Who uses a wound third?

[KCharlesD]

I've gone to using 10's with a wound third on my telecaster. I'm predominantly an acoustic player and I want be really in tune, so I'm more at home with a wound third than plain. I admit my playing has adapted a little, I automatically avoid bending so much on the G string. I like it, I reckon I'll stick with it.

Anyone else who plays electric with a wound third?

[YamahaGuy]

D'Addario EJ21 all the way. 12-52 with a wound G. A friend of my just got a nice Gretsch, but found it sounded terrible when he'd play certain chords. Being a heavy handed acoustic player (like me) I suggested putting heavier strings on, so I did. He loves them! No problems fretting notes sharp anymore. Be sure to check the intonation, as it will be different with that wound G string than with the plain G.

[Steve DeRosa]

Never used anything but a wound G...

[RRuskin]

I had a wound 3rd on my Tele when in ONJ's touring band.

[rockabilly69]

I do on this...

[rrgguitarman]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Never used anything but a wound G...

Same here.

[Tuch]

If..you just play chords etc fine.If..you use a lot of string bends & focus more on soloing[single note playing] etc..bends can/will be difficult,problematic etc.=whatever suits musically steers the string preferences etc.

[Pnewsom]

After decades of using a plain G string on all my electric's, I changed to wound G string. This came about with a move to flat wounds. I love them both, the flats and the wound 3rd. I first made the change about ten years ago on a full bodied archtop guitar, but have since been running them on a Strat and a 335.

I play lead as well as rhythm work, and while bending the wound G string is still possible its hardly worth the trouble, so I simply slide up for anything more than a semitone and usually incorporate it with a position change. Of course the E and B string still bend well. My soling style falls in the realm of blues and jazz, with lots of double stops so it wasn't a big leap giving up bending the 3rd string. A rock shredder probably wouldn't like it so much.

To my ears the guitars all sound better with this setup, with improved string to string balance, a fatter sound and better tuning. I run 11-49's on the Strat and the 335, and 12-52's on my full body archtop.

I'm very happy with this set up, and I don't see myself switching back any time soon.

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by KCharlesD

I've gone to using 10's with a wound third on my telecaster. I'm predominantly an acoustic player and I want be really in tune, so I'm more at home with a wound third than plain. I admit my playing has adapted a little, I automatically avoid bending so much on the G string. I like it, I reckon I'll stick with it.

Anyone else who plays electric with a wound third?

Charles,
I always use a wound 3rd on my electrics.

I'm not a bender for the most part, although I can bend my .017 2nd string a whole tone if needed.

I want my electrics to feel, basically, like my acoustics. Unwound heavy 3rd/G strings have a very wonky sound to them. I prefer the smoother sonic transition with a wound .024.

Regards,
Howard Emerson

[Dru Edwards]

I didn't realize so many people use a wound third string. I don't. I bend and solo a lot and a wound third would kill my fingers.

[Mikesr1963]

I've got wound G strings on 3 electric guitars and when I change them I'm switching back to unwound. They don't do anything for me other than being able to say I have a wound string. On one of the 2 Les Paul type guitars the wound G string will hang in the nut when tuning up or changing tunings. I'm definitely not going to reshape a nut slot for it.

[Paleolith54]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

I didn't realize so many people use a wound third string. I don't. I bend and solo a lot and a wound third would kill my fingers.

Plus, it's pretty easy to adjust your touch to avoid the problems an unwound third presents. Nothing wrong with a wound third if you're pounding out chords, playing clean, and don't want to adjust your technique but there's a reason players fron the early electric blues guys on down went with smaller strings and a plain third.

[jricc]

Wound G on my electrics. I find the intonation to be better when playing chords.

[Ray175]

Wound G on my ES-175D for jazz (strings are 13s or 14s with very low action)
Wound G on my Ibanez AR420 with 12's or 11s for rythm work.
Otherwise plain G for solos and bending using 10s or 9s and depending on scale length of the guitar (range of Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, Charvel, Gretsch and Peavey guitars).

[FrankHudson]

I've had a wound G on an large electric full-hollow-body archtop since I got it. I usually keep one "regular" electric with a heavier gauged set including a wound G on it, currenlty a Telecaster with a set of TI flats on it. I think of that later guitar as my "think acoustic, play electric" guitar.

Here's that Tele playing a part I might have played on acoustic, but didn't:

Long Island Sound on Telecaster with flats and wound 3rd

I have old, weaker fingers and tired joints. I also tend to bend a lot. So I don't make it a general practice to use the wound G.