your favorite guitar strings

Fender .11's at the moment, I'm just to lazy at the minute to change them back to .10's

 

agreed.. :2thumbsup:
when I restring , I leave the top 2, B-E .. mostly recently Ive been doing that to save a dollar here and there. and the winter time, Im not nearly on the instrument as much as I am in the spring,sum,fall..

 

I use Elixer nanoweb light gauge on my acoustic, EB pinks for my electric and DR's lights for my bass.

 

ive always played mediums....keep thinking bout trying some lights....pros and cons to light gauge?

 

D'Addario 0.09's for me.

 

Having fresh strings sounds better if you're playing out a lot. I've got six guitars and tend to change strings once a month or so. Well, maybe every couple of months. lazy.

 

I've never really payed too much attention to that.. I guess for acoustics I like the lightest possible to get that nice crisp snappy sound for finger pickin', but electric I guess it depends what band and tuning I'm playing with. It varies.

I do usually play with ernie balls when it comes to electric though.

 

for electric guitars i must say, elixirs are pretty impressive. But i rarely play my electrics these days, so i'd have to say that low-tension savarez strings (nylon) are my favourite. Augustines aint bad for the money and la bellas, if you can afford them, are pretty rad

 

I just put a new set of Ernie Ball's on my Hofner Verythin Standard (I'll include a pic). The set I chose was lying around in my gig bag. It's called "Skinny Top, Heavy Bottom", and goes from 10 to 52 in string size. Now, my low E string wants to jump out of the nut groove repeatedly. Sucks for me. Now I have to choose, do I change strings again, back to something smaller, like the ones that were on it, or re-file the nut, or buy a nut that's made with a wider groove on the bass end?

I decided on this set because I wanted to see what the change in tone would be like, with a heavier bass end. I also ended up with buzzing, I think because the bridge pickup is pretty close to the strings, so I raised the bridge height a bit on the low end, and now I'm thinking I should probably read more about how to do setups, and do the whole thing right. I never had this one set up, since buying it, years ago.

Any suggestions? I've already sent off a post to the Hofner people, asking for their advice, just a few minutes ago, but it's Sunday.

The only other immediate option is to put a set of D'Addario XL's on it, .009 to .0042, which I also just happen to have.

What would YOU do?

Here's the guitar (mine is cherry)



and here's a pic of the strings I put on it:

 

Any change in string gauge or material should include a full setup. If you aren't skilled with that it should go to a luthier for a full setup. Besides the string not fitting the nut, truss rod and intonation will need to be adjusted, pickup height may need tweaked as well... Like I said a FULL setup. (Any adjustment necessary to bring the instrument to it's best playability with those given strings) It's actually best to have the luthier install the strings when changing gauge and then the full setup. If you decide later that you want to try something else, guess what needs to happen? (go back to the beginning of my post)


I'm not being a prick, it's just that very few players actually know this stuff, so when I say this it sounds arrogant or it sounds like bullshit. I've had guys in the past that futzed around with their guitars for years and it never played or sounded right. I'd do a full setup, play it in (stretching and tweaking strings, subtle adjustments) and they thought they had a new guitar when they played it... It's all in the details. Did you know that most players don't even know how to properly put on a set of stings? Yes there is a right and wrong way to do this simple task... It should be taught right along with the first chord and note lessons but it's not, chances are that guitar teacher doesn't even know it... When a skilled luthier does this for you, you can then memorize how they are installed and repeat it from there on out if you stick with the same style of strings.

Hopefully the "guy at the music store that fixes guitars" just so happens to know what the fug they are doing There's a lot of flakes out there.


In case you wonder, I'm (I was) a luthier and used to teach guitar building (from raw wood) Guitar repair and setups. I also dabble with the guts of amps, effects and studio gear.

 

Awesome. Thanks for the info. I think I'll do some studying, and for a start, just put the D'Addarios on it, which are sized more like what I had.

But I do know that it will take some setup, since even with the old strings, it seemed like the sustain on the top end wasn't as good as it gets. I think the action may not have been adjusted right. The neck seems straight, so I'm not fucking with the truss rod for now.

It's a good guitar, as guitars go.

Also, I did a search for a forum site specifically addressing electric guitars, and found some good info. I think I'll check out this book that was suggested,,"How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great", by Dan Erlewine. See, I want to learn this well enough to do my own work. I'm very handy, and capable of extreme care, with meticulous attention to precision. I have the skills, and some of the tools. What ones I don't have, I'll acquire. Right now, I'm just interested in acquiring the knowledge, mainly. (I'm limited in funds, and can't afford to just "go to the guitar guy". I would if I could, but until then, it's on me.)

And don't worry, I won't fuck up the truss rod. I'm not even touching that MF unless I KNOW I need to.

I've had this guitar for years, and have only changed strings on it once or twice. It's been so long, I had to do an internet search to jog my memory on how to do it,,haha.

(Fuck, I remember when I was just a teenager, and didn't take so much time to do things. I just did them, whatever worked,,haha.)

And no, you're not "being a prick". My sensitive ego is not wounded, my friend,,haha.

Anyway,,I AM aware that there's a certain order in which procedures should come first, and second,,etc..

Tks agn.

 

It looks nice... I have a similar Ibanez.

 

Your Ibanez looks identical, except for the shape of the headstock. I think part of the problem with the Hofner is that the headstock has a bulge (see the new pic I posted on page three of this thread) that makes the low E take a bend toward the side of the guitar once it passes the nut, instead of just going straight back, like on yours. That must tend to pull the string off the nut, if the groove isn't adequate. I think they must have done that for "artistic" reasons, but it sure is an accident waiting to happen.

I added some shit to my last post, just above your Ibanez pic, in case you want a more complete view of the situation, by the way.

 

Dan Erlewine is a good guy and he knows his stuff. The thing with him is he makes it seem that you can't do anything with out buying this tool or that jig from Stewart-MacDonald... Which by the way he works for Stewart-MacDonald. Fancy that....

Not to rag on the guy, that book will be a great start... Just realize there are other methods to achieve the same end results. Many of those tools and jigs can be made and in some cases are not even necessary.


Yeah, there's more flair to your headstock, once the nut is cut proper it's not a problem but can cause more friction in the nut.

Learn all you can about your instrument, it will make you a better player in the long run.

 

Yes, I did read in another place that Dan Erlewine's book makes things seem a bit more complex than they are. But I'm not afraid of complexity. I just want to filter through it, to discard the superfluous. I'm not planning on spending much on tools.

I once had visions of becoming a luthier. These days, I just wish I had the skills and the space to build cellos. I had one once upon a time, and it got ruined in this cultic religious commune I joined back in '70. Fuckers.

Friends, don't give your instrument to strangers who pose as "servants of Goddddddd,,"

 

There's a website by Chicago Luthiers which shows in clear language how to set intonation on acoustic and electric, of with or without whammy bar.

Best to learn it yourself because it's not rocket science unless you need a part replaced or seriously adjusted or sanded. Or unless you just can't do it. All you need is a screwdriver and a gentle hand.

I have used a few brands of strings now. Elixir - nothing special and didn't last longer than others. On my Dreadnought - I like Ball Nickel wound 'Not even slinky' 12-56.

I bought Markley Blue Steel 11-52 for my electric. I like them. They are really hard and stiff at first but they loosen up after a month (I don't play professionally). Then they start to feel really springy. They don't ding up from crazy picking. I can't fault the tone. I just say that they will take stronger fingers than light strings.

I am going for a fuller and deeper low tone with the larger gauge on the low strings.

 

I tried that on my Hofner verythin and the bottom string kept popping off the nut when I plucked it hard. I took them off and went back to 10-46's since I had a set of D'Addario's lying around. It's playing well now, so I haven't done anything with the setup yet.

Thanks for the reference.

 

I use Ernie Ball Slinky Hybrids. I like a booming bottom and a screaming top.

 

I rescently changed the strings of my Orfeus.
I used nickel wound steel 0.10 and they sound pretty amasing.That was my first strings changeing so i cant be much of help to you.