Strings advice - Acoustic Archtops??

[Silly Moustache]

I confess that I rarely even unpack my archtops nowadays - having grudgingly accepted that I'll never master swing or jazz chord progressions.

Between 2006 and 2011 I harboured ambitions in this area, and like the person who joins a golf/tennis club, I bought the outfit before I learned to play.

Some have come and gone but still with me is my Eastman AR805e (on sale in the classifieds), a 1964 Harmony Monterey in remarkable condition, and a 1934 L4/L7 in very good condition.

It's cold and raining today and my wife is out so I've got some of my toys down to pick on and just decided to restring the Gibson and the Harmony both of which had old EJ17s on.

I have just put a set of Gibson "L-5" (56-12) nickel strings on the Gibson and then wondered about replacements - no-one seems to sell them any more.

I use EJ17s on my flat-tops and both my archtops need some welly to get the best sound out of them.

So, advice please - from Acoustic jazzers - what strings do you use on your rhythm boxes?

Thanks inn advance,

[George Leach]

My favorite strings for my archtops are D' Addario Half-rounds. They have a good crisp sound-almost like a regular round-wound string, but with very little string noise. I've personally never liked the flag-wound strings--they just sound too dull for me...

[Jabberwocky]

John Pearse Acoustic-Electric Nickel Wounds, SKU 2700 (52-12 ga).

[57gold]

Like them on my Collings CL Jazz.

Wound strings are double wound, two layers of lighter gauge wrapping the core. Less tension, less finger squeal and very musical.

Ordered them from here:
http://www.juststrings.com/newtoneel...ararchtop.html

[tdq]

I'm quite liking Martin Monel Retros on my Loar LH700, if you like that "dry" sound.

[Steve DeRosa]

13-56 across the board:

• Martin Monels for the Gibson - about as period-correct as you're likely to get...
• Dean Markley 2006 85/15's for the Harmony - again, period-correct...
• Either D'Addario EPN22 Pure Nickel or Martin Monels for the Eastman - flats generally don't have the ring and cut you need for acoustic playing, and you also need balanced electric response...

[slewis]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

13-56 across the board:

• Martin Monels for the Gibson - about as period-correct as you're likely to get...
• Dean Markley 2006 85/15's for the Harmony - again, period-correct...
• Either D'Addario EPN22 Pure Nickel or Martin Monels for the Eastman - flats generally don't have the ring and cut you need for acoustic playing, and you also need balanced electric response...

What about your Godin Fifth Avenue, Steve?!?!

[Uke Richard]

Originally Posted by slewis

What about your Godin Fifth Avenue, Steve?!?!

I'm not Steve but I have a Godin 5th Ave along with a few nice archtops, most of them from the 1930s to the 1950s.

There was are recent post at the Jazz Guitar Forum that may be of interest to the OP - http://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guita...d-strings.html - here is what I wrote there in regards to my Godin:

On my Godin 5th Ave acoustic, I tried many sets and always was dissapointed. TI Swing, Bebop, Plectrum; Newtone Archtop, Master Class. All strings that I usually like. Not a fan of D'Addario's, but I also tried 80/20 Bronze and Chrome. Although I liked the build and playability of that guitar, I truly hated the sound and was determined to get rid of it until I finally tried the D'Addario EPN21. They are a perfect match IMHO. My daughter is learning to play guitar, and the 5th Ave is now in her custody.

What I didn't like about the 5th Ave was that it sounded too harsh and zingy with all the round wounds I tried, and too dull with the flats. The D'Addario Pure Nickel were the solution for me and that guitar.

P.S. I am Eddie Lang over at the JGF.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by slewis

What about your Godin Fifth Avenue, Steve?!?!

D'Addario EJ18 (14-59 PB), but it's strictly a comp box now so the heavy-gauge strings are a non-issue - if I needed it as an all-around I'd go with 13's, either the nickels or monels...

[Driver8]

I alternate between John Pearse Pure Nickel wound 13-57 & his True Medium Phosphor Bronze sets on my '47' acoustic L5 with equal success.
The nickel strings although slightly heavier gauge, have a soft feel, perhaps the tension of nickel strings isn't so great as bronze?
The True Mediums are a nice string, & both sets are long lasting or so I have found.

[Bruce Sexauer]

Retros are working very well on my new archtop:

[Archtop Guy]

Originally Posted by Driver8

I alternate between John Pearse Pure Nickel wound 13-57 & his True Medium Phosphor Bronze sets on my '47' acoustic L5 with equal success.

Glad to see someone else finally recommending phosphor bronze! I use phosphor bronze, 80/20, or 85/15 bronze on my acoustic archtops, and either .012s or .013s depending on the guitar. (I use .013s on my vintage guitars, and .012s on the modern x-braced guitars.) I've never been a fan of nickel or monel or white bronze when I'm really trying to optimize for acoustic tone, although I use those on guitars where I'm amplifying through a magnetic PU.

To the OP, I know you wanted a simple answer, but I don't think there is one. The best string depends on the sound in your head, your technique and style, and the guitar. If you try to just plug in some suggestion from the internet, you won't get there. You definitely need to try a range of strings and pick the one that works for you.

[Driver8]

I also found it worthwhile to experiment with small adjustments to the bridge height on my L5 until I found a sweet spot,(for want of a better term), where the sound seemed to bloom.
This was also the case with an early L10 that I owned many years ago & foolishly sold

[zaskar1]

sm

i am new to jazzy stuff as well.

a friend who is into jazz suggested d'add
flatwounds lights for my epi joe pass. as i got this guitar pre-owned, i bought some to install, just to discover that is what is on them.
so i put the new ones on anyway, didnt hear much of difference, as they must have been fairly new.
the original owner said he was selling the epi to fund a high end acoustic

flatwounds cut back on the "squeaking" or noise you make when changing notes. you probably dont need that if you have such a light touch on the fretboard when playing a progression.

z

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

I confess that I rarely even unpack my archtops nowadays - having grudgingly accepted that I'll never master swing or jazz chord progressions.

Between 2006 and 2011 I harboured ambitions in this area, and like the person who joins a golf/tennis club, I bought the outfit before I learned to play.

Some have come and gone but still with me is my Eastman AR805e (on sale in the classifieds), a 1964 Harmony Monterey in remarkable condition, and a 1934 L4/L7 in very good condition.

It's cold and raining today and my wife is out so I've got some of my toys down to pick on and just decided to restring the Gibson and the Harmony both of which had old EJ17s on.

I have just put a set of Gibson "L-5" (56-12) nickel strings on the Gibson and then wondered about replacements - no-one seems to sell them any more.

I use EJ17s on my flat-tops and both my archtops need some welly to get the best sound out of them.

So, advice please - from Acoustic jazzers - what strings do you use on your rhythm boxes?

Thanks inn advance,

[CoolerKing]

I put savarez argentines on mine and it's getting great gypsy jazz tones out of an Archtop! Pretty cool...