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#1
10-20-2023, 09:21 AM
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Archtop string review
This subject has been beaten to death but I have a observation.
A friend gave me a set of strings that he was given to try but doesn't play an archtop. Thomastic-Infeld Jazz Swing JS113 I put them on my Eastman AR-605 These are the brightest flat wound strings I have ever tried. No more squeak. At $30 a set I would not have tried them. Now I am a convert. I like them better than the ground-round I put on my ES-175. What remains to be seen is how long they retain their brightness.
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"My opinion is worth every penny you paid for it." "If you try to play like someone else, Who will play like you". Quote from Johnny Gimble The only musician I have to impress today is the musician I was yesterday. No tubes, No capos, No Problems. 
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#2
10-20-2023, 09:40 AM
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Flat wounds are, I think, designed to give a dull sound on electric guitars.
I do prefer nickel strings for my archtops (and mandolin), but would not want to put specifically electric guitar strings on my Eastman (AR-805), Gibson or Harmony.
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Silly Moustache, Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer. I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom!
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#3
10-20-2023, 06:32 PM
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Quote:
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) Last edited by Steve DeRosa; 10-21-2023 at 07:05 AM.
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#4
10-21-2023, 05:02 AM
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On my archtops with magnetic pickups, I like Thomastik Infeld Jazz BeBops .013”-0.053”. These are roundwound strings with very fine nickel wrap wire so they are quieter than others that I have tried. They are expensive like the Jazz Swings, last a long time for me (I can get 4-6 months on a set). They are acoustically more harmonically rich than the flatwounds.
I also like to use 80/20 bronze strings on my acoustic archtops.
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings…
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#5
10-21-2023, 05:27 AM
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Speaking of Thomastik-Infeld strings on an archtop, I use the George Benson roundwounds, GR112 Medium-Light. They were the strings recommended and used by my luthier, Stephen Holst on my custom guitar.
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I own 41 guitars. Most are made of wood. Some are not.
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#6
10-21-2023, 09:58 AM
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TI strings are really great strings. The price makes many pause, but they can be bought on 15% off sale days from some retailers which helps a little.
I've used their round and flat bass strings on most of my electric basses. You can amortize those bass flats like a 20 year mortgage, so I no longer blanch at the price. And my DeArmond "Guild-alike" X155 electric archtop has one or another set of their flats on it for most of its life. They tend to be lower tension for any particular gauge and as others have noticed, they have a smoother surface feel than some other strings. And they sound great.
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----------------------------------- Creator of The Parlando Project Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses....
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#7
10-21-2023, 12:11 PM
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Quote:
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“Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself” — Miles Davis.
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#8
10-23-2023, 10:06 AM
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T.I. Swing Flats for me on my main electric—a ‘54 Guild X-550. I use the .012 set and typically swap out the wound 3rd for a .019 plain as I need to do some bending. They last forever, and I can revive them with GHS Fast Fret. Here’s a clip from the other day (this is a thrown together jam group for the event)-
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#9
11-08-2023, 12:05 PM
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Quote:
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1955 Gibson ES-125 1956 Fender Champ lap steel 1964 Guild Starfire III 1984 Rickenbacker 330 1990s Mosrite (Kurokumo) Ventures 2002/2005 Fender Japan '60s Tele [TL-62-66US] 2008 Hallmark 60 Custom 2018 Martin Custom Shop 00-18 slot-head 1963 Fender Bandmaster (blonde blackface) 1965 Ampeg Gemini I 2020 Mojotone tweed Champ kit build
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#10
11-15-2023, 10:27 PM
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Quote:
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#11
11-24-2023, 08:08 AM
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On my Godin 5th Avenue (acoustic version, with a StuMac rosewood bridge I fitted) I use Martin Retro Monel 13 - 56 strings MM13. Except I have replaced the 6th string with a pure nickel 0.056 round wound (Ernie Ball I think). I play a lot of Carter style and Travis picking and use a capo. Plus I use dropped D for some songs (man of constant sorrow at the moment). The monel 6th is a bit weak. A pure nickel string is a slightly softer compound, giving a more rounded bass.
I mic' on stage, so the pure acoustic timbre is important - it's all I have to work with. Pick choice makes a great difference. I find that I reach for a Wegen M100. It's a very rounded pick that gives very strong individual notes but a quiet strum. It's a great balance for singing with the guitar. I'll probably fit D'Addario EPN22 13/56 pure nickel round wound at the next string change. But that's a while away as monel and pure nickel strings last ages.
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I'm learning to flatpick and fingerpick guitar to accompany songs. I've played and studied traditional noter/drone mountain dulcimer for many years. And I used to play dobro in a bluegrass band.
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#12
12-01-2023, 08:48 PM
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Stringmaster, you guys sound great!
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If the Dawn Patrol gotta tell ya twice, they're gonna do it with a shotgun, I'm cashing in this ten-cent life for another one. Last edited by Backcountry; 12-01-2023 at 08:54 PM.
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#13
01-21-2024, 03:55 AM
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Great tone / vibe on the X-550 Guild
Put Thomastik Infeld Jazz Swing 12s on my 51 Zephyr because they are so highly rated on Jazz Guitar Forum Easier playing than Chromes, and the tone works for my primal thumpy sometimes slide Swampy Gospel Delta Blues or whatever category of noises I make Yes they cost more, a whopping 1 1/2% of the guitars value; a bargain considering they supposedly (according to Jazz Forum) can last a couple years
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2018 Gibson Songwriter EC 1938 Kalamazoo KG 16 1997 Guild Starfire II Guild Acoustic Fretless Bass
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