spy
Aren't Pyramids a little bit expensive?

The Pyramid Gold do cost some money, but I was able to locate them in bulk on the Ebay: about US$12.00 per set. I bought 3 sets at that price.

But, they seem to last forever: the first set I installed on the Jazzmaster has lasted over a year. I play about 2 hours each week...not too much compared to some on this list. The Pyramid Golds flats have great feel, sound and durability...

For round wounds, I use the Rotosounds Grey.

Also on bass, I use Rotosound Nickel Round Wound.

dp
Klas:
I'm a big fan of Pyramid Gold Flatwounds .013-.052

Yeah, me too. I use Pyramid Golds on almost all my other guitars.

T H E ✠ S U R F I T E S

thomann.de ....10-something a set

Rules to live by #314:
"When in Italy, if the menu says something's grilled, don't assume it is."

https://www.facebook.com/The-Malbehavers-286429584796173/

WR
thomann.de ....10-something a set

haha.... when you post this I was searching thomann's website!
Yes, they have them at 12euro/set!

Edit: lordofthestrings? I'll visit it now! Thanks WR!

Every word is like an unecessary stain on silence and nothingness.

spy

Klas

dp
Klas:
I'm a big fan of Pyramid Gold Flatwounds .013-.052

Yeah, me too. I use Pyramid Golds on almost all my other guitars.

Hey Klas,
From where do you buy them! I need a European seller.....

From either Thomann or Saitenkatalog. The latter has cheaper shipping.

T H E ✠ S U R F I T E S

Klas
The latter has cheaper shipping.

yeah, Thoman has a flat rate for everything (it's 8 euros to NL, depends on your country)

excellent if you're buying two marshall full stacks, not so good if you order one set of strings

Rules to live by #314:
"When in Italy, if the menu says something's grilled, don't assume it is."

https://www.facebook.com/The-Malbehavers-286429584796173/

Bear in mind that my comments/questions are based on high-school physics and geometry, not so much from real-world experience with strings.

Round core constructed string offer better harmonics, longer string vibrations, better tone and longer string life. Pyramid is about the only company offering a true round core, pure nickel wrapped strings. These are exact to the specs they used originally from the late `40’s thru the 1960’s and feature a small core and large wrap.

I was wondering if the "thin core / large wrap" design results in a string that is easier to bend, while keeping the mass-per-inch up to keep the frequency lower for a given tension. I'm thinking that the "bendability" is mostly a function of the thinness of the core wire because the wrap is essentially a spring-like helix, contributing little to the tensile strength. Is there anything to that, or am I missing something?

Lonion65
I strung my Epiphone with D'Addario Chromes .11's for the first time last night. I went with the 11's because I was told that the flatwounds will feel stiffer than the rounds. So far I like them and I will move up to 12's in the future.

That brings up another thing I was wondering about. I'm currently using a set of D'Addario flatwound Chromes.
The package sez "High Finish Ribbon Wound / Extra Light Gauge", (.010 to .048).
If .011 to .013 is considered the heavier range, how is .010 "extra light"?
There's also "D'Addario Chromes Stainless Steel Flat Wound Electric Guitar Strings Jazz Light .011-.050".

Then there's the D'Addario XL Pro-Steels "Regular Light Gauge" rounds set, also .010 - .046.

Their "Jazz Medium" set of ProSteel rounds go .013 - .056, while the "Light Top / Heavy Bottom" set goes .010 - .056.

The .056 is both "Light" and "Heavy", depending on the style? What's up with that?

Does the "light/medium/heavy" designation refer to the mass per inch (which would depend on density of the alloys, diameter and construction), or the diameter alone, or something more to do with flexibility and/or stretchiness?

My point being: Is there some sort of "fudge-factor" involved in gauge differences between flat-wounds versus round-wounds? If so, which way does it go? Lonion65's comment suggests that flatwounds feel stiffer than rounds with the same diameters, but D'addario's labeling suggests otherwise. Or is the "stiffness" not a factor in the "light/heavy" business?

Lonion65: by "stiffness", do you mean how easy or hard it is to bend notes?

edited later:
It would seem to me that flatwounds could be made with thinner outside diameters because there is no "wasted space" between wraps resulting from the roundness of the wrapping wire. (Like packing tin cans instead of boxes.) Most of the mass of the flat wrap is closer to the core wire. If the core is round instead of hexagonal, the overall string cross section should be even denser.

From that, it should follow that a flatwound string of the same diameter and length as a roundwound string must be tuned tighter than the round in order to get the same frequency.

Does that account for the perceived stiffness that Lonion65 mentions?

I'm not a complete idiot. Some parts are missing.

WR
wow, you've given this a lot of thought.

Yes. I'm thinking of presenting a paper to the Canadian Journal of Physics, and title it "A Grand Unified String Theory".
There may be a trip to Stockholm in it for me.

Seriously, I imagine you're right. The labeled "lightness" or "heaviness" is probably in the context of the intended instrument and/or style of music. Like the discrepancy between men's and women's shoe sizes.

On second thought, maybe I should choose the more musical title of "Grand Unified Theory of Strings" = "GUT Strings".

I'm not a complete idiot. Some parts are missing.

Sorry, but I've got a total rookie question here - I just picked up a Gretsch hollowbody guitar. I bought it mostly for looks, but I'm trying to learn how to play again. What kind of strings should I get for it? I'm really starting from the beginning, so strings that sound good and are comfortable to play are what I'm looking for. My main instruments in the past have been bass and keys, and back in college why I kinda taught myself 6 string I usually just borrowed a guitar from a bandmate or roommate - I've never had one of my own until now. I guess I can just ask at a local shop, but any recommendations here would be helpful

Sean
Double Crown Records
www.doublecrownrecords.com

Surf CD's / Vinyl / Fanzines / DVD's
The Desolate Coast - Without A Planet CD
Hipbone Slim aka Sir Bald - Wiggin' Out With CD
Continental Magazine - Issue #36 w/21 Song CD

I'm fishing around for strings for the Guild Starfire I just bought off Fritz and I was wondering who makes a set of 11's with a wound G string.

The Mystery Men?
El Capitan and The Reluctant Sadists
SSS Agent #31