Almost have everything here for my ES-135, a semi-hollow, so it's time to think of strings. Honestly, I'm coming from a .13-.56 world of 80/20 acoustics, so i really do need some advice on what to use to string this puppy up - it still has whatever it came with when i got it, argh! Thanks!
What strings do you use on your arch/hollows?
- Thread starter Jahn
- Start date
I use D'Addario EJ20 Jazz Extra Light's on my Starfire II. I like the sound, and how they feel, and I like the wound third string. You may like a set with the third string wound on a guitar like yours - it will feel more like your acoustic strings, too.
Try a few different kinds and see what you like!
walrus
Try a few different kinds and see what you like!
walrus
bob_d
Junior Member
My first choice are Thomastik Infeld Jazz Swing flat wounds, .012 - .050, on my archtops. I also like D'Addario Chrome .012 - .052. Very smooth finish and less than half the price of the TI strings but they don't have the full jazz tone the TI's have. The TI's have silk wound ends too. Very nice.
jp
Senior Member
Thomastik's also have lower string tension, and I think tend to old brightness longer. Worth the extra money.
Hmm! Those Thomastik George Benson Roundwounds are a good price at Elderly's, I'll give that a go! .12-.53 too with a wound 3rd string, nice. Thanks folks!
Edit - oh and the Paul could probably use a swig of those D'Addario Chromes, nice.
Edit - oh and the Paul could probably use a swig of those D'Addario Chromes, nice.
Graham
Venerated Member
I have the TI Bensons on my DeArmond, but I haven't played it enough to really say much about them, except that the flatwounds are very different from roundwound acoustics and they feel really neat. :mrgreen:
Graham
Venerated Member
Jahn said:
Just buy a set and keep them handy, you'll put them on sooner or later just to try and compare.
Walter Broes
Enlightened Member
D'Addario 11 rounds with a plain G. But I don't play Jazz.
Thanks gang, the George Bensons came today so I ran right to the guitar store and told em to load this baby up!
Whatcha see is a Gibson ES-135 semi-hollowbody with Trapeze Bridge (going to be replaced with a Bigsby B7 Vibrato), 490/498 Humbuckers (going to be replaced by Harmonic Design Z-90s), Tune-a-matic bridge (going to be replaced by Wilkinson Roller Bridge), and Grover Rotomatic Tuners (going to be replaced by Grover Auto-locking Rotomatics, and putting the torch buttons on there instead of the kidney ones). Oh, and the nut will be routed a bit bigger to compensate for the George Benson .12-.53 Nickel Roundwound strings going on there. Can't wait!
BTW, Carmine St. Guitars is very cool (it's like I'm hitting every indie shop in town this year) and he nodded in approval when I told him I was going for "A Guild Starfire III feel." I have a feeling this thing's going to come back with some serious mojo!
Whatcha see is a Gibson ES-135 semi-hollowbody with Trapeze Bridge (going to be replaced with a Bigsby B7 Vibrato), 490/498 Humbuckers (going to be replaced by Harmonic Design Z-90s), Tune-a-matic bridge (going to be replaced by Wilkinson Roller Bridge), and Grover Rotomatic Tuners (going to be replaced by Grover Auto-locking Rotomatics, and putting the torch buttons on there instead of the kidney ones). Oh, and the nut will be routed a bit bigger to compensate for the George Benson .12-.53 Nickel Roundwound strings going on there. Can't wait!
BTW, Carmine St. Guitars is very cool (it's like I'm hitting every indie shop in town this year) and he nodded in approval when I told him I was going for "A Guild Starfire III feel." I have a feeling this thing's going to come back with some serious mojo!
guildzilla
Senior Member
Nobody else seems into this, but I took a tip off archtops.com and have been into using PB 13-56 strings on archtops. I love the acoustic sound they produce.
bob_d
Junior Member
Hi Jahn,Jahn said:
I've tried PBs on my electric archtops and they sound very good acoustically but the string balance is way off electronically. The unwound 1st and 2nd strings are seen by the magnetic pickup better than the strings wound with phosphor bronze. A UST pickup works better with PBs, of course, but magnetic pickups just don't see the PB wound strings as well as they do the unwound steel.
Bob
guildzilla
Senior Member
According to the tips section on archtops.com, PB's can be amplified well as long as the pickups have adjustable pole screws. I should have mentioned that in my previous post. Again, no arguments with other views, and I'm no expert, but subjectively I like the sound I'm getting out of my '65 T-50 this way.
jp
Senior Member
So nice John
I was so close to buying one of those guys and doing similar things. One vibrato I really liked was this one from Stewart Macdonald. Don't have to drill into the surface of the top. T'aint a Bigsby, tho.
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges...remolos/Les_Trem_Stop-Tailpiece_Tremolos.html
Although I realize that to use this, it's have to have to have the stop tailpiece like some of the 135s and the 137s have.
I was so close to buying one of those guys and doing similar things. One vibrato I really liked was this one from Stewart Macdonald. Don't have to drill into the surface of the top. T'aint a Bigsby, tho.
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges...remolos/Les_Trem_Stop-Tailpiece_Tremolos.html
Although I realize that to use this, it's have to have to have the stop tailpiece like some of the 135s and the 137s have.
jp
Senior Member
Oops! My edit too late. You're too quick for me. :lol: