing will improve, (b) my touch on guitar will lighten up and I can lower the action some and go to lighter strings. Even though I am getting on in years, it's still twelves or thirteens for me.

  16. #90
    Sadly I can't use anything but 09-.042's on my tele. For me it seems to be the perfect string gauge for that style of guitar. I do not have a super low action though. I have tried .010 and .012 gauge sets with lower action and did notice a bit beefier tone but not enough to want to stick with them all the time. I don't always play jazz so that is another reason. I just like the feel of .09-.042's