What gauge strings do you use on your archtop?

[guildfan7]

I currently have 10s on my solidbody gits...and have 12s on the x500. I like the 12s alot for jazz. I'm predominately a blues player and bending the 12s takes....focus. It's like playing power lines when I play blues---BUT the tone is just totally awesome. I love the blues arctop (T-Bone kinda thing) sound--& I think the 12s really add to it---I know there are scads of strat blues folks out there & tht SRV supposedly play super heavy gauge strings---Anybody else playing big sting blues?

 

[CajunBlues]

the following is my opinion...

jazz players use heavy gauge strings because they can... that is you rarely hear any bending in "jazz guitar"... I play in a jazz big band, but we do play an occasional blues or r and b tune... I use 10's or 11's....

Keep in mind Albert King used 9's on his guitar... and most blues players use 10's, I think there are better places to focus your time and energy than to try to get used to bending heavy gauge strings... Stick to using 10's and focus on getting your bends super super accurate... that is far more important than a miniscule gain in tone by using heavy gauge strings...

I have no idea how SRV used such a heavy gauge string with all the bending he did... But I really think it was unnceccasry.. his excellent tone had little to do with him using 14's...

 

[CajunBlues]

some interesting reading... I like this article...
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/F ... tevie-ray/

 

[Walter Broes]

The "big strings equal big tone!!" SRV thing does get a little tiresome. Hardly anybody talks about the fact that he tuned his guitars down half a step, had huge frets on them, had really big hands, and finally....that for a very large part of his playing career, he was on speed or coke - which might explain some of his "attacking his guitar".... :|

On a fully hollow archtop, you'll get a very resonant, almost "acoustic guitar" response with really big strings, which is a cool sound, but it doesn't help sustain, actually hollow box resonating hard will do the opposite.
Not a problem for a jazz player, as too much sustain doesn't help for a classic hollowbody jazz tone, but not ideal for a blues or rock player.

I used to use D'Addario XL 11's, but I've gone to a set of Fender pure nickel 150's, a set of 10's, and I replace the high E and B strings by 11 and 14. That said, I think the Fender 150's have slightly bigger cores, because the tension on the bass strings is almost the same as I got from the higher gauge D'Addarios.

 

[archtopbob]

Joe Vinikow:-
Strings: For optimum tone, archtops respond best to medium to heavy gauge strings. Even the oldest archtop guitars are remarkably sturdy for the most part, having been built to accommodate high E strings of .014 or higher. We typically string acoustic archtops with round-wound phosphor bronze strings, gauged at .013-.056 from high to low "E". Strings of .011 or lighter are not recommended for acoustic archtops, as they don't produce sufficient load on the soundboard for optimum tone. Flat wound strings have a smooth feel, but produce a tone that is distinctly more muted, and are not recommended for acoustic instruments either. For electrics, we generally use round wound nickel strings of .013 or .012. If your action feels uncomfortable with medium gauge strings, have your setup examined by a professional. We find that our customers are often surprised to discover how easily heavier strings can feel on frets that are properly leveled, radiused, crowned and polished, and when the nut slots are precisely cut to proper depth and the bridge radiused to match the fingerboard exactly. (If you have no experienced repair person in your area, feel free to contact us for a pro setup, specifically tailored to the requirements of the archtop guitar. Call us at 206-325-3737 or email info@archtop.com.)

 

[kakerlak]

The "big strings equal big tone!!" SRV thing does get a little tiresome. Hardly anybody talks about the fact that he tuned his guitars down half a step, had huge frets on them, had really big hands, and finally....that for a very large part of his playing career, he was on speed or coke - which might explain some of his "attacking his guitar".... :|

HI-larious! (and right on the money, too.)

 

[Brad Little]

I generally use .014 on my Artist Award (and coincidentally on my F-50). On my X-170, I go back and forth between .012, .013 and .014-the latter when I use the LaBella black tape wound. I also have a 1930s Metro B archtop, along the lines of the Epi that David Rawlings plays, and think I have .012 PB on it, but haven't changed them in a while so I might be off on that.
Interesting what Walter said about lighter string giving more sustain on an acoustic archtop, might try that on my AA some time, although I usually use it for strait ahead swing rhythms. Funny, even when I play bluesy stuff, I don't do much, if any, bending, I guess because I spent the first 10 years or so of my playing on a 12-string. So heavier strings aren't a problem there.
Brad

 

[guildfan7]

I love bending strings--I guess b/c I came up as a blues player (although clearly not all blues folks incorporate string bending in their playing)...I also love the dexterity and flat out intellignece that bebop players exhibit. So many ways to achieve so many different things and all on 1 instrument--that's awesome. Recent conversation w/ a professional from Manhattan school of music on the limitations of the piano vs. the versatility of the guitar was really interesting! In each case, it's great to hear someone really do it well. Love SRV, but hate that he was influenced so much by drugs---great player--and I agree that folks (in error IMO) rarely highlight the Eb tuning.

 

[ArchtopAnimal]

http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/thswseacjagu.html

13-53 ( lighter in the middle than other folks sets ) TI flats . Used Chromes 12-52 for a decade, with a 13 and 16 E and B , but prefer the TI now.

 

[rwmol]

I use Sadowsky SFG-13 (13-53) flatwounds on my X-175 and L5. I've tried them all and found these string to be best for quality, tone, durability and price.

A little story of interest. A couple of days ago, I decided to buy a couple sets of these strings, I searched the web for any new suppliers. The only ones I knew of was Sadowsky and Jeff Hale. I couldn't find any new ones so I checked out Sadowsky's site. They are out of stock. Went to Jeff Hales' site. He sells at the same price as Sadowsky but when I checked shipping, to my amazement, it came to almost $17.00. Wow. I sent an email and gave him my unabashed thoughts of what I thought of his shipping charges. I wasn't kind. To my surprise, he emailed me back saying, "Sometimes predicting what shipping charges a shopping cart will calculate is difficult. How many sets of strings do you want and what is your zip/mail code? I process all orders manually pls let me know and I will advise shipping costs thanks for your comments Jeff." The end result was $6.00 for shipping.

The point here is, "If it doesn't look right, it probably isn't." Question it.

Randy

 

[CajunBlues]

http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/thswseacjagu.html

13-53 ( lighter in the middle than other folks sets ) TI flats . Used Chromes 12-52 for a decade, with a 13 and 16 E and B , but prefer the TI now.

TI, Chromes, no comparison ! TI flats are a lot better... easier on the hands, softer feel less tension, and better tone....

Once you leave chromes for TI's you will never go back...

 

[walrus]

I like a wound third string, I use D'Addario EJ20's ("jazz extra light"). Here's the specs:

http://www.daddario.com/DADProductDetai ... oductid=21

walrus

 

[X-170SB]

I have a few archtops, the oldest from 1950, the youngest from 2003. I use 12s on most of them, which is the same gauge I use on my auditorium-sized acoustic. Two have 11s, in one case because the guitar is unusually short scale, and in the other because its an older guitar with a somewhat delicate neck (and no truss rod). The short-scale guitar (an Epiphone) has P90s and is the one I like to use for more "T-Bone" style playing, which is another reason I keep thinner strings on it.

Recently I tried a set of 13s and liked the result, so I may try them out on more guitars in the future. Being used to 12s, I didn't find the 13s any harder to play, but they did make the guitar seem more resonant. BTW I think the idea of bigger-gauge strings bringing out the best in an archtop is true particularly for solid-top guitars; for laminate-top ones its less of a difference.

 

[iismet]

Thought some of you might enjoy this picture. It is from a Blues Jam I played this last Saturday. .013-.056 with a wound G. Thru my 5e3 clone it is an amazing sound. Nothing else there came close. The strings are a huge reason for the tone. They just bring out the wood and harmonics.

No coke or speed, but a little liquor helps kill the pain.

On a side note - After playing mine for over a year, a IV is an amazingly strong guitar.

 

[dogrocketp]

I think this really depends on what style of music and which guitar you're talking about. I'm gifted with arthritis, but always want to hear the maximum amount of sound that I can. For big band, I prefer 13-56 DR Zebra strings. They are alternating wraps of Bronze and nickel. I believe this gives me the old fashioned bark on my deep hollow bodies when I bash the strings. The nickel part of the wrap enhances the amplified sound. For this type of playing, I would use a deep bodied archtop . I'm using a Loar L 450 until I find an X700 or Artist Award that I like and can afford. I think the idea is to play an amplified acoustic to get that real swing sound. For more modern music, I use an X 170 with 11-50's on it. I currently have Zebras on this one, but will try DR tite fits for lower string noise. This gauge responds fairly well if hit hard enough, and has more smoothness and sustain than I get with my deeper body guitars. A laminated top will not respond the same way, and the thinner body depth has a completely different sound. I have tite fit 10 to 46's on my Starfire so that I can bend them. That is as light as I'll go on any guitar. In the end, I believe that certain gauges will give you the sound you want on a particular instrument, depending on scale length and pick or finger attack. We need to have the fortitude to find "that sound" by trying as many types as possible on a given instrument. Then we need the good sense to enjoy the sound it makes, and stop tweeking. For me, its just listening to the sound I make, and enjoying the Guild humbuckers.

 

[griehund]

Daddario XL chrome flats. Light 12-52. Slightly heavier than jazz lights. Feel a little more substantial under my fingers.

 

[Zelja]

For big band, I prefer 13-56 DR Zebra strings. They are alternating wraps of Bronze and nickel. I believe this gives me the old fashioned bark on my deep hollow bodies when I bash the strings. The nickel part of the wrap enhances the amplified sound.

I haven't heard of these zebra strings before. Do you know if they can they be used on acoustics when using a magnetic pickup such that the wound & plain strings would provide a more even electric output (while still providing good acoustic tone)?

 

[southernGuild]

8) Looks like Zelja has snuck in to Club Kiloposter! Congrats Mate.
On to the Next.

 

[marcellis]

I have a big arch-top, 18" lower bout, 4 1/2 or 5" deep at the back hump.
So I can play it w/.10's and have acoustic volume to spare.

On a normal size archtop, I'd use .12's.